[w]hol[l]y Yours... i promise.

day 7 of... TAKE TWO!

2012-02-02T00:58:00.004-05:00

i don't know how to number the days anymore. since its my 2nd year, and i went home for 2 months... so lets just say "TAKE TWO!"

its been nearly a week since i've landed back in Sydney town. and i must say... it's been raining and/or gloomy for the most of it. i actually quite enjoy it since its not super humid not. (i really don't like it when you start sweating again the moment you turn off the shower :( )

so this is actually comfortable for me!

sleeping somewhat okay at night. (fear of spiders, getting used to new place, mattress is super soft compared to what I'm used to)

but i guess those are all minor things. altho, nothing minor about that massive spider!!! frig. as my friend corrected me in saying "thats not a spider. thats a tarantula!! O_O"

here' s a pic www.twitpic.com/8ea9st (you can click the link. i don't really fancy having a giant hairy spider picture on my blog. blehhhhh!!)

so this year, i moved heaps closer to school. i now live in the all asian house + Ben the German. bahhaha and theres like 9 students in this house PLUS the landlords. so 11 in total. true asian house + Ben.! and yes, it is co-ed. *gasp!*

s'all good. bible college students, we're in our own rooms, it actually comes in handy as one of the guys likes to cook. plus the guys can kill spideys and other creepy crawlies for me =)

it helps to live 10min walking distance from school too. no excuse now to not go to church/school events because i "live too far and don't wanna walk home alone in the dark". so excited for whats to come this year!

tbh, i haven't given much thought nor expectation to this year. most of what IS on my mind is conference. Colour Conference and Hillsong Conference 2012!!! can't wait! being able to contribute at such a large scale event, no matter how big/small of a role i play, its amazing! plus food is provided, good bonding time with fellow TV staff/students... living the dream!

anyways, I'm still working on a video for HBCYR back home. i should get this done asap. i guess its what my video editing trainer said last year, "you're never done with your video. you just hit a deadline". which is true... cus i'll never be 100% happy with it. there'll always be something i want to tweak and touchup, or i notice more things as i keep rewatching it.

so I'm out. no idea when the next update will be. guess it'll depend on how (un)eventful life here gets. (aka time to blog, and things to blog about)

PS. oh yes. of course. the 1st week of school is over. haha

PPS. oh right. how did i forget. got food poisoning my 2nd day here, spent 3rd and 4th day in bed. and now days 5 and 6 and 7 in school. hah

Day 317: know your role, accept it, and excel at it!

2011-11-08T08:06:00.007-05:00

so yes.. my blog posts go from day 257 to day 317. =P

just goes to show how ridiculously busy/productive I've been this semester. flippppppp! haha

so its been one heck of a year. I'm flying back to TO in less than a week! eeps! yet my year here in SYD aint over just yet!

a few weeks ago, i handed in my short film that i spent a good portion of this semester making. it turned out okay. for my first ever "proper" short film, shot with a Canon 60D, heaps of legit equipment, a novel of proper paper work, and so much more, it was okay. could have been done better, but it wasn't bad. and to be honest, i was a tad bit disappointed when it wasn't chosen for the TV/Dance showcase. not that i personally thought it deserved to be in the showcase, but more so the fact that i felt insufficient when compared to my fellow classmates (who did do an amazingly incredible job on their short films!). my dad's words of "it doesnt matter what field you choose to pursue your career in. as long as you're at the top of the game, you'll be successful!" so i felt like such a failure at it.

right now, I'm still quite inexperienced when it comes to location camera. so i gotta work on that.

it took me a week to realize that i need to get back on my feet. now I'm excited to get my own 60D and some other equipment (decent tripod, Zoom audio recorder, a lens or two) and start shooting sone more footage! already got another project or two in mind when I'm home this christmas =)

what i forgot was that there was still much to learn in studio camera operation. just when i thought CCU and GFX were going to be my life, opportunities to do camera in the main auditorium came popping up. cameras 2 and 3 to be exact! not that i was rostered for them, but ppl couldn't make it and asked me to fill in. in fact, they were rostered for other positions. but as soon as i agreed to fill in, i would get swapped from another position to cameras 2 or 3!

not long after, i received the phone call asking if i would be interested in PRODUCING college graduation ceremony.

...

FLIPPIN' LEGIT! i have only ever dreamed of climbing higher and producing at Hillsong's Hills campus Convention Centre! i mean, its only a 3.5-4k seating auditorium! and only after ~10mos of studying at hillsong college? flip!

I've learnt that as an entire intake of TV students (17 of us in total in my intake), we are each talented in a different area. some of us are incredible at handling a camera, and getting amazing shots with the best compositions and framings ever. others are fantastic at organizing and pulling things together. some are just a blessing to have their presence around; they make everything so much more fun! separately, we're okay at what we do. but when you put all of us together, we pull off something so much more amazing! its all about knowing your role. know what your strengths are and pursue it. know what your weaknesses are, and be willing to learn from them.

i can't be good at everything. but contributing what i can give, and combining everyone's gifts, its amazing what can be done!! team effort! =)

Day 257: truly, so so busy.

2011-09-24T07:27:00.002-05:00

yah. so its been like... a month since the last post. lol

I've been so busy, and so physically tired and drained, i have skipped 3 classes this month alone. yes, i skipped 3 classes at hillsong international college.

this is coming from a person who attended every single class in the first semester.

but i was actually just THAT tired that i wouldn't get up, and kept on sleeping.

well.. one of them was actually insomnia where i couldn't sleep until 6am that morning. so obviously i slept in til 10am or else i just wouldn't function at all.

anyways, what led me to take a few moments out of my insanely crazy schedule to jot down a blog, is that today, I SHOT 3 SCENES FOR MY SHORT FILM!!

i borrowed the school's 60D DSLR and a whole lotta other unaffordable gear, gathered up 8 other school mates, and headed into the city to shoot some footage =)

at first (and i mean 2 nights ago), i was freaking out a lil. cus i had never touched a DSLR before. and not to mention, i thought i had all my actors, then 1 bails, then i find replacement, then repeat with 2 more... and i didn't have a final confirmed cast until 3 days before the shoot. then last night, i checked the weather only to find "rain" as forecasted. crap crap crap. now what?!?!

PRAY.

so i did.

still did a lil "freaking out" rant to a friend.

prayed some more.

went to bed, still praying.

ended up with insomnia night #2, and didn't sleep at all, altho i did pray for rest.

as the sun rises, i realized it wasn't raining.

it wasn't super bright, but it wasn't raining!!

it was an overcast day.

i had totally forgotten that overcast days are actually pretty good days to shoot. they block the sunlight, so all my footage isn't over exposed, and my actors are squinting, and i don't need my crew to hold up reflectors or anything! it is also nice and cool, and we weren't sweating like pigs!

it was seriously perfect for scenes 1 and 2.

until... it starting spitting a lil during our lunch break. uh oh... we still had scene 3 to go. now what? do we head on over to location 3, and shoot with an umbrella over the camera?

we decided to go on with it.

by the time we arrived at our location (15mins away), THE SUN HAD COME OUT. F'REALS.

it was amazing.

God is so perfect with His timing!

for the final 2 hrs we spent at the 3rd location shooting the 3rd scene, it gradually got cloudier. and by the time we finished shooting, we still had time take a group photo. =)

we didn't rush thru the day or anything. it was a chill vibe, yet still productive at a good pace. honestly one of the best shoots i have ever been on in terms of timing and productivity (including all those hillsong related shoots.) we made room thruout the day for lil funny things, joked around here and there, breaks to snack and have a drink of water. and we bonded a lot closer. some ppl went from strangers that morning, to now having spent an amazing day together.

we even went for a lunner afterwards, and thats when the rain came down, halfway thru our meal.

amazing.

seriously.

God is for me. not against me. ever.

but now, its nearly 11pm. i think its time to head to bed, cus I'm serving 2mrw morning (BCH IS BACKKKK FOR A WEEK. WEEEEEEEE!!)

PS. my fingers' energy to type in caps does not reflect my true physical energy. lol... probs more of a sleep deprivation caps typing.

PPS. *yawn* okay I'm off. toodles!

Day 228: the busy don't stop!

2011-08-26T08:49:00.002-05:00

so I've always talked about how busy i am.

but never really showed it.

so here's a look at just where I'm serving for the remainder of August and most of september (Sunday church rosters aren't out yet).

throw in Big Exo day, Encounter, filming my short film, classes, assessments, and fieldwork...

busy busy busy!

who knows what october's gonna look like... (got State Conference then too!)

but here we go. counting down the last 3 months of Sydney/Hillsong life! LETS DO THIS!

Day 223: Jesus at the centre of it all

2011-08-21T07:23:00.003-05:00

so for those of you who went to Hillsong Conference 2011, or have been to a Hillsong service in between (including college chapel, extension services, youth, etc), you will have sung the song (or at least the bridge) of the song, Jesus At the Centre. (brand new song written by Israel Houghton like a few days before conference)

the lyrics for the bridge goes like this:

from my heart to the heavens

Jesus be the centre

it's all about You

yes, it's all about You [repeat]

and I've been questioning it since the day i heard it. i don't know why it took me so long. but like a month and a half later, i FINALLY understand what the lyrics are saying.

FROM MY HEART TO THE HEAVENS

that means from anything I'm passionate/thinking about, that is about myself (or personal/earthly desires) to God's will for me, His perfect plan, and everything else inbetween.

its pretty much a fancier way of saying "everything i do, whether its what i want or what God wants, or both".

JESUS BE THE CENTRE

He is to be at the heart of it all. He is the sole reason for anything that i do. (might have to reconsider some actions before carrying them out eh?).

made me question, does my life revolve around Jesus? do i schedule my life around devotions, prayer time, church time, Jesus time? and not the other way around? (i.e. slot in devos when i can)

IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU

because everything is about Him. not us. anything i do, isn't for me. but allowing myself to be used by God for His glory. not just allowing, but wanting to do it too. and it is ALL about Him. not just a fraction. not 90%. its 100%.

definitely a good reminder of a few of the key verses i live by:

1 cor 10:31

col 3:23

phil 3:8

JESUS!!!

PS. yes i am canadian and i spell it CENTRE. not center. but CENTRE.

PPS. autocorrect actually corrects it for me to "tre" =P

i think I'm ready to go home

2011-08-15T03:01:00.007-05:00

so not sure if i mentioned this in previous posts, but i was thinking of staying a 2nd year here at hillsong college (if they do a 2nd year of TV, if not, then a very tiny lil possibility of going to pastoral)

but right now, i would like to go home.

Toronto will always be my home, no matter how much i like to (and dream of) travelling. its only been 8 months in Sydney but it feels like its been forever.

did time really fly by that quickly? not really. I've never been this busy and tired in my life. the days have been long. it just felt like how it did during my days at Western. when you enjoy what you're doing, sure you would like it to last and never end. or when you're tired and looking forward to that shower then sleep, only knowing that you'll be getting up again in less than 7hrs, its not that restful. some ppl have joked that its preparing me for motherhood, especially the days of a newborn. haha

but yeah... maybe I'm feeling homesick or something (thanks to looking thru old fb photos). but there really is a LOT to be done in toronto. maybe not necessarily all media/video/production stuff, cus some churches aren't even there yet. they just need (female) leaders for their youth. not a pastor, but just an older female figure. and all i have to do is to live my christian walk, and to care for them. or back at Harvest York Region. they need help in youth department AND the worship department. always in need of drummers. =) and i can also help with video too.

i have to say, what i miss most are the other annual events. like TC, CC, CCSA (softball season), going to the EX, snowboarding season, Jays season, first hope of the Raptors/Leafs season, family dinners, road trips with parents, etc. having grown up with it all my life (or a large portion of my life), its been weird not being a part of those things. the toronto canasian culture i grew up with!

starting to look AND apply for TV/production/broadcasting related jobs in TO. lets do this.

I'm ready to come home. =)

PS. but as per the previous blogpost's title, I'm still open to the idea of staying a 2nd year. changes happen. who knows. I'm not dead set on going home. but i guess its just where my head and/or heart is at right now. i don't even know. haha

Day 214: things don't go as planned

2011-08-12T08:56:00.002-05:00

so this week has been crazy. as in major changes from what i had originally planned it to be.

Sunday:

no change. it was my fault. served at AMs, stayed at church til SNL cus i didn't wanna go home plus i saved good seats, then Lulu's bday party.

Monday:

originally? just 8:30-12pm class, then groundswell at 7-9pm.

change? arrival at school at 7am to open the TV door for GFX. ended up bumming at school for a college opener rehearsal from 5-7pm. then groundswell til 9pm. got home, the prep'd ProPresenter GFX til 11:30pm.

Tuesday:

originally? just class from 8:30-5ish.

change? arrival at school by 6:45am cus of technical difficulties, so now i was doing main screen GFX via my macbookpro. then got home that night to prep Wed's GFX.

Wednesday:

originally? serving at chapel on cam3.

change? GFX instead!

Thursday:

orginally? GFX @ sisterhood, class, meeting fieldwork specialist at 3pm.

change? trained someone for GFX (altho i had never done it in the CC before), class, fieldwork specialist never showed. i left school at 4pm.

Friday:

orginally? cam3 @ wildlife.

change? DIRECTOR @ wildlife!! :D

mm... hectic as heck of a week.

but glad i finally got to try directing.

didn't do as well as i would've liked. but since 3/4 of my cam ops are 1st semester students, first time doing camera, and didn't really rehearse much... cus the band didn't rehearse much. ah well.

i know i can't blame cam ops for everything, cus it can also be my communicating with them. but yah.

i deff would liked to have "told the story" better. spent a lot of my time just getting shots that would "look good" or "transitioned nicely". just need to overall think ahead and tell the story better.

good learning experience tho. hoping to get better with more practice (not that another directing opportunity is in sight) but hey... with so many changes. who knows?!!? =)

Day 213: never been busier!

2011-08-11T06:36:00.002-05:00

so... its been a while since the last post.

and not cus I've been slacking. but I've actually been so busy my schedule was wake up before the sun does, get to school, do various TV stuff + classes, eat whatever i can buy that isn't too cheap yet still tasty and somewhat nutritious, do more TV stuff, get home long after the sun has gone, shower, devos, sleep. repeat.

until today, i honestly haven't done groceries since pre-conference intensives (aka mid june). been living off of food i buy, and have some frozen stuff in the fridge (i.e. meat pies, udon, sliced beef, chicken nuggets) and dried/air tight stuff (pasta + pasta sauce + frozen veggies + frozen garlic bread.) not that I've had much time to cook, hence didn't bother buying much groceries! no worries tho... still managed an apple here and there, drank juice instead of pop, chose salad instead of fries... =)

but yeah. its been hectic. maddd hectic.

its what i love doing. but I'm super glad that i have 2mrw off. my first day off of not having to be at school by 8am or earlier (including a 6:30am on Tues. DANGS).

i have also realized I'm on a streak of being at Hillsong Church every single day since i don't know when... classes Mon-Thurs, Wildlife Fri, Asian Extension Service Sat, and church on Sun.

blue walls and blue carpets all semester? pretty much. with the occasional trip to Norwest. I'm in the triangle. haha...

i don't know where this post is going. too tired to think. just wanted to jot down a bit of my recent life i guess. =)

anyways. its nearly 10pm. and I'm ready to pass out. (never thought i would say that...definitely never happened in Canada!). but yes. gonna go brush up, devos, then sleep. GOODNIGHT.

Day 198: start of 2nd semester!

2011-07-27T07:11:00.002-05:00

so 2nd semester started yesterday actually (day 195).

and i have to say...

i now remember why i was so homesick and wanted to leave during some days earlier this year.

i really don't like intensives classes. -_-

not all classes... but dislike it enough that if the entire semester continued like this, i would be skipping a LOT of classes. haha... not that i did =P

still the same, lovin' chapel!

plus now I'm looking fwd to friday nights for WILDLIFE!

plus serving at Sisterhood + sunday church! (albeit still pretty basic positions... but getting somewhere. surely...)

really contemplating staying a 2nd year. i guess it also depends on how i "progress" with serving positions on sundays/sisterhood. (producing + camera!)

i have also yet to direct anything, so hoping to direct wildlife soon. and then chapel. =)

only the start of 2nd sem. aka slightly just a bit over half way. LETS DO THIS!

