i want to learn to play the banjo.
in other news, the process of slowly moving out of london has begun. it feels funny thinking i'll never live there again. i think. but at the same time there's a nostalgic sense of closure that i'm moving on to other things.
who wants some furniture? i have a bookshelf, some shelving units, plastic drawers, all that kind of neat stuff. i haven't started sifting through the piles of misc. collected items stashed in the various corners of my room, but i'm sure i'll unearth some gems.
the next few weeks will be split between london and toronto, kicking it in the forrest city, and getting errands accomplished in toronto. busy busy i guess, but all with an air of satisfaction and anticipation about it.
now....who wants trucker hats?
Apr 6, 2005
sentiments vs syllables
Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.
~ Groucho Marx
and so it ends. i just finished my last class here at the university of western ontario. what a bittersweet experience this graduation business is proving to be.
for so long i have wanted out. no more classes, no more books....no more teachers dirty looks.
and yet here i am, almost wishing i could start all over again from square one. that i could redo my mistakes, and relive my elation. so much has happened in my four years here. i can't say i'm nearly the same person walking away from here as i was walking in.
God has blessed me so much, and given me such great friends and a wonderful fellowship. I feel like my eyes have been opened to life, and where i fit into things. That assurance is so invaluable. I know that i'll be moving on, but i recognize that i might not ever have the luxury this situation affords....for the rest of my life. absolute freedom, learning on my own, forcing myself to grow, great friends who are around all day every day and accessible 24/7.
so to all who've put up with me, and all who've helped me through the tougher times, and everyone i've met here -- thanks.
man, i'm writing a grad comment for my imaginary yearbook. i'm such a loser.
Apr 5, 2005
i want to know your plans
i've waited so long for this day.
our first steps towards building a gundam
mmm....side mounted gattling guns...
now everyone knows what i want for christmas:
a land walker.
our first steps towards building a gundam
mmm....side mounted gattling guns...
now everyone knows what i want for christmas:
a land walker.
the heavens
wouldn't life be more fun if everything had a live studio audience?
"i slept in for class"
"well, at least it wasn't MONEY class!"
*audience laughs*
wait...that's not funny.
dammit, i'm gonna go eat hotdogs.
*audience laughs*
"i slept in for class"
"well, at least it wasn't MONEY class!"
*audience laughs*
wait...that's not funny.
dammit, i'm gonna go eat hotdogs.
*audience laughs*
Mar 31, 2005
two dedications
as cammie has pointed out, there is an abundance of good music rolling through town over the next few months. she has a helpful list on her blog.
i thought just for sharing, i'd list a few of the smaller (and cheaper) shows that are gonna be visiting toronto (many of which while i'm gone....dammmmmmiiiitttt.....) so those of you on a shoe-string budget like myself can catch some great gigs too.
april
7//damon & naomi, raising the fawn and a northern chorus//Drake Hotel, //$10
7//the kills//Horseshoe//$12.50
7//kathleen edwards and jason collett //Mod Club // $15
10//outhud //Horseshoe // $10
14//angels of light w/ m. gira, akron/family and picastro //Music Gallery //$13-$15
17//the shins //Kool Haus, //$21
18//m ward //Lee's Palace, //$12.50
19//m83 and ulrich schnauss //Lee's Palace, //$15
26//arcade fire //Danforth Music Hall // $20
may
9//prefuse 73 //Lee's Palace, //$15
11//the mountain goats //Lee's Palace, //$11
21//the decemberists //Lee's Palace, //$15
28//Sam prekop //Horseshoe, //$12
21//LCD Soundsystem & M.I.A //Opera House//prices unannounced
and although it's too expensive, i think it's important to list:
may 16//doves and mercury rev //Kool Haus, //$25.75
not to mention of course the Bloc Party this saturday. tickets still available if i'm not mistaken.
i'd kill to see the arcade fire and sam prekop. i'd also like to see the shins, but that's a bit pricey for me. i'm not even here for sam prekop, and LCD SOUNDSYSTEM AND MIA. that's going to be the funnest show of the year. dammmmmiiiiiitttttt.....
but ok. arcade fire -- i wanna go to that for sure. maybe out hud, and maybe m ward, and maybe the shins. why...why am i so poor....
so there you go. cheap but great music. enjoy folks!
i thought just for sharing, i'd list a few of the smaller (and cheaper) shows that are gonna be visiting toronto (many of which while i'm gone....dammmmmmiiiitttt.....) so those of you on a shoe-string budget like myself can catch some great gigs too.
april
7//damon & naomi, raising the fawn and a northern chorus//Drake Hotel, //$10
7//the kills//Horseshoe//$12.50
7//kathleen edwards and jason collett //Mod Club // $15
10//outhud //Horseshoe // $10
14//angels of light w/ m. gira, akron/family and picastro //Music Gallery //$13-$15
17//the shins //Kool Haus, //$21
18//m ward //Lee's Palace, //$12.50
19//m83 and ulrich schnauss //Lee's Palace, //$15
26//arcade fire //Danforth Music Hall // $20
may
9//prefuse 73 //Lee's Palace, //$15
11//the mountain goats //Lee's Palace, //$11
21//the decemberists //Lee's Palace, //$15
28//Sam prekop //Horseshoe, //$12
21//LCD Soundsystem & M.I.A //Opera House//prices unannounced
and although it's too expensive, i think it's important to list:
may 16//doves and mercury rev //Kool Haus, //$25.75
not to mention of course the Bloc Party this saturday. tickets still available if i'm not mistaken.
i'd kill to see the arcade fire and sam prekop. i'd also like to see the shins, but that's a bit pricey for me. i'm not even here for sam prekop, and LCD SOUNDSYSTEM AND MIA. that's going to be the funnest show of the year. dammmmmiiiiiitttttt.....
but ok. arcade fire -- i wanna go to that for sure. maybe out hud, and maybe m ward, and maybe the shins. why...why am i so poor....
so there you go. cheap but great music. enjoy folks!
marvelous things
goodness i'm hungry. i just realized upon waking up that it's been almost 16 hours since my last meal. i've gotta get used to those early dinner and no breakfast. oops.
it's another beautiful day outside. i wonder what it is about the sun that makes us so happy, so energized. if someone could bottle that feeling, they would have the worlds most popular drug on their hands.
an an unrelated note, the girls here at ACF have been doing a book for women's cell this term, and i'm not sure if i heard it talking to one of them, or perhaps from a speaker or something...but someone once mentioned that guys tend to compartmentalize their lives, while women's lives are more like spider webs -- one thing can affect every facet of their lives.
i wonder some days if that's true or not?
if we're suppose to have God in every facet of our lives then, does that almost mean the ladies have an advantage since they already are naturally inclined to paint their lives with one big brush? does that mean it's more natural for guys to put God in a box and harder for us to break out of that?
it sometimes feels that way i suppose. but i recognize that life being a "spider web" means it can also be harder to walk with God everyday because things can throw you off so much easier.
how much can we learn about ourselves before we start looking for things that aren't there?
to summarize, photoshop is fun. i saw billy use this effect on some photos he took, and i was like....i wanna learn how to do that, hahaha
it's another beautiful day outside. i wonder what it is about the sun that makes us so happy, so energized. if someone could bottle that feeling, they would have the worlds most popular drug on their hands.
an an unrelated note, the girls here at ACF have been doing a book for women's cell this term, and i'm not sure if i heard it talking to one of them, or perhaps from a speaker or something...but someone once mentioned that guys tend to compartmentalize their lives, while women's lives are more like spider webs -- one thing can affect every facet of their lives.
i wonder some days if that's true or not?
if we're suppose to have God in every facet of our lives then, does that almost mean the ladies have an advantage since they already are naturally inclined to paint their lives with one big brush? does that mean it's more natural for guys to put God in a box and harder for us to break out of that?
it sometimes feels that way i suppose. but i recognize that life being a "spider web" means it can also be harder to walk with God everyday because things can throw you off so much easier.
how much can we learn about ourselves before we start looking for things that aren't there?
to summarize, photoshop is fun. i saw billy use this effect on some photos he took, and i was like....i wanna learn how to do that, hahaha
Mar 29, 2005
caught halo
one of the downsides of being a musical fiend are that you spend a lot of energy trying to find specific artists. case in point, i've been looking for the entire jen wood discography in a high quality for at least the last 4 years.
and now.....now i finally have them all in glorious 192 quality. every last album and ep.
thank you...thank you. i couldn't have done it without bittorrent.
and now.....now i finally have them all in glorious 192 quality. every last album and ep.
thank you...thank you. i couldn't have done it without bittorrent.
Mar 28, 2005
my mathematical mind
i figured since my move to blogspot seems pretty set, i'd spruce the place up a bit.
anyways, 3 weeks until freedom. 2 days until an assignment is due. 2 weeks until exams. i hope my time here is more than a mere countdown.
i can't believe how messed up this page looks on IE. stop using IE people. if you haven't jumped on the firefox bandwagon, hurry up.
grad night this friday at acf.....what to say....what to say....
i read an article in ad-busters that said the great irony of the modern cultural rift is that christianity is at the heart of the seperation between european and american culture.
because americans are predominantly a christian culture, europeans are alienated because modern europe is done with religion. centuries of the catholic church and two wars later, europe has -- amazingly -- become the first major culture of social conciousness.
the twist being naturally, that in the course of doing so, european culture may actually be more "christian" than american.
an interesting observation, though not full of questions.
however, maybe this explains why canada is so confused. in the schism of american conservatism and european socialism, perhaps we're trying to find a happy compromise.
that's an encouraging thought.
anyways, 3 weeks until freedom. 2 days until an assignment is due. 2 weeks until exams. i hope my time here is more than a mere countdown.
i can't believe how messed up this page looks on IE. stop using IE people. if you haven't jumped on the firefox bandwagon, hurry up.
grad night this friday at acf.....what to say....what to say....
i read an article in ad-busters that said the great irony of the modern cultural rift is that christianity is at the heart of the seperation between european and american culture.
because americans are predominantly a christian culture, europeans are alienated because modern europe is done with religion. centuries of the catholic church and two wars later, europe has -- amazingly -- become the first major culture of social conciousness.
the twist being naturally, that in the course of doing so, european culture may actually be more "christian" than american.
an interesting observation, though not full of questions.
however, maybe this explains why canada is so confused. in the schism of american conservatism and european socialism, perhaps we're trying to find a happy compromise.
that's an encouraging thought.
Mar 24, 2005
the news
bloc party on april 2.
ok go on april 5.
raising the fawn on april 7.
weezer on may 6.
decisions decisions.
why am i so poor?
right now weezer is pretty much a given, i'll be lining up saturday afternoon. bloc party tickets are cheap too, so i think i can actually afford that one.
who wants to join me?
ok go on april 5.
raising the fawn on april 7.
weezer on may 6.
decisions decisions.
why am i so poor?
right now weezer is pretty much a given, i'll be lining up saturday afternoon. bloc party tickets are cheap too, so i think i can actually afford that one.
who wants to join me?
Mar 22, 2005
hit the switch
i've gotten such good rest over the last two days. something like 24 hours of sleep in the last two nights or something along those lines. so nice....
here's a fun little tidbit: ever wish while roller blading that you could just go FASTER? well now you can. all you have to do is strap an engine and wheel to your ass. yes, someone finally invented it: the rollercycle
i was browsing around and i noticed that everyone is obsessed with pictures. i felt compelled to try and keep up, so i finally got around to uploading some photos. some of which are a few years old already. ah well, better late than never i guess.
it seems that the less i update, the more comments just start to accumulate. is it like a boredom thing? nothing else to do but create your own content? i like it. less work for me.
is it just me, or as each generation graduates from university, they become less and less concerned with finding a job and more and more concerned with seeing the world?
here's a fun little tidbit: ever wish while roller blading that you could just go FASTER? well now you can. all you have to do is strap an engine and wheel to your ass. yes, someone finally invented it: the rollercycle
i was browsing around and i noticed that everyone is obsessed with pictures. i felt compelled to try and keep up, so i finally got around to uploading some photos. some of which are a few years old already. ah well, better late than never i guess.
it seems that the less i update, the more comments just start to accumulate. is it like a boredom thing? nothing else to do but create your own content? i like it. less work for me.
is it just me, or as each generation graduates from university, they become less and less concerned with finding a job and more and more concerned with seeing the world?
Mar 18, 2005
plans
waiting for tomorrow is a waste of today
so i read that quote from my bathroom reader while sitting on the john. i find that many realizations about life tend to come while in the washroom. truly, such a place of solace; a fortress of solitude.
not so much a realization i suppose, as much as a motivation.
it's starting to appear that i indeed will be going to asia right after school ends, and i officially begin the rest of my life.
between ivan, brian, and myself, i think we all have our own reasons for wanting to go on this trip. fun, reflection, excitment, experience, learning, shopping. the reasons are actually more than i can count. but i think personally, one bigh thing is i want to really see the world, and learn to experience god not just in the comfort of north america, but through his presence world wide. to drink in all his creation, and get an idea of how he is moving and working, particularly in poorer nations.
there's so much i want to learn. so much. to grow, to change, to be formed.
it's exciting, challenging, encouraging and daunting all at once.
so i read that quote from my bathroom reader while sitting on the john. i find that many realizations about life tend to come while in the washroom. truly, such a place of solace; a fortress of solitude.
not so much a realization i suppose, as much as a motivation.
it's starting to appear that i indeed will be going to asia right after school ends, and i officially begin the rest of my life.
between ivan, brian, and myself, i think we all have our own reasons for wanting to go on this trip. fun, reflection, excitment, experience, learning, shopping. the reasons are actually more than i can count. but i think personally, one bigh thing is i want to really see the world, and learn to experience god not just in the comfort of north america, but through his presence world wide. to drink in all his creation, and get an idea of how he is moving and working, particularly in poorer nations.
there's so much i want to learn. so much. to grow, to change, to be formed.
it's exciting, challenging, encouraging and daunting all at once.
Mar 16, 2005
show me everything you've got
paranoia runs rampant as i attempt to normalize my school habits. thankfully good news was in the cards today, and a big burden has been lifted off my shoulders. thank you God.
despite the fact that i do in fact have a short assignment due tomorrow morning (basketball at 8:30 anyone?), i'm feeling quite good about things right now.
life.....is better than i deserve, despite my attempts to screw it up.
here's something fun to tide you all over until i have more entertaining things to write about.
make your own superhero!
despite the fact that i do in fact have a short assignment due tomorrow morning (basketball at 8:30 anyone?), i'm feeling quite good about things right now.
life.....is better than i deserve, despite my attempts to screw it up.
here's something fun to tide you all over until i have more entertaining things to write about.
make your own superhero!
Mar 12, 2005
retreat! retreat!
i'm so sorry this slipped my mind, but a happy belated birthday to wendy! i'm really sorry i couldn't make your party, and particularly so because i basically had the date changed to accomodate me. errrr....oops.
either way, hope it was a blast and may you have many blessed years of auditing to come.
that sounded better in my head.
home for a few days! may the battle against procrastination commence.
either way, hope it was a blast and may you have many blessed years of auditing to come.
that sounded better in my head.
home for a few days! may the battle against procrastination commence.
