New Friends

This is a blog post dedicated to all the new people who have entered my life in the past week.
New friends are great!

And I'm thrilled to know you.

In the Future

Looking forward to:

-going home to where its quiet after 11pm.
-on the subject of late nights, sleep.
-essays to be finished
-sunshine
-taking pictures of my town in the springtime
-my dorm for next year
-Christmas!

How to Make a Stir Fried Face...

Well, this is dinner at the dorm. I apologize for the fact that the camera moves all over the place. I forgot that when I load videos on to the computer, it doesn't change screen positions like my camera does. Oops!

An entry.

A small detour from the mountains of homework, and I end up here. Nothing too great to write today, just the exponential mundaness of an essay filled world.

And yet, all is well.

The essay I've been working on is about Christian Scholarship. The world of academia from a God centred perspective. Many of my readers are thinking to themselves, yeah, as opposed to what?

Secularism.
Modernism.
Humanism.

God is dead, and we killed him.

Here is where academia in a Christian environment is hard. How can we be in the world but not of it? Especially in a place like school. We have to be taught all the wonderful beauties and ideas that people throughout history have developed, but to the glory of God.

Coming into Redeemer from a public school. I've been through two different worlds of Academia. You want my honest opinion? The change in a Christian university is in the environment. When students are held accountable and its not just a 'beer fest' as a Crown article recently suggested of secular universities. When the art of loving other people, and living with them, by the Grace of God is taught. When the Biblical worldview penetrates every aspect of academia, this is a Christian worldview.

But like I said, this entry is a small detour from the essay...

Childhood.

Earlier this week, my friend and I had a conversation about all the wonderful things there was about being a kid. I was drawn back to my past, and all the times I played with Barbie, Kelly, Ken, Skipper...you get the idea.

I thought I would share with you some of the old dolls that my sister and I had. The good news is that I plan to save as many of them as possible, so that my own children can experience the joy of make believe...



(Potty Training Kelly was my sister's. However, if you watch the end, where it show's all of Kelly's friends..the little girl with the black hair and the raincoat...I owned her.)



This is one that we picked up at a Garage sale and gave to our younger cousin for her birthday. It was her first Barbie doll.

Background on the next video. This is the Barbie my mom had. She gave it to my sister and I when we started playing with Barbies. I would like to say, the only reason I recognized it was because of the ugly blue jumpsuit.



She dealt with a lot of unfortunate happenings in her life. Her fingers got bitten off, marker was smeared all over her face, and I'm fairly sure her hair was cut. Way to stick up, Great Shape Barbie!

I was amused.

Ladies, do you have favourites?

Frustrations

A Lesson in English

I'm reading a play by George Bernard Shaw entitled 'Major Barbara' for my English poetry/drama class. Luckily, it is a comedy. But I would like to show you the type of writing this guy has. The play needs to be read with english accents. I didn't discover this, until there was a drunk englishman with a lot of slang in his speech.

Example:

Bill: Aw knaow you. Youre the one that took away maw girl. Youre the one that set er agen me. Well, I'm gowin to ev er aht. Not that Aw care a carse for er or you: see? Bat Aw'll let er knaow; and Aw'll let you knaow. Aw'm gowin to give her a doin thatll teach er to cat awy from me. Nah in win you and tell er to cam afore Aw cam in and kick er aht. Tekk er Bill Walker wants er. She'll knaow wot thet means; and if she keeps me witin itll be worse. You stop to jar beck at me; and Aw'll stawt on you: d'ye eah? Theres your wy. In you gow.

Now. Imagine reading an entire act with a character who talks like that. You quickly form differing voices in your head for the other characters. All with accents. All hilarious. I haven't had this much fun with a script in a long time.

Side notes: Shaw's lack of apostrophes makes me angry. And it isn't just with this character. He doesn't write them in anywhere. I think he was just lazy. I mean, Shakespeare wouldn't have gotten away with bad grammar...

2am Postage

I really shouldn't stay up as late as I do.
Just a thought.
That I shared with you!

The End.

The Big Bang Theory and Christmas

I wish it could be Christmas again.




This video is for my friend Chad, who loves the Big Bang Theory, and for my Dad, without whom, I wouldn't know that Leonard Nemoy played Spock on the original Star Trek.

Major Major Major Major

In the wake (and undergoing) of Essay season, a few things come to mind.

Homework sucks.

Don't get me wrong, I love school. I love learning. I hate sitting down and working on something for hours and hours. I like the finished result. I like the feeling of that sigh of relief that comes when an essay is finished, entirely.

I have decided to change my area of study. So now, instead of doing an English Major, History and Youth Ministry Minors, I have made the switch to English and History double majors and a minor in Youth Ministry. This means, for the next 3 years of University, I will be overloading on courses to the point of maxing out.