Hillsong Conference 2011

2011-07-23T02:52:00.008-05:00

so i realized i never really blogged about conference. i mean, right after Conference, all that is on my mind is "JESUS!!!!!!" and didn't really wanna talk about what i did/experienced. because He is the ultimate reason for everything, and everything else just doesn't really matter compared to Him!

but now that a few weeks have past, i would like to jot down my first ever Hillsong Conference experience, mainly from a TV crew perspective! (not saying that the JESUS fire has died down. but cus the conference was so amazing in so many ways!)

before conference even started, we had 2 weeks of conference intensives. i spent most of these 2 weeks doing 3 things:

1) rostering ppl for and running Chapel TV, playing a role in preparing the student body for conference (as well as Heart for the House week)

2) helping out at Wildlife TV, preparing the youth for Jam2011!

3) helping out with a video shoot for the Conference closer (which was not played at the Sydney one due to running out of time, but apparently will be at the London one)

the day before conference was mainly rehearsals. i was pretty much down at the SEC doing whatever was needed (iHeart stand decor set up, cam4 tracking/assist, runner/messenger for TV crew, etc). if i wasn't doing that, i had the freedom of wandering around backstage, taking pictures, exploring, or just sitting in and watching rehearsals. all that and enjoying chinese food in Chinatown =P oh and starbucks too. ahaha

now that conference TUESDAY had finally arrived, i spent most of day 1 helping bump-in for Jam @ Luna Park! not much to bump in TV wise, so we helped the rest of the volunteers blow up and tie 8,000 balloons by hand, for Day 1's tribal wars. -_- the kids were to pop the balloons to try and find like 3 objects in them, outta 8k. that was pretty much all we did...

at night, went back to the SEC, helped out nadya/isabel with food runs. not to mention i was a lil starstruck when i walked past Chris Quilala and Kim Walker from Jesus Culture, JD, BCH, JTH, RM, DZ... omg! haha it took my brain a while to register who they were! usually i hold it together pretty well cus its just one or two big names. but when you get so many one after another right away... i couldn't believe it! haha my legs carried me, and just kept walking. don't stop. i took it all in afterwards. only to help make a food run to FoH, only to bump into none other than JG! they were everywhere! lol

oh and how awesome was this opener?!?!?!

WEDNESDAY of conference, finally day1 of JAM! arrived at SEC early, spent 1.5hrs waiting for the Jam volunteers bus so i sat in the 2nd row, watching morning rehearsals. and it was none other than DZ, Sidney Mohede, RM... amazing! haha

at Jam, i just did CCU. just a lot of following to do during the message as the stage wasn't evenly lit. so i had to remember which were the dark/hot spots and manually adjust it.

back to the SEC at night, did the same thing. helped out izzy/nadya w/ food run, think i also did some water bottles delivery to the camera ops. hiking up so many steps to Cam8 was def NOT fun -_- once was enough. glad i wasn't a cam8 op. haha

THURSDAY day 3 of conf, day 2 of Jam! we had a later call time, just chilled in the back dock area in the SEC, and then made our way over to luna park! they (producers/director) decided to switch up the crew positions a lil, so i was switched to GFX! spent most of the day either doing GFX or helping out patrick with "designing" the pres slides for tribal war point tallies. we had a slight bit too much fun playing with fonts, sizes, and msft clip art! lol! also helped out a lil w/ comp problems, sending ppt thru the system. good thing i still remember my PC knowledge!

back to the SEC, did cam4 assist for Revelation. then after the usual food run, i stopped by starbs, grabbed a drink for myself and my fieldwork specialist, and headed to the DHCC to check it out and deliver the drink! i stood at the very back, wanting to listen to John Maxwell speak, and caught an asian guy filming the entire thing. but i was told to just leave it.... so i decided to video him, filming everything. bahaha... GG flashing red light on a DSLR!

FRIDAY! final day of conference already. aww... kicked off the day with starbucks! and headed to JAM! once again, the positions changed time. this time, found out i will be doing Cam2, aka main cam! sweeeeeet! honestly... I haven't done main cam yet here at hillsong. but i always thought about it... if i managed to follow a softball and/or a softball player running, how hard can it be following a speaker? haha the only added difficulty was instead of using a handy cam on autofocus, i had to manually control it. but since the speakers didn't do anything crazy (i.e. jump off the stage), it wasn't too hard. fun times!

near the end of Jam, i got a txt saying i will be rostered for REVELATION! whoooooo! then i found out i was doing CCU. -_- ah well. at least i can say i did CCU for Hillsong Conference in the SEC! haha...

then i did some more food runs, and generally just chilled backstage... until the medley! nadya, izzy, and myself snooped around like mice, until we found ourselves some pretty good standing view of the stage. we were actually hoping to watch the closer video.. but since that never happened... ah well. we enjoyed the medley! at least i did =P oh man... it was a trip down memory lane!!! lets see if i can recap it.. (hopefully in order... no promises)

Everyday / One Way / My Redeemer Lives / This Is How We Overcome / All Things Are Possible / Hear Our Praises / I Give You My Heart / Jesus, Lover of my Soul / The Stand / Potter's Hand / Worthy is the Lamb / Shout to the Lord / From the Inside Out / Mighty to Save

Day 192: I finally have, and can get used to this!

2011-07-21T03:51:00.004-05:00

so ive been in Sydney now for a little more than half a year, and i finally got used to things.

in fact, i dont mind it so much either! i mean, there are still small things like how everything is so expensive (get used to it... and learn to budget!), the indoor weather, not looking forward to summer w/ the return of giant spiders, no car to drive around (but thankful to know ppl w/ cars who ARE willing to drive me around.. if convenient =P)... but those are small things. =)

so today was orientation for the new July 2011 students. and dangs... im 2nd semester now! JZ (a fellow 2nd yr TV/pastoral student) and i hung around til the end, and decided to join in with the new semesters meeting each other and Bruce! man.. we felt so knowledgeable. we were giving out advice, and answering questions that we once had when we first arrived at Hillsong College. haha... guess it helps that we're also in charge of TV for College Chapel (me), Sisterhood/Wildlife (JZ) here at Hillsong too.

guess i have learnt a lot since landing in Sydney on Jan 11th, 2011. yet there is still so much more to learn! gotta keep moving forward and climbing higher!

BRING ON 2ND SEMESTER!!

but before that, next monday, i will be helping out w/ shooting for the College Opener. =P s'gunna be amaaaaazing!

Day 185: harvest vs hillsong

2011-07-13T11:32:00.002-05:00

so its winter break, ive got 2 weeks off, and of course, my old bad habits return. (i.e. its 2:30am and im starting a blog post =P)

tonight, the reason for staying up so late, is cus i was going thru Harvest videos on vimeo. not just York Region's, but also Harvest Chicago campuses'. i realized i keep (mentally) pointing out the same few things: director's cutting/fading/shot choices, camera ops' following/focus/headroom (camera work in general), and CCU's iris (dont think HBCYR has a CCU =P.)

these little things, i will most definitely pay attention to. and they will bug the crap outta me. i thought it was bad when worship leaders didnt even know the chords to songs, or didnt bother tuning their guitars, and such. and sometimes, i take it for granted that Hillsong DOES take note of these details and does them as perfectly as possible. i mean, one can argue, that "no human standard is anything close to God's perfect standards." but one can also argue that "we are to bring our best to God. not give Him what's convenient, but to go all out for Him, EVERY SINGLE TIME."

so it got me thinking... when i go back home to TO, will i stay at Harvest? or is it not the place for me? i mean, there is definitely plenty of room for improvement in the multimedia department (that goes for Harvest in general. not just YR.) but then i also realized (and remembered) how Harvest is sucha male dominated leadership structure. will i even have the ability to do much about it, since im female?

i must also keep in mind that what im learning is the Hillsong style of things. i can't just go back to Harvest and go "okay. this is how Hillsong did it, so this is how we will be doing it." cus what works for Hillsong, may not work for Harvest.

whats more conflicting is that i LIKE Hillsong's style! it looks fantabulous!

hmm....

getting to Hillsong is not the hard part.

learning stuff at Hillsong is not the hard part.

how the crap do i bring it back home? <-- now THAT is the hard part.

Day 180: HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST

2011-07-09T00:46:00.005-05:00

this pretty much sums up one of my favourite moments from Hillsong conference 2011!
an entire arena singing this? heavenly!

Day 173: livin' the dream

2011-07-02T08:46:00.002-05:00

so its been a maddddd week.

monday - conference intensive classes (shout out to Kmy and Matthews for teaching us!!), GROUNDSWELL CONNECT.

tuesday - final chapel of the semester, sunset shoot for conference opener (friday night), heart & soul night.

wednesday - sunrise AND sunset shoot in the city

thursday - sunrise AND afternoon in studio shoot

friday - regular fieldwork + wildlife

definition of sunrise shoots:

when the sun starts to rise, camera is rolling, everything is gtg.

which means... before the sun rises, i need to wake up, roll outta bed, get ready, head out the door, travel, arrival at meeting point by call time, travel to shooting location, help prepare the set... THEN we're ready to shoot.

meaning i had two 4am wakeups this week. not to mention full days on M/Tu/F.

it was pretty neat tho. altho my role was pretty minimal (set up, clean up, umbrella holder when it rains, errands runner, watch out for traffic-er...), its pretty awesome that i get to be a part of such a big project (Hillsong Conference Friday/Final night opener video!!!)

and everything i did... you didnt need special education to be able to do them (other than the hazer for the forest fire seen), yet i was lucky enough to have the opportunity to help out! a lot of my fellow school mates were either cleaning, property maintenance, or doing nothing. so i was pretty happy with where i ended up!

whelps. Hillsong Conference 2011 coming up in a few days! and after that, will mark the completion of my first semester here at Hillsong College.

"WHOAAA. i'm half way there!

WHOAAAA! livin' on a prayer!" =P

Day 168: "If everyday was as good as today was, then i can't wait til tomorrow comes" - Moments/WL

2011-06-27T08:53:00.004-05:00

(yes, back to quoting westlife. haha)

what a fab day!

the smallest thing can make your day.

but when its multiple things (some small, some big), your day just becomes epic!!

- Samuel gave me a chupa chup this morning!!!

- that one moment in chapel just made my day!

- eating lunch with the usuals =)

- was taught by Kmy and Matthews for intensives class!

- found out i am rostered for tape op/ccu for JAM 2011 FLIP YEAH BABYYY!!!

- meeting loadsa new ppl (still!)

- GROUNDSWELL CONNECT.

with conference coming up, they've been teaching us loadsa ways of dealing with your emotions/tiredness, as well as the ppl you're serving with, and handling delegates.

i have to say... after so many years of TC, few years of CC and Passion conferences, none of this is news to me. i mean, maybe not at the scale Hillsong Conference 2011 will be. but i guess not everyone else is as privileged as me in having these experiences already (both having attended and led conferences)

all i can say is, BRING ON HILLSONG CONFERENCE 2011.

because a new ep of Flashpoint will be airing soon after conference. =P

Day 166 - busy busy busy

2011-06-24T23:16:00.003-05:00

i started doing an "aussie day count" in my titles just in case for when i run out of title ideas. but since australia is so eventful, i havent run into that yet!

its been a crazy busy week. my usual definition of "busy" is probs early mornings.

lets recap the times i had to be at school/church, shall we?

Sun (19th): 7:15am

Mon (20th): 9:30am

Tues (21st): 6:45am

Wed (22nd): supposed to be 8:30am. but major headache = stayed at home.

thurs (23rd): 8am (left school at 8:30pm)

fri (24th): 6:45am (left school at 10:30pm)

finally get a day off today! well... will be back at the Hub at 5:30pm for asian extension service (the service where we all look asian but we all speak english. hah! FAKE'D!!)

then sunday, back at the CC since im rostered for PM service. (real honoured to be rostered for Heart for the House weekend. even if its just cam1 assist!)

hopefully slightly easier week coming up... because the week after that is HILLSONG CONFERENCE 2011. oh it's gunna be good. tiring. but gooooood!

Day 159: its my call!

2011-06-18T06:50:00.004-05:00

so semester 1 classes are done, all assignments are in (well, im still awaiting the marking of one. darn Amos assessment. its caused frustration in pretty much all the first years. lol), and hillsong conference 2011 is drawing near.

but theres no time to relax. in fact, this is when it starts to get real busy.

for pretty much most of my working and volunteering life, i've worked under someone. always reported to someone, had to check in/confirm/get permission from someone in a higher position.

i mean, there have been times where i've lead ppl (i.e. ACF's CRC, TC REC, etc) but for some reason, i feel so much more responsible and "in power" here at hillsong college. i dont know if its because im also living on my own, 15.5k km away from home, and feeling so much more independent... or if its because everything here at hillsong is so last minute, i just end up making decisions and going along with it. or maybe a bitta both.

ive also noticed that as big or little your serving role here at hillsong is, it doesnt go unnoticed. either someone will come along and thank you for it, and encourage you to continue doing what you're doing because you're making a difference, or leaders to keep us grounded that we're serving for a greater purpose, and/or maybe its cus i get to play a (small) role at the massive church known as Hillsong Church. its better than none!

thats how i feel anyways. maybe others will disagree. but ah well. this is my blog, and these are my thoughts! =)

heres the timeline countdown:

2 weeks of conference intensives (aka conference prep.)

1 week of Hillsong Conference.

2 weeks of break (aka welcome new July students)

1 week of orientation/enrolment.

1 more semester of school. (17 weeks)

1 week of travelling around australia with my parents.

5 more days in Sydney.

2 days of flying... and i'll be home in TO. =)

Day 155: mm... no title.

2011-06-14T07:07:00.004-05:00

so yesterday, i finally saw PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4!!

its good times to watch a movie with a fellow TV student. haha... well.. the 3rd friend wasnt. but still a movie junkie so s'all good.

we were so nerdy pointing out TV related stuff. like WATCHING THE CREDITS AT THE END. LOL. we were staying to watch the clip after the credits, but i think we enjoyed the credits more. =P

good times.

okay.. not much to blog about.

other than lots of PRODUCING going on these few weeks! wildlife, chapel, and training others to produce in chapel. =)

not to mention lots of CCU action for thursday Sisterhoods and sunday AM services.

whooooo.

plus its the last week of classes. or should i say lectures are all done now. just got tutorials left 2mrw!

then its 2 weeks of conference intensives (i still have no idea what that is). then its..

HILLSONG CONFERENCE 2011. omg.

including JAM 2011!!!

okay thats all.

byebye.

PS. clearly im in no mood to blog. just felt like adding an update. ahha

day 148: how far should you go?

2011-06-07T06:26:00.004-05:00

so i've realized, if you want to climb to the "top" of the Hillsong ladder, you pretty much have to stay here at college for 3 years, and show that you're capable of taking on the responsibilities.

(i.e. majority of Hillsong TV crew (volunteers and some staff members) are/were upper year college students. only 1 or 2 exceptionally fantastic 1st year camera ops get to help out more often and at larger scale events)

so then it got me thinking... why would i want to climb to the top of the Hillsong ladder?

lets list it out:

- training/learning/education/experience in an amazing environment

- would look fab on my CV

- credentials

- making a difference in the (church) world via media

- work with "big names" (i.e. BCH, United, etc)

so whats stopping me?

- i dont like australia (i miss all my family/friends/foods from back home!)

- dont think "working with big names" is the right motivation

- how high can i go? whats the limit? will i ever be happy with it?

i've mentioned to a few friends (and some in previous blog posts) that im currently serving in positions like "camera 1 assist", "ccu", and "graphics" for various Hillsong weekly events. and even other positions like "camera op" and "producer" for Wildlife and College Chapel. it may seem like a big deal and sound quite impressive to ppl from back home. but here at Hillsong? im just at the bottom of the TV crew chain. its where all the new TV students start out.

i've also realized that all the "big events" are the ones BCH are at. if he's not gunna be present, theres less of an effort for perfection.

makes me wonder... who are they here to serve?? shouldn't the standard be the same regardless of BCH being in the house or not?

and this may be just because im in first semester of college, but why does everything in college need to be perfect as well, just because BCH is gunna be here? i mean, if you cant be real about what college is really like around the head pastor/president, then who are we?!?!?

altho, i do understand that this morning, BCH wanted to record his message for online church. so with a video clip being broadcasted around the world, (as close to) perfection would be required.

hmm... just one of those blog posts with no conclusion. wanted to jot some thoughts down.