Mar 11, 2005
i trawl the megahertz
i woke up at 4pm this afternoon, and almost assuredly only because connie called to see why she hadn't heard from me all day. whats wrong with me? haven't been able to sleep well altely. or early for that matter. not cool. anyways, quick update on whats been going on 'round these parts i guess
went to the stars/apostle of hustle show yesterday night, good times was had by all. it was alright, although apostle of hustle in my opinion stole the show big time even though they were the opener. stars just sound kind of anemic live i've found from both times i've seen them, although this show it was particularly evident that without a full stage of backing musicians they lose a lot of their punch. the viscerality of their songs are really defined by the textures and subtle layers that they create. stripping that away makes their live show seem kind of like....a cover band trying to play stars songs. it's odd. but all and all, it was still a fun show. the moment of the night however.....
me and joel are laughing about a bowel movement he had that he seemed strangely proud of. upon looking down, he asks me "simon. is that what i think it is?"
i particularly like the look on his face in this photo. it's like he just found an endangered species or something as he proudly poses with it. it was just classic. moreover, i just noticed that the random stranger is also posing and pointing along with joel, even though he's barely in the picture. way to be buddy! way to get in with that condom!
are these london teens that desperate to get it on that they can't even make it to the washrooms for their exhibitionist kicks? were they just filming a porno before they let the crowd in? was it "free condom night" the night before?
along with cricket and pop-tart filling, i guess it'll remain a mystery.
in other news, who wants to expand their musical library for free, and without the hassle of those pesky p2p programs?
the SXSW festival this year has compiled an archive of samples of EVERY artist participating in the festival this year. that's right! full songs! they're encrypted at a very decent 160kbs and available for free download at their site here
it's free, it's legally sponsored, and it's a great way to hear some great new music. the files are torrent files, so if you don't know what bittorrent is, the sxsw site has a quick primer on that too.
one note of warning, the main file is a 2.6 gig file, so it will take a while to download. there's an update file with about 25 songs that's around 85 megs as well, so enjoy all you can folks!
went to the stars/apostle of hustle show yesterday night, good times was had by all. it was alright, although apostle of hustle in my opinion stole the show big time even though they were the opener. stars just sound kind of anemic live i've found from both times i've seen them, although this show it was particularly evident that without a full stage of backing musicians they lose a lot of their punch. the viscerality of their songs are really defined by the textures and subtle layers that they create. stripping that away makes their live show seem kind of like....a cover band trying to play stars songs. it's odd. but all and all, it was still a fun show. the moment of the night however.....
me and joel are laughing about a bowel movement he had that he seemed strangely proud of. upon looking down, he asks me "simon. is that what i think it is?"
i particularly like the look on his face in this photo. it's like he just found an endangered species or something as he proudly poses with it. it was just classic. moreover, i just noticed that the random stranger is also posing and pointing along with joel, even though he's barely in the picture. way to be buddy! way to get in with that condom!
are these london teens that desperate to get it on that they can't even make it to the washrooms for their exhibitionist kicks? were they just filming a porno before they let the crowd in? was it "free condom night" the night before?
along with cricket and pop-tart filling, i guess it'll remain a mystery.
in other news, who wants to expand their musical library for free, and without the hassle of those pesky p2p programs?
the SXSW festival this year has compiled an archive of samples of EVERY artist participating in the festival this year. that's right! full songs! they're encrypted at a very decent 160kbs and available for free download at their site here
it's free, it's legally sponsored, and it's a great way to hear some great new music. the files are torrent files, so if you don't know what bittorrent is, the sxsw site has a quick primer on that too.
one note of warning, the main file is a 2.6 gig file, so it will take a while to download. there's an update file with about 25 songs that's around 85 megs as well, so enjoy all you can folks!
Mar 8, 2005
when they really get to know you they will run
so here's the new game: every post title will be a song title. guess the artist and win a cookie! the last two posts are actually song titles too. three cookies! what more could you ask for? and no, the song and artist are in no relation to what the post is about, but they ARE usually the song i'm listening to at the time of posting.
i'm...basically done this essay. but i must sleep now, for i want to make it to 9am class for a change. the corner must be turned before i crash and burn....ed. look at me go. i'm a rap master.
as i was disrobing for the shower (there's a mental image) i decided to flex my arm just to take a gander at how far i've fallen since i was sort of in better shape than i am at this exact current moment. am i an egomanic? or is that pretty normal? i'm sure other people do it. stop lying to me. anyways, long story short, i think i hurt my bicep.
have you ever tried so hard to focus on a task that your mind just shuts down? i think i've pretty much hit that wall tonight.
i think it's crazy how old we're all getting. i was just thinking about my own time here at western, hearing news of old aquaintances getting engaged, seeing my brother married, realizing that even my own life is pretty far out at the moment -- it's all pretty wild when you put it into perspective and step back. i mean, we're far from being old, but i remember a time when i used to think that i was also far from being grown up, more mature, all that crap. there was a time not long ago when i clearly felt i was still just a kid, and i didn't want to grow up, and i felt like i wasn't ready for the real world.
but here we are. on the cusp of...life. sure, there may be more school. sure, there may be more of the same routine down the line. but i mean, our whole lives are ahead of us. we don't have any more road maps to direct us where to go. it's in our own hands now, and thats something i'm starting to realize is as exciting as it gets.
the possibilities are endless. and i refuse to be pigeonholed. i refuse to let myself limit my own future, limit my own potential, by assuming i know whats best for myself. because i realize that the older i get, the more i learn about how little i know. that as brazen and sure as i was in high school, i must now make up for it with humbleness towards reality and life, acknowledging how fleeting and fragile everything we have really is.
and i'm thankful for that. for everything. and thats all i guess i really wanted to say. i meant this to be a short post, but my mind numbing fatigue has caused quite the ramble.
today, i was peeling an orange, and i threw a piece of rind all the way across the room. i find i eat a lot of stuff i wouldn't normally eat when i'm procrastinating or taking "breaks" from work. which just tells me that i'm not meant to write essays about politics for a living. or else i'd become terribly obese, and probably rather unattractive, and i'd fall down some stairs and discover that i'd become so round, i was actually capable of rolling down the stairs like a giant soccer ball.
but then the tragic would happen, and i would crush the old lady at the bottom of the fire exit who collected bottlecaps from the mid 50's in her single bedroom apartment that often smelled like gingersnaps and earl grey tea.
and it would be seared into my mind, as my revolutions down the stairs brought my head around and around, with every orbit her imminent doom drawing nearer, and i, unable to stop myself due to the inertia of my giant hamster-ball shaped body. the horror.
what couldn't it have been me dammit? why??
she had so much life to live....
i'm...basically done this essay. but i must sleep now, for i want to make it to 9am class for a change. the corner must be turned before i crash and burn....ed. look at me go. i'm a rap master.
as i was disrobing for the shower (there's a mental image) i decided to flex my arm just to take a gander at how far i've fallen since i was sort of in better shape than i am at this exact current moment. am i an egomanic? or is that pretty normal? i'm sure other people do it. stop lying to me. anyways, long story short, i think i hurt my bicep.
have you ever tried so hard to focus on a task that your mind just shuts down? i think i've pretty much hit that wall tonight.
i think it's crazy how old we're all getting. i was just thinking about my own time here at western, hearing news of old aquaintances getting engaged, seeing my brother married, realizing that even my own life is pretty far out at the moment -- it's all pretty wild when you put it into perspective and step back. i mean, we're far from being old, but i remember a time when i used to think that i was also far from being grown up, more mature, all that crap. there was a time not long ago when i clearly felt i was still just a kid, and i didn't want to grow up, and i felt like i wasn't ready for the real world.
but here we are. on the cusp of...life. sure, there may be more school. sure, there may be more of the same routine down the line. but i mean, our whole lives are ahead of us. we don't have any more road maps to direct us where to go. it's in our own hands now, and thats something i'm starting to realize is as exciting as it gets.
the possibilities are endless. and i refuse to be pigeonholed. i refuse to let myself limit my own future, limit my own potential, by assuming i know whats best for myself. because i realize that the older i get, the more i learn about how little i know. that as brazen and sure as i was in high school, i must now make up for it with humbleness towards reality and life, acknowledging how fleeting and fragile everything we have really is.
and i'm thankful for that. for everything. and thats all i guess i really wanted to say. i meant this to be a short post, but my mind numbing fatigue has caused quite the ramble.
today, i was peeling an orange, and i threw a piece of rind all the way across the room. i find i eat a lot of stuff i wouldn't normally eat when i'm procrastinating or taking "breaks" from work. which just tells me that i'm not meant to write essays about politics for a living. or else i'd become terribly obese, and probably rather unattractive, and i'd fall down some stairs and discover that i'd become so round, i was actually capable of rolling down the stairs like a giant soccer ball.
but then the tragic would happen, and i would crush the old lady at the bottom of the fire exit who collected bottlecaps from the mid 50's in her single bedroom apartment that often smelled like gingersnaps and earl grey tea.
and it would be seared into my mind, as my revolutions down the stairs brought my head around and around, with every orbit her imminent doom drawing nearer, and i, unable to stop myself due to the inertia of my giant hamster-ball shaped body. the horror.
what couldn't it have been me dammit? why??
she had so much life to live....
Mar 7, 2005
kitchen love
and so ends the (too short) run of probably my favourite website in the world.
CBC RADIO 3
they have a few of their favourite issues up, and even though i've posted this link repeatedly, if you haven't checked this site out yet, please do before it's gone.
you won't regret it.
CBC RADIO 3
they have a few of their favourite issues up, and even though i've posted this link repeatedly, if you haven't checked this site out yet, please do before it's gone.
you won't regret it.
Mar 6, 2005
fitting into fake
you ever have a dream that really, when you break it down, makes no sense whatsoever? but still, for some reason you wake up kind pf panicked, kind of scared, as if in your dream you were fighting for your life and just about to lose?
even though in actuallity, all you did in your dream was eat at a buffet, then drive to red lobster to eat some more?
one odd note, it wasn't my car i was driving, and the gear shift in the car was....like, stuck on the floor, right in front of the brake. i had to use the gearshift as a gas pedal after putting the car in gear.
rrrrrrriiiight.....
even though in actuallity, all you did in your dream was eat at a buffet, then drive to red lobster to eat some more?
one odd note, it wasn't my car i was driving, and the gear shift in the car was....like, stuck on the floor, right in front of the brake. i had to use the gearshift as a gas pedal after putting the car in gear.
rrrrrrriiiight.....
Mar 4, 2005
all that jazz
i think if i had to choose one superpower, it would be the ability to play any instrument in the world really really amazingly purely by natural instinct. how cool would that be?
sure, flying or something could be nice, but you'd probably have to wear some sort of helmet, and it'd probably hurt like a bitch whenever you flew into a rock or something.
sure, flying or something could be nice, but you'd probably have to wear some sort of helmet, and it'd probably hurt like a bitch whenever you flew into a rock or something.
Mar 3, 2005
mirror mirror on the wall....
so i find myself swamped with a massive to-do list upon returning, and i'm just trying to keep my head above water. the daunting amount of tasks i have to do just to maintain any semblence of a plan for my future continues to intimidate me.
however, my topic du jour is actually music and globalization. i watched a video in pop music class the other day about a black jewish gospel singer. yea.....it's like he was asking to be marginalized.
but anyways, my whole class afterwards was like "i was so in awe of how he was able to unify people and break down barriers with his music, singing jewish gosepl songs and stuff"
my question was: is his ability to unite musical? or religious?
i find myself thinking about the phenomena of worship music, and that christians all over the world are singing the same songs! i think it's amazing that you can walk into churches from canada, to egypt, to sweden and china, and everyone will recognize the song "here i am to worship".
at the same time however, i sometimes worry if as well intentioned as this spread of worship music may be, it isn't simply a subversive means of conformity and cultural imperialism not-so-subtely taking a religious guise.
granted, people usually translate the words into native tounges, but the music itself remains the same. even more familiar than worship songs are hyms -- amazing grace is a universally recognized tune i would think among all christians.
but why? why are overwhelmingly anglo-american musical ideals the status quo? i realize that christianity is inherently westernized (ironically, since it originated from the middle east...but hey, white people will steal anything) but how come there is such a unilateral flow of culture?
why don't we here in canada ever sing swedish worship tunes? or chinese worship songs? i know they're out there. but it just doesn't happen. sure -- north american churches send out way more people than we get back -- naturally that means we're spreading more of ourselves then we're recieving of other cultures. but does that account for the fact that....by and large, we don't care for the music of other cultures?
if our worship music is driven largely by social musical convention (which is a pretty safe assumption to make in my mind) then doesn't that mean our cultural spread through missionary work and such is actually aiding in the creating of a uniform culture of christianity that values familiarity over diversity?
i guess it's not surprising. after all, as much as people like to say christianity endorses differences in people, i often find most christians actually mean christianity endorses differences*
whereby you can onyl be different in so far as you're still pretty much the same.
the truly different are either wrong, or....well.....ignored.
i understand that much of religion involves conformity to a certain extent, but.....does this ultimately mean god wants the entire world to be....well.....english speaking conservatives, who dig guitars and sing-along choruses, along with non provacative yet uplifting cliches?
often in musicals, protagonists are associated with a musical theme in a major key, while antagonists often are associated with minor keys and dissonance. unhappy music represents "otherness". happy music represents the familiar.
so....is there no room for dissonance in christianity? as a religion, is christianity just a culture of major chords? can things be reduced to such a binary relationship? is it really that cut and dry?
i have no answers. and i'm not criticizing as much as i'm questioning.
just a thought.
however, my topic du jour is actually music and globalization. i watched a video in pop music class the other day about a black jewish gospel singer. yea.....it's like he was asking to be marginalized.
but anyways, my whole class afterwards was like "i was so in awe of how he was able to unify people and break down barriers with his music, singing jewish gosepl songs and stuff"
my question was: is his ability to unite musical? or religious?
i find myself thinking about the phenomena of worship music, and that christians all over the world are singing the same songs! i think it's amazing that you can walk into churches from canada, to egypt, to sweden and china, and everyone will recognize the song "here i am to worship".
at the same time however, i sometimes worry if as well intentioned as this spread of worship music may be, it isn't simply a subversive means of conformity and cultural imperialism not-so-subtely taking a religious guise.
granted, people usually translate the words into native tounges, but the music itself remains the same. even more familiar than worship songs are hyms -- amazing grace is a universally recognized tune i would think among all christians.
but why? why are overwhelmingly anglo-american musical ideals the status quo? i realize that christianity is inherently westernized (ironically, since it originated from the middle east...but hey, white people will steal anything) but how come there is such a unilateral flow of culture?
why don't we here in canada ever sing swedish worship tunes? or chinese worship songs? i know they're out there. but it just doesn't happen. sure -- north american churches send out way more people than we get back -- naturally that means we're spreading more of ourselves then we're recieving of other cultures. but does that account for the fact that....by and large, we don't care for the music of other cultures?
if our worship music is driven largely by social musical convention (which is a pretty safe assumption to make in my mind) then doesn't that mean our cultural spread through missionary work and such is actually aiding in the creating of a uniform culture of christianity that values familiarity over diversity?
i guess it's not surprising. after all, as much as people like to say christianity endorses differences in people, i often find most christians actually mean christianity endorses differences*
whereby you can onyl be different in so far as you're still pretty much the same.
the truly different are either wrong, or....well.....ignored.
i understand that much of religion involves conformity to a certain extent, but.....does this ultimately mean god wants the entire world to be....well.....english speaking conservatives, who dig guitars and sing-along choruses, along with non provacative yet uplifting cliches?
often in musicals, protagonists are associated with a musical theme in a major key, while antagonists often are associated with minor keys and dissonance. unhappy music represents "otherness". happy music represents the familiar.
so....is there no room for dissonance in christianity? as a religion, is christianity just a culture of major chords? can things be reduced to such a binary relationship? is it really that cut and dry?
i have no answers. and i'm not criticizing as much as i'm questioning.
just a thought.
Feb 28, 2005
heath ledger is the new matt damon
There's a cry in my heart
For Your glory to fall
For Your presence to fill up my senses
There's a yearning again
A thirst for discipline
A hunger for things that are deeper
Could You take me beyond?
Could You carry me through?
If I open my heart?
Could I go there with You?
(For I’ve been here before
But I know there’s still more
Oh, Lord, I need to know You)
For what do I have
If I don't have You, Jesus?
What in this life
Could mean any more?