Which means, I can hopefully develop more of a loving relationship with homework.

But we'll see.

Also: Can you tell me what book my blog's 'title' came from?

My Top 10 Must See 'Children's' Movies

This morning, a friend of a dormmates showed up to visit...with a 9ish year old boy. Fine right? Sure, until you realize, like every other 9ish year old boy, he has the attention span of a goldfish and the only way for peace is to put on a movie. Being the dorm of 8 teenage girls, we don't have much on the lines of kid's movies. We have the Kung Pow, but 9ish year old boy was not interested. So, what did we manage to find? This movie my roommate brought called 'Soccer Dog.' It's like a rip off of Air Bud. Except this one has the evil pound owner and the leader of the Italian Mofia rigging peewee soccer games. A must see for everyone!

So, I got thinking. What are some of the best Children's movies out there? We all have our own lists, but I think this one is indisputable.

Firstly, the honourable mentions. Fern Gulley. Matitlda. The Little Mermaid and the Brave Little Toaster, I'm sorry guys, but they just didn't make the list. That said, here are my 10 top 'Children's' Movies.

Number 10: With all the excitement about Disney-Pixar, and these new, fantastically done children's films, one of them had to end up on the top 10. The number 10 spot goes, respectively to 'Monsters Inc'.

Number 9: We all thought little Michelle Tanner (Olsen Twins) from Full House was adorable. We loved her less and less as she got older, and richer. However, number 9 still goes to a Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen movie entitled, 'It Takes Two'. Also stars Kirstie Allie.

Number 8: Disney takes another spot on the list with a heart-warming story of the little lion that could. 8th place is really a movie everyone should see and love. 'The Lion King' takes number 8 for teaching us 'Hakunah Matatah'.

Number 7: Dreamworks really scored on their stellar cast of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy. To the Donkey that taught us, "Ogre's are like Onions..." number 7 is awarded to 'Shrek'.

Number 6: Remember when the local neighborhood thieves tried to break in while your parents were gone? They left you in charge. You took this responsibilty on with dignity and heart. Some crazy glue, marbles and a lot of string later, Warner Bros presents the number 6, 'Home Alone.'

Number 5: Disney-Pixar takes number 5 with their solid release that defined friendship. Even in the world of toys, 'you got a friend in me'. 'Toy Story' takes 5th place.

Number 4: Back to the wonderful world of Disney pictures, we enter the world of the ocean. Sometimes, there are mermaids, sometimes, annoying crabs. In this case, there is one little clown fish searching for his son, a lot of speaking whale and some noggen too. Number 4 goes to the masterpeice, 'Finding Nemo'.

Number 3: Stepping into the past a little farther, we find the game that changed all our lives. I don't know if I would classify this as a Children's movie, persay, but if your kid get's some of the references in Shrek, it's time they are introduced to Robin Williams in 'Jamanji' which takes 3rd place honourably.

Number 2: This for me, is a tough decision, and doesn't really lose to the number 1 movie. Number 2 has just been shown on YTV too many times for it to be respectably number 1. That said, Mr Wilson would be thrilled to know that his pain did result in gain. Number 2 is placed in the hands of 'Dennis the Menace'.

Number 1: For those of you who know me well, have already figured this movie out. Of all the classics I have named, there is one that stands the test of time. It makes musical history, has a cast that includes Whoopi Goldberg, Reba McEntire and Donald Trump. It also taught the world the true nature of 'love notes'. *wiggles ears.* The number 1 movie for kids that should be on your shelf is....(drumroll please)...'The Little Rascals'.

Thank you for your patience. I hope your shelves hold at least one of these great hits. It's all about classic.

100th Blog Entry.

Like any good piece of Media, it is an accomplishment to reach 100. 100 episodes of a T.V show. 100 broadcasts on a radio. 100 red M&Ms. Okay, so that last one has no relevence. But these balloons do! Yay for 100 posts!

To honour this occasion, I have decided to upload clips of one of the greatest T.V. shows of all time. Here's How I Met Your Mother.

And that is all. Happy 100th postage everyone!
And thank you to readers like you, without whom, none of this would be made possible.

HIGH FIVE!!

Of Machiavelli

I had a wonderful conversation with one of the girls in my dorm today. It went something like this.

Her: You should play Euchre with us.
Me: I can't! I have to read Machiavelli tonight.
Her: (pause) Wouldn't it be cool to be some famous intellectual? Like, you'd be remembered for all of time. People would be like, 'Hey! Remember Alkema (her last name)? She wrote that book..'The Princess'.
Me: *insane laughter*

I should also mention, she called me easy.

It was a good day.