PS. nothing against BCH. just wondering why TV crew operates this way. =P

Day 142: whoa... its June already!!

2011-06-01T05:21:00.003-05:00

so its already 8:30pm on June1st (6:30am for all you EST ppl.. haha).

time IS flying by! well.. not really. time is constant. just depends if we're enjoying life or not =P

and iunno.. mixed feelings about this. i cant wait to go home, but at the same time, i dont feel like ive learnt half of what i can yet! still have one more month until this semester is over, then 2nd semester is right around the corner!

im pretty much done all academic stuff for the first semester (i.e. assessments). so all tahts left is just 2 more weeks of lectures/tutorials, 2 weeks of intensives, then its hillsong conference week!

ive been getting trained a lil here and there for producing. official training was this morning.

will assist in producing for Wildlife this friday!!! then producing chapel next week!

then CCU for sisterhood AND sunday AM services the week after. =)

finally getting rostered for more things and getting involved!

Day 139: goal setting!

2011-05-28T23:09:00.009-05:00

so a few weeks ago, we had to do a goal setting assessment (aka assignment). and we set our long term (~3yrs), and short term (~6mos) goals, plus 3 action steps for them.

so figured i'd share mine on here. when i look back in 3 years, i wonder what i would've achieved!!

they gave us many categories to pick from (career, family, relationships, health, finances, etc).

so here are mine, in order of chronological order!

1) find employment with steady income, sufficient for living on my own

ideally, this would be a job in the entertainment industry, working behind the scenes. i would like to stay in TO (as it IS the hollywood north). not necessarily on a movie set. even TV stations, a TV show... something! i wouldnt mind travelling for it either. but gotta be based in TO.

getting a 9-5 job would probs not happen. haha... since its a "work according to deadline" type of job. i.e. production date/time. so it'll probs be in waves of busyness, then chilling.. then busy... cycle!

2) move out, get my own place!

once i get a steady income, i would like to move out.

dont need a big fancy place. if theres anything i've learnt about myself since moving out for school (london/uwo, now sydney), is that i'm happy with just my room, bathroom, and kitchen. as long as my room can fit a bed and a desk, that'll be enough! most of my activities take place outside of home. home = sleep and relax. hm... just realized how HK i sound. LOL

3) get a dog! :D

so i'll make to make sure my apartment (or where ever i live) will allow pets!

ive always wanted a dog. im really good with dogs. they all love me! when ppl walk their dogs, and im walking by them, their dog ALWAYS comes up to me in a playful way! a lot of dogs that dont let ppl touch their heads, they let me!

there's a connection with me and dogs. ahahaha...

but since my mom's dream was to get a grand piano, she didnt want anything with claws in the house cus it would scratch the piano.

plus when it sheds, probs fur will land in the piano. haha... so no dogs allowed.

these are what i will set as goals for my personal life anyway.

would definitely be involved with church life (a/v, drums... whatever's needed, small group), will want to fit in softball in the summer, snowboarding in the winter, continue with helping out at TC (a/v? coaching?)... some things wont change.

just that i'll come back to TO more equipped to serve! =)

PS. i guess with that being said, my plans are still to only complete the 1 year at Hillsong College. no current plans of doing a second year, nor staying in sydney. should be back in TO for good by December 10th at 12:17am!!!

update: flight plans have changed. i will now touchdown in TO on Dec12th at 6:17am! (i have 2hrs to kill at YVR. im going to OD on timmys!!!)

finally reflecting on my NZ trip

2011-05-26T08:36:00.003-05:00

from an early age, my parents have always taken me on road trips, vacations, to retreats, etc.

pretty much all long weekends/holidays, i can be expecting to hop in the car (sometimes plane) and go somewhere. mostly, driving to small towns all around southern ontario and the north eastern united states.

my dad has always told me "try to learn something each trip. anything at all. from planning a trip, to help navigate with the maps (pre-GPS era), visit somewhere new, learn some history, try new foods, experience the culture... anything!"

but the last few years, our main road trips were just shopping trips. lol...

only recently, travelling all the way to this corner of the earth, did i experience an adventure trip like that! i guess for one, travelling with my parents, we always went with hotels (at least a motel), ate ~3 meals a day, travelling with comfort.

but when travelling with 3 other college students, we're gunna go see NZ backpackers style!

we kicked it off with roughing it for the night at Christchurch airport, since our flight landed at 1am, and we couldnt pick up our rental car til 8:30am. so no point travelling far from the airport.

after exploring Christchurch for a few hrs (mainly seeing the earthquake aftermath), we did a 5hr drive down to Queenstown! now... im usually used to the 2hr drive from TO to London. but 5hrs of driving after a 3hr flight and a night of no sleep? this brought a whole new definition to "backpacking" for me.

but hey, when you're driving towards mountains, then alongside them (beautiful snowy peaks with totally blue rivers/lakes beside it), and when the sun hits them just right when its setting... amazing!

arriving in Queenstown, not having booked any rooms or anything, we began the search for somewhere to spend the next 2 nights. we finally settled on YHA Central Backpackers. thankfully, we got a room for 4, ensuite with bathroom. 1 double bed and 1 bunk bed. =) was like $27/person/night. so not too bad.

the next morning, we kicked it off with 8:30am SKYDIVING. now definitely wouldnt do this with my parents around! jumping out of a plane 9,000ft in the air? (for reference, the mountains around the jumping area are 6,000ft. meaning i jumped the height of 1.5 mountains!) was pretty incredible!

then we did an LoTR tour in the afternoon. i guess my dad would have done that too. hahaha... but yes... once again. when the sun hits the mountains just right... oh man. for that short period of time, it is just gorgeous!

next morning, we were in the car by 6am, to begin a 4hr drive to Milford Sound! this was one interesting drive. from watching the sun rise, to driving through a layer of fog! lets just say ive never appreciated the beauty of fog so much. it was like a misty kinda fog near the ground, with the sun hitting it just right on top of the fog layer, with a mountain peak poking out at the top. pure glory!

and we finally arrive at Milford Sound!! lets put it this way. the pyramids are to Egypt, as Milford Sound is to NZ. so it was a must see. and boy it was!!! absolutely gorgeous fjord!

so by now, keep in mind that we've spent 4hrs in the car that day already. but its not over with. after 2-3hrs of admiring Milford Sound, it was time to head out again. this time, it was another 5hr or so drive to Dunedin! Milford Sound is location on the west coast of the south island. we are going to Dunedin, on the east coast. so we're literally driving cross the country, from coast to coast! dont think my dad would ever spend 11hrs in a car in a single day... (actually wait.. we did! nvm. we did the drive from TO down to Orlando. so that was like 2 straight days of sitting in the car. lol)

in Dunedin, we stayed in the sketchiest place ever: above a bar. lol... at least we got a room with 4 single beds. but had to share bathrooms with all the accommodation. ah well.. for $20/person/night. what can you say?

explored Dunedin's night life (there was none... most things were closed), found dinner, met up with my dear cousin Lisa and her bf, Yu! wasnt too long ago since i saw them since they visited TO and surroundings back in nov/dec 2010. but called it a night pretty early. travelling = tiring!

next and final day in NZ, Lisa and Yu took us to Sandfly beach! we saw WILD SEALIONS. was pretty awesome. too bad we didnt see any penguins. that would've topped the trip. but its okay. sitting on the beach for half an hour, enjoying the ocean breeze with a bit of sunshine was lovely.

after a nice brunch at a NZ cafe, we went to conquer the steepest street in the world: Baldwin St! by the time we walked to the top, we were waaaaay outta breath. hahaha. altho i walk 1hr to/fro school every day, walking uphill uses completely different muscles. that was a killer! but it was pretty cool, having conquered something tahts in the guinness book of world records. =)

by ~3pm, it was time to get back in the car for another 5-6hr drive back to Christchurch. the last and final leg of the trip.

yeup... never spent so much vacation time in a car before. but it was a good balance of energy. since we are still young, we managed. just for 4-6 days (4 days of fun, 6 days altogether) of exploring NZ, it worked out really well.

learnt a lot, saw a lot, was amazed a LOT.

so what did i get from all this? definitely want to explore Canada more.

i came all this way and saw so much of NZ in 4 days. ive lived in Canada all my life (til now) and what have i seen? southern ontario, montreal, mt tremblant, and vancouver airport.

i hear canada is as beautiful as new zealand... but i cant say ive seen it in canada. maybe just Niagara Falls. =)

its been a dream of mine to go to Banff, Stanley Park, the East Coast, see the forests of northern Ontario, see aurora borealis... so much to explore!

and it doesnt even have to be as far as those places. theres so much in TO i havent seen! i dont remember the last time i went to Casa Loma or the Toronto Zoo (my mom claims she took me), havent been to the ROM since elementary school, never been to the Don Valley Brickworks, nor the Distillery District. plus theres many pockets of neighbourhoods too!

theres so much of this world to explore =)

Day 132: small role vs big role

2011-05-21T23:32:00.002-05:00

so after being in australia for 4 months and a bit, i FINALLY got rostered for TV Crew on a sunday morning!

altho.. it was only as a "Observer". aka training, aka run around and complete any errands. i pretty much just watched, and helped out with "Tape Op". (record copies of the 9AM and 11AM services onto DVDs for archiving purposes, and recording the sermon only for the TV Crew to watch later)

i guess i did a good job, ready to learn anything thrown my way. but most of the stuff is just similar to thursday mornings during Sisterhood. except this is Sunday morning instead!

so by the time i was waiting at the bus stop to go home (i bought a week pass! so figured i'd bus it as much as possible to get my money's worth. asian... i know =P), i checked my bb and voila! new email. i had been rostered AGAIN for next sunday!!!

how awesome is that?

its for camera 1 asst. a small role. but its for Sunday AM Hillsong Church. =)

which reminded me of a sermon Louie Giglio preached, on living your life to bring God glory.

the analogy was this:

"i'd rather be an extra on some major big budget movie (i.e. star wars, lotr, etc), than be the main actor in a small unknown short film."

comparing it to:

"i'd rather live my life, playing a small role in God's grand plan, than be the star of my own life."

it totally reminded me of that right now. i'd rather have a small little role with Hillsong Church's main campus TV Crew, than proudly walk around bragging about some tiny lil video i made and uploaded on to facebook. (not that i do. haha)

all i can say is, im super excited for sunday next week!! haha

would also like to mention, i went to BLUE MOUNTAINS yesterday with cell!!!

now, i know all you Ontarioans are thinking "what! the ski resort in Collingwood!". no no... thats just a big hill. here in sydney, Blue Mountains is an actual range of mountains!

its just on the edge of Sydney, and it took us like 2hrs to get there via public transport. lol

so we met up at strathfield at 7am (yes, on a saturday morning!), arrived in Katoomba at like 9 something. took us another 30-45min to walk to Echo Point. twas a beautiful australian fall day. cloudless blue skies, sun shining, small slight breeze, but not windy. perfect for seeing the Three Sisters, and going hiking!

to be honest, the three sisters was a big disappointment. the view of the rest of the mountainous area was so much more astonishing! lol.

we climbed down The Giant Stairway, which consists of 1,032 steps!! talk about a workout! lol... so we ended up near the bottom of the mountain. then we went for a 1.5hr hike along the side of the mountain, following the trail.

so after that, there is NO WAY we were willing (nor had the energy) to climb back up. so we hopped on the Scenic Railway Cable Car thingy (said to be the steepest in the world!), and got back up the mountain that way.

all in all, it is now 3pm the next day, and my legs are MAJORLY sore. thank goodness i wasnt cam1 asst this morning. or else i'd be standing all morning. lol

so... i have this coming week off from school! yay! :D

my plans?

- SLEEP IN.

- movie 2mrw w/ Sum and Suzanne at Parra

- do Amos and journal assessments

- catch up on movies (tangled, princess and the frog, LoTR, little fockers... any other suggestions?)

- oh and kicking tonight off with Debbie's bday dinner at The Outback!!! (legit!)

Day 126: softball = anger management

2011-05-16T01:00:00.002-05:00

so things havent been the easiest at "home"... in college housing.

and thats when i realized softball was more than just a sport for me. it was a good way to take out any anger, frustration... anything that can be transferred from my mind, to the action of whacking the crap outta some softballs.

if not softball, i also had the drums handy. feeling like i needed to take it out somewhere? well, why not hit some drums and cymbals? i can hit up a beat, or just bang away at anything, until my arms felt tired. haha...

this is gunna be a long week.

mon: goal setting assessment due (submitted it last night! :D)

tues: cam 1 asst at Frontline Encounter Night

wed: CCU for chapel

thurs: cam 1 asst at Sisterhood

fri: short film assessment due

friday is also the day i get my ipad2 in the mail!

saturday is the day i go to BLUE MOUNTAINS with my cell group! =) (no no... not the ski resort in Collingwood all you canadian folks are thinking about. click the link!)

sunday is the day NLCC PM service moves into Riverside Girls High School for service, instead of the warehouse in Rydalmere!

monday-friday is a week off. =)

okay... i can do this. must get thru this week.

starting with getting back to editing this short film. ugh!

HERE.

WE.

GO.!!!!!!

PS. i still miss softball. haha... maybe i should find some batting cages over break week... hm...

Day 121: i miss softball

2011-05-11T01:43:00.006-05:00

this time difference is gunna drive me nuts.

most friends/family back home are asleep for most of the time im awake.

whats more, is that most of the Jays games are on at like 3am or 6am. sometimes 9am. and once in a while, i get the 12pm games, which are the ones i can watch if i dont have class =)

and today's 9am game was absolutely fantabulous!! i kept getting notifications during tutorial and chapel (8:30am - 12:45pm), and it said that bautista, arencibia, and cooper all HR'd!!! near the end of chapel, it says "end of 9th, tied. Blue Jays 6. Red Sox 6". argh.

so chapel ends, and i rush downstairs to my classroom. still half an hr before class starts. okay.. time to stream the Jays!

it finally loads. middle of the 10th. still tied. here we go! johnny mac is up!

he Ks with an 0-3 count. =(

1 out.

Davis is up. grounds one UTM!! he's on 1st! we've got a runner on base!

cooper is up.

first pitch is thrown. DAVIS STEALS 2ND.

AND HE'S SAFEEEEE!!! omgomgomg the game is getting exciting! :D

next pitch is thrown.

DAVIS IS STEALING 3RD. OMG. NOW THIS IS BASEBALL ACTION!!!

AND HE'S SAFE AGAIN!! YAYAYAYAYYYYY!

still 1 out.

next pitch is thrown.

cooper swings: its up in the air, fly ball!

davis tags up. SAC FLY. DAVIS SCORES. WALKOFF!! JAYS WIN! JAYS WIN!!!! :D

click here to watch the highlights

=) good times. hahaha

also saw that the CCSA scheds are out. ppl are posting on each others' walls, excited to play each others' teams.

slopitch season is starting too. some have already started.

oh how i miss scorekeeping. lol... statskeeping ;)

its only May 11th... to get thru this season of no playing, spectating, and scorekeeping softball... and hanging out with fellow softball peeps? its gunna be tough. but i fully knew it when i signed up for aussie. just didnt think it would be this difficult.

Day 118: 2 more months... just 2 more!!

2011-05-08T04:39:00.003-05:00

so one housemate of mine kinda "lost it" and showed her disapproval of me always "hanging around" in the living room/kitchen. thanks to living in the tiniest room in the house, have a roomie who isnt the most pleasant to be in an enclosed space with (scent wise), and needing a chair/table to do my work on (sorry, but laptop + bed isnt my type of work environment. trained by the mother to have good posture, and less radiation from laptop. lol).

i personally would like the privacy too. but for the time being, thats not possible.

so this one housemate was about to watch a movie downstairs, so i asked politely if it was possible to not put the volume at full blast, since im working on my video editing assessment. i even did some "conversation" before hand, asking what movie, and saying "oh thats a good one! enjoy! oh btw, im working on my assessment. can you please not be too loud?"

in return, i got a "yeah but you're always down here!" "but you know my room is really small and not in the most pleasant condition" (she disapproved of the room condition just earlier that day). "yeah but thats not my problem"

*sigh*.

earlier this semester, she asks me to use headphones because she's trying to do her assessments in the living room. so i do.

she watches a lot of movies... oh wait. cus she got them off MY hard drive.

and hmm... oh yes. its ME who edits hers assessments (english isnt her first language).

life aint fair huh.

and the passive side of me takes over. i just grabbed my laptop (and plugs) and migrated to the kitchen. mainly cus i know any further arguing just stirs up more anger for both parties.

blog = rant outlet.

thank you internet.