You are my rock
You are my glory
You are the lifter
Of my head
Lifter of this head
they did this starfield song at con's church sunday and it's been kind of stuck in my head since. i guess i just feel it's a welcome reminder of my priorities in life. to be thankful, and to be real.
For Your glory to fall
For Your presence to fill up my senses
There's a yearning again
A thirst for discipline
A hunger for things that are deeper
Could You take me beyond?
Could You carry me through?
If I open my heart?
Could I go there with You?
(For I’ve been here before
But I know there’s still more
Oh, Lord, I need to know You)
For what do I have
If I don't have You, Jesus?
What in this life
Could mean any more?
You are my rock
You are my glory
You are the lifter
Of my head
Lifter of this head
they did this starfield song at con's church sunday and it's been kind of stuck in my head since. i guess i just feel it's a welcome reminder of my priorities in life. to be thankful, and to be real.
top of the 7th
and so i return to ontario -- where the air is smoggy and the streets are dirtier. flying in i'm always in awe of the expanse that toronto covers and i think how beautiful it is. then i remember that the glow into the night sky isn't really natural. then i get kind of concerned and start to wonder, but...in the end.....it's just nice to be home.
thanks to putzy and family for a great reading week. west edmonton mall is much smaller than i remember. also, buckets of thanks to the cowtown folks for not only taking time out to treat us to some great times and food (and letting us crash in their mad pimped out cribs) but for being such great hosts for the city of calgary. we are truly in debt to you all.
speaking of you calgary folk, happy belated birthday bev! hope you had a blast! and a big happy birthday to timothy as well. sorry i wasn't around for your soiree this weekend, i hope you also had an "amaxing" weekend.
i credit that word to ryan. i think he has it trademarked.
back to school tomorrow to close out my university career. i feel tired. yet....inspired.
good night.
thanks to putzy and family for a great reading week. west edmonton mall is much smaller than i remember. also, buckets of thanks to the cowtown folks for not only taking time out to treat us to some great times and food (and letting us crash in their mad pimped out cribs) but for being such great hosts for the city of calgary. we are truly in debt to you all.
speaking of you calgary folk, happy belated birthday bev! hope you had a blast! and a big happy birthday to timothy as well. sorry i wasn't around for your soiree this weekend, i hope you also had an "amaxing" weekend.
i credit that word to ryan. i think he has it trademarked.
back to school tomorrow to close out my university career. i feel tired. yet....inspired.
good night.
Feb 15, 2005
pothole hunting
there are more chasms on the streets of london than there are cars. it's ridiculous. i can't drive one block without dodging left and right like luke skywalker through the heart of the deathstar.
but i guess that's kind of like how our days seem to go by sometimes.
ironically, i saw a truck patching holes out front and i thought to myself....what took so long? the sooner the better with these things, it'll be one less hole to dodge every day.
it's strange how life can so often present us with a microcosm of.....life.
i'm thankful for great friends here in london, despite my protestations towards social gatherings. so often it's not about what we want, but what god has in store for us. more often than not, those two are entirely different expectations.
on an unrelated notes, some songs just make you want to cry because they're so well written. for me -- this is one of them:
Poison Oak some boyhood bravery.
when the telephone was a tin can on a string.
and I fell asleep with you still talking to me.
you said you weren't afraid to die.
In polaroids you were dressed in women's clothes.
were you made ashamed whyd you lock them in the drawer.
And I don't think that I ever loved you more.
Than when you turned away.
When you slammed the door.
When you stole the car drove towards Mexico.
And you wrote bad checks just to fill your arm.
I was young then I still believed in war.
But let the poets cry themselves to sleep.
and all their tearful words would turn back into steam.
me Im a single cell on a serpents tongue.
and theres a muddy field where a garden was
and I'm glad you got away.
but I'm still stuck out hear.
my clothes are soaking wet from your brothers tears.
And I never thought this life was possible.
You're the yellow bird that I've been waiting for.
The end of paralysis I was a statuette
Now I'm drunk as hell on a piano bench,
And when I press the keys it all gets reversed.
The sound of lonliness makes me happier.
- bright eyes (poison oak)
that last verse is.....just....
wow.
but i guess that's kind of like how our days seem to go by sometimes.
ironically, i saw a truck patching holes out front and i thought to myself....what took so long? the sooner the better with these things, it'll be one less hole to dodge every day.
it's strange how life can so often present us with a microcosm of.....life.
i'm thankful for great friends here in london, despite my protestations towards social gatherings. so often it's not about what we want, but what god has in store for us. more often than not, those two are entirely different expectations.
on an unrelated notes, some songs just make you want to cry because they're so well written. for me -- this is one of them:
Poison Oak some boyhood bravery.
when the telephone was a tin can on a string.
and I fell asleep with you still talking to me.
you said you weren't afraid to die.
In polaroids you were dressed in women's clothes.
were you made ashamed whyd you lock them in the drawer.
And I don't think that I ever loved you more.
Than when you turned away.
When you slammed the door.
When you stole the car drove towards Mexico.
And you wrote bad checks just to fill your arm.
I was young then I still believed in war.
But let the poets cry themselves to sleep.
and all their tearful words would turn back into steam.
me Im a single cell on a serpents tongue.
and theres a muddy field where a garden was
and I'm glad you got away.
but I'm still stuck out hear.
my clothes are soaking wet from your brothers tears.
And I never thought this life was possible.
You're the yellow bird that I've been waiting for.
The end of paralysis I was a statuette
Now I'm drunk as hell on a piano bench,
And when I press the keys it all gets reversed.
The sound of lonliness makes me happier.
- bright eyes (poison oak)
that last verse is.....just....
wow.
Feb 12, 2005
Feb 11, 2005
get that worm
yes, the webcam is up (most of the day). enjoy to your voyeuristic hearts content.
i don't think i can classify what i did last night as "sleeping". it really was more like napping. suffice to say, my mind was preoccupied. mostly with trying to understand why i couldn't sleep. a catch-22 some might say, and i wouldn't disagree, but i don't care enough to analyze it. all i know is i couldn't sleep, so i might as well go do something productive and run around.
does it ever seem like the more you set out to do in a day, the less you seem to accomplish? as ridiculous as it sounds, i think i need to simplify my life and strip away all the crap that isn't really serving a real purpose. some people are looking for more in life....i think i need to learn to enjoy the basics, and not take things that i have for granted.
i've always been lazy. i've always been indifferent, apathetic, indifferent to a fault. but it's never worried me like it does at the moment -- with my entire future hanging in the balance.
that's always been my problem. i've been told so many times that i just never do what i say i will -- do what i should -- and as a result, what i could. i think back to (literally) grade one report cards that say:
"simon has lots of potential but hasn't reached it yet. he also talks too much"
why don't i care? the million dollar question. i'd give anything to have the desire and passion of Paul, or the faith and patience of Job. i don't have it rough, but until i care, i'll never have it great.
i'm tired of being potential....or existing for the sake of existing.
7But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
phil 3:7-11
i told my small group at acf retreat how badly i want to have that kind of passion. something in my heart that i too could throw all of myself into, and throw everything else by the wayside in order to have it.
what drives people to live everyday....responsibility? dreams? obligation? routine?
i know what i want to drive me, but i can say that right now, it's not all that much. but i'm driven to figure out why i'm not driven. and i guess thats a start.
now to go work on my floater and outside jumper....
i don't think i can classify what i did last night as "sleeping". it really was more like napping. suffice to say, my mind was preoccupied. mostly with trying to understand why i couldn't sleep. a catch-22 some might say, and i wouldn't disagree, but i don't care enough to analyze it. all i know is i couldn't sleep, so i might as well go do something productive and run around.
does it ever seem like the more you set out to do in a day, the less you seem to accomplish? as ridiculous as it sounds, i think i need to simplify my life and strip away all the crap that isn't really serving a real purpose. some people are looking for more in life....i think i need to learn to enjoy the basics, and not take things that i have for granted.
i've always been lazy. i've always been indifferent, apathetic, indifferent to a fault. but it's never worried me like it does at the moment -- with my entire future hanging in the balance.
that's always been my problem. i've been told so many times that i just never do what i say i will -- do what i should -- and as a result, what i could. i think back to (literally) grade one report cards that say:
"simon has lots of potential but hasn't reached it yet. he also talks too much"
why don't i care? the million dollar question. i'd give anything to have the desire and passion of Paul, or the faith and patience of Job. i don't have it rough, but until i care, i'll never have it great.
i'm tired of being potential....or existing for the sake of existing.
7But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
phil 3:7-11
i told my small group at acf retreat how badly i want to have that kind of passion. something in my heart that i too could throw all of myself into, and throw everything else by the wayside in order to have it.
what drives people to live everyday....responsibility? dreams? obligation? routine?
i know what i want to drive me, but i can say that right now, it's not all that much. but i'm driven to figure out why i'm not driven. and i guess thats a start.
now to go work on my floater and outside jumper....
Feb 9, 2005
Feb 5, 2005
who is john galt?
on the continued topic of hygene, i was out to dinner at a chinese restaurant yesterday, and i went to the washroom. I was pleasantly surprised by how (relatively) clean the washroom was. I noticed that a little kid in there at the same time of me danced out of the can without washing his hands -- not uncommon among little children (right ry?).
i wonder though, is that really so bad? if everyone who uses the washroom then proceeds to wash their hands, doesn't that automatically make the water tap the single most dirty thing in the washroom because everyone touches it before their hands are clean?
someone should do a study....
on another note, is their a sadder evolution in parenting than the minivan-dvd-player?
it's not enough that you've pawned off the responsiblity of raising your children to this thing in your house, but you can't even take the time in your car to actually interact with them on a human level? are we really so lazy?
goodness people. i mean, i've never had a kid, so maybe i'm in no position to say. and i watched a lot of tv as a kid too, so maybe i'm being a hypocrite. but c'mon. i talked to my parents in the car or at dinner -- two places we didn't have television screens to distract us from having to acknowledge our mutal existences.....
i wonder though, is that really so bad? if everyone who uses the washroom then proceeds to wash their hands, doesn't that automatically make the water tap the single most dirty thing in the washroom because everyone touches it before their hands are clean?
someone should do a study....
on another note, is their a sadder evolution in parenting than the minivan-dvd-player?
it's not enough that you've pawned off the responsiblity of raising your children to this thing in your house, but you can't even take the time in your car to actually interact with them on a human level? are we really so lazy?
goodness people. i mean, i've never had a kid, so maybe i'm in no position to say. and i watched a lot of tv as a kid too, so maybe i'm being a hypocrite. but c'mon. i talked to my parents in the car or at dinner -- two places we didn't have television screens to distract us from having to acknowledge our mutal existences.....
Feb 2, 2005
lightning in a bottle
i will openly concede that if showering at home and nature calls, i have no qualms with staying exactly where i am. well, number 1 only of course. it all goes down the drain right? right.
meanwhile, in edmonton, connie is plotting her escape from stupidville.
i must add however, that this applies only if showering at toronto home, not in london. i withhold my stream of justice here at western because the drain in our tub here is not exactly silky smooth.
drainage problems do not make for very...relieving circumstances.
suffice it to say, if water starts to collect and you've let yourself go...urine trouble.
har har.
but i digress. i got to thinking, do girls ever pee in the shower? is that even possible? i mean, the topic of standing female urination has been broached by me several times (and quickly dismissed), but in the shower, would it matter? i mean, you're gonna end up cleaning yourself anyways right?
i wonder.....
and for the record, i firmly believe that more people go in the shower than actually admit to it. what's the shame? i don't get it. release the burden on your soul and your bladder! come out of the shower-peeing (water) closet!
i like to think of it as....efficient time management.
for some reason i was feeling punny when writing this post.
no pun intended.
meanwhile, in edmonton, connie is plotting her escape from stupidville.
i must add however, that this applies only if showering at toronto home, not in london. i withhold my stream of justice here at western because the drain in our tub here is not exactly silky smooth.
drainage problems do not make for very...relieving circumstances.
suffice it to say, if water starts to collect and you've let yourself go...urine trouble.
har har.
but i digress. i got to thinking, do girls ever pee in the shower? is that even possible? i mean, the topic of standing female urination has been broached by me several times (and quickly dismissed), but in the shower, would it matter? i mean, you're gonna end up cleaning yourself anyways right?
i wonder.....
and for the record, i firmly believe that more people go in the shower than actually admit to it. what's the shame? i don't get it. release the burden on your soul and your bladder! come out of the shower-peeing (water) closet!
i like to think of it as....efficient time management.
for some reason i was feeling punny when writing this post.
no pun intended.
Feb 1, 2005
dun duuuuuuuun......dun duuuuuuuuun.
i've been feeling things slow down a bit lately. i know part of it is because i'm allowing it to happen, but sometime just feel kind of helpless to stop myself from being lazy. i have to start learning to pray harder and actually believe that it has nothing to do with my own ability to change -- because right now, i think that ability would be....non-existant.
on the bright side, i've been blessed with a small group that continue's to amaze me. getting to know the froshies has been pretty cool, and it's been encouraging to see some of the quieter ones start to come out of their shell. cranium late game comebacks make for pratical bonding.
and thanks dor for letting us borrow it btw!
in other news, i have officially cracked open text books for TWO subjects now. i'm waaay behind. but the books have been used.
baby steps. baby steps.
on the bright side, i've been blessed with a small group that continue's to amaze me. getting to know the froshies has been pretty cool, and it's been encouraging to see some of the quieter ones start to come out of their shell. cranium late game comebacks make for pratical bonding.
and thanks dor for letting us borrow it btw!
in other news, i have officially cracked open text books for TWO subjects now. i'm waaay behind. but the books have been used.
baby steps. baby steps.
Jan 27, 2005
to light our darkest hour
yes, i'm refering to the autobot matrix of leadership.
but....
it's so hard to fathom the love that God has for us. to witness just a glimpse of his love poured out among us, between us -- watching people share, talk, laugh, and cry together as true brothers and sisters; one is hard pressed not to be amazed at his grace and faithfulness.
what once was hardened and cynical, dispassionate and apathetic, he has healed. He opened so many eyes, and broke down so many barriers. i can't even express the gratitute and encouragement i have for this group here at school as they (and i) continue to look out for each other and build these absolutely amazing bonds that are without compromise, and forged from honesty and love.
it's a welcome slap in my face, that i should never give up on God. there's such passion that has been built up, the kind of passion in life that can only come from a deep love, and equally important, the focus on the source of that love.
the source of our joy, of our passion, was made clear. not in school, not in work, not even in each other. but in Him.
something i hope i never to take for granted.
but....
it's so hard to fathom the love that God has for us. to witness just a glimpse of his love poured out among us, between us -- watching people share, talk, laugh, and cry together as true brothers and sisters; one is hard pressed not to be amazed at his grace and faithfulness.
what once was hardened and cynical, dispassionate and apathetic, he has healed. He opened so many eyes, and broke down so many barriers. i can't even express the gratitute and encouragement i have for this group here at school as they (and i) continue to look out for each other and build these absolutely amazing bonds that are without compromise, and forged from honesty and love.
it's a welcome slap in my face, that i should never give up on God. there's such passion that has been built up, the kind of passion in life that can only come from a deep love, and equally important, the focus on the source of that love.
the source of our joy, of our passion, was made clear. not in school, not in work, not even in each other. but in Him.
something i hope i never to take for granted.
Jan 26, 2005
it's not my bag baby
Yongfook.com
for those of you currently in japan or with thoughts of it. (japan is the new hotness)
witty writing is the main attraction of this amusing blog. a good read even if half this stuff is also available here in canada anways.
for those of you currently in japan or with thoughts of it. (japan is the new hotness)
witty writing is the main attraction of this amusing blog. a good read even if half this stuff is also available here in canada anways.
Jan 25, 2005
powered by vietnam
i've wasted so much time.
but better late than never.
i think its time i started writing again.
but better late than never.
i think its time i started writing again.