Quick Postage

Life for me:
-FROG Olympic/ Freshman Daze committee applications
-Minstrel publication (coming to a stand near you!)
-Crown application (school newspaper) for next year
-Lug a Mug day (on Thursday- advertising!)

A determination came over me yesterday. I sat down and wrote my religion essay in 2 hours, without distraction. Today I plan to get caught up on my reading. I just thought I would get a short blog entry in.

Next year, I'm looking forward to getting in on Freshman Daze committee. First Year craziness, here I come!

Another Blogger!

I'm finding, here at Redeemer, bloggers aren't as scarce as I had once thought. You readers may have blogs of your own, and you may know about the following tool. The blogs I follow are all along the side. I haven't decided how to set that entire bit up yet, whether it just be names, or the actual name of the blog, or both. On the one hand, I respect the real names of the bloggers, but on the other hand, it is kind of fun to have some advertisement isn't it?

So, without further adeu, http://joelfaber.wordpress.com/!!

I think he's worth the read. I hope you do too!

The Big Bug with Lots of Legs

So, there was this massive bug on my wall Monday morning. I screamed. It had lots of legs. It was too big to kill with a kleenex so I just left it. I went to class and came back and it was gone. Normal right?

But then, the past few nights, I have been having these dreams that the bug is back, and crawling all over everything. On top of that, it keeps growing. And getting more legs. MORE LEGS!! (This bug was a cross between like an earwig and a millepede). The bug keeps growing in my dream!

So, my dreams are being haunted by the bug. The big bug which I didn't kill with the kleenex.

I swear, some morning I am going to wake up and the bug will be back. On my pillow or something. Maybe on my face. Hehe!

5 More To Go.

Disclaimer: I am really excited to have only 5 blog entries left until 100. I feel that is a pretty cool accomplishment. Perhaps we'll have a party.

I am becoming increasingly annoyed with the 'go go go' attitude back here in Canada. I find that there are just not enough hours in the day to do everything, or to be everywhere that we need to be. Where on earth did we get this mind-frame that time is money? It's ridiculous!

I have been spending some time developing and trying to maintain my friendships. This past week, since being home, has been filled with a mountain of coffee dates, social gatherings, half an hour travel times from the library to my dorm (a normally 3 minute walk), and late night chat sessions with random people. I'm so happy! And yet, I hate having a social life. It's taking away from everything that I need to do- school work, sinfonia, and class. Not to mention the bitter slack of devotions.

On another note, my roommate was intently watching me type last night. She pointed out that when I type, I only use 4 fingers on each hand, and raise my pinky fingers up like I'm English or something. She (and I) thought it was really funny. But I don't use my pinky fingers for really anything (with maybe the exception of the flute). I don't even use them that often in piano. I find they are these little fingers that are missing the muscles to do anything mildly useful. So instead, I just kind of point them up to the sky so that they are out of my way and move on with life. I tried to use them once upon a time for typing and it slowed me down so much that I got annoyed and went back to my old ways.

Oh well.

"Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord." Proverbs 28: 14

A Brand New Friend

So, I always go to one of the dorms on campus- Aug's 103 in case you're wondering. This dorm has some of my favouritest boys ever in it. For their own privacy, I won't disclose names.

There is one guy in that dorm that I could never really get along with. I would come over and spend time with 4 out of 5 of them, and the HA (house advisor) would be the one to give me a blank look and then leave the dorm for a few hours. He even asked me once, 'WHY ARE YOU HERE?' Really, that made me feel good about myself.

The thing was, up until last night, I'd had no desire at all to get to know this guy. Then, for some reason, I was just ridiculously bored. No one was home in my dorm (or at least, no one wanting to be social) and so I sent the 103 boys a message, wondering if anyone was home.

Suffice to say, 10 minutes later, I made my way across campus in the cold. When I got there, I threw on a pot of coffee and HA and I bonded over the coffee (really strong coffee) and a bag of chocolate chips. I think we were both amused by the randomness of each other, and the funny idiosyncrazies that comes with differing personalities. For instance, when I meet people for the first time, my brain goes crazy. I talk fast and about everything. It is generally entertaining. HA was more relaxed, but a bit obsessive compulsive. So I would be talking and bouncing around on the bed (a result of coffee and chocolate..clearly) and he would kind of glare at me because the bouncing bugged him.

Anyways, I feel pretty excited, because now, when I go to 103, I get to visit ALL of the boys.

Orion's Belt

To be featured in Redeemer's creative writing magazine: (a story that I wrote)

Orion's Belt -

Small bits of everything that had accumulated over the past days sat in heaps and piles on the floor. Cleaning seemed to make the whole thing officially over. Dealing with it made the memories come back. Neither seemed to be the action of choice. For all that could have been done to prevent it, to tell if anything would have worked was ambiguous as the next. Ideas tossed around in a mind, in hope of some sense. Alas, nonsensical.
If anything was to really justify the truth, it would have been the stars. The joke was that the world revolved around Orion’s Belt. They couldn’t find the big dipper, but those three little stars in the middle of a giant sky twinkled. Muse towards the song. And then, as soon as it came, the melody was gone.