2 more months until another housemate moves out, freeing up a single room for me!

okay. break over. back to editing the video.

[don't get me started on ranting about that. all i can say is that im just aiming for a "competent". aka a pass. lost all motivation of doing a "fantastic" job on it cus the footage isnt the best. =\]

PS. i sound so bitter probs cus of the workload and living situation. not to mention how ridiculously cold i am... indoors. so yeah... its at a "low" point right now. but there are still good things. =) livin' the dream right? right!

PPS. im also really hungry right now. that may be a large percentage of the unhappiness. hahaha

Day 112: CAMERA CLASSSS

2011-05-01T20:31:00.002-05:00

back from the easter break (NZ BABYYY!), and yessss! studio camera class begins in 2.5hrs! =) im excited!

also cus its not limited to camera op. but also stuff in the control room (aka directing, producing, CCU, etc)

and its being taught by Bruce too!

absolutely solid.

finally, no more being clueless when im serving. now i'll actually know what im doing! haha...

PS. home internet is still down. hopefully it'll be back up by the end of this week? coughed up an extra $38AUD to get it fixed (apparently, some unknown phone bill since jan, which got cut, and had to pay $60AUD to get it set up again. )

PPS. icaved =P. couldnt wait for the bb playbook (still no date announced for Oz). i hear its still super buggy anyways. so i opt'd for the ipad2. just ordered it yesterday, waiting for apple to mail it to me! white, 32GB, just wifi. short term anyways. dad says he'll probs take it from me once the bb playbook gets improved. im not too sure myself... since i know harvest wants to start using the ipad for worship service (song chord charts, live feed of whats happening, etc). Oz = apple land. back home in TO, most friends are bb users. hm....

day 110. psalm 23: the Lord is my shepherd

2011-04-29T09:54:00.003-05:00

new Zealand. wow... what an amazing stunningly beautiful country!
I am currently writing this blogpost from Christchurch International Airport (international arrivals to be exact. it's the "comfy-est" place to bum around since we have a 5hr wait til we can check in at 3am.)
and it is now the end of the 4 day backpacking thru NZ trip! (well, 6 days if you include traveling to/fro Sydney.) and it was just... wow.
seeing so many sheep everywhere, it really brought out the meaning of Psalm 23.

"the Lord is my shepherd...
...even tho I wall thru the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil.
For His rod and His staff, they comfort me"
a pastor once mentioned in his sermon that "sheep are one of the dumbest/stupidest animals out there". and from this trip, all they seem to do is eat grass, poop, and sleep. lol... but more importantly, they are all fenced in. they have no concept of boundaries, what is/isn't dangerous territory... nothing. they need a someone to oversee all that they do.
this trip, we went true backpacker style, no GPS. all we had was 1 paper map. sometimes we felt so lost. other times we just felt like wandering down certain roads cus the scenery got our attention! while driving after the sun has set, the dark non-lit, curvy and twisty roads seemed really dangerous. some nights, we werent too sure about the safety of the accomos. but we stayed there anyways. we prayed before sleeping, and before taking off for the next leg of the trip. we knew and were super glad to know we has a Shepherd looking out for His stupid clueless sheep. haha...

"He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul"
in addition to the plentiful green pastures (both farmland and mountain/hillsides), there were also beautiful mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers, lakes, beaches, cliffs, etc, absolutely stunning! seeing all those landscapes/views while driving/tour busing/trail hiking/skydiving, it really does restore your soul.
not only does it make you feel physically small, but it makes you realize just how GREAT God is. He created earth as an artist, and we immensely enjoyed a small fraction of all He's made.

all in all, a fantastic trip with perfect weather everywhere we went (despite the torrential weather in the north island right now), I definitely saw more of God's handiwork, experienced more of His provision, and grew closer to my creator. :)

PS. hope my scripture quoting was accurate. haha... i dont even know which version i quoted! =P

day 105: prayer is...

2011-04-24T08:44:00.003-05:00

so i lied.

back with a blog post the next day instead. =P

was really amazed at The eXchange tonight! aka Hillsong's cross campus joint easter sunday evening at the S.E.C. (aka Sydney's version of the ACC).

Sanga preached up a storm! dangs... a lot of the times, we focus on what the different "names" of God. i.e. Saviour. Healer. Provider. Almighty. Father. etc

so Sanga touched on who WE are called to be. he pretty much went thru the entire NT and picked out 1 word that describes us as christians, aka Christ followers. gunna see if i can buy a recording of tonight's msg. he definitely brought the Word!

and at some point during the night, i realized what prayer was. one aspect of it anyways.. might've been during the offering prayer. but its more than just "talking to God". but its actually letting go of all pride, admitting that i can't do this on my own. and its lifting it up, and completely releasing your worry/troubles to God. aka. i need help.

its like, what it means when you "lay it all down at the cross". its not get to the cross, lay down what your worries are, then pick em back up and take it with you. but no, its leaving it there, NAILED to the cross. theres no need to take any of it back! =)

Easter resurrection sunday indeed! the weekend of mourning is over. its time to celebrate the freedom we got (paid at a great cost) over 2000 years ago! HAPPY DAY!!!! =)

oh and at the end of the service, OH MY... HILLSONG YOUTH! it was absolutely nuts! im so excited for JAM2011 now! only at Hillsong would you get a ~~mosh~~praise pit, with crowd surfing... at the end of the Easter Sunday service. haha...

okay... i promise myself. before i leave at the end of november, i will get back into that praise pit just one more time. thought i've outgrown the praise pit, and prefer the "happy in the seating/stands and not get shoved/jumped on" area. but i know its a totally different experience in the pit. haha...

day 104: life's pretty easy going... for me anyways.

2011-04-23T19:43:00.006-05:00

it is seriously crazy how blessed i am.

i mean... whats my worst "problem" right now?

- no internet at home (for 2 weeks now)

- no dryer, so i have to wait ~2 days for my clothes to dry by hanging them

- sharing a room with a roomie who has different lifestyle habits than me

- making sure i get enough sleep to balance out my energy level

- what do i eat for my next meal?!?!

been catching up with friends back home, and sharing prayer requests with others here.

others are going thru so much more in their life. and it makes my "problems" just seem miniscule. not even problems... mine are just everyday life decisions.

others are going thru (close family/friends) deaths, financial struggles, family problems... im so glad i dont have any of that!

i guess its something ive always thought about tho. its like those ppl who have dramatic life changing testimonies, but i dont. mine is a blessed and "pretty smooth sailing" testimony. almost in a way thats like "when will it be my turn to go thru big struggles and problems?"

but its like what my dad and others have said "its not wrong to be blessed and rich. but its what you do with your blessings and riches that can be wrong".

and here i am, sitting here, planning my next adventure. lol...

preparing to be blown away by God. He's going to show me (and 3 others) some amazing things next week! =) [updates to come in my next blog post, maybe 1.5 weeks from now? i'll try to squeeze in a post between that but no promises!]

yeup... i definitely won the ovarian lottery. thankful to have been born in north america, in a developed country known as canada!

another year...

2011-04-18T09:42:00.002-05:00

another lent.

another fail. -_-

i wanted to read thru isaiah for last year's lent. but failed.

decided to continue on with it with this year's lent. pick up where i left off last year.

but nope. failed.

man.. am i ever going to get thru isaiah? lol

think im still on like ch30 or something.

i mean.. i've been thru other books since. like james, the 4 gospels, colossians, philippians, ephesians... its true. the NT is so much easier to read.

gah... okay. lets see if i can finish isaiah before the end of first semester!! =)

Day 97: The Next Time...

2011-04-17T09:49:00.003-05:00

so about a year and 2 weeks ago, i was still in london. it was the day after ACF banquet, and i still had ~2 more exams to go until i was done my undergrad.

pretty typical scenario. nice spring day, i was out for a late lunch at BARAKATS with some of the older (former) ACF crowd: caleb, glendon (helen), chris (kitty), gavin, and i believe taguibao was also there. haha...

now, if any of them told me the next time i would be enjoying a shawarma would be a year later, sitting in EL JANNAH's, also with a bunch of asian christians, i would've been like "hah. nahhh!"

but thats what just happened earlier tonight. a nice fall evening, chillin' with my cell group after church PM service, went for some middle eastern food, enjoyed that garlic dip all the same... haha

it has seriously been an amazing journey so far. God has opened so many doors for me to get here (financial provision, support from everyone, preparing me as a person and the skills needed to live 15,500km away from home, etc). and i thought the journey was "complete" as soon as i touched down in sydney. how wrong i was!! He wasn't done showing me what He can do just yet!

He knows there are times when i miss home so much i really wanted to hop on a plane and just be back in TO. He provides small little pieces of home like tonight so i can enjoy my time here in sydney.

He pushes me to step out of MY comfort zone to get to the next step. i really don't feel comfortable doing it. yet when i take that leap of faith, i go from just "supposed" to attend a colour conference i have no interest in whatsoever, to getting to know the 2nd semesters better, and getting myself a position as camera op on the colour kids tv crew!

Or when i have no idea why i came across NLCC, yet felt compelled to stay at the church and even join a cell group. only to discover 2 months later that their church was starting a TV ministry and needed help urgently!

there is so much more to dreams.

instead of just dreaming them, its about having faith that you will live them.

its almost day 100.

almost 1/3 of my year here in sydney has gone by.

still 2/3s left to come. im excited! =)

Day 73: reality check.

2011-03-24T07:43:00.005-05:00

lil mini shoutout to Josh, for the convo we had today: reality check.

i realized ive spent a good deal of colour conference time (both 1 and 2) just whining and complaining (the organization, nothing to do, what i had to do, tiredness...)

but as i was talking to Josh today, he saw Jad Gillies and co walk by. (i think it was Ben Fielding and Matty Crocker.. but not too sure)

after they had passed and i realized who it was, i thought "NBD. its a usual sighting now. just one of the many big named hillsong worship leaders."

and Josh goes, "sometimes i need a reality check. that im HERE at hillsong!"

so i pulled one of those "continue-to-ponder-on-that-one-line-and-tune-out-the-rest-of-your-words".

~2hrs later, i was with a bunch of the 2nd sem TV ppl, headed to Norwest foodcourt for dinner. when we sat down, we realized that not too far away, was reuben morgan, joel houston, and co! just normal ppl, who also need to eat. like us. haha...

and after they left, christine caine wanders into the food court area, headed to the washroom!

in my mind, there is that "wow.. its them!" but at the same time, its still going "its hillsong. NBD. it was expected!"

on top of physically being in such close proximity of these ppl, i have also changed lights in the hillsong auditorium, as well as the 2 side screens. been able to go all around backstage (especially the TV control room), operate cameras and other things in the control room in the hub.... seriously. how many churches/facilities do you know have equipment like that? and i have the chance to learn how to operate em?!?!

Hillsong church IS a big deal. in a way that many churches look to them for resources.

im at a place where very few ppl have the chance to go, learning stuff not many ppl have the chance to learn, and all i respond with is complaining and saying "NBD"?

that was a much needed reality check.

altho yes, should always aim high, but at the same time, gotta stay grounded.

day 71: utterly destroyed.

2011-03-22T08:07:00.002-05:00

wow.. what a day!

8:30am
personal leadership class is ALWAYS a slap in the face and a brain fryer. it really makes you think about the person you are and the actions you are taking to live out this life of yours!

11:45am
chapel! guest speaker: Christine Caine.
An eye opener to the human trafficking in the world. who knew there was so much of it going on? thankfully not in NA but it's massive in (eastern) Europe!
then she also talked about how God will use the unlikely to do His work. He does not pick the ppl who are the most presentable to the human eye. but rather, God looks at the heart!
"it is better to be marked by God than to be marketed by the world."

1:15pm
OT class: watched a John Bevere sermon, on a passage from numbers 22. (balaam and the donkey). again, another brain frying msg, with PLENTY of good ideas and quotes.
like... the devil doesn't make us sin. however, He tempts us when we're drawing further away from God.
think about it. we always sing about wanting to be in His presence, or inviting His spirit to come upon us.
however, the devil never commanded us anything. us as individuals, chose things that were not in Gods will.

good day of learning!
but for now, it's sleep time. colour conference 2 coming up in a few days! will blog on my Colour leanings real soon!

Day 62: wow... what a weekend!

2011-03-13T08:18:00.002-05:00

so on friday (day 60), i went for DIM SUM. zomg! went to the Parramatta Club's "Tingha Palace" and enjoyed a lot of the classic dim sum dishes. quality aint got anything on TO nor HK, but since i havent had dim sum since december, i'll take it. =)

after that, Sum (a fellow hilc schoolmate from hk) and i discovered a "cha tsang teng" (CTT) at parramatta station, where we got cold "lai cha"!!! it tasted pretty good! then... across from the CTT, was an ASIAN GROCERY STORE. ahhhhhhhhh! we stocked up pretty good. i got my noodles, and we both got some beef/fish balls, other asian snacks.. =) day of asianness!

then at night, i headed back to school for WILDLIFE. aka gr.10-12s! it was "red carpet night" but since im in the TV control room (in the hub), half if us dressed up. half of us didnt. haha.. i was CCU for the night! i still have no clue what to do. but ah well... haha. i'll get there. =P just played around w/ the white balance/colour correction. still lots to learn in mastering it better. and get some exact instructions on what to do and why. haha... that'll help my logical brain process things.

saturday was a day of bummage.

then today, day 63! headed down to parramatta station around 12:30pm, to go eat lunch at the CCT! got myself a beef brisket rice and a cold lemon tea. mmmmm.... worth the $13. lol. then explored around the Westfield Mall before my 3pm bus to NLCC!

at nlcc, they did a song by Jesus Culture called "One Thing Remains". and i loved it! just their arrangement of it... i just loved that acoustic kinda feel! i looked up the song on youtube when i got home, and i didnt like the JC version at all. =( so disappointing. i wanted a legit recording version of it. haha... its kinda like JC vs Jayesslee's version of "Your Love Is Everything". loved Jayesslee's version loads more! in fact, nlcc did it in a similar way. but i deff wouldnt like the song if i heard JC's version first. poop eh?

ah well... after service, its cell time! went all the way to flemington for PHO. i was so stuffed i couldnt finish my bowl of pho (1 size for $8. no size choices). then we headed off to k-town area for desserts. try this korean dessert... made up of coconut milk, shaved ice, corn flakes, diced up fruits, red bean, and topped off with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate drizzle.

it had.. an interesting taste/texture. i wouldnt classify it as a favourite but it wasnt bad?

all in all, good times w/ cell. =)

also lovin' how im visiting around diff local places. deff something i wouldnt be doing w/ hillsong classmates!

oh yeah... ive been complimented on my accent! haha... my canadian accent. =P

apparently... we pronounce our english words a lot clearer. australians themselves realize how "blur" sounding their english is. lololol jokes!

okay. sleep times.

PS. heat: when will you go away?!?!!? its mid march already. =(

Day 59: a day of AWESOME

2011-03-10T07:32:00.002-05:00

well.. not the full day. but fieldwork today was pretty AWESOME.

what happened?

i got to fix/change 3 lights in the hillsong CONVENTION CENTRE AUDITORIUM!!! ahhhhh!!!!

it was as amazing as i imagined it to be!

got to go up the "special" elevator.

got to go up to the CATWALK.

needed to sign a form before i could go up to the CATWALK.

replaced 3 blue pinch lamps. =)

2mrw, i will be the CCU for wildlife.

i really dont know now... do i wanna do more production stuff (aka sound/lighting for live events)? or do TV stuff? (aka filming/editing, can be studio/live events/pre-recorded)

and im wondering if i need to pick one... or if i can just do both! lol!

probs not tho... gotta pick one to be the primary. then the other will be like a hobby or something.

this is so exciting! =)

Day 58: so.... what have i learnt?