Jan 18, 2005
for best results, let sit for two minutes after heating
you know how when a bunch of us sit around an reflect on the state of todays children, we shake our heads and wax nostalgic about "the good old days"?
back when parks were death traps, making them just that more fun. when transformers was king of the cartoon hill, but we still had great filler material like thundercats, silver hawks, glow worms, and mask?
i always thought that the ignorance of our generation was an inherited trait of age -- who doesn't get caught say "back in my day" once they pass that twenty barrier? but, to my surprise, i'm noticing maybe it's not just our ego-maniacal posturing after all.
transformers is making a huge comeback. my little pony is back. board games are all the rage again. shoes from our child hood like sb dunks and air jordan fives are hot items now.
so if what's cool 20 years ago is cool right now, what's going to be cool 20 years from today?
i just don't get the whole thing. why pay top dollar for old stuff, when you could get new and unique items that not everybody else AND everybody elses grandparents already own?
on the bright side -- mmmm....transformers....
back when parks were death traps, making them just that more fun. when transformers was king of the cartoon hill, but we still had great filler material like thundercats, silver hawks, glow worms, and mask?
i always thought that the ignorance of our generation was an inherited trait of age -- who doesn't get caught say "back in my day" once they pass that twenty barrier? but, to my surprise, i'm noticing maybe it's not just our ego-maniacal posturing after all.
transformers is making a huge comeback. my little pony is back. board games are all the rage again. shoes from our child hood like sb dunks and air jordan fives are hot items now.
so if what's cool 20 years ago is cool right now, what's going to be cool 20 years from today?
i just don't get the whole thing. why pay top dollar for old stuff, when you could get new and unique items that not everybody else AND everybody elses grandparents already own?
on the bright side -- mmmm....transformers....
Jan 13, 2005
please retain this guide for future reference
and then somebody said
if someone is still single at this age, it means there's something wrong with them.
i wonder if thats true....hahahaha
if someone is still single at this age, it means there's something wrong with them.
i wonder if thats true....hahahaha
funny, she doesn't look druish
sometimes i wonder if getting a job is the worst thing we can do.
everyone i talk to seems to be scared to death of graduating and not working. of not being able to make money, or not being sucessful in the material sense.
there's just so much world out there.
graduate....get a job right away, sit in an office 9-5 everyday, 5 days a week. doesn't that seem like you're kind of sacrificing life for money? and sure, you could argue that money *is* life, but i'm pretty sure most of us know deep down nothings that trite.
life to me seems more the pursuit of purpose. of meaning. of doing what you were born to do, doing it well, and enjoying it.
maybe i'm just rationalizing my impending unemployed status, but i'd rather work at starbucks for a year and find what makes me tick than sit in an office for 30 years always wishing i had done more with myself.
everyone i talk to seems to be scared to death of graduating and not working. of not being able to make money, or not being sucessful in the material sense.
there's just so much world out there.
graduate....get a job right away, sit in an office 9-5 everyday, 5 days a week. doesn't that seem like you're kind of sacrificing life for money? and sure, you could argue that money *is* life, but i'm pretty sure most of us know deep down nothings that trite.
life to me seems more the pursuit of purpose. of meaning. of doing what you were born to do, doing it well, and enjoying it.
maybe i'm just rationalizing my impending unemployed status, but i'd rather work at starbucks for a year and find what makes me tick than sit in an office for 30 years always wishing i had done more with myself.
Jan 12, 2005
refrigerate after opening
a scene from my upcoming feature film debut: "the sword in the stoned"
an lcd alarm clock blinks 12 as a hand reaches out to hit the snooze button. pan out to young asian female in bed, struggling to wake up in the morning. it is still not entirely bright outside
the phone rings, and she frustrantingly gropes around her desk, feeling for the phone with her hands until she at last finds it and groggily answers
*a raspy and ominous male voice appears on the line*
"hello?"
"your breakfast is burning"
"what?"
"your eggs are overcooked"
"who is this?"
"your toast is nearly black"
"what are you talking about?"
suspciously, the girl becomes more awake, sitting up as the conversation continues to confuse and frighten her
"your pancakes are soggy"
"i have to go now...."
*brief pause in conversation*
"is this allison?"
"no..."
"oh, what number is this?"
"417-9872"
"oh...i meant to dial 9782"
"oh. yea, thats not me"
"i'm so sorry about that. boy, is my face red"
"it happens"
"well, uh....good bye then"
"yup, later"
and so the plot thickens......
will the mystery caller find allison? will the girl in bed ever get up? IS SOMEONE'S BREAKFAST REALLY RUINED?
all this and more, coming summer 2005.
an lcd alarm clock blinks 12 as a hand reaches out to hit the snooze button. pan out to young asian female in bed, struggling to wake up in the morning. it is still not entirely bright outside
the phone rings, and she frustrantingly gropes around her desk, feeling for the phone with her hands until she at last finds it and groggily answers
*a raspy and ominous male voice appears on the line*
"hello?"
"your breakfast is burning"
"what?"
"your eggs are overcooked"
"who is this?"
"your toast is nearly black"
"what are you talking about?"
suspciously, the girl becomes more awake, sitting up as the conversation continues to confuse and frighten her
"your pancakes are soggy"
"i have to go now...."
*brief pause in conversation*
"is this allison?"
"no..."
"oh, what number is this?"
"417-9872"
"oh...i meant to dial 9782"
"oh. yea, thats not me"
"i'm so sorry about that. boy, is my face red"
"it happens"
"well, uh....good bye then"
"yup, later"
and so the plot thickens......
will the mystery caller find allison? will the girl in bed ever get up? IS SOMEONE'S BREAKFAST REALLY RUINED?
all this and more, coming summer 2005.
Jan 8, 2005
"I was fortunate to have the talent ... you get spoiled when you're able to do a lot of things. You see that you don't have to work at it."
vince carter
here's a familiar sight to toronto basketball fans. vince carter, rolling around on the ground, acting like a soccer player aspiring for a daytime emmy.
"next on our tour of toronto is the cn tower, situated beside the slightly dated but instantly recognizable skydome. these twin landmarks have become staples of the toronto landscape over the years, appearing in various movies and television shows.
and if you'll look to your right, there's vince carter pretending to be injured again. lets all give him a big wave folks!
now if you'll follow me, we'll soon be entering union station, where...."
watching this team over the last 5 years, i'm so used to seeing carter go down it isn't even a worrying sight anymore. usually when you see an injury during a sporting event, your first thought is is usually -- boy, i hope he's ok.
but not with vince. ohhhh no. with vince, it so gradually and frustratingly became -- again? whatever man. what a wanker.
and so, he came to resent the city. the team. the "haters" who called him soft, lazy, uninspired, and scared to step up and lead his team. instead of taking that challenge right in the face and proving his doubters wrong, he decided he wanted to run away.
this confession -- that he wasn't trying his best in toronto. it's the kind of thing that makes a fan want to run onto the court and bitch-slap a man so badly you'd think he kicked your momma.
so often people can't take the pressure of being a role model. what do you tell the kids who looked up to him? to the fans who supported him for the first oh.....four years of injury plagued half-assed effort? how do you expect your peers to respect you not only as a player -- but as a man, when you admit you're not trying your best when you're paid millions of dollars to play a game millions play for sheer love of the sport?
and then i thought -- well. isn't there a little bit of vince carter in all of us?
how often have i -- as a student, as a christian, as a boyfriend, as a son, as a friend -- not given it my all? how many times can i recall that i've made excuses, been lazy, and not put my best efforts into whats in front of me?
too many to count.
but i can't be mad at him. i can't point fingers and lay blame. all i can do is pity him, because of the moral that he teaches myself, and hopefully, so many other people in the world.
i can just look at him and think: now that -- that's everything i never want to be like.
i hope i'm sucessful.
Jan 7, 2005
the combination is: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
i thought maybe i'd start spring cleaning a bit early this year. hope its too everyone's liking. i've already been told my winter motif for the message board is unappreciated, haha (you know who you are!!...)
but i digress.
enjoy the update, and lets all wonder aloud whether i'm actually up this early, or if i stayed up all night. the actual answer may surprise you....
but i digress.
enjoy the update, and lets all wonder aloud whether i'm actually up this early, or if i stayed up all night. the actual answer may surprise you....
Jan 4, 2005
2005: where are the hover boards and auto-lacing shoes?
Try to get some rest,
count backward from ten.
You've gone too long without sleep
I know you can't rest stressed, so give up.
Don't say no to pills,
Ativin won't kill.
You said, 'My life's like a bad movie,'
I said, 'That's true of all us.'
You said, 'I've got to wake up so fucking early,'
I said, 'Maybe the director's turned on us.'
- minus the bear
~
5 songs that demand your best air drumming performance:
1) weezer - only in dreams
2) nirvana - lithium
3) foo fighters - everlong
4) the get up kids - i'm a loner dottie, a rebel
5) jimi hendrix - fire
~
- site update to come soon. hopefully before i have to start getting work to do this term
- i'm going to be making some cd's for those of you whom i haven't yet given a cd (meaning everyone. and cam, if you want you can have another)
fan participation
i will need the following things from you via email if you were part of the cd exchange:
- your 3 favourite songs
- your mailing address if i don't already have it
count backward from ten.
You've gone too long without sleep
I know you can't rest stressed, so give up.
Don't say no to pills,
Ativin won't kill.
You said, 'My life's like a bad movie,'
I said, 'That's true of all us.'
You said, 'I've got to wake up so fucking early,'
I said, 'Maybe the director's turned on us.'
- minus the bear
~
5 songs that demand your best air drumming performance:
1) weezer - only in dreams
2) nirvana - lithium
3) foo fighters - everlong
4) the get up kids - i'm a loner dottie, a rebel
5) jimi hendrix - fire
~
- site update to come soon. hopefully before i have to start getting work to do this term
- i'm going to be making some cd's for those of you whom i haven't yet given a cd (meaning everyone. and cam, if you want you can have another)
fan participation
i will need the following things from you via email if you were part of the cd exchange:
- your 3 favourite songs
- your mailing address if i don't already have it
Dec 18, 2004
self-imposed censorship
the tragic consequences of an overly exposed web journal -- everyone reads it. is "everyone" really the audience we want? even if it limits our outlet for creative and emotional catharsis?
christmas time is upon us once again, and i must say i don't feel particularly festive at the moment. i just feel....tired. i have things i have to do, errands to run, people to see. but all i want to do is sleep. and that's saying a lot considering i slept 9 hours already last night.
yet, there's nothing more depressing then having nothing going on.
i can honestly say that's my biggest fear in life -- to have nothing of significance in my life, to not have anything to live for, no reason to wake up in the morning (afternoon).
ok, time to run some errands. the days are too short, the nights are too long. that's what happens when you wake up at 2 in the afteroon.
christmas time is upon us once again, and i must say i don't feel particularly festive at the moment. i just feel....tired. i have things i have to do, errands to run, people to see. but all i want to do is sleep. and that's saying a lot considering i slept 9 hours already last night.
yet, there's nothing more depressing then having nothing going on.
i can honestly say that's my biggest fear in life -- to have nothing of significance in my life, to not have anything to live for, no reason to wake up in the morning (afternoon).
ok, time to run some errands. the days are too short, the nights are too long. that's what happens when you wake up at 2 in the afteroon.
Dec 17, 2004
the new......yau
i have no idea what kind of dog s/he is. but my brother says the name is bailey. soooo, i assume it's a boy. i want to play with him, but i'm too lazy to visit them. oh the dillema.
i wonder if they named him or got him with a name already, apparently they drove all the way down to the states to pick him up. he looks like this little porcelain dog my mom used to have in the basement of our house.
the "evil" dog from the old didomi kung-fu movie we made, hahahaha
Dec 15, 2004
moon river, wider than a mile
describing lebron james' performance so far this season:
"'It's like he is playing ahead of everyone else,' says Cavaliers point guard Jeff McInnis. 'He sees everything and knows what to do. It's like, you play PlayStation against him on the plane, and he is the same way. He knows what is coming, and he beats you.'"
that's HILLARIOUS, hahahaha
anyways, i'm free, and i'm going to play some ball to start the day.
mmmmm....christmas....
"'It's like he is playing ahead of everyone else,' says Cavaliers point guard Jeff McInnis. 'He sees everything and knows what to do. It's like, you play PlayStation against him on the plane, and he is the same way. He knows what is coming, and he beats you.'"
that's HILLARIOUS, hahahaha
anyways, i'm free, and i'm going to play some ball to start the day.
mmmmm....christmas....
Dec 13, 2004
t-minus: 1 day....
i don't actually know what i'll do when i get home.
but boy am i going to enjoy it.
but boy am i going to enjoy it.
Dec 8, 2004
2 down, 1 to go
in one week i'll be back in toronto.
one.....more......week.....
in other news, i wonder if thinking of and giving gift ideas is a skill?
are there GOOD gift givers and BAD gift givers?
i wonder what people consider me.
don't answer that.
one.....more......week.....
in other news, i wonder if thinking of and giving gift ideas is a skill?
are there GOOD gift givers and BAD gift givers?
i wonder what people consider me.
don't answer that.
Dec 6, 2004
Dec 2, 2004
internal dialogues: part duex
welcome to another episode of identity crisis simon. full of memorable moments like:
- the time he forgot he taped his glasses up
- the time his parents dressed him up as a girl
- the time he said he'd be a good student
in today's installment, the plot thicken as simon weighs the pros and cons of taking a nap in the midst of his heavy end of term work load.
i want to take a nap...but i shouldn't, because i know when i wake up it's going to be friday morning.
i guess i could set my alarm...
ah, who am i kidding, that never works. stay awake and work it is. but boy, i sure don't wanna work. i'm not even all that sure what it is i'm suppose to do, except i know it's already late. hmmmm....maybe it's time to drop out and start that band i've always wanted to start.....
maybe i'll eat something. or maybe i'll play some games. maybe i'll watch a bit of tv.....i did four pages of reading, i deserve a break.
i wonder how my basketball pool's doing....hm....
i wonder if other people spend as much time online as me. people need to update their blogs more often. i'm getting bored of reading the same thing hour after hour waiting for comments so i can show how clever and witty i am with my little quirky jabs.
i wonder why no one has commented on my new picture.
i wonder how often people actually visit my site. wouldn't it be strange if someone read my site as often as i read everyone elses?
man, i should get back to work. but there's so many gift ideas to share my input about. but i'm too lazy to post in all the forums. man. this gift thing is hard. we should all give each other a nice slap on the behind and be done with it.
why aren't i working? if i work for the next 4 hours, i'll be able to space it out pretty well after my dinner break and hopefully get this thing done by tomorrow afternoon. hm...or i might fall asleep. i bet i'm gonna fall asleep.
crap, i better not fall asleep.
man, i'm sleepy.
i should blog, i haven't blogged in a while.
- the time he forgot he taped his glasses up
- the time his parents dressed him up as a girl
- the time he said he'd be a good student
in today's installment, the plot thicken as simon weighs the pros and cons of taking a nap in the midst of his heavy end of term work load.
i want to take a nap...but i shouldn't, because i know when i wake up it's going to be friday morning.
i guess i could set my alarm...
ah, who am i kidding, that never works. stay awake and work it is. but boy, i sure don't wanna work. i'm not even all that sure what it is i'm suppose to do, except i know it's already late. hmmmm....maybe it's time to drop out and start that band i've always wanted to start.....
maybe i'll eat something. or maybe i'll play some games. maybe i'll watch a bit of tv.....i did four pages of reading, i deserve a break.
i wonder how my basketball pool's doing....hm....
i wonder if other people spend as much time online as me. people need to update their blogs more often. i'm getting bored of reading the same thing hour after hour waiting for comments so i can show how clever and witty i am with my little quirky jabs.
i wonder why no one has commented on my new picture.
i wonder how often people actually visit my site. wouldn't it be strange if someone read my site as often as i read everyone elses?
man, i should get back to work. but there's so many gift ideas to share my input about. but i'm too lazy to post in all the forums. man. this gift thing is hard. we should all give each other a nice slap on the behind and be done with it.
why aren't i working? if i work for the next 4 hours, i'll be able to space it out pretty well after my dinner break and hopefully get this thing done by tomorrow afternoon. hm...or i might fall asleep. i bet i'm gonna fall asleep.
crap, i better not fall asleep.
man, i'm sleepy.
i should blog, i haven't blogged in a while.