Perhaps then, laying there at the end of a week full of challenges inevitably leading to changes, a growing longing to stay under this sky forever crept up.

The sun that day was warm, and although it was the final day with nostalgia floating about the sweet Caribbean air, the rain stayed far away. It was for the better. Waves were splashing upon a soft beach. The sand, composed of bits of dried coral and eroded shells that had swept their way in from the ocean’s current. Their home belonged to the text of the salt lines upon the shore. Dried, rotting seaweed scented the air, and a crab scurried in and out of the tiny mountainous seeming sand dunes. Peaceful, serene, call it heaven.

As the hammock rocked back and forth, differing hues of blue poked their way through. The strings, woven precisely right, fed the blue of the sky, mirrored by the waters. A breeze, warm to the face, whispered its calming melody to the broken soul. Or the mended soul. A simple beauty rested there.

A voice bidding a lullaby, the waves wisped their way along the shoreline. They wrote the words they sang.

How great is our God
Babble, Babble, Babble

And then...

Swish, slop, sigh
How great is our God

Bright colours. Mingled with reds, blues, yellows and out came the culmination to equal tropic paradise. Favorites always to include the mango, strawberry and limed coconut. Human beings dressed with sheer brilliance, echoing a cultural obsession with vibrancy. Perhaps to be noticed. And all at once their voices shout, "FIESTA!"

Carried on into the night. Life. Dancing and smiling and laughing and the music. The loud beating of a bongo drum, decorated in little wooden beads on the string-ropes. Fast, higher pitched, carrying the melody on and on. Slow, deep, the bass holds the beat. Powerfully it voices its presence. The trumpets and guitars forced to obey. The Island, where all the gods and goddesses come out by night. They breathe life into the streets, the people. And they dance, they laugh, they smile. Somewhere in the midst, merchants holler. Tourists purchase trinkets. They dress for the beach and carry the colours. Above, the stars are twinkling. A pondering towards the song. But the melody is drowned out by the song of the Island.

Now I’ve had the time of my life
and I owe it all to you

And then...

...so softly it starts...

...and grows louder

Tu eres Todo Poderoso
Eres grande y majestoso

On a wall. The warm sun has faded into the horizon. Eyes gaze towards a starry sky. Twinkling, twinkling. The top of the wall is tiled. The same blue as the hammock, though not visible in the night. Cold to the touch, the body sprawled out, comfort. The waves still lap. They still sing. Peaceful evenings and a starry sky. Could it be heaven?

The stars, all in their courses, flutter about the night sky. Tiny butterflies of the night. Not moths, not fireflies. For the colour in the stars reflects the colours of the Island. Reflects the ocean. Reflects the song. Whisked away into a world of twinkling, twinkling, twinkling. And slowly the song returns. So softly. Human voices at last, joining in the chorus of creation.
Laughs, smiles, dancing. The rocks, the docks, they all sing. Above, the stars twinkle. Vividness. Blue, yellow, red. Mango, strawberry, limed coconut. It is all there. Reflections and an after-thought. There are no "what if’s" here. Only backs on the body of a cold wall. Only the quick movements of the wind. Only the song of the sea. Babble, babble, babble. Swish, slop, sigh.

How great is our God
How great is our God...

The stars cry out.

Twinkle, twinkle little star
how I wonder what you are...

The seas cry out.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

And all of creation harmonizes. A song of praise. A song of thanksgiving. At last the voices grow. A heart wells up with praise, and a soft voice carries on the wind. The soft voice carries on the wind to the starry heavens. Stars shoot like fireworks. The culmination of all the sights and sounds headspring into this one moment and a fountain overflows. Texts, songs, colours- they all join in choir. And the soft voice carries on the wind...

Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name...

At last a breath. A sigh. Tu eres todo poderoso. Hallelujah.

A breath on a cold window. Small bits of everything stay sprawled out on the floor. Accumulated, growing, like the song. As silent as the night and simple as the stars. Illuminating. Striking. Twinkling. The intricate edges of a snowflake appear against the window. Melt with the breath. And then another. And then another. They fall until a finger traces a heart on the fogged window, and then they float. They fly. Snowflakes in the Caribbean. Meet sand. Meet sea. Meet wind. Meet stars. Whatever challenges led to changes, whatever beauty led to praise. A growing longing to stay under the sky.

On a starry night, in a blue hammock, with a colorful party and a heart drawn on a foggy window. Alas, nonsensical.