2011-03-09T07:40:00.003-05:00

its been nearly 2 months since ive been in the land of Oz, and we're half way thru week 6 of school.

so what have i learnt? do i feel any closer to being a professional TV & media person?

the answer is NO.

really... a lot of it has been teaching us how to live our life as a follower of Christ. most of it is self-reflection and examination. a lot about self-discipline, defining your core values/beliefs. all of it is pointing towards me. changing the way i think. the way i do things. the way i react to things (attitudes). and ultimately, i guess it comes down to what my motives are for serving.

instead of them drilling and making sure we're here to study, to serve/lead for the right purpose, they're helping us figure it out ourselves, and see it as clear as possible.

its a lot of self-discovery. (which i was fore-warned about this by past/current students and the principal)

Lee Burns said "before you even stepped into Hillsong College, we believe in what you are capable of, more than you believe in yourself!"

now im curious as to where i'll end up. what my future will look like.

as of right now, 6 weeks into school, and i have "served" once. i did "graphics operator". aka lyrics. aka other than learning to use Presenter (bleh... PC.), nothing new.

ive been observing the director (and other positions) during chapel and such, and got a brief intro for lighting. thats about it.

well, been learning loads in digital editing. i'd say 75% of it was review (but a good portion of that was explained WHY it works like that! haha.. never understood. i just knew how to achieve a certain effect!), and 25% of it was new. =) and part of that "new" 25%, theres so much that i wish i knew when making the CCSA 2010 banquet vid! would've solved a lot of problems. but at the same time, a lot of what i already knew was from making acf and ccsa vids. haha...

but yeah... ive been rostered for more stuff this coming friday (CCU!), then 3 things so far for april (camera 3, camera 4, and CCU again!)

i know im sorta "complaining" about lack of positions now. but apparently, wait til next semester kicks in. i'll be so busy and tired all the time from 7am call times and late night editing. haha... guess i need to get used to it. the life of the TV & media career path.

first to arrive to set up, last to leave after clean up.

thats the life! =)

Day 57: Rest in hope

2011-03-08T03:55:00.003-05:00

so, the funky weather has finally gotten to me.

all day today, i spent it achoo-ing and sniffling. used up the "mini" box of tissue i brought w/ me from TO, and went to Coles (the aussie no frills) to buy more.

altho i got like 7hrs of sleep the night before, i felt so tired today from all the sneezing and nose blowing. its really does dry your eyes.

oh physical tiredness.

but at the chinese hills service on sunday (day 55!), Ps Martin talked about "rest in hope". (Acts 2:26). the passage was cross referenced to Psalm 16:9, which says "body will rest secure".

ive never thought about it like that. i mean, how often are we worried about things?a project's deadline is coming up, or exam the next morning, or a big event (wedding) coming up. are we able to rest peacefully the night before? why do we worry so much? cus worrying = not having faith in God (if you've done your part). obviously if you're worried AND you didnt do any prep/studying.. then yeah. your fault. haha...

but here, Paul recaps David telling us to "rest in hope". able to just "let go and let God", as cliche as it sounds. but its true. you will be okay and will carry thru. you're here to do His GOOD works. =)

so right now, im going to pray for some good restful sleep tonight. =) got another early start 2mrw morning so will need all the peaceful rest i can get!

PS. okay.. that was a pretty crummy connection. haha... but i def wanted to jot down that passage. tiredness + empty stomach really kicking in =P

oh rebellion...

2011-03-07T06:13:00.002-05:00

its in my nature or something.

i was going so well, always noting down ideas for stuff to blog about as i go thru the day. but then, we were given the "journaling" assignment.

basically, for 10 weeks, once a week, we are to journal about our prayer life, devo/bible reading life, and journaling life. ~100 words (a paragraph) per topic per entry. so ~300 words weekly.

it sounds simple enough. and my blogs are wordy enough (hah!), but iunno.. ive been procrastinating on this assignment. probs cus its not just about me rambling on my blog, but it'll have to be actual legit understandable english with a point to it. lol.

but thanks to this assignment, ive lost the will/inspiration to blog here too. i mean, so much has happened, ive learnt so much more, and definitely more thoughts has passed thru my mind.

maybe i need to stop being so rebellious and just go back to remembering what i love about blogging/journaling!

well, its pretty much a chance for me to actually write out and dump my thoughts somewhere. haha...

Day 48: take the hit!

2011-02-28T07:37:00.002-05:00

altho... this is being posted at the end of day 49... ah well. haha

learning so much from ps Joshua at NLCC. tbh, i never look forward to his msgs, since he's one of those pastors that can preach on FOREVER. ive been there for 3 sundays, over a span of 5 weeks, and lets just say he's STILL on ephesians 1. LOL. he focuses on a different aspect of it each week. same few verses. oh boy... haha

but every week i sit there for the 1.5hr of him talking, i learn something that really sticks.

last week, he talked about adoption. and it totally changed my perspective of having kids. (no joke.)

this week, he talked about "taking the hit". something i really need to work on.

y'know how after the movie "pay it forward" came out, its all ppl talk about, in terms of the effectiveness of doing good, getting the word out, etc. but he focused on the bad stuff. i mean.. yeah, we're all sinners. and we need self control and all that. but i mean like the bad stuff that isnt in our control? for example... those with abusive parents. or someone offends you. or that "unfair" moment when you dont know what you did to deserve it. but you end up being on the "victim" side of things.

and instead of taking your anger out on someone else, or seeking revenge, or just negatively influencing others around you in any way, how about just taking the hit, and swallowing whatever negative was done towards you?

cus tahts what Jesus did. He took the fall for our sins. just took the bad, swallowed it, and didnt let it get past Him. so that we can live, without having the price of our sin.

its like how a parent (in the ideal loving family), will do all they can to protect their children. they dont want the bad and negative things going to their children. they will take the hit, and shield their child.

in today's world, whenever someone offends you, how about just taking the hit for it, and be like "okay. it stops here. with me. doesnt go any further." no use in ranting about that person that offended you, or retaliation, or hurting someone else.

as much as we should pay it forward, there are some things not worth spreading.

i will try my best to stop ranting.. about certain topics anyways. some problems need to be talked out and dealt with. but you know what i mean by the stupid little things that arent worth worrying over. just take the hit.

Day 41: I really have no idea whats best for me but He does!

2011-02-20T07:02:00.003-05:00

so back in the univ days, i was determined to "get away" from the chinese church. i tried dropping by LCAC for a few sundays, but i couldnt see myself there. i settled with WLAC instead. but i stuck with ACF. (only went to C4C once, but made ACF my UWO home)

in TO, after much prayer, thinking, and talking it out with others, i wanted to get away from the chinese church too. (well... except for CCSA. haha) so off to Harvest i went!

so now, in sydney, guess what? i feel the most at home at 2 asian services.

1) Hillsong Chinese extension service

2) New Life Community Church.

and unless i'm rostered to serve elsewhere, im pretty sure my sunday mornings will be at hillsong chinese, and afternoons at nlcc (at least nlcc cell groups in the evenings).

hillsong (english) seems so "perfect". like they have enough ppl serving (plentiful!), everything goes well, ppl flood the place... they seem fine and dandy. the chinese service on the other hand, could use more help. definitely room to improve. and its no coincidence that im fluent in english (born and raised in TO!), yet at the same time, my cantonese any that bad (communicatable, and limited reading/writing), and my mando is.. umm... somewhere. hahaha

i also like how its a smaller service. like 3 services still, but ~100 ppl each! (my guestimate... i only went to 11am service. haha) but their a/v can definitely use some help (in operating it). and not in the camera/tv stages yet.

nlcc! ive decided to join cell groups here, instead of connect groups at hillsong. why? cus i need a break from the hillsong bubble. i really dont wanna go back to canada in 2012, and not have met any australians. i mean, its great meeting ppl from all over the world at college, and i'll have "free accommodation" when travelling the world (HAHA... one of the college trainers mentioned that! =P). but what good is it, just being bubble'd up in the hillsong community 24/7?

for one, im sick of hillsong songs. i really dont like how their setlist is the same few songs, aka stuff off their latest album. like... ENOUGH ALBUM PROMO ALREADY. i thought i was here to worship. not being "marketed" to. (didnt work anyways. im not buying the album. haha)

two, theres so many ppl at church on sundays, no one knows who is who. its very very clique-y. ppl stick with their connect groups, or college groups stick together... tbh, it was pretty sad seeing the numbers at sisterhood. altho it was on a thursday morning (i dont know how the work like sched works around here) but with 3-4 services each weekend, 3-4k per service, lets say half of them are female, yet only 1/3 of the auditorium was filled. with a few hundred of us being college students cus its mandatory attendance for us.

i dont know about the rest of the attendance rates for hillsong's other ministries, but i guess its just like most other churches, there is a high number of ppl attending on sunday mornings. but when you compare that number to the attendance numbers for fellowship/small groups, there is a clear difference (not the ideal 1:1 ratio... or more, if ppl are a part of multiple ministries).

haha... hillsong ranting. =P clearly, its not a church i would settle at if a church like hillsong was in toronto. haha... but i AM hearing positive reports from my housemate who are serving at different hillsong campuses and extension services! so its not all bad. just that cus we're living hillsong 24/7, anything for 24/7 will get on your nerves after a month!

so yeah... in conclusion, i guess im back with the asian bunch. not the english speaking chinese bunch, but the chinese speaking bunch, and some english speaking koreans! (well.. there are also some chinese ppl there. but we're the minority. 2nd gen asians!) =)

PS. more rants to come. housemate rants.

dun dun dun!

breaking it down!

2011-02-14T06:46:00.003-05:00

so thankfully, the january 2011 intake for TV & Media is split into 2 classes, cus the mac lab can only hold so many.

altho i missed my 9:30am class, i was able to go to the 1:15pm class =)

spent 3hrs learning about basic set up and editing Final Cut Pro.

pretty much what ive gotten used to doing from acf, tc rec, and ccsa vids, i reviewed 80% of all i know in 3hrs. -_-

learnt a few new things... or rather stuff i kinda knew but didnt know why. but now it has been explained to my logical brain and im now happy that things make so much more sense! *breathe* [run-on sentences in blogs ftw!]

so tonight, while brushing my teeth... it got me thinking.

i mean... we can be taught how to use editing software, operating a camera, etc. but what exactly is it that makes 1 film different from another? what makes it better, deserving an oscar/emmy? we were given the same raw footage today, and none of us made the exact same thing.

so i guess this is where the artsy/creative side of things come in.

the other thing i always thought would make a "better" video would be the equipment you had. ie. nicer/pro camera (instead of just your iphone/bb cam or in my case right now... a handy cam), and pro software (imovie/windows movie maker vs. final cut/adobe premiere).

but i dont believe in this anymore. the nicer the stuff... doesnt necessarily mean the nicer your final product will be. i see this with photography all the time (since it's become a major trendy hobby right now). ppl are buying pro baller cameras, with elephant trunk sized lenses... and their photos are okay. i mean.. with a lense priced like that, the biggest n00b can take a somewhat decent picture. but its the ppl who actually know how to manually control their camera, AND have a sense of capturing a frame in their own artsy style, is what brings out the "life" of a the photo.

i guess its the same for video. (well.. video really is just a truckload of photos in sequence with sound... ranging from at least 24 frames per second =P)

what im trying to get at with this blog post... is im hoping i have that artsy creative side in me. cus im not sure if i do. i always stunk during art class since elementary school. my writing is ugly, deff cant draw, im quite a logical/think straight kinda person. so here's to hoping i can do better with digital video!

but as Sanga preached last night... doubt is not the voice of God, but of the devil. rather, God's voice encourages and promises. (ie. Adam and Eve being tempted in the garden of Eden).

also makes me think about what camera i should invest in next. hm... something that shoots in 16:9 HD would be nice. just dunno if my mac can handle that! =P darn this is one expensive path that ive chosen!! haha... i should figure out where these funds are gunna come from instead of bank of daddy/future hubby. =P

ah well... will figure that out later. gunna concentrate on learning what i can in the next 10 months!

Day 35: missed my first TV & Media class already.

2011-02-13T20:27:00.003-05:00

oh poop....

who knew the timetables would change on you 48hrs before classes start?

guess i got so used to high school and western's timetables. if they're released, they're official! any changes, an email would be nice?

i guess not. =(

was supposed to have tutorial at 12pm, monday (now switched to wed afternoon), and digital video editing class at 1:15pm, monday.. but this one got switched to 9:30am instead! poop.

ah well.. i think there's a second session at 1 or something... split us into 2 groups. so hoping to catch that? guess all i can do is wait since its 12:30 now. ughh...

Day 34: HU's Aftermath launch!

2011-02-13T07:31:00.003-05:00

as per the title.... meh. haha... not a fan of the album. i just needed something for the title! i blame the constant singing of some of the songs on sundays and at chapel. and some "fluffy" lyrics. =P

i would've really liked it if i was at college any time from 2004 til 2006. aka the More Than Life, Look to You, and United We Stand era! i deff wouldnt mind singing those songs every single week! hahaha... except i was in gr10-12 back then. not 18, and not done high school yet. wouldnt qualify for hilc. ah well... haha

so 2mrw kicks off week 3 of school! so excited! cus all i have 2mrw are TV & Media courses! w00t! finally gunna set foot in the Mac lab! oh baby!

oh yeah... so last week, we had a joint hillsong staff and all college students meeting! (both hills + city campus = ~1500 ppl in the Hub). so what do you do when you've got like 60 countries represented? you do a NATIONAL ANTHEMS BATTLE!

check out this vid!

**i almost didnt wanna post it cus of the canadian one. thx ps. brian for cutting us short. bahhh... but ah well.

awesome eh? whooooo! ive never heard so many diff national anthems before! i only knew the US and the UK one (obv the canadian one). i know the China one.. but they didnt do that. hahaha

but yeah, when ps Brian would start a national anthem, everyone from that country automatically stood up and belted it out! sucha patriotic moment =7

and lol @ Jad for the NZ anthem at ~1:58. hah!

im at the ~6:00 mark. of all the ppl standing up and wearing white, i am the 2nd from the top right corner! haha... should've brought my giant massive canada flag. who knew?!?!

good times! :D

Day 29: i dream of bacon

2011-02-08T07:34:00.005-05:00

mm... bacon. crispy thin bacon.

i miss it. =( the bacon here in aussie is just... ham. it aint the same!

classes have been so informative and intense (real thought provoking stuff) so its frying my brain... like bacon! minus the lovely greasy smell of bacon. =P

and i like how im learning a lot. but when the classes go for 3.5hrs (with one 15min break in between), i can only focus for so long. =(

factor in a super long day (been at school for 12+ hrs), i was pretty cranky by the end of it, and really not enjoying this.

its starting to kick in... before getting here, i wondered how long it would take for the "whoaa! hillsong!"-ness to wear off. and its starting to. i mean.. there are still aspects of it i really like (omg the opening production for this morning was incredulous!!), the teaching.. but the worship in song/praise is really starting to bug me.

im a fan of variety.. i believe in catering to all diff age groups and backgrounds of the congregation (diversity in toronto!), and all of it is still worship. for all worship sets, i would even categorize them by the composer/band that released them. like... "this one's mostly tomlin stuff, with some hillsong thrown in!" or "whoa! jesus culture, tomlin, crowder, hillsong!" or "baloche, brenton brown, brewster, stanfill, jared anderson!" but now... not only is it all hillsong, its also the SAME 4-5 SONGS. O.M.G. like i know hillsong united's got a new album coming out, but do you really need to do the SAME 4-5 SONGS for the past 4 sundays, AND in college CHAPEL as well?!!?!? not to mention todays... we did 4 songs for the joint staff and students meeting, and 3/4 were the same for tonight's leadership vision. and all of them were songs we've done in the past 2 weeks on sunday/@ chapel. like F'REAL?

remember back in 2002/2003ish? when every christian gathering in the GTA did tomlin's "forever", or redman's "blessed be your name"? i mean.. they're good songs. but they got so overdone to a point where the lyrics just seemed repetitive every time. this is what i feel like right now. except its not just 1 song... its the ENTIRE SET.

i have more to say about hillsong... (other aspects)

but ugh... im really tired and cranky.

i think i should just leave this post and let it be.

#RantOver.

bring on another early day 2mrw! chapel again... please please please do other songs =(

PS. no, i do not get free hillsong stuff

PPS. no, i do not plan on buying their new Aftermath CD. will i "download" it? yes. probs. haha

Day 27: church hopping and meeting Jayesslee!!!