Nov 30, 2004
la da di, la da da, la da di di da da da
there are some things where you see it, and you think
"this....is what the internet was invented for"
come clean
"this....is what the internet was invented for"
come clean
Nov 23, 2004
blissfully ignorant
so to continue dustin's blog chain....
(A) First, recommend to me:
1. a movie:
2. a book:
3. a musical artist, song, or album:
(B) I want everyone who reads this to ask me three questions, no more, no less. Ask me anything you want.
(C) Then I want you to go to your journal, copy and paste this allowing your friends to ask you anything.
(A) First, recommend to me:
1. a movie:
2. a book:
3. a musical artist, song, or album:
(B) I want everyone who reads this to ask me three questions, no more, no less. Ask me anything you want.
(C) Then I want you to go to your journal, copy and paste this allowing your friends to ask you anything.
Nov 20, 2004
go banana!
ESPN.com - NBA - Fists, objects fly near end of Pacers-Pistons
clearly, the hi-lite of the still young 04/05 NBA season. simply...AWESOME.
as for the ramifications. well.....i have none of these players in my pool, but -- suspensions = big minutes for jamal tinsley! woohoo!
clearly, the hi-lite of the still young 04/05 NBA season. simply...AWESOME.
as for the ramifications. well.....i have none of these players in my pool, but -- suspensions = big minutes for jamal tinsley! woohoo!
Nov 14, 2004
Nov 12, 2004
dolphins and peas both travel in pods
Nurture your mind with great thoughts; to believe in the heroic makes heroes.
Benjamin Disraeli
sometimes i wonder if we don't sell ourselves short with pre-concieved notions of who we are to be -- ignoring all the way, who we really are, and who we could be if we let ourselves.
Benjamin Disraeli
sometimes i wonder if we don't sell ourselves short with pre-concieved notions of who we are to be -- ignoring all the way, who we really are, and who we could be if we let ourselves.
Nov 5, 2004
achoo.
so...i'm sniffling and coughing and sneezing and stuffed up.
but hey -- today's a good day. why? because....i got the penny out of my steering wheel!
stupid things to do: play with coins near the gaps in your steering wheel.
consequences: penny falls between airbag and steering column
result: embaressing jingly noise every time the wheel is turned, as well as as unfortunate side effect of coin-initiated horn activation.
everywhere i drive my horn spontaneously goes off. for no reason. and i can't turn it off.
but yes. this afternoon i managed to pull the blasted penny out of my steering wheel with a little help from a pen, and some resourcefulness from my inner macguyver.
score: simon 1, sherman's passat 0
but hey -- today's a good day. why? because....i got the penny out of my steering wheel!
stupid things to do: play with coins near the gaps in your steering wheel.
consequences: penny falls between airbag and steering column
result: embaressing jingly noise every time the wheel is turned, as well as as unfortunate side effect of coin-initiated horn activation.
everywhere i drive my horn spontaneously goes off. for no reason. and i can't turn it off.
but yes. this afternoon i managed to pull the blasted penny out of my steering wheel with a little help from a pen, and some resourcefulness from my inner macguyver.
score: simon 1, sherman's passat 0
Oct 28, 2004
weeeeeekend
i've decided to just suggest an album for people to look into. why? because i think we all need to expand our musical horizons.
so if you want me to suggest something i think you might like, just post a comment and i'll reply with my personalized suggestions for you.
also, i swear my cd is done. i just need to burn them. it's constantly evolving as well.....so if i give people a cd two weeks apart, they'll probably be a bit different.
here's a sample of what's been on my playlist the past few days:
(not that anyone cares)
[artist] - [album]
\ And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Worlds Apart
\ Brian Wilson - Smile
\ Radio Dept - Lesser Matters
\ Ella Fitzgerald - First Lady Of Song
\ Ghost - Hypnotic Underworld
\ Owen - I Do Perceive
\ The Go! Team - Thunder Lightning Strike
\ The Appleseed Cast - Two Conversations
so who wants to play "suggest me a cd"? it's tons of fun!
so if you want me to suggest something i think you might like, just post a comment and i'll reply with my personalized suggestions for you.
also, i swear my cd is done. i just need to burn them. it's constantly evolving as well.....so if i give people a cd two weeks apart, they'll probably be a bit different.
here's a sample of what's been on my playlist the past few days:
(not that anyone cares)
[artist] - [album]
\ And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Worlds Apart
\ Brian Wilson - Smile
\ Radio Dept - Lesser Matters
\ Ella Fitzgerald - First Lady Of Song
\ Ghost - Hypnotic Underworld
\ Owen - I Do Perceive
\ The Go! Team - Thunder Lightning Strike
\ The Appleseed Cast - Two Conversations
so who wants to play "suggest me a cd"? it's tons of fun!
Oct 26, 2004
do you agree with....CCfC?
well, i have two midterms to study for, so it seems appropriate that i take the time now to throw my hat in the ring regarding this whole "do you agree..." campaign that campus crusades for Christ is running at various schools in ontario (and possibly beyond?).
be forewarned. this is going to be a long one.
exhibits A, B, and C.
Mac
Guelph
Waterloo
the sites are (as you can clearly see) standardized in format. furthermore, they all use preproduced templates for their informational and educational sections concerning christianity. it's obviously an organized and concerted campaign by CCfC.
so, how are these campaigns doing? well, pretty much as you would expect.
stirring up debate? check.
invoking controversy? check.
promoting Christianity in a positive light? eeeeennnnh.
some would say yes. some would say no.
there is obvious resistance to the invasive guerilla tactics used in this campaign. poster blitzes, chalk writing, t-shirts. the whole nine yards. the forums of each site are awash with discussion both intellectual and respectful, as well as immature and ignorant.
first off, i'll be the first to say that i think if CCfC tried this here at Western...they would fail. miserably. UWO seems to me undoubtedly one of -- if not the -- most liberal leaning major university in all ontario. the amount of backlash a campaign like this would recieve is simply not worth the trouble. not because opposition should be acquiesced to, but simply because the problem with a lot of liberals are that they're empty headed lemmings.
disagree with my ideas? nazi!
you voted for bush? nazi!
you hate michael moore? nazi!
you're jewish and support Israel's actions? na.....oh wait....
a lot of people would protest such a campaign here (and are doing so on other campuses) simply because they don't want to take the time to understand. to them, religion is archaic and -- particularly Christianity -- is exactly the kind of institutionalized structure that is repressing social equality because of its intrinsic exclusivity. these thinkers are the kind who wish to abolish all organized religion and therefore would rally against a christian advertising campaign so quickly they'd sprain their arms raising their middle fingers.
i have a name for people who think like this. facists.
not to say narrow minded, frankfurt school loving socialists aren't "worthy" of being christian. far from it. we're all equal, despite my derogatory insulting language. hell, i'm in media studies, i'm practically a communist. but the fact is, the UWO body has a definite attitude, and a campaign like this would just be totally non-effective here i think.
but moving on....
i have to say that -- as much as i respect and admire the courage and enthusiastic zeal to share your faith unabashedly -- there is in my mind, no question that CCfC needs to rephrase the question.
"do you agree with [us]"
(for all intents and purposes)
is simply too divisive a phrase. in fact, it doesn't even sound like a question. it sounds like a threat.
now, i'm not at any of these campuses to witness first hand the level of promotion going on, but i have to say i disagree with this....campaigning idea, on a variety of levels.
the fact is, jesus never campaigned. he never wore a robe that said "do you think i'm God?"
and this is exactly what these campaigns are doing. if they had asked "is jesus god?", it would be entirely different from "do YOU think jesus is god"?.
the onus of responsiblity changes this from a discourse into a challenge. i understand the desire from a christian standpoint to challenge people to explore their faith and ideas of faith.
the big sticking point, is the assumption of knowledge and truth. the problem with these campaigns is the inevitable argument (merited often, unmerited just as often) that Christians come off as elitest, high-and-mighty, and smug.
it is EXACTLY this kind of language and thinking that gives general Christians this cultural persona.
"do you agree with me?"
personally, i find this an annoying question because the person asking it already thinks that they're right. they're not asking to discuss a truth through a mutual process of discovery. they're asking whether or not you want to argue with them over who's right. it simply doesn't invite dialogue.
i believe this is the biggest problem with many evangelical Christians. they hate it when people don't understand why they believe. the typical answer is "because the bible says so" or "because God made it so".
Christians can't pretend to have all the answers. they can't assume that they're right, even if they believe it, because the fact is, it can't be proven. nothing can.
this is where we have to start as Christians. not from assuming we have it all taken care of and we just have to convince people why we're right. we have to admit that hey -- it's confusing, and difficult. but what i can offer is simply that i believe for a reason
it's my personal experience that leads me to believe in god. not because the bible is true, not because jesus died for my sins. if a christian ever tells you they believe in god without proof, they're lying. there is proof. it's in each of our own lives. it's personal proof. others can interpret it as they choose, and i'm not going to assume that my personal proof applies to everybody.
i don't question for one second the intentions of CCfC, nor the brave christians who've decided to step out in faith and -- i'm sure in their hearts -- obey what they feel God has led them to do.
i do question however, some of the manner in which they have gone about it.
advertising is to sell things to people.
telling is to inform people.
sharing is to care about people.
in journalism, there's a classic and fundamental philosophy to all effective writing: "show, don't tell"
no one wants to be sold or told about God. but people all around us are crying out to be shown God.
we have to know the difference.
be forewarned. this is going to be a long one.
exhibits A, B, and C.
Mac
Guelph
Waterloo
the sites are (as you can clearly see) standardized in format. furthermore, they all use preproduced templates for their informational and educational sections concerning christianity. it's obviously an organized and concerted campaign by CCfC.
so, how are these campaigns doing? well, pretty much as you would expect.
stirring up debate? check.
invoking controversy? check.
promoting Christianity in a positive light? eeeeennnnh.
some would say yes. some would say no.
there is obvious resistance to the invasive guerilla tactics used in this campaign. poster blitzes, chalk writing, t-shirts. the whole nine yards. the forums of each site are awash with discussion both intellectual and respectful, as well as immature and ignorant.
first off, i'll be the first to say that i think if CCfC tried this here at Western...they would fail. miserably. UWO seems to me undoubtedly one of -- if not the -- most liberal leaning major university in all ontario. the amount of backlash a campaign like this would recieve is simply not worth the trouble. not because opposition should be acquiesced to, but simply because the problem with a lot of liberals are that they're empty headed lemmings.
disagree with my ideas? nazi!
you voted for bush? nazi!
you hate michael moore? nazi!
you're jewish and support Israel's actions? na.....oh wait....
a lot of people would protest such a campaign here (and are doing so on other campuses) simply because they don't want to take the time to understand. to them, religion is archaic and -- particularly Christianity -- is exactly the kind of institutionalized structure that is repressing social equality because of its intrinsic exclusivity. these thinkers are the kind who wish to abolish all organized religion and therefore would rally against a christian advertising campaign so quickly they'd sprain their arms raising their middle fingers.
i have a name for people who think like this. facists.
not to say narrow minded, frankfurt school loving socialists aren't "worthy" of being christian. far from it. we're all equal, despite my derogatory insulting language. hell, i'm in media studies, i'm practically a communist. but the fact is, the UWO body has a definite attitude, and a campaign like this would just be totally non-effective here i think.
but moving on....
i have to say that -- as much as i respect and admire the courage and enthusiastic zeal to share your faith unabashedly -- there is in my mind, no question that CCfC needs to rephrase the question.
"do you agree with [us]"
(for all intents and purposes)
is simply too divisive a phrase. in fact, it doesn't even sound like a question. it sounds like a threat.
now, i'm not at any of these campuses to witness first hand the level of promotion going on, but i have to say i disagree with this....campaigning idea, on a variety of levels.
the fact is, jesus never campaigned. he never wore a robe that said "do you think i'm God?"
and this is exactly what these campaigns are doing. if they had asked "is jesus god?", it would be entirely different from "do YOU think jesus is god"?.
the onus of responsiblity changes this from a discourse into a challenge. i understand the desire from a christian standpoint to challenge people to explore their faith and ideas of faith.
the big sticking point, is the assumption of knowledge and truth. the problem with these campaigns is the inevitable argument (merited often, unmerited just as often) that Christians come off as elitest, high-and-mighty, and smug.
it is EXACTLY this kind of language and thinking that gives general Christians this cultural persona.
"do you agree with me?"
personally, i find this an annoying question because the person asking it already thinks that they're right. they're not asking to discuss a truth through a mutual process of discovery. they're asking whether or not you want to argue with them over who's right. it simply doesn't invite dialogue.
i believe this is the biggest problem with many evangelical Christians. they hate it when people don't understand why they believe. the typical answer is "because the bible says so" or "because God made it so".
Christians can't pretend to have all the answers. they can't assume that they're right, even if they believe it, because the fact is, it can't be proven. nothing can.
this is where we have to start as Christians. not from assuming we have it all taken care of and we just have to convince people why we're right. we have to admit that hey -- it's confusing, and difficult. but what i can offer is simply that i believe for a reason
it's my personal experience that leads me to believe in god. not because the bible is true, not because jesus died for my sins. if a christian ever tells you they believe in god without proof, they're lying. there is proof. it's in each of our own lives. it's personal proof. others can interpret it as they choose, and i'm not going to assume that my personal proof applies to everybody.
i don't question for one second the intentions of CCfC, nor the brave christians who've decided to step out in faith and -- i'm sure in their hearts -- obey what they feel God has led them to do.
i do question however, some of the manner in which they have gone about it.
advertising is to sell things to people.
telling is to inform people.
sharing is to care about people.
in journalism, there's a classic and fundamental philosophy to all effective writing: "show, don't tell"
no one wants to be sold or told about God. but people all around us are crying out to be shown God.
we have to know the difference.
Oct 25, 2004
the dog turned out to have rabies
another monday rears its ugly head. honestly -- all this school stuff just gets in the way of an otherwise great time out here.
got a pretty busy week ahead. but i'm most excited about the fact that this morning, i decided this is the week i start regulating my health a bit. i've decided to sleep earlier, do more work, work out more, and eat healthier.
i went to play ball this morning, and after an hour of 1 on 1, i felt like i was gonna heave. i was just so out of shape i couldn't even run two steps without feeling winded.
not excercising much for 2 weeks will tend to do that to me. particularly when i wasn't in great shape to begin with.
so i've been trying (well, while i was showering at least) to plan my eating habits, but i'm not sure exactly what i should buy when i go grocery shopping this week. i'm aiming to live mainly off pasta/pasta salads and stuff, with the occasionally chinese rice and stirfry meal thrown in here or there.
side dishes i'm thinking mostly salads, and about 100x's more fruit than my current intake of.....none.
lunches are going to be mostly sandwhiches and pasta salad i think. i'm getting tired of this whole "hot food" business. all that fried rice my mom brought me as a kid has come full circle, hahaha
i wish i had like, a personal trainer. or a nutritionist or something, just someone to plan my meals so that my working out doesn't just go to waste and i actually start to get into better shape.
no more fast food! i'm drawing the line at subs occasionally, and thats it.
who is this guy? you're wondering.
don't ask. i don't know either.
got a pretty busy week ahead. but i'm most excited about the fact that this morning, i decided this is the week i start regulating my health a bit. i've decided to sleep earlier, do more work, work out more, and eat healthier.
i went to play ball this morning, and after an hour of 1 on 1, i felt like i was gonna heave. i was just so out of shape i couldn't even run two steps without feeling winded.
not excercising much for 2 weeks will tend to do that to me. particularly when i wasn't in great shape to begin with.
so i've been trying (well, while i was showering at least) to plan my eating habits, but i'm not sure exactly what i should buy when i go grocery shopping this week. i'm aiming to live mainly off pasta/pasta salads and stuff, with the occasionally chinese rice and stirfry meal thrown in here or there.
side dishes i'm thinking mostly salads, and about 100x's more fruit than my current intake of.....none.
lunches are going to be mostly sandwhiches and pasta salad i think. i'm getting tired of this whole "hot food" business. all that fried rice my mom brought me as a kid has come full circle, hahaha
i wish i had like, a personal trainer. or a nutritionist or something, just someone to plan my meals so that my working out doesn't just go to waste and i actually start to get into better shape.
no more fast food! i'm drawing the line at subs occasionally, and thats it.
who is this guy? you're wondering.
don't ask. i don't know either.