2011-02-06T04:57:00.002-05:00

Day 27 in the land of Oz.

so Jono's been in town for a couple of days now, and today was his first (and final) free day in Sydney. so we met up in the morning, and i brought him to Hillsong Church, and gave him a lil tour. perfect timing.. it was Vision Sunday! so it was a good way of hearing about what Hillsong is all about. (a global church pretty much sums it up. haha). and yay! Joel Houston and Jad Gillies led worship! :D

after that... we bus'd back to Parramatta station to enjoy some PHO. yes!!!! it was aiight actually. but since it was my first bit of asian food in a month, it was delicious! but i will still be picky and critque it. haha... the noodles were too soft/mushy, the soup was too salty, and the bean sprouts were really dry. but ah well.. its pho. i shall not complain. haha... altho it was different that they offered us lemon slices instead of lime!

so 3:02pm neared... and that is when bus 525 leaves for New Life Community Church! (well.. nearby it anyways. haha). so we hopped on... and genius me, i got off a few blocks too early. -_- oops. so we walked for a good 15min or so. but at least the weather was cooling down, and there was a bit of spitting. so it was a refreshing walk. =)

so 15min later... we finally made it! just a slight bit late. so we jotted down our names and contact info, then went in. Jono recognized the first song as one that jayesslee had covered. HAHA. GG... its actually by Jesus Culture. its called Your Love Is Everything. but nope... they werent leading worship.

it was actually really refreshing to walk into a place, where it was more of an acoustic setting, and it wasnt all hillsong songs! hahaha... after that, they did starfield's reign in us, then hillsong's forever reign! pretty slow set. but it was pretty well done.

as for musicians and the make up of the team... 4 vocalist, 1 was also an acoustic guitarist, 1 electric, 1 bass, 1 djembe, and 1 cello! yes, you read correctly. cello! it was a nice lil intimate set... reminded me of ACF retreat just a lil bit! and good to be around asians too. hahaha

the message was really really long... but the pastor was so passionate, and he just kept going, jumping from passage to passage (ephesians 1, psalm 139, romans 12). i think he spoke for at least 1.5hrs. lol!

so after the service... jono and i hung around the foyer for ages... coming all this way, he was quite determined to meet them. i had watched some of their videos, so knew about them. but wasnt all that crazy about em. i agreed that if jono would do the initiating, i'll also ask for a pic and such.. so he wouldnt look like a "crazy fan". hahaha. so he managed to spot one of the twins in the foyer (it was a congregation of ~200), and soon after, he spotted the other one too! actually, at first he wasnt sure, so we joked about how we can def recognized them if they were standing side by side and 1 of them had a guitar in her hand... haha

it took us awhile to flag one of em down (janice), and jono got his picture.

soon after, he got sonia too! and in the middle of taking pictures with her, we got janice back again, so we've got separate pics, AND pics of all 4 of us! :D

man... we were so happy. we did it! wandered a city we both didnt know too well, walked into a 2nd gen korean church (we felt like the minority... being chinese. but at least we're asian), but we finally met em! so there we were, walking out of the parking lot towards the road, headed to the bus stop... when sonia called out to us and asked if we were goign to the train station. so we said we were, and she offered to give us a lift!! OMG. jono and i literally looked at each other going :O. cus we sorta called it earlier. i had joked about it when getting off at the wrong bus stop. i hope someone from the church would be able to give us a ride back to the train station. and then he joked that it would be the twins who would. and LOL here was sonia offering us a ride! well... Andy was driving (their friend/manager).

so wow... we hopped in. had a great time chatting, got to know each other a bit more other than just her as the "youtube star" and us as "the fans from canada". haha.. turns out sonia went to hillsong college a few years back! yay!

unreal... today was absolutely... wow. it was awesome just being able to chat with her, as like meeting a new "upper year from acf who was giving me a ride". so human... such hospitality!

definitely twas a good day. one that i will remember quite well during my time here in sydney.

youtube stars that ive met count: 2 (well... 4 cus they were in pairs. so the 2nd set. haha)

Day 25: i feel so... small.

2011-02-04T06:59:00.002-05:00

coming from a community where a techie was rare, i guess i felt pretty "big" and needed everywhere.

but to be honest, i aint that good at it. haha... i just know the basics, and rarely mess up. aka i get the job done. same goes with my digital editing. a basic handy cam, $15 tripod, and using iMovie and Final Cut Express, voila! videos!

but now that im here at hillsong, i feel so small. going thru the placement application/info forms, im definitely on the "n00b" side of the spectrum. the lowest you can go is zero experience, then to your iphone/bb video recording, then to handy cam.... which is where i am. then after that you get the DSLR experience ppl, and slowing moving your way up to HD cams, tv studio cams, etc.

same goes for the digital editing experience. starting with no experience, then to "basic editing in _____ [insert software]" to "intermediate editing in [software programs]" to "advance editing in [software programs]". im definitely in the "basic editing"category. youtube is my friend, in helping me out for most of the videos ive done!

definitely GG'd and humbled. dont know what i was thinking... cus i thought i was pretty experienced. but nope. haha... far from it! twas a good reality check. thats why im here tho! much to learn! much to improve on!

1 more intensive week, then finally getting into the TV & Media classes!

another thing that made me feel bad (a lil bit anyways...), harvest is in need of a drummer. this week AND next week. where'd the others go? =( im really hoping they find more drummers by the time i get back. cus really... i'd rather do AV. ive only kinda done some AV stuff for Women's Connection. but if a drummer is what they need on sundays, i'll do whats needed. i can always do the a/v stuff in my job or something!

Day 24: got a bit offended

2011-02-03T06:00:00.002-05:00

1) Canada got called the 51st state

2) baseball came from cricket.

hahaha... just 2 things the lecturers brought up today.

both of them was the lecturer doing a quick "survey" of the demographics. he also included NZ as one of the Oz states. haha... the canadians and NZs werent happy! no we werent! *hmph!*

and the 2nd one... was just some background info. maybe i should look into learning cricket...

hm...

NAH.

i shall wait for the mlb season to start (and stream it on atdhe.me) then wait for summer 2012 to play some softball again!

thought it'd be good to lighten the mood on here a bit. =P

oh yeah... we were introduced to Jad Gillies, JD, Reuben Morgan, and Ben Fielding today.

cant wait to learn from them, and serve with them!! :D

one more coffee?

2011-02-02T07:58:00.002-05:00

i guess you can say ive been pretty lucky/blessed… never really dealt with death in my 22yrs of life yet… until earlier this week.

i mean… theres been my friends' grandparents passing, or a friend's parents, or some distant relative in hk.. but its never been anyone i really knew personally. i may have said "hi" to them here or there, but not someone i had a decent conversation with.

until now. altho i wouldn't say she was someone really close, but she was someone i looked up to. i first "met" or knew of her during the TC days. she was a media coach. then when i volunteered at sobem, i worked directing under her, reporting to her. it was these days that i really got to know her. sometimes, we got sidetracked from doing research and work for the current project, and we'd just chat about life. and in the afternoon, it'd always be coffee time. since i had previously worked at tims, i would be in charge of making the coffee! (all ingredients provided by sobem. it was simply putting it together =P)

and to find out 1 week after she had passed, and being half way around the world. it just doesnt seem... real that she's actually gone! the last time i talked to her was around christmas time. she had msg me, trying to find someone's contact info. im glad i was able to help her with that!

thankful that i was able to connect with a friend, who went to the funeral. a CD of her testimony (going thru the whole cancer process) was distributed, and my friend uploaded it for me to download. after having a listen, wow... the attitude she had towards it was amazing! isntead of being all bitter and wondering why she was "chosen" to be the recipient of this cancer, she was thankful that she can now relate to those who are sick. its not just knowing the right words of comfort to say anymore. but its actually living and knowing the pain/sufferings of what they go thru.

its not even a positive attitude, but truly a woman of God. not looking at the brighter side of things, but instead looking at it from God's perspective. the big picture.

she appreciated life so much more, it definitely changed her.

she also lived a life, that glorified God in as many ways as she could.

she was a dancer, she worked with youth, and poured her life into theirs.

she had a heart for missions. she loved the of Uganda and wished she could go back.

she knew what she wanted to do with her life. a degree, good paycheque career was not her top priority. finding a job where she truly enjoyed working at, and broadcasting the gospel was her passion.

and most of this.. i only found out after she had passed. i only knew her as the "TC media coach" and the "worker at sobem". but after hearing all this.. its great knowing that there are people out there, dedicated their lives to God, and living a purpose-filled life. experiencing the joys of knowing she lived out her life that glorified God.

Queedy Lee. a servant, and a daughter of Christ.

can't wait to see you in heaven!

Day 22: first day of class!

2011-02-01T06:47:00.002-05:00

lets break this down (easier for me to jot it down, easier for you to follow along! =))

- chapel

- church & ministry class

- other thoughts about college so far

- other thoughts about sydney so far

CHAPEL!

well.. we didnt kick off the morning with chapel. had 1 class first. but i wanna talk about chapel (and its my blog. so hah!)

all i can say is... WOW. ~1k of us (students, trainers, profs, and school officials) piled into the Hub Auditorium, and it was just an incredible sight! all 1k of us here are either leaders in training (pastors, worship leaders), leaders already, or being trained to be servants in other ministries (musicians, TV & Media, dance). and i mean.. no offense to seekers, regular sunday go-ers, etc. but worshiping ~1k leaders was just awesome! you wanna see a hillsong praise pit? no need.. the whole place was on their feet along WITH the praise pit!

along with the worship, there was a short intro, as well as a short msg from the principal (ps. Lee Burns).

it was only 1hr long. but it was simply amazing. excited for chapel again 2mrw! =)

CHURCH & MINISTRY CLASS

first class. first ever class at hilc! i had no idea what to expect... an univ type of lecture? another sermon? sunday school? workshops?

i have to say it was a cross between sunday school and workshop. i mean.. everything was outlined nicely with all the topics we will cover, and the subheadings, with the point forms that followed it. it was really informative.

we covered what the church and different ways of defining it (the house of God - cloud/pillar of fire/burning bush, tabernacle, temple, church, US/our bodies), the family of God - ekklesia!, the body of Christ - function/growing as a whole and in a holy way. hehe.. my blog title!)

it was a lot to take in. especially with 4hrs of just pure information today in this class. a bit of an overload. and guess what.. 2hrs of it 2mrw morning starting at 8:30am! lovely.

you can probs tell im more excited for the tv & media stuff to kick in huh... haha

if anything.. ive realized a lot of the msgs here (sunday service, orientation, chapel) are really focused me YOU. like... who can you become? what God can use you to do? what you were made to do! what you are capable of doing in this world!

where as a lot of what i have been taught was this is who God is. and what He has done for us. as a result, our response is this.

but i guess thats the difference between christian living, and hillsong international LEADERSHIP college. we are being prepared to be leaders here (or at least servants. ie. musicians, tv & media, dance... the creative arts bunch!).

they're really drilling it into our minds that we're special, and we're called to do really really big things!

other things about sydney:

oh its so hot. im so thankful for housemates who are willing to chip in money to turn on the a/c for the evening to cool the house down. i dont think ive ever lived in 40C weather (well.. i dont remember. hk in july, panama in late july. haha... also humid/hot places near the equator in the summer!) but yeah... this heat is a killer! 22 winters in toronto, and now suddenly im living in 40C weather in sydney. :| gimme a bitta that 20-30cm snow! ship it over! haha.. well.. dont. cus by the time it gets here, it'll just be water.. or vapour even! and i know north eastern sydney doesnt want any more water vapour. enough w/ the flooding already!!!

well.. thats actually why its so hot down here in south eastern australia, sydney. cus of the flooding in the north, the humidity is even higher than usual. lovely.

anyways, its 11:30pm, class at 8:30am. sleep times!

PS. good luck to you uwo kids w/ midterms coming up. yuck!

Day 21: lectures begin 2mrw on day 22!

2011-01-31T07:41:00.003-05:00

its 2mrw! ahhhh!!

intensive week #1 of 2.

first class: Church & Ministry.

i dont even know what will be covered in that class. i mean.. will it be like sunday school? TC Captain/REC training/meetings? an actually "lecture" type of class, teaching me how to serve , based on how that church runs its ministries?

then another class on wednesday: Communication in Ministry.

like teaching us how to have good communication skills for an effective ministry? really?

its interesting... never thought of these things to be "taught in a classroom" setting. i mean.. these are things you learn over time, with more experience in serving. altho... i guess you can say there are things we just never learn, and have to have someone "spell it out" for us before we can identify what we've been doing wrong all along.

or a lot of these things i may already know. but its not a bad idea to see it laid out in written "formula" form if you will.

pray for me to have an open heart and mind, and to not just go "psssh.. i knew that". haha...

tbh, im more excited to get started on the theology courses (OT, NT, christian doctrine, etc) and my TV & Media courses (on location and studio camera operation, digital editing, etc!) but i know all these courses come in a whole package, preparing me to serve Him better.

i have never been THIS excited for school!!!

let the classes... BEGIN! :D

Day 20: 3rd sunday at hillsong church!

2011-01-30T08:25:00.004-05:00

so once again.. at 12:30am, i start my blogs.

geez... i apologize in advance for terrible grammar, spelling mistakes, and my personal high-reoccurance: missing words.

yes, its only ~12:30am, but i am super sleepy.

trying to stay on a good humanly sleep schedule here, since hillsong college will be operating on a 8:30am - 5pm type of sched. poop.

anyways, after a few days of bumming at home quietly (3 of my housemates went to Powerhouse retreat, and the rest of us didnt wanna go out.. cus that meant spending money. lol), today i left the house... at 5:30pm cus service was at 6pm. =P

this was my first night service since getting here. and its only my 3rd sunday at hillsong church, but i can tell you im already getting sick of the hillsong music. =(

i guess you can say im usually on top of new worship songs, and i familiarize myself with them, even tho i know theres no way my church would ever be musically capable of pulling them off (most of the hillsong songs fall into this category). but ever since entering university, hillsong united just wasnt that big of a deal anymore. so ive been slacking in that department. and today, sunday, was a first. we did 5.5 songs. i knew 1.5 of them. =( the last 1.5 songs. (we did Forever Reign's chorus as a response, then after repeating a new song, we sang You. a song we've been singing every single week since i got here. lol)

and yeah... i mean... im all for new music, and i dont mind the emotional side of things (the praise pit, getting really in to the music). but what i DO have a problem with is the "fluffyness" of the lyrics. they lack that depth. we spent a good 5mins (during the baptism... more on the baptism further down), singing the same 2 lines from the bridge of a song. and i like repetition.. cus it "drills" it into your mind. but i dont like it, when the lyrics were like... something you would hear if you just turned on the radio. and someone would be "singing it to their bf/gf" kinda lyrics. like.. "Your love is all i need" or "You are here with me". ugh... i just couldnt focus. such shallow lyrics. =( (had a massive heated discussion with a housemate on this. argh... that deff didnt end well)

but yeah... the music aside, the baptism and the msg was really great!

baptism: it was a first for me, seeing baptism done like that! how you ask? well.. they had this massive tank near the front of the stage (between the praise pit and the stage. the first step of the stage if you will), and when you removed the covers, voila the tank below it! so after they asked the praise pit ppl to go back to their seats, they asked all the ppl getting baptized to head on down! (now i dont know how this works.. if they interviewed ppl ahead of time or just asked anyone who would like to get dunk'd to just go on down.. or both). but thats plenty of ppl made their way down. including a fellow "streammate" whom i met a few weeks ago (he's been here for 1 semester already).

so in the massive rectangular tank, they had 4 "dunking stations" going on, all at the same time. because there were so many ppl, i guess they couldnt go thru each of them to say their testimony and what not. we the worship band continued to lead the rest of the congregation in song (with the middle screen showing the lyrics), then the 2 side screens would show footage of all the ppl getting baptized! it was pretty cool! best of all, we saw ppl getting dunk'd in pairs (married couples, mother/son, etc) as well as some ppl got dunk'd solo! what a sight! definitely great seeing so many ppl declaring their faith. twas a precious moment. =)

the message.. ahh... what a great message from pst Joel A'Bell! he laid out the "christian walk" really well.

it looks like this.

B.C. is the obvious one. before we know Christ =P

Christ enters. oh. we hear about Jesus!