Oct 23, 2004
clarification of section 4, bylaw zoning standard 38
had problems sleeping. now i'm awake, and it's 8:40am. goodness. i haven't been awake at 8:40 am in a long time. there's something eerie about the silence of a saturday morning. it's bright out, but i don't hear the cars or buses whizzing by.
strange.
there's so much hidden underneath the sheen of the day. not to get all american-beauty on you, but it's true what they say. stop and smell the roses.
i spent some time last night thinking about my friendships. analyzing what they mean to me, and what i mean to them. i think it's hard when you realize your friendships are starting to change. i've always been the type to consider someone a close friends, despite lack of communication or distance.
to me, intimacy in a friendship never goes away -- only people do. intimacy can always be captured again on contact, and the level of understanding, respect and bonding, never dissaptes. catching up is a formality to instant comfort. to me, you should always be able to think of a good friend and know that the more things change, the more things stay the same.
it's hard i think. what i've been realizing lately, is that you can have a lot of close friends. you can meet someone and in the course of a week -- if you mesh, and you spend enough time together -- you can be great friends. conversely, you can spend your whole life with somebody, and learn to be great friends.
but as close as somebody is to you, there's always going to be a litmus test that determines your relationship: do you get each other?
i'm learning everyday how important that question is. do they really get you?
i have lots of friends. lots of great, amazing, wonderful friends. i've been blessed beyond measure, as i've grown up with, and met honestly more people than i could ever ask for to help carry me through life.
but even of my closest friends, i'm realizing that only a few really "get" me. who share and understand who i am. who know why i say what i say, and do what i do, without me having to explain everything.
i've had conversations with friends where they were close, and well intentioned...but they just simply couldn't understand where i was coming from.
maybe i'm just neurotic. or melodramatic.
but there's nothing more comforting...more rewarding...more assuring and amazing, then knowing when someone just....really gets you. and not in the superficial faking-it way. i mean, there are times you can just tell.
and this isn't to say you shouldn't care about friends who you don't think get you as easily, or conventionally as others. what i'm saying is really cherish the ones who do. because they're truly a blessing.
so. you all know who you are.
thanks.
strange.
there's so much hidden underneath the sheen of the day. not to get all american-beauty on you, but it's true what they say. stop and smell the roses.
i spent some time last night thinking about my friendships. analyzing what they mean to me, and what i mean to them. i think it's hard when you realize your friendships are starting to change. i've always been the type to consider someone a close friends, despite lack of communication or distance.
to me, intimacy in a friendship never goes away -- only people do. intimacy can always be captured again on contact, and the level of understanding, respect and bonding, never dissaptes. catching up is a formality to instant comfort. to me, you should always be able to think of a good friend and know that the more things change, the more things stay the same.
it's hard i think. what i've been realizing lately, is that you can have a lot of close friends. you can meet someone and in the course of a week -- if you mesh, and you spend enough time together -- you can be great friends. conversely, you can spend your whole life with somebody, and learn to be great friends.
but as close as somebody is to you, there's always going to be a litmus test that determines your relationship: do you get each other?
i'm learning everyday how important that question is. do they really get you?
i have lots of friends. lots of great, amazing, wonderful friends. i've been blessed beyond measure, as i've grown up with, and met honestly more people than i could ever ask for to help carry me through life.
but even of my closest friends, i'm realizing that only a few really "get" me. who share and understand who i am. who know why i say what i say, and do what i do, without me having to explain everything.
i've had conversations with friends where they were close, and well intentioned...but they just simply couldn't understand where i was coming from.
maybe i'm just neurotic. or melodramatic.
but there's nothing more comforting...more rewarding...more assuring and amazing, then knowing when someone just....really gets you. and not in the superficial faking-it way. i mean, there are times you can just tell.
and this isn't to say you shouldn't care about friends who you don't think get you as easily, or conventionally as others. what i'm saying is really cherish the ones who do. because they're truly a blessing.
so. you all know who you are.
thanks.
Oct 21, 2004
Hyphen Magazine: Asian America Unabridged
although from the website, i'm initially not very impressed by this magazine, you gotta give them love for trying. there's more to being asian than fast cars, hoochies, and fried rice. i think our generation of asians living in western society continue to search for identity, and along the way are creating something unique.
with that said, i found this concert review actually pretty darn well written. it's witty, honesty, and right to the point. what can i say? it's funny.
so out of further morbid curiosity, i downloaded jin's album. it's.....not bad. it's not great, but it grows on you. there's potential. it's not terribly mainstream, but man. it's funny.
the first single (learn chinese) almost reminds of that chinese bad-boy stuff that was floating around a few years back. he actually does his shoutouts in chinese. it's hillarious.
wan-yuen la!
with that said, i found this concert review actually pretty darn well written. it's witty, honesty, and right to the point. what can i say? it's funny.
so out of further morbid curiosity, i downloaded jin's album. it's.....not bad. it's not great, but it grows on you. there's potential. it's not terribly mainstream, but man. it's funny.
the first single (learn chinese) almost reminds of that chinese bad-boy stuff that was floating around a few years back. he actually does his shoutouts in chinese. it's hillarious.
wan-yuen la!
Oct 19, 2004
so the pope, madonna, and a bear walk into a bar...
gay marriage
do i think it's cool to be a gay christian? sure. why not. it happens. you're gay, you're born that way, but you understand the biblical principles of living a christian life and how they relate to your situation. all well and dandy.
can you be gay and a minister? yes! certainly! there's no difference between being gay and beings straight in terms of how you walk with god, just as long as you're aware of your situation.
can you be gay, and a minister, and a christian, who is actively and openly involved in a gay relationship? there's a grey area if i've ever seen one.
at first, i'm inclined to say "only if you never have sex". why? because if the relationship is based purely on love and doesn't include sex, how is that different from straight love? it's not like a gay dude can control who he loves -- and who's to say just because he's born gay he's not allowed to fall in love?
however...upon closer inspection, one realizes the complete and utter irrationality in both the biblical and logical sense of being in an openly gay relationship as a christian.
the fact is -- and feel free to disagree -- marriage in the bible is a man and a woman becoming one body. that involves sex. sex isn't a dirty thing, it's the ultimate expression of love between two individuals -- god's gift to us.
so i have to wonder...why be in a relationship? it's never going to end up in marriage. you can't marry. you can love as a homosexual, but you simply. cannot. marry.
so....what's the point of having a relationship? why not just be friends and let that be the end of it. what is the point of romance when there is absolutely nowhere for it to go? to me it seems like a case of simply refusing to concede to God. trying to have ti both ways, and denying what's blatently in front of you.
obviously these ministers would disagree with me because they're ordaining gay marriages. and you know what? that's just messed up. the bible clearly defines what marriage is, and what the requirements are concerning homosexuality.
i'm all for not imposing christian morality on secular politics. but, i'm alllllll for keep accountable other christians. it's times like these i wish i actually had some gay christian friends to weigh in and shoot the sh!t about stuff like this.
damn my sheltered-surburban-chinese-christian-upper-middle-class upbringing....
do i think it's cool to be a gay christian? sure. why not. it happens. you're gay, you're born that way, but you understand the biblical principles of living a christian life and how they relate to your situation. all well and dandy.
can you be gay and a minister? yes! certainly! there's no difference between being gay and beings straight in terms of how you walk with god, just as long as you're aware of your situation.
can you be gay, and a minister, and a christian, who is actively and openly involved in a gay relationship? there's a grey area if i've ever seen one.
at first, i'm inclined to say "only if you never have sex". why? because if the relationship is based purely on love and doesn't include sex, how is that different from straight love? it's not like a gay dude can control who he loves -- and who's to say just because he's born gay he's not allowed to fall in love?
however...upon closer inspection, one realizes the complete and utter irrationality in both the biblical and logical sense of being in an openly gay relationship as a christian.
the fact is -- and feel free to disagree -- marriage in the bible is a man and a woman becoming one body. that involves sex. sex isn't a dirty thing, it's the ultimate expression of love between two individuals -- god's gift to us.
so i have to wonder...why be in a relationship? it's never going to end up in marriage. you can't marry. you can love as a homosexual, but you simply. cannot. marry.
so....what's the point of having a relationship? why not just be friends and let that be the end of it. what is the point of romance when there is absolutely nowhere for it to go? to me it seems like a case of simply refusing to concede to God. trying to have ti both ways, and denying what's blatently in front of you.
obviously these ministers would disagree with me because they're ordaining gay marriages. and you know what? that's just messed up. the bible clearly defines what marriage is, and what the requirements are concerning homosexuality.
i'm all for not imposing christian morality on secular politics. but, i'm alllllll for keep accountable other christians. it's times like these i wish i actually had some gay christian friends to weigh in and shoot the sh!t about stuff like this.
damn my sheltered-surburban-chinese-christian-upper-middle-class upbringing....
Oct 18, 2004
fall classic
you would have to be heartless (or a yanks fan) to not be rooting for the red sox, as they simply refuse to go quietly into the night.
way to make it a series. there's nothing quite like playoff baseball. for all the ridiculous looks i get from people when i say i enjoy sitting down and watching a full game of baseball, i dare you to say the NLCS and ALCS haven't been edge-of-your-seat-drama every single game, full of heroes, heart, and great sportsmanship.
yay baseball.
on a sidenote, intramural softball record sits at 3-0. we might finish the regular season in first! that's........a first, haha
way to make it a series. there's nothing quite like playoff baseball. for all the ridiculous looks i get from people when i say i enjoy sitting down and watching a full game of baseball, i dare you to say the NLCS and ALCS haven't been edge-of-your-seat-drama every single game, full of heroes, heart, and great sportsmanship.
yay baseball.
on a sidenote, intramural softball record sits at 3-0. we might finish the regular season in first! that's........a first, haha
Oct 15, 2004
no left turns. no parking between 6am-9am.
i think the funniest thing in the world is when people argue about who's a "noob" during a game of warcraft.
"i'm not helping you noob, you stole my kill"
"you're a noob, you suxor you whiny bitch"
"shutup fag"
"oh look, you died. go cry about it noob, LOLOLOLOL"
etc....etc....
i sit there....and i think: don't these people have lives? aren't they playing this game to have fun? is this fun for them? they must be sad people.... i mean, it's one thing if they were actually insulting each other's like, ability to play warcraft or something. at least that's RELEVANT. what does being a fag have anything to do with being a noob? and most of all, what does either have to do with stealing a kill or getting killed?
i think it's pretty sad that although it would be hard enough for a black lesbian woman to find acceptance in normal society, it would be nay IMPOSSIBLE for her to play any sort of online game.
"DIE FAG!"
"i'm a lesbian"
"oh..."
or:
"DIE BITCH"
"i'm a girl...."
"oh...."
and finally:
"DIE NOOB"
"....i just did....."
"i know...but i'm just rubbing it in you fag bitch"
"i......forget it...."
in other less pathetic-display-of-society news, you know what show i've been watching a lot lately? totally spies
it's funny. it's simple, and the characters are valley girls who kick the butt of a new evil character every day.
what more could you ask for? it's charlies angels for the 21st century!
"i'm not helping you noob, you stole my kill"
"you're a noob, you suxor you whiny bitch"
"shutup fag"
"oh look, you died. go cry about it noob, LOLOLOLOL"
etc....etc....
i sit there....and i think: don't these people have lives? aren't they playing this game to have fun? is this fun for them? they must be sad people.... i mean, it's one thing if they were actually insulting each other's like, ability to play warcraft or something. at least that's RELEVANT. what does being a fag have anything to do with being a noob? and most of all, what does either have to do with stealing a kill or getting killed?
i think it's pretty sad that although it would be hard enough for a black lesbian woman to find acceptance in normal society, it would be nay IMPOSSIBLE for her to play any sort of online game.
"DIE FAG!"
"i'm a lesbian"
"oh..."
or:
"DIE BITCH"
"i'm a girl...."
"oh...."
and finally:
"DIE NOOB"
"....i just did....."
"i know...but i'm just rubbing it in you fag bitch"
"i......forget it...."
in other less pathetic-display-of-society news, you know what show i've been watching a lot lately? totally spies
it's funny. it's simple, and the characters are valley girls who kick the butt of a new evil character every day.
what more could you ask for? it's charlies angels for the 21st century!
Oct 13, 2004
educational beatings
DenverPost.com - LOCAL NEWS
so reading this news article, i'm reminded of why kids today are sliding down the discipline scale, and why suburban american society feels like as a country they are privillaged over the rest of the world.
because they're spoiled brats, reaping the benefits of bad childhoods due to political correctness.
i mean c'mon. the teacher grabbed the kid by the neck and shoulder and sat him down harsly in a chair. you call that child abuse? the fact is, some kids need to be treated with sternly. if i were the parents i'd be beating the kid myself if my teacher had to resort to those kinds of tactics. unless the teacher was a consistant repeat offender with cases like this (it doesn't say he is) i suspect the kid was just being a brat.
now, i'm no teacher -- but sometimes i think it's alright to slap a kid around. it's the only thing they'll understand. what's wrong with it? will a hard slap on the hand ruin a child for life? it doesn't even bruise, it just stings.
what a load of crock. schools today are ridiculous.
so reading this news article, i'm reminded of why kids today are sliding down the discipline scale, and why suburban american society feels like as a country they are privillaged over the rest of the world.
because they're spoiled brats, reaping the benefits of bad childhoods due to political correctness.
i mean c'mon. the teacher grabbed the kid by the neck and shoulder and sat him down harsly in a chair. you call that child abuse? the fact is, some kids need to be treated with sternly. if i were the parents i'd be beating the kid myself if my teacher had to resort to those kinds of tactics. unless the teacher was a consistant repeat offender with cases like this (it doesn't say he is) i suspect the kid was just being a brat.
now, i'm no teacher -- but sometimes i think it's alright to slap a kid around. it's the only thing they'll understand. what's wrong with it? will a hard slap on the hand ruin a child for life? it doesn't even bruise, it just stings.
what a load of crock. schools today are ridiculous.
Oct 8, 2004
where did september go?
wow. they say time flies when you're having fun, but apparently time flies when you're slacking off in school too.
not to say it hasn't been a fun month. sure, there have been times of questionable productivity, but i'm working on it.
so, i'm seriously debating going trick or treating this year. who's with me? i think that the next cutest thing to a bunch of little children in costume is a bunch of grown university students in even better and more elaborate costums. i think i'd like to go as a terrorist this year. i think that would be funny enough yet vaguely political enough and still offensive enough to score me some fine lewt.
it's free candy, who are people to judge us as too old to get in on it?
give me skittles, or give me death!
not to say it hasn't been a fun month. sure, there have been times of questionable productivity, but i'm working on it.
so, i'm seriously debating going trick or treating this year. who's with me? i think that the next cutest thing to a bunch of little children in costume is a bunch of grown university students in even better and more elaborate costums. i think i'd like to go as a terrorist this year. i think that would be funny enough yet vaguely political enough and still offensive enough to score me some fine lewt.
it's free candy, who are people to judge us as too old to get in on it?
give me skittles, or give me death!
Oct 7, 2004
Oct 6, 2004
ebay bastards
i lost a bid with 5 seconds left. FIVE SECONDS.
i placed my bid with 7 seconds left and i lost.
that is....supremely frustrating.
i placed my bid with 7 seconds left and i lost.
that is....supremely frustrating.
check label for details!
sometimes i forget why i'm even here. i think it takes a lot for me to concede things to god, and just worship. not live waiting for my next path to be laid out in front of me, but just wake up everyday with praise and have that be enough for me to get through the day -- without having to do something for god.
i like to think i'm not an anxious type of guy, but i suppose in the little ways i still have problems letting go of things. don't we all.....don't we all....
i managed to pick up two used cd's from those random guys at UCC today. couple of old get up kids albums that generally are tough to find. i was considering getting the new guided by voices and some classic gorkys zygotic mynci (probably a better deal since that stuff is both rarer and more expensive), but i went with TGUK's simply to indulge during my driving. what can i say? i've wanted those cd's for a long long time. it's pretty amazing what some people will throw away. there was some pavement there, some pixies, really a lot of classic stuff that people just apparently decided to sell.
i don't think i could ever do that.....the only cd's i'd ever part with are the crap ones i bought when i was a kid. i know you all have at least one cd you're not proud to own.
i just happen to have more than one.....haha
highlights of my musical tastes circa the late 80's/early 90's include:
- debbie gibson
- the original batman soundtrack (featuring prince's "batdance")
- the original ghostbusters soundtrack
- rick astley
- bobby brown
and -- yes -- new kids on the block.
i shall now hide my face in shame......
i like to think i'm not an anxious type of guy, but i suppose in the little ways i still have problems letting go of things. don't we all.....don't we all....
i managed to pick up two used cd's from those random guys at UCC today. couple of old get up kids albums that generally are tough to find. i was considering getting the new guided by voices and some classic gorkys zygotic mynci (probably a better deal since that stuff is both rarer and more expensive), but i went with TGUK's simply to indulge during my driving. what can i say? i've wanted those cd's for a long long time. it's pretty amazing what some people will throw away. there was some pavement there, some pixies, really a lot of classic stuff that people just apparently decided to sell.
i don't think i could ever do that.....the only cd's i'd ever part with are the crap ones i bought when i was a kid. i know you all have at least one cd you're not proud to own.
i just happen to have more than one.....haha
highlights of my musical tastes circa the late 80's/early 90's include:
- debbie gibson
- the original batman soundtrack (featuring prince's "batdance")
- the original ghostbusters soundtrack
- rick astley
- bobby brown
and -- yes -- new kids on the block.
i shall now hide my face in shame......
where there's a will...
WILLIAM SHATNER - HAS BEEN
i don't know whether to laugh or cry. the sad part is, it's not bad. but it's so stupid.
i don't know whether to laugh or cry. the sad part is, it's not bad. but it's so stupid.
Oct 4, 2004
join me or be crushed.
Wed, 10/13/04 - Interpol
Sat, 10/23/04 - And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
Thu, 11/25-24/04 - Pixies
Fri, 11/05/04 - Clinic
Sat, 10/23/04 - And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
Thu, 11/25-24/04 - Pixies
Fri, 11/05/04 - Clinic
Oct 1, 2004
and to your left.....
- the future of video games?
- on an unrelated note, i wish i had this one-off toilet made by trick anything.
it has a security system. mmm......private pooping.....
- on an unrelated note, i wish i had this one-off toilet made by trick anything.
it has a security system. mmm......private pooping.....
shave and a haircut
3:16am - my sleeping patterns continue to resemble those of a nocturnal animal, falling somewhere between a racoon and a sloth.
so the western world is all a flutter today about the first of three debates between bush and kerry. personally, i think this is a shame, because the real news of the day is that ichiro is one hit away from setting the most american of records on the most american of fields: the most hits in a professional baseball season.
let's see, what am i pondering at this ridiculous hour:
first off, i'd hate to be one of those musicians where everybody thinks your debut album is an instant classic, then have all my subsequent albums measured up to (and falling short) of my initial genious work. that must like....suck.
it's like ladder theory -- where a man lands a chick unfathomably out of his league with a huge ladder disparity. it's all downhill from there.
secondly, do you ever just want to throw all of socities laws and conventions out the window? i do. here's a list of things i'd love to do but would probably get in trouble for doing.
- randomly destroying goods in a retail establishment. ideally, a place that sells lots of glass and crystal ware.
- driving on the shoulder of the highway
- breakdance in brooklyn
- sleep nonstop for a week
- become a boxcar child, riding the rails across canada
and in other news, apparently south korea is thinking of moving their capital out of seoul.
can they do that? it'd be like us moving capitals from ottawa to thunderbay. sure, it'll be more central, but am i really going to care anymore about thunderbay? no....no i am not.
so the western world is all a flutter today about the first of three debates between bush and kerry. personally, i think this is a shame, because the real news of the day is that ichiro is one hit away from setting the most american of records on the most american of fields: the most hits in a professional baseball season.
let's see, what am i pondering at this ridiculous hour:
first off, i'd hate to be one of those musicians where everybody thinks your debut album is an instant classic, then have all my subsequent albums measured up to (and falling short) of my initial genious work. that must like....suck.
it's like ladder theory -- where a man lands a chick unfathomably out of his league with a huge ladder disparity. it's all downhill from there.
secondly, do you ever just want to throw all of socities laws and conventions out the window? i do. here's a list of things i'd love to do but would probably get in trouble for doing.
- randomly destroying goods in a retail establishment. ideally, a place that sells lots of glass and crystal ware.
- driving on the shoulder of the highway
- breakdance in brooklyn
- sleep nonstop for a week
- become a boxcar child, riding the rails across canada
and in other news, apparently south korea is thinking of moving their capital out of seoul.
can they do that? it'd be like us moving capitals from ottawa to thunderbay. sure, it'll be more central, but am i really going to care anymore about thunderbay? no....no i am not.
Sep 28, 2004
internal dialogues: part une
1) by now, you're surely wondering "why has he posted 3 times already today?". followed closely by "why is he awake before noon?", whereby your keen observation will lead you to then wonder "why was he not asleep at 3:05am?"
ah grasshopper, but they are all related. i decided last night that the only way i would make it to my 9am class would be to not sleep at all (call me pragmatic). i can't say my theory was 100% correct, but at the very least i did attend class this morning, so mission accomplished.
2) the scene: walking home from school tired, and more than a little bit spacey from my lack of sleep, empty stomache, and giant cups of coffee.
man. that guy walks funny. look at the way his head doesn't move but his arms swing unnaturally. he looks like a robot.
hm....i wonder what i look like when i walk. do people think *i* walk funny?? oh gosh...
hey! look at that guy! he looks cool when he walks. he kind of has a relaxed swagger. and he kind of bobs and has good shoulder dipping movement when he walks. yea -- thats the key. the rhythm of movement. so all i gotta do is kinda sway like so...and relax a little bit.....
oh man, i wonder if i look like i'm trying too hard to saunter. i'm really going for more of an ambling vibe. crap, do i look like a retarded bobble-head walking down the road?
unnnnhhhhhhhhhh oh man i'm so self-concious......are my hips moving too much? how's my shoulder movement? i'm swinging my arms weird, i know i am. they feel like they're swinging wrong i swear! whats wrong! WHATS WRONG WITH MY ARMS?!?!!
dammit, stop thinking so hard about the way you walk! just walk! you're walking for goodness sake, who needs to think so much? aw CRAP people probably think you're trying too hard to walk cool. you probably look like a total loser. stop it. stop thinking. stopitstopitstopit...stooop iiiiiiiittttttttt
oh look! there's my house! i'm almost home!....walk faster....wait wait, not too fast, you don't wanna look like you're in a rush, that's not cool.....yeaaa...home sweet home....
oh c'mon. who isn't thinking this when they walk down the street.....
ah grasshopper, but they are all related. i decided last night that the only way i would make it to my 9am class would be to not sleep at all (call me pragmatic). i can't say my theory was 100% correct, but at the very least i did attend class this morning, so mission accomplished.
2) the scene: walking home from school tired, and more than a little bit spacey from my lack of sleep, empty stomache, and giant cups of coffee.
man. that guy walks funny. look at the way his head doesn't move but his arms swing unnaturally. he looks like a robot.
hm....i wonder what i look like when i walk. do people think *i* walk funny?? oh gosh...
hey! look at that guy! he looks cool when he walks. he kind of has a relaxed swagger. and he kind of bobs and has good shoulder dipping movement when he walks. yea -- thats the key. the rhythm of movement. so all i gotta do is kinda sway like so...and relax a little bit.....
oh man, i wonder if i look like i'm trying too hard to saunter. i'm really going for more of an ambling vibe. crap, do i look like a retarded bobble-head walking down the road?
unnnnhhhhhhhhhh oh man i'm so self-concious......are my hips moving too much? how's my shoulder movement? i'm swinging my arms weird, i know i am. they feel like they're swinging wrong i swear! whats wrong! WHATS WRONG WITH MY ARMS?!?!!
dammit, stop thinking so hard about the way you walk! just walk! you're walking for goodness sake, who needs to think so much? aw CRAP people probably think you're trying too hard to walk cool. you probably look like a total loser. stop it. stop thinking. stopitstopitstopit...stooop iiiiiiiittttttttt
oh look! there's my house! i'm almost home!....walk faster....wait wait, not too fast, you don't wanna look like you're in a rush, that's not cool.....yeaaa...home sweet home....
oh c'mon. who isn't thinking this when they walk down the street.....
plenty of vitamin z
i don't think a living human being can say the word "boobies" and maintain a straight face.
someone -- please, anyone -- prove me wrong. i know *i* can't do it.
teeheeheeheehee......boobies.
someone -- please, anyone -- prove me wrong. i know *i* can't do it.
teeheeheeheehee......boobies.
all of the above
how often do we wake up and think hey -- today is going to be a day that shapes the rest of my life.
i dunno, i guess when you're at school you so often see every day as the same, and every week as a reset of the week that happened just prior.
but i'm learning that everyday IS a day that can change the rest of your life. if you let it.
i dunno, i guess when you're at school you so often see every day as the same, and every week as a reset of the week that happened just prior.
but i'm learning that everyday IS a day that can change the rest of your life. if you let it.
Sep 23, 2004
through the looking glass
we really know nothing. nothing at all.
even my faith which i hold fast to and keeps me grounded -- i do not claim to know it as truth. i believe it is true. there is such a poignant difference between the two.
and it's no coincidence. i could never fully believe in what i do if i were seeking to know it -- to know anything. all i have is faith. that's all any of us really have i think.
even my faith which i hold fast to and keeps me grounded -- i do not claim to know it as truth. i believe it is true. there is such a poignant difference between the two.
and it's no coincidence. i could never fully believe in what i do if i were seeking to know it -- to know anything. all i have is faith. that's all any of us really have i think.
Sep 21, 2004
tadaa
enjoy.
i still can't sleep, so i made some minor aesthetic changes.
we'll see how long this webcam thing sticks -- it stops when i forget it's on and start changing...it's not one of those webcams feeds....
i still can't sleep, so i made some minor aesthetic changes.
we'll see how long this webcam thing sticks -- it stops when i forget it's on and start changing...it's not one of those webcams feeds....
Sep 15, 2004
transitional phrases -- to connect one idea to another
so much has been going on in my life lately, with me and with those around me.
part of me is too lazy to update, part of me is too overwhelmed with what i'd have to write to fully bring things up to speed.
so what i will say for now is this:
1) i think it's time for a change of flavour. look for a new page i'll throw up sometimes soon.
2) i can't remember my own imagestation account password
3) no hockey and no girlfriend make simon bored
over and out.
part of me is too lazy to update, part of me is too overwhelmed with what i'd have to write to fully bring things up to speed.
so what i will say for now is this:
1) i think it's time for a change of flavour. look for a new page i'll throw up sometimes soon.
2) i can't remember my own imagestation account password
3) no hockey and no girlfriend make simon bored
over and out.
Sep 2, 2004
rent is due at the first of each month
"I'll be the waterwings that save you if you start drowning
In an open tab when your judgement's on the brink
I'll be the phonograph that plays your favorite
Albums back as your lying there drifting off to sleep...
I'll be the platform shoes and undo what heredity's done to you...
You won't have to strain to look into my eyes
I'll be your winter coat buttoned and zippedstraight to the throat
With the collar up so you won't catch a cold"
.......
"Oh, you're almost home.
I've been waiting for you to come in.
Dancing around in your old suits going crazy in your room again.
I think I'll go out an embarrass myself by getting drunk and falling down in the street.
You say I choose sadness
that it never once has chosen me.
Maybe you're right..."
.......
"It's early morning
No-one is awake
I'm back at my cliff
Still throwing things off
I listen to the sounds they make
On their way down
I follow with my eyes 'til they crash
I imagine what my body would sound like
Slamming against those rocks
And when it lands
Will my eyes be closed or open?"
......
"thirteen years old in the suburbs of denver
Standing in line for Thanksgiving dinner at the catholic chuch. the servers wore crosses
To shield from the sufferance plauging the others. styrofoam plates, cafateria tables charity reeks of cheap wine and pity
And i'm thinking of you. i do every year
When we count all our blessings
And wonder what we're doing here."
......
"This is incredible.
Starving, insatiable,
yes, this is love for the first time.
Well you'd like to think that you were invincible.
Yeah, well weren't we all once before we felt loss for the first time?
Well this is the last time."
......
" I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all apart
take it now, take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can't deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away"
......
" Now and then it seems worse than it is,
but mostly the view is accurate. You see your breath in
the air while you climb up the stairs to that
coffin you call your apartment. And you sink in your
chair, brush the snow from your hair and drink
the cold away. You are not really sure what you
are doing this for but you need something to fill
up the days. A few more hours."
......
In an open tab when your judgement's on the brink
I'll be the phonograph that plays your favorite
Albums back as your lying there drifting off to sleep...
I'll be the platform shoes and undo what heredity's done to you...
You won't have to strain to look into my eyes
I'll be your winter coat buttoned and zippedstraight to the throat
With the collar up so you won't catch a cold"
.......
"Oh, you're almost home.
I've been waiting for you to come in.
Dancing around in your old suits going crazy in your room again.
I think I'll go out an embarrass myself by getting drunk and falling down in the street.
You say I choose sadness
that it never once has chosen me.
Maybe you're right..."
.......
"It's early morning
No-one is awake
I'm back at my cliff
Still throwing things off
I listen to the sounds they make
On their way down
I follow with my eyes 'til they crash
I imagine what my body would sound like
Slamming against those rocks
And when it lands
Will my eyes be closed or open?"
......
"thirteen years old in the suburbs of denver
Standing in line for Thanksgiving dinner at the catholic chuch. the servers wore crosses
To shield from the sufferance plauging the others. styrofoam plates, cafateria tables charity reeks of cheap wine and pity
And i'm thinking of you. i do every year
When we count all our blessings
And wonder what we're doing here."
......
"This is incredible.
Starving, insatiable,
yes, this is love for the first time.
Well you'd like to think that you were invincible.
Yeah, well weren't we all once before we felt loss for the first time?
Well this is the last time."
......
" I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all apart
take it now, take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can't deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away"
......
" Now and then it seems worse than it is,
but mostly the view is accurate. You see your breath in
the air while you climb up the stairs to that
coffin you call your apartment. And you sink in your
chair, brush the snow from your hair and drink
the cold away. You are not really sure what you
are doing this for but you need something to fill
up the days. A few more hours."