Saved. we accept Christ as our Saviour! we are saved!

Called. we realize there is more to being a christian than just understanding salvation and grace. we have a greater purpose here on earth.

Surrender. we give ourselves all to God, to do His will.

from "saved" onwards, we tend to spend most of our time in the "saved" category. and we have the most to say about it. its like.. your sunday school answers. salvation, grace, love, faith, hope, God, Jesus... etc. it takes people a really long time to move beyond that. this is the part where ppl start serving in the church. now when you reach the point of "surrender" (and thats if you do), thats when you understand and know that you cant go on unless you give yourself up to God completely. this is where the great commission kicks in! and you literally go out into the world to preach the good news.

it really made me re-evaluate where i am on this scale. where i truly am. i mean.. c'mon.. psssh! im at bible college! i gotta be at the surrender stage. i mean.. i gave up a lot to get here, didnt i? i dont know... been thinking about this all night and i still dont know. i mean... i know im called to something greater. but i guess until i actually get out there with the media industry, and broadcast the good news to all via my talents, i guess maybe then i'll have grasps the concept of what it means to live out the great commission. im at bible college... just starting up to be trained for that.

gotta love msgs where it makes you think. =)

im excited for tuesday! first day of classes, and theres chapel too! yay! =)

okay its 1:16. sleep times! gnite!

Day 15-17: Orientation, Australia Day, Enrolment!

2011-01-27T08:01:00.004-05:00

btw.. if you're wondering how im "counting" each day, im actually typing out each day on my ical. haha... lazy virtual journal if you will. =P

so... orientation day finally arrives!

whats so good about orientation? (i mean.. can it really top western's o-week? this is just an o-day! lol)

well.. for one, its hillsong. i mean.. c'mon. =P

two, this journey has been amazing thus far. there's been some rough patches, and this humidity still sucks (expensive electricity = no a/c sucks =P), but its been good so far. definitely not something i could have done on my own. the support from everyone is just ridiculous! in a good way! not a single comment from anyone disagreeing with me coming here. 1 or 2 ppl thought i should've stayed at my job with the city, but there was nothing negative about me taking my education further, in the land of Oz!

one of the ppl who spoke at orientation, told us to stay off facebook, and not listen to what ppl had to say back home. she said that ppl will be disagreeing with you, and you'll be looking for ppl to agree with you. well... i dont think i'll have that problem. there's been nothing BUT support. there IS love in this world. =)

but anyways, back to orientation.

so we kicked off the day at 9am with worship in songs! SALVATION IS HEREEEEE! and "it's gunna be alright!" cus He is the "God above all my hopes and fears". then we went into Run (i recognized the drum beat right away. hahaha), Brooke Frazer's I Will Exalt You (didnt know this one. had to youtube it when i got home), then into Mighty to Save! Pst Lee Burns (the principal) came up, said a prayer, and we went into the chorus of How Great Is Our God. what a declaration! then Pst Mark Hopkins (vp of the college) shared a message with us on Jesus feeds the 5000 in John 6.

one particular thing that i really like was one of the profs said "we are here for you. and i will love you to life!" interesting take on things. y'know.. usually, ppl say they will do anything for you, even die for you. but this time, its "loving you so much that you will become alive.. in Him!" think about it. its an amazing thought. =)

another good quote... Pst Lee Burns was covering some ground rules, like smoking. and he says "smoking doesnt send you to hell, but it'll make you smell like it!" LOL oh GG.

Australia Day! Jan26. aka the aussie version of Canada day.

it was so hot, that my housemates and i caved. we turned on the a/c for the day. even if we each had to pay an additional ~$5 for the electricity, it was well worth it! felt so relieved!

we also chose to spend the day at home, bum around, not spend elsewhere. except for a/c. lol... fun. thats what happens when you're in a house of 3 canadians, 3 americans, and 1 swiss. hah!

not a very exciting day. ah well.

Enrolment is here!

today was a morning of information, forms filling, student ID picture taking, scheduling.... yeah! the admin stuff. my fave! (no sarcasm. haha). including signing a form of consent for my talents. it is now legally official. Hillsong has the rights to use my talents and my appearances on camera, on their dvds/album recordings/college promo :O i know! haha...

crazy huh... its actually happening! well.. not really. but a step closer. definitely excited for week 3 when classes will start! since this week was orientation and enrolment. next week, week 1, we start the intensive week. and that'll continue onto week 2. its not until week 3, that i'll get to start the theology and TV & Media related courses!!!

okay.. its currently 1:30am. and my brain has got the dumb. i just wanna go to sleep. =(

so i guess i'll reread this blog post 2mrw, and make changes if necessary. im losing the desire to write... for tonight anyways. this laptop on my lap is too hot!

Day 14: what a day in sydney town!

2011-01-24T05:38:00.006-05:00

day 14: exploring the city with other HILC students

today was... wow.

just wow.

i mean, it was fun and all, meeting more students, exploring the city, walking around a LOT, and taking in the humidity. (we explored the 3 storied Apple store, The Rocks, Starbucks :D, bbt @ chinatown, the SEC, Darling Harbour, taking the ferry from Circular Quay back to Parramatta!)

but my fave part of the day had to be at Starbucks. okay okay... i know what you're thinking. pay "six-bucks" for starbucks (no joke) for a grande double blended javachip frap made my day? haha... (it tasted okay). but no.. it was more so the fact that 4 of us (Sonia/Canada, Tommy/Sweden, Daniel/Germany) got our drinks, sat outside on the patio, and just had a really great time of chatting and sharing. we shared our stories of how we all ended up at HILC, and it was good to know that we had all heard of HILC for a few years, prayed about it, waited on God, and listened for His voice, before finally deciding and settling on HILC. i guess we were also a slightly "older" bunch who had finished high school, done more education, worked for a bit... so that contributed to it.

then Daniel asked me, "where do you wanna go with your studies? like waht do you want to do with TV & Media?"

tbh, i had never really truly thought it out. i mean... theres always the dreams/wishes of touring the world with hillsong united/live or Passion ministries, but this time, i just spoke what came to my mind at that moment. cus i also told them about my geography undergrad degree. and when you put the two together, what do you get? using TV/media/digital communications to tell ppl about God's wonderful creations. like... working for the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. or Discovery Channel (y'know.. that program where it shows you all the animals and/or nature and such) or even stuff like BBC's PLANET EARTH.

how amazing would that be?

and thats when he told me, "don't hope that. BELIEVE in it. and it will happen."

this is where faith comes in.

do i want to do great things, and all of the glory will point back to God? of course i do!

do i have a clue how to go about in doing that? uh... nope.

do i believe that it will happen thru Him who gives me strength? YES.

let this HILC journey begin!

Day 15 / 2mrw: orientation!

goodnight.

Day 11 - 13!

2011-01-23T04:56:00.003-05:00

and also Day 14 coming up (2mrw).. are the days of exploration of Sydney!

day11: went to Manly Beach (i was very disappointed that no one else was cracking "manly" jokes. =P).

day12: met up w/ my fellow Yuens @ Macquarie Univ/Centre (pronounced like macaroni minus the "on" syllable), lunch facing Darling Habour, rode the monorail, went to Paddys Market, and walked along Chinatown.

day13: sunday! Hillsong Church! speaker: Louie Giglio. =)

Manly Beach!

was pretty awesome. met a lot fellow class/schoolmates and got to spend the day w/ them at the beach, as well as exploring the areas around the beach. lots of shops, had fish and chips, walked the path along the rocks/coast, watched people surf, took pictures of remains of the Bluebottle (it may look like a jellyfish, but apparently, its not). it was burning and tiring day (my face looks like Bob the Tomato =(), but i had a blast! especially taking the ferry and going around the Opera House! it was so nice! (see facebook for pics).

but best of all, my fave moment had to be a bunch of us who were tired, decided to go home earlier instead of taking sunset pics w/ the opera house. and theres this one crazy guy (he's canadian -_-... and also in TV & Media. I DONT EVEN KNOW HIS NAME. lol), he started singing/rapping Spice Girls' Wannabe (he knew ALL the lyrics!) to a fellow student... a french guy, who didnt really know much english. he was so uncomfortable with it! lololol and others on the train were giving us funny looks, but also laughing with us. hahaha it was great! we had sucha great abs workout =P

meeting up with my fellow Yuens!

finally met up with Bev and Uncle Nelson! (a family from SCAC. Kim is currently in Melbourne and Auntie Eunice already went back to TO a week ago or so). i passed uncle Nelson some of my luggage back in early Dec, so i met up with them yesterday to get my stuff, and they also showed me around Sydney! Darling Harbour was beautiful. we had lunch there facing the waters. of course, i had fish and chips! haha... it was really good! lightly battered, and the fries come in its own little frier! plus a lil bitta greens... to stay healthy. =)

then we rode the monorail. which was a first for all 3 of us! it had a really short circular route, which took us around the city. so we rode it for a full circle and 2 stops before getting off.. instead of just 2 stops. lol! get our money's worth. =P

we got off just beside Sydney Entertainment Centre (the SEC, sorta like TO's ACC), and walked across the street to Paddy's Market! i guess its kinda similar to TO's St. Lawrence Market in terms of set up/location/building, except the stuff they sold in there was like pmall LOL. and most of the stands were operated by asians. hahaha good times.

then obviously, we had to hit up chinatown. =P and its right beside the SEC! meaning when hillsong has their conferences at the SEC, i can walk across the street and myself some good old bbt and asian food. japanese ramen, chinese bakery, dim sum... muahahaha :D

tiring, hot and sweaty, but a touristy kinda day.

Sunday: Hillsong Church!

of all ppl to speak during my second week at church, Louie Giglio! unfortunately, there wasnt anything new that i learnt from him. lol... other than a slight bit of a twist w/ his jetlag joke (how he lost an entire day when flying from LAX to SYD lol!), ive heard the rest of his message before. it was a mix of 3 different things.

1) new year, year of new things, 1/1/11. it was from Passion2011 (streamed online)

2) Colossians 3. heard him speak on colossians back at passion07. he spoke about it during the main sessions AND we studied it during community groups.

3) story of ashley/mike (fruitcake and ice cream!)

i guess Louie is more of your guest speaker, conference speaker, special guest kinda speaker. not so much your weekly Sunday pastor. he recycles a lot of his material, and he pretty much has the same message time after time: to glorify God with your life! (col3:17 in this case) i guess thats one reason why i didnt really learn much from Louie at Passion2010.

ah well. but lets move on to the rest of the service. like the band/music!

this time, the band was a lot bigger. vocalist was the same.. the panel of like 8 of them spread out in the front! as for musicians, there was a drummer, 2 electrics, 1 bass, 1 acoustic (also leader and vocalist), 2 keyboards (well.. 1 was synth).

kicked off with a song i didnt know at all. moderate tempo.

went into a song we sang last week (seemed like a united jumpy/mosh pit kinda song. it was okay.)

then... i heard the drum groove. i knew it was coming... FOREVER REIGN. YEAHHHH. ahahaha

and then.. a super smooth transition.. into a new song! called God is Able. (or so ive titled it. haha). i really like it! (msg me if you wanna hear it =P) it was recorded last Nov. album to come in july!!

okay. getting late. well, not really... its almost 9:45pm only. dunno why im feeling so tired and yawning already. =\

but yeah.. im ready to go lie on my bed and drift off into sleep, w/ the fan blowing. =)

signing off for now!

-Pris

Day 4-6: Jesus Culture conference, Hillsong Church!

2011-01-16T05:09:00.005-05:00

so on friday, i went to check out castle towers shopping centre. since i needed to open my bank account (about time.. and im running low on cash. haha)

it was pretty interesting. seeing all the different brands, stores... THERE WAS BBT! lololol

there was a kmart, a really really nice apple store, pizza hut and mcdonalds, found a skate/snowboard/surf store! :D was pretty itneresting! then a bunch of us were gunna meet at the mall and catch a movie or something. but we decided to go to the Jesus Culture conference isntead, cus it was FREE on friday night. bahahaha so why not.!

lets just say... it was an interesting experience. i didnt fully agree with some parts of it (the band and the worship in song part) but the speaker was pretty good. and it was nice to near a north american speaker. haha... the band didnt do "How He Loves" nor "Your Love Never Fails"... so tahts all the songs i knew by them. but they did do 3 other songs (not by them) that i knew so yay! haha...

saturday i just totally bummed around the house. my first day of nothign to do. =) much needed. just sit back, relax, catch up with some ppl from back home, watch a bitta dexter.. haha was good.

sunday! finally sunday! why? cus i get to check out Hillsong Church for the first time! i actually never knew they were a church when i first heard of them. being a teen, and helping out with worship at church/school, of course i knew about Hillsong United. and hooray they came to TO so many times! then after a while, looked up HU on the web, and found out it was a church! not just some christian band from the land of Oz. and wow.. having watched their DVDs (haha.. sleepovers with lorr.... yeup. thats what we did =P), i was pretty excited to actually visit the church!

so here it is! today is the day! and wow... was it different than any sunday ive ever had!

first off, there was no parking in the parking lot. with the 9am service finishing, cars were trying to come out of hte parking lot while the 11am ppl were trying to get in. so we didnt bother, and just parked in a lot on the other side of the road (very nice traffic directing ppl (volunteers from the church) told us to turn into).

as we walked onto the church property, it was just streams of cars AND ppl. it was nuts! the place was flooded with people! total contrast from the first 3 days of arriving at college, when it was quite empty. ppl of all nationalities, ages... it was great! so we walked in thru the front doors, and found our way into the main auditorium.

now... having only seen the auditorium via pics on their official website, this was a first for me (it had been locked the previous days). and WOW. it was like a mini arena built for 3k ppl! it was oval shape like, stage at the front, floor standing/seating area, the sides and back slant/slope up, and there were 2 sections. lower slant, and upper slant. like... WOW.

the place was filled too! all the sections had ppl in them, and were nicely filled. not jam packed, but not like empty patches here and there. maybe a random empty seat near the top rows, but the rest of it was filled!

now.. going back to the standing floor area. y'know how at christian concerts, there usually are seats. but at the front, there will be a section for ppl to go stand up and be in the "praise pit" (aka the mosh pit). this was just a regular sunday morning. and that praise pit was FULL!

the stage set up was also interesting.. as the drums was just in the back corner (also i think this is pretty permanent), and the rest of the stage was empty (other than the watoto presentation's decor and props). but it was empty as in no music stands, cables, monitors, mics + stands, etc. nothing!

as for screens, there were 3 MASSIVE projectors, and 3 screens. 1 giant one in the middle, and 2 smaller ones on the side. lyrics only showed up on the middle one. but all 3 screens would show footage of the worship leader or drummer or whatever the director decided to show.

i counted at least 6 cameras, and the lighting set up was pretty well done. (altho im sure this is standard for every week. if not.. i guess i'll find out soon enough once classes start =P)

so the clock finally struck 11am (okay okay.. no bells, no alarms, no clock.. but y'get the meaning! haha), ppl walked up onto the stage holding their mics/guitars. incredible! the stage was filled! in the back was the drummer, bass, and electric. there might've been a keyboard on the other side. wasnt too sure. we'll say there is. so its a 4 piece band so far. pretty small for hillsong right? im not done yet. hahaha.. then the front of the stage, stood 1 acoustic guitar player (who now put down his mic stand), and like 6 vocalists! it was a really nice arrangement. 6 of them just spread out along hte front, leading all sides of the congregation. apparently, the worship leader was JD (confirmed during dinner time when one of my "fanatic" housemates confessed that she was disappointed taht joel houston wasnt there. haha) so taht was pretty cool. someone that ive seen on dvds, heard on cds, seen live at the queensway cathedral/toronto congress centre/toronto airport church/molson amphitheatre was just leading worship on a regular sunday morning.

they sang 3 songs only. 2 i didnt know (1 was off their most recently album, and 1 hasnt been recorded yet, but not new to the congregation. maybe a few weeks old?), and How Great Is Our God. =) that was pretty powerful. the drummer. oh man.. CRAZY FILLS. take taht travis! (chris tomlin's super simple drummer... well, he was anyways. he's improved a lot now). but it was pretty powerful.

then the watoto group came up and did their presentation (this can be a whole blog entry of its own. but i wont go into it. lets just say i never knew much about child soldiers until now).

the closest i can come to describing this sunday morning.. was like being back at Passion DC 08. ~3-4k of ppl worshipping in a stadium/arena setting. except of it being a 2 day conference event, this will be a weekly event. with a saturday night service, and 3 sunday services.

definitely excited!

why did i move here so early? ive still got a week before enrollment/orientation. i wnat school to start... NOW. haha

maybe this year will breeze by when school starts.

i cant wait!