......
Aug 24, 2004
canada's leading cuba in olympic baseball into the 6th....
on any note, i was wondering about the subjectivity of maturity.
yea, it's a slow day at work.
regardless, i wonder sometimes: what exactly is mature? what does it mean to be mature? act mature? look mature?
i mean this pertaining to people of course, not say -- a stock or a bond.
the definition would be...
sometimes, i think it's obvious when someone acts mature, or conversely, acts very immature. but sometimes, i think we don't even notice our own nuances. calling someone immature can be such a contrived and hypcritical judgment, yet at the same time it can simply be an observation that's clear as day.
i guess we're sorta treading back into that whole judging thing, but this is more just along the lines of what the heck it means to be mature?
do you consider yourself mature? if not, who do you consider mature? if you do consider yourself mature, by what basis are you drawing your opinion and conclusion?
personally, i think i'm starting to veer on the more grown up side of the line. when i was young, i had no idea what i should be doing, why, and how.
right now, i'm at the point where i know what i should be doing, but often i fail to live up to the standards i set or that have been set for me.
i think true maturity for me -- and others as well, in my opinion -- is when you know what you should/have to do, and you just do it.
that's my definition of maturity. regardless of it involving making a sacrifice, sucking up your pride, hurting your selfish desires -- if you know deep down it's what you should do, or whats best for you or those you care for -- then you do it. no whining, no questions, no procrastination.
i'm not there yet. but i'm truckin'
now back to watching the olympics.
sometimes, work can be no different from home, haha
yea, it's a slow day at work.
regardless, i wonder sometimes: what exactly is mature? what does it mean to be mature? act mature? look mature?
i mean this pertaining to people of course, not say -- a stock or a bond.
the definition would be...
- Having reached full natural growth or development: a mature cell.
- Having reached a desired or final condition; ripe: a mature cheese.
- Of, relating to, or characteristic of full development, either mental or physical: mature for her age.
- Suitable or intended for adults: mature subject matter.
- Composed of adults: a mature audience.
sometimes, i think it's obvious when someone acts mature, or conversely, acts very immature. but sometimes, i think we don't even notice our own nuances. calling someone immature can be such a contrived and hypcritical judgment, yet at the same time it can simply be an observation that's clear as day.
i guess we're sorta treading back into that whole judging thing, but this is more just along the lines of what the heck it means to be mature?
do you consider yourself mature? if not, who do you consider mature? if you do consider yourself mature, by what basis are you drawing your opinion and conclusion?
personally, i think i'm starting to veer on the more grown up side of the line. when i was young, i had no idea what i should be doing, why, and how.
right now, i'm at the point where i know what i should be doing, but often i fail to live up to the standards i set or that have been set for me.
i think true maturity for me -- and others as well, in my opinion -- is when you know what you should/have to do, and you just do it.
that's my definition of maturity. regardless of it involving making a sacrifice, sucking up your pride, hurting your selfish desires -- if you know deep down it's what you should do, or whats best for you or those you care for -- then you do it. no whining, no questions, no procrastination.
i'm not there yet. but i'm truckin'
now back to watching the olympics.
sometimes, work can be no different from home, haha
Aug 18, 2004
like sands through an hour glass.....
first things first:
1) episodes of call for help are being made available as they air via bittorrent.
2) search www.suprnova.org for "cfh" and you should find the first few epsiodes that have aired
3) watch and be amused.
moving on to the actual post....
you know, there was actually a period of time (about 5 summers ago) where i actually watched "days" pretty much every day. why? because on the show, some girl was possessed by the devil or something and i started watching out of of morbid curiosity.
then....for some reason, i couldn't stop.
well, i could, but whenever i had nothing better to do, i would settle down in front of the tv in the afternoons......
anyways, i guess sometimes i wonder if despite all the wailing about how life imitates art and the cultural connotations of this within our post-modern society, part of me still likes to think that soap operas are nothing more than a microcosm of the human psyche.
maybe not even the psyche, maybe just part of it -- the id maybe? or the superego? i don't remember this crap.
so often life seems like nothing but a charade. we have our drama, we have our characters in our lives who leave, who come through. who are important to certain story lines but only marginally so later on.
then there are characters which you would consider the stars, and the co-stars.
the star -- naturally -- is yourself. i mean, it's your own life for goodness sake. but....who are your co-stars? who are the characters in your life that make or break the success of the series? who define the show just as much as the star, creating an aura of energy, dynamic, and excitement?
so many people have moved away this summer. some of them back home, some of them for a temporary time, and some for a more indefinate sort of situation. i can't say i've ever experienced anything like this before. but rest assured my fellow co-stars -- you know who you are -- the series will continue to skyrocket in popularity, reaching new heights only because of the dilligence and value of your individual contributions to this pastiche i call....me.
you guys are all awesome.
of course finally and specifically, to my childhood friend, my st.tims buddy, and mad hook up for contacts and eye exams -- you're going to have an amazing year. write often, pray hard, play hard, and remember that you -- you! -- are fearfully and wonderfully made. praise the Lord, because you're a blessing, and immeasurably blessed. thanks for everything, and i hope you make memories that only exceed our own as you venture out on this new phase of your life.
but of course.....you'll bring stories of those memories back for us. eventually.
bye.
1) episodes of call for help are being made available as they air via bittorrent.
2) search www.suprnova.org for "cfh" and you should find the first few epsiodes that have aired
3) watch and be amused.
moving on to the actual post....
you know, there was actually a period of time (about 5 summers ago) where i actually watched "days" pretty much every day. why? because on the show, some girl was possessed by the devil or something and i started watching out of of morbid curiosity.
then....for some reason, i couldn't stop.
well, i could, but whenever i had nothing better to do, i would settle down in front of the tv in the afternoons......
anyways, i guess sometimes i wonder if despite all the wailing about how life imitates art and the cultural connotations of this within our post-modern society, part of me still likes to think that soap operas are nothing more than a microcosm of the human psyche.
maybe not even the psyche, maybe just part of it -- the id maybe? or the superego? i don't remember this crap.
so often life seems like nothing but a charade. we have our drama, we have our characters in our lives who leave, who come through. who are important to certain story lines but only marginally so later on.
then there are characters which you would consider the stars, and the co-stars.
the star -- naturally -- is yourself. i mean, it's your own life for goodness sake. but....who are your co-stars? who are the characters in your life that make or break the success of the series? who define the show just as much as the star, creating an aura of energy, dynamic, and excitement?
so many people have moved away this summer. some of them back home, some of them for a temporary time, and some for a more indefinate sort of situation. i can't say i've ever experienced anything like this before. but rest assured my fellow co-stars -- you know who you are -- the series will continue to skyrocket in popularity, reaching new heights only because of the dilligence and value of your individual contributions to this pastiche i call....me.
you guys are all awesome.
of course finally and specifically, to my childhood friend, my st.tims buddy, and mad hook up for contacts and eye exams -- you're going to have an amazing year. write often, pray hard, play hard, and remember that you -- you! -- are fearfully and wonderfully made. praise the Lord, because you're a blessing, and immeasurably blessed. thanks for everything, and i hope you make memories that only exceed our own as you venture out on this new phase of your life.
but of course.....you'll bring stories of those memories back for us. eventually.
bye.
Aug 16, 2004
why can't i sleep?
have you ever noticed that when you have lots to rant and ramble about, you never have the time to do it?
then when you finally have some free time, you don't feel like going off anymore?
so much to say....so much to say. people leaving, people moving on. friends, summer, phases, God, love, everything.....just, so much to say.
and yet.....i need to sleep. maybe i'll blog at work....
on an unrelated note: just a reminder, call for help premiers tomorrow night (tonight actually!) on G4techTV!
then when you finally have some free time, you don't feel like going off anymore?
so much to say....so much to say. people leaving, people moving on. friends, summer, phases, God, love, everything.....just, so much to say.
and yet.....i need to sleep. maybe i'll blog at work....
on an unrelated note: just a reminder, call for help premiers tomorrow night (tonight actually!) on G4techTV!
Aug 14, 2004
we won!! we actually won!!
2-7 baby.
and the best two wins i've ever had the opportunity to be part of.
thanks guys!!
one more game to go.....who wants ice cream??
and the best two wins i've ever had the opportunity to be part of.
thanks guys!!
one more game to go.....who wants ice cream??
Aug 12, 2004
water cooler talk
so i'm at work right now and i'm starting to see how people could go mad doing the same thing everyday. i mean heck -- i have a fun job and even this gets tedious every once in a while. i just sit here surfing the net. it sounds fun, but i'd much rather be spending my time elsewhere since i'm only really working like, every other hour. we're basically on-demand helpers, haha
just realising that some people work from 9-5 without fail, doing something much more stressfull, with less obvious results, no gratitude and absolutely no appreciation for their work.....i dunno. i think i'd go nuts. i don't know how anyone could ever sit in a cubicle day after day hammering away at their keyboard crunching numbers or writing pages of crap they could care less about.
why? why woud you damn yourself to doing something you hate?
i enjoy coming in -- especially cuz i get to come in at 11am -- but also because it's fun around here, and i get to learn new things and have cool job perks that i can take home.
but man. i've decided there's NO way i could do a job i didn't enjoy or care about. a job that's just going through motions. i'd much rather be doing something i want for free then getting paid a crapload of money to let my soul whither away and die.
just realising that some people work from 9-5 without fail, doing something much more stressfull, with less obvious results, no gratitude and absolutely no appreciation for their work.....i dunno. i think i'd go nuts. i don't know how anyone could ever sit in a cubicle day after day hammering away at their keyboard crunching numbers or writing pages of crap they could care less about.
why? why woud you damn yourself to doing something you hate?
i enjoy coming in -- especially cuz i get to come in at 11am -- but also because it's fun around here, and i get to learn new things and have cool job perks that i can take home.
but man. i've decided there's NO way i could do a job i didn't enjoy or care about. a job that's just going through motions. i'd much rather be doing something i want for free then getting paid a crapload of money to let my soul whither away and die.
Aug 11, 2004
i believe this is called a "teaser"
so work let me snag and install a copy of photoshop elements today. i'm SOOOOOO HAPPY. i've missed having photoshop so much, and it's really limited my creative juices and ability to jazz up the site.
so rest assured that now i have ps back, i will be updating the site. slowly but surely, prepare yourselves for.........
um. stuff.
so rest assured that now i have ps back, i will be updating the site. slowly but surely, prepare yourselves for.........
um. stuff.
Aug 10, 2004
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CONNIE!!
um. that title is self-explanatory.
hope you have lots of fun today and eat lots of food and get lots of gifts and laugh lots of.....laughs, haha
hope you have lots of fun today and eat lots of food and get lots of gifts and laugh lots of.....laughs, haha
Aug 6, 2004
call for help 2.0 cameo appearance
so while shooting one of today's episodes, i happened to help solve one of the viewer questions at the laaast possible minute of the show that leo, andy, and the rest of us had been feverishly trying to figure out. it wasn't a difficult query, but simply one that had a convoluted and roundabout solution that was difficult to pinpoint. (thats windows for you huh?).
anyways, just saying that on top of getting to see me in the credits, for one episode at least, you'll get to see.....ME at the end during the closing segment. they're thanking and cheering me for finding the answer, and i'm....well....scared of cameras. so yea, that was fun, and kind of exciting. one more day of shooting, and my experience with television studios will be over. it's been a total learning experience.
anyways, now that the frivolousness is done, lets get on to today's (tonights) rant shall we?
lets travel for a second to....hypothetical land....where anything can and will happen.
say in hypoland, someone walks up to you and randomly says "you know, you're an excellent judge of character".
about five minutes later, a different random person walks up and then says to you "hey -- you have a tendency to make assumptions about people. you're judgmental".
nooooow.....my question is: why is one different from the other? why is judging character a skill, and being judgmental a weakness?
what's the difference really? judging character is based on observing somebody's behaviour, actions, words, mannerisms, past history -- then forming your personal conclusion about them. now...to me at least, that sounds absolutely no different from simply being judgmental. the only difference seems to be that when your assumed conclusion is positive (i.e. that billy sure is a good kid), you're judging character. when you reach a negative conclusion however (i.e. that billy is just a straight up punk), you're suddenly being judgmental.
so basically, it's good to judge someone as good, but bad to judge someone as bad.
MEANING, we can only have positive conclusions and opinions about people if we're going to be civil and polite people? apparently ettiquite and rational thinking don't go hand in hand.
is it wrong to judge? i mean....we all do it, lets not kid ourselves. but is it "bad"? is judging a book by its cover ever applied when you have a "good feeling" about someone? or do we only break out that cliched phrase when we're trying to not hurt someones feelings?
i personally think we have our critical and analytical instincts for a reason. to ignore them and choose naiveity instead of observation and reason makes no sense to me. hell -- forget observation, i think sometimes you just have to go with your gut no matter what people say or frown upon your thought process.
the bible says its bad to judge. i think it'd be stupid NOT to judge, because we can't avoid it, so we might as well not beat around the bush and simply be honest about it.
i dunno. is there a conflict of interest? am i looking at a splinter when there's a plank in my eye?
or am i simply confusing the biblical definition of "judging" with my personal idea of reality?
anyways, just saying that on top of getting to see me in the credits, for one episode at least, you'll get to see.....ME at the end during the closing segment. they're thanking and cheering me for finding the answer, and i'm....well....scared of cameras. so yea, that was fun, and kind of exciting. one more day of shooting, and my experience with television studios will be over. it's been a total learning experience.
anyways, now that the frivolousness is done, lets get on to today's (tonights) rant shall we?
lets travel for a second to....hypothetical land....where anything can and will happen.
say in hypoland, someone walks up to you and randomly says "you know, you're an excellent judge of character".
about five minutes later, a different random person walks up and then says to you "hey -- you have a tendency to make assumptions about people. you're judgmental".
nooooow.....my question is: why is one different from the other? why is judging character a skill, and being judgmental a weakness?
what's the difference really? judging character is based on observing somebody's behaviour, actions, words, mannerisms, past history -- then forming your personal conclusion about them. now...to me at least, that sounds absolutely no different from simply being judgmental. the only difference seems to be that when your assumed conclusion is positive (i.e. that billy sure is a good kid), you're judging character. when you reach a negative conclusion however (i.e. that billy is just a straight up punk), you're suddenly being judgmental.
so basically, it's good to judge someone as good, but bad to judge someone as bad.
MEANING, we can only have positive conclusions and opinions about people if we're going to be civil and polite people? apparently ettiquite and rational thinking don't go hand in hand.
is it wrong to judge? i mean....we all do it, lets not kid ourselves. but is it "bad"? is judging a book by its cover ever applied when you have a "good feeling" about someone? or do we only break out that cliched phrase when we're trying to not hurt someones feelings?
i personally think we have our critical and analytical instincts for a reason. to ignore them and choose naiveity instead of observation and reason makes no sense to me. hell -- forget observation, i think sometimes you just have to go with your gut no matter what people say or frown upon your thought process.
the bible says its bad to judge. i think it'd be stupid NOT to judge, because we can't avoid it, so we might as well not beat around the bush and simply be honest about it.
i dunno. is there a conflict of interest? am i looking at a splinter when there's a plank in my eye?
or am i simply confusing the biblical definition of "judging" with my personal idea of reality?
Aug 4, 2004
a thousand words
put up some long overdue pictures:
- Charity Ball (waaaaay late)
- Old Mill
- Dora's farewell party
if anyone actually GETS G4TechTV, let me know. i might ask you to record some episodes of the show for me when they air.
till then, shooting all this week. i wish i had more hours to sleep....
- Charity Ball (waaaaay late)
- Old Mill
- Dora's farewell party
if anyone actually GETS G4TechTV, let me know. i might ask you to record some episodes of the show for me when they air.
till then, shooting all this week. i wish i had more hours to sleep....
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