PS. yes this heat and humidity and lack of ac and australian creatures still sucks.

day 3: 7hr ikea trip!

2011-01-13T03:21:00.003-05:00

well.. it took up more than 7hrs. more like 9, if you include going from home to school, and waiting for everyone, then from school to home. but lets not include that.

so for what would've been a 1/2hr car ride, it took us 2hrs to walk/bus/train/train/walk to ikea... ONE WAY.

then we spent about 3hrs there (lol) then another 2hrs coming back. dangs... haha

and its so insanely hot right now too.

its so different living in sydney.

where i am, its kinda like york region of markham: ppl drive everywhere. public transportation SUCKS. and everywhere is really really spread out so walking takes forever, altho its like next door.

also, the roads/streets arent grid-like. they're curvy/slanted, twisty, etc. so you cant just hop on a bus going in that direction and hope to end up at your destination... cus you wont.

but ah well... forget the bus system. i dont even know where things are yet! =\

as of right now... living in sydney sucks.

its like 27C today, will be 30C 2mrw, and theres no a/c. but at the same time, you dont really want a/c cus it doubles the price of rent.

so with no a/c, we open the windows. and the animals are SO LOUD. bugs and birds chirping, other things making other noises...

the spiders are massive.

random creepy crawlies everywhere.

i can only hope school itself will be amazing.

altho, my housemates are pretty cool right now.

sucks that i gotta share a room (for this semester anyways), and theres 5 of us sharing 1 bathroom. (7 girls in the house, but 2 girls share an en suite room).

we have 1 fridge (back at summit, there were 5 of us and 2 fridges was barely enough. lol)

but yeah... right now, tis just so hot that im just... ranting. its so uncomfortable cus its humid hot.

im used to dry hot in toronto, and once we step indoors, theres a/c. but not here.

lets hope it only gets better from here.

cant wait til this jetlag is gone.

cant wait til school starts.

cant wait til the weather cools down.

cant wait til i adjust to this new lifestyle.

im going to hug an ice cube.

PS. this was too negative of a post. so here are some good things:

- at least i have internet (albeit, its ridiculously slow).

- meeting some awesome ppl (both the students who have been here for a semester, and the new intakes =))

- its a new learning experience. altho im not really enjoying it (adjusting to change), its better than the routine of wake up, work, go home, maybe nap, dinner, sleep, repeat.

that was definitely no life for me (not at that job anyways)

DE... wait for it... LAYED! delayed!

2011-01-09T06:05:00.004-05:00

one of the most annoying words when you're travelling (especially by plane), is "delayed".

sometimes its due to uncontrollable circumstances, like weather.

other times, like right now, its cus of a random unscheduled detailed plane maintenance check that will last at least 4hrs?

satan really is trying to not get me to hillsong. another fellow canadian schoolmate is also delayed, but in San Fran.

ah well. theres a first for everything.

for me, its spending the night at an airport =P

oh yeah, so at harvest, they feed the worship team (and others serving) with a lil snack/breakfast kinda dealio on sunday mornings, between services.

so i guess you can say im used to getting free food.

so when the plane got delayed and everyone got off back at the gate, there were a few cases of bottled water and 1 box of (individually packed) cookies. and oh my.. ppl were grabbing like animals!

i took my time... needed to use the washroom first. haha.. then came back and got myself a bottle of water.

so i took a seat, and enjoyed my (1 of 3) chinese bakery buns (yay! thanks to my aunt!). then this lady and her daughter (probs around my age.. the daughter that is), sits down across from me. 2 ppl, 4 bottles of water, and at least 10 packs of cookies.

like for serious? its for 4hrs. you're not stocking up for the rest of the flight.

then i remembered...

...

this is a flight full of mostly asian ppl, going to taipei. -_-

PS. greetings from YVR. haha

6 more days!!!

2011-01-03T00:57:00.003-05:00

its a time of goodbyes, lots of meals, hugs, "awwww... i'll miss you!"s, more food, throw in some bbt, and prayers. =)

but there are 2 topics that ALWAYS come up.

1) bring me a souvenir!

2) you're gunna meet a hot surfer dude!

the most interesting part about the souvenirs, are the requests ppl make. and the top 2 requests are:

1) smuggle me back a live baby koala/platypus/joey!!

2) if you meet someone down there, bring him back... AND his siblings/cousins/friends.. for me! i'll definitely take one!

now as for the "hot surfer dude that im gunna meet", theres more to it. actually, i feel sorry for "that guy", and im wondering if he even exists!

why?

cus everyone's adding in all these requirements for him, that he's turning out to be the humanly perfect guy! haha.. he's gotta be...

a man of God

a surfer

hot body - washboard abs

plays guitar

leads worship

can sing

plays ball sports

has a charming accent

lovely hair

"dr. chase"...

TOO MANY MOVIES PPL. hahaha

the other requirement was that i gotta bring him back (along with his family/friends). and im not allowed to stay there. hah..

but all jokes aside, if i do meet someone, theres gunna be a LOT of pressure on him when i introduce him to everyone here at home =P

2010 new years resolution fail.

2010-12-31T09:33:00.003-05:00

its dec31st, 2010.
and i can say i did NOT stick by my new years resolution for 2010. haha...
what was it you ask?
it was to blog more.
why?
well, cus its never a bad thing to just take a moment, reflect on how life has been going, put it into my own words, and its also something i can look back on in the future. i love reminiscing. sometimes too much [and i end up day dreaming =P]

so if you look at the "blog archive" summary on the far right ---->
you'll see that in 2010, i made 24 posts. even fewer posts than i did in 2009 (31)!
in 2007, i didnt even manage one per week!
i blame twitter for the lack of posts =P
back in the day.. i used to blog daily. sometimes more than once. haha.. but all that is in an older blog, which is hidden to the public. hah! that one date back to like 2002 or so =) ahh... the jr high days. haha

anyways, my resolution for 2011 remains the same! gotta document my life more, especially with all the excitement that is coming up ahead.
THATS RIGHT! in 8 days, i hop on a plane and head down to SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA for a year! whoooooop!
Hillsong College, here i come!

proof that the Bible is still applicable today

2010-07-22T22:37:00.002-05:00

so last week, at harvest bible chapel york region tuesday small groups, we looked at 2 Cor 7:8 and onwards.

this past week, ive been experiencing and witnessing as it is described in 2 Cor 7:10 (thru v12).
im experiencing one side of it, while witnessing a friend going thru a similar situation, but has a totally different reaction. its clear and obvious how godly sorrow differentiates from worldly sorrows. indeed, both of them will be difficult times. but its how you react to it, and what you do about it, that makes the difference.

all i gotta say is..

living out loud the Word!!

Jesus, You're all this heart is living for

2010-07-17T13:05:00.001-05:00

2010-07-16T23:17:00.001-05:00

"but the sun keeps on rising, and i keep getting stronger."

videos to do list

2010-05-29T01:04:00.001-05:00

i need to make a list and post it somewhere public.

so if you're reading this, please make sure i get around to putting up these vids and in this order!

- cc2010

- ACF (all year. will be chronological. starting off with dchow's kidnapping, all the way to banquet vids)

- any other events that i have on camera

- let this new season of sball begin!

le sigh...

2010-04-30T18:10:00.001-05:00

that is all.

so what are your plans for the future?

2010-04-07T05:39:00.001-05:00

how many times have we been asked that question? or a variation of it?

and i dont mean the daily ones of "when do you plan to eat? what are you going to wear 2mrw? are you doing anything this saturday?"

im talking about the questions that get you thinking about your entire future (assuming you'll live that long)

as a lil kid, you get asked "what do you want to be when you grow up?"

entering high school, you get asked "so what courses will you take? cus y'know.. that'll determine if you've taken the prerequisites to take certain gr11/12 courses, that'll affect which programs you can apply for after high school, basically means you gotta decide what you wanna study/where you wanna go, and it pretty much all starts with the question of what you wanna do with your life!"

thats how ive always viewed it. since jr high, ive looked at it from a big picture perspective.

i actually wanted to go into forensic sciences, cus ive always been a big puzzle nerd, enjoyed mysteries, fascinated by crime scenes, the thrill of solving something! then in jr high, i realized i really sucked at science so there goes that career.

then one day, i discovered the "behind the scenes" specials on a DVD. and i've been hooked on media ever since. there's so much that goes on, but as a movie viewer, you have no idea whatsoever.

ive always enjoyed that. knowing im contributing, doing my part, actually useful, but i dont want the whole world knowing its me. i mean sure, some ppl will know whose behind it all, like the actors themselves and other people working with you behind the scenes. but other than that, no one else knows. and the ppl who DO know, they'll appreciate you that much more. =)

i touched on it in a previous post, its like how God works in our lives. for those of us who know its Him behind it all, we really appreciate it, acknowledge Him for everything, and all glory belongs to Him. it really keeps me grounded, as a reminder of who i should be thanking every day for everything that does or doesnt happen.

but back to the media topic. i was just thinking... of what my "goals" were with my video camera. i've talked to some photog friends, and since there's so many photographers now, asked them... why photography? some have answered "just a hobby. its fun!" "ive done photog before it became so popular! im not a follower!" "if i can capture the right moment, bring out the right emotions, and trigger the right memories, it can change lives"

whoa. some answers were pretty deep. so i asked myself the same question, but with my video cam. i mean... my camera angles and such needs a LOT of work. it doesnt help that ive inherited shaky hands too. and its still a home video cam. everything is still automatic, nothing pro and no focussing or anything like that. and i realized that every time i film something, i usually like to capture it, and relay the "story" to someone who wasnt there. but they would feel like they've been there, right where the camera is. experiencing what it would've been like if they were there. while at the same time, i'd cut out the boring/useless parts. haha... and for those people who were in attendance, if they rewatch it, i wouldnt miss a single detail (well.. the ones worth remembering anyways.) as if they were reliving that moment again.

i really hope i've achieved that with REC2010 and ACF09/10 this year. well, i havent done the ACF stuff yet, and unfortunately, didnt have the time/energy to do the ACF banquet video. but i do have enough ACF footage to compile something this summer. so if any ACF ppl are reading this, there'll be something to look fwd to. =)

its tedious work, and i know i can be annoying sometimes, always having a camera in your face. but thats what i hope to capture. and i admit, i get sick of filming myself sometimes. i would like to enjoy the moment too. tahts when i put down the camera, and save the memories for our minds only.

but when i think about it, someone else reminiscing an amazing time in their lives thru a videos and it brings them so much joy, it makes me happy knowing something i did cheered them up. =)

ive always said. why remember a moment thru a snapshot, when you can just record it all and replay it?

video > photo.... sometimes. =)

PS. well.. i was actually aiming to blog about my future studies decisions and such but look where its veered off to! haha... guess i'll save it for another blogpost. nearly 6am now. sleep time! BYE!

Isaiah 7:9

2010-04-06T14:13:00.001-05:00

"if you do not stand firm in your faith,

you will not stand at all."

2010-03-19T00:42:00.000-05:00

I feel like sucha Moses sometimes. not the best in speech. wondering why God chose me to lead His ppl.
but He will provide. others who are more blessed in conversation and speaking. or when things go wrong, ppl will question why and doubt God. but He always makes a way. not in a solution we would imagine. but you have to admit it's a pretty awesome ending regardless. it might've been a tough journey. but Moses led the Israelites to the promise land.

I'm an introvert. I can be alone and not have a problem with it. I don't really feel all that lonely. yet He's gifted me with talents such as drums, a loud and never dying voice... yet I also enjoy the BTS things. such irony, such contrasts.
I don't think I can call it humility. it's more so... if I screw up, I'd rather not be known for it? weak reasoning. but like I said... I suck with words. I don't know how to explain it.

I'm really not a fan of the spotlight. I have a loud voice. that's it.
just really good at pretending to be an extrovert?
and gotta use my voice in some way.
I guess REC is it? just natural and automatically I do things. voluntarily.

really gotta fine my place in serving. just makes me more excited for HILC. tech/av. when things go right, ppl don't notice. they only notice the mistakes.
it's like our relationship with God. He's constantly working in our lives. but when things go right, we don't really pay attn. it's when things go wrong, we either walk away from Him, or turn to Him and question why.
often we forget to acknowledge Him. but He is the one Who makes things happen in our lives. 'runs in the background' kinda thing. we just have to look and we'll find Him. if you don't look we won't see Him, but He's there.

once again. dont really know where im going with these posts but its good to jot down some thoughts i guess.

im not normal...

2010-03-04T12:51:00.002-05:00

we need to stand out. something different from everyone else.

but if everyone's unique, then arent we all just the same? we're all special. hah...

i've always viewed myself that way tho. always wondered, what if im actually different. then would medicine apply to me? is that why im still sick sometimes even after taking medication? or maybe i just took the wrong medicine. haha...

so anyways, was writing my midterm earlier today. and half way thru, the prof interrupted us. apparently, 3/4 of the class was stumped on a question. so the prof decided to "say something" to kinda give us a clue as to what he was looking for. i flipped to the question. last section, question 2. i took one took at it, instantly remembered which slides he was referring to, jotted down all i knew. no biggie. 12 full marks hopefully? sweet. so i went back to wherever i left off. kept writing... writing... then i arrived at the final section. Question 1. OH CRAP. i know which slide its located on. i know which lecture! but i just CANT remember the content! at this point.. 2/3s of the class was still struggling on question 2. i was stumped on question 1. -_- prof and TA kept giving clues and hints for question 2, which only confirmed my answer for it. but i was as lost as ever from question 1. if only they gave clues for question 1.

. in the end, i just made up something... sorta. haha... hopefully it'll have some sorta relevance so i'll get part marks. but dont you just hate it when that happens? everyone else is GTG for question 1, but super stumped on question 2. i breezed thru question 2 but was super clueless about question 1. =(

this only encourages my views of me not being normal. not average. im definitely different from everyone else. haha... phooey... therefore... do stats apply to me? hehe...

im probably more normal than i think i am. but ive still got the "rule-breaker" mindset. that is all. the rebel. =P

lent

2010-02-22T22:42:00.003-05:00

i didnt think i was gunna lent anything this year. but at this past week's REC meeting, albert was giving us a wrap up kinda thing, and mentioned lent.

it was a good reminder of what lent is, or what the purpose of it is.

its not just about "giving up something you like so you can benefit from it" (junk food, fast food, gaming so you can do hwk) or "im proving that i can live without it" (facebook, twitter, virtual social networking, etc) or "trying to break a bad habit" (smoking, nail biting, etc), but rather its about giving up something and using that time to spend with God instead.

also, its not just for the 40 days. the 40 days of lent is only the start. on the 41st day, do you go back to your old ways? or continue as if you were still lenting? or maybe in between... not as much as before, but it has reduced. lasting the 40 days is one thing. but can you persevere and continue on after the 40 days? it everything goes back to as if "i didnt lent anything", then whats the point of lenting? or seriously... no offence but thats a pretty dumb thing to lent.

i think this is only the 2nd time i've ever decided to lent.

the first time being tim hortons roll up the rims. cus i was buying it just for the sake of the cup, not the beverage. so i put aside $3 per day (thats 2 cups of medium tea. yes... it was $1.25 back then!), then just gave it all as offering on Easter Sunday.

so this time around, im going to lent TV shows. spend more time on devos, doing more for TC REC, ACF, as well as committing to CC.

some ppl have said "pssh.. lenting TV shows is nothing. since olympics is going on right now, there isnt anything new to watch anyways!" but thats not true. if you know me, then you'll know just how many TV shows i follow. and this lent will include shows im catching up on. so basically... no watching any of the dramas, sitcoms, youtube (still trying to define this one. no youtube at all? or just the subscriptions i follow?) etc.

and how will this continue after the 40 days? i need to cut down on the amount of shows i watch. its great a lot of them are "rumoured" to be in their last season. and as long as i dont start new shows in the fall, drop another few that are just "mehh.. im only watching this still cus i started it". and we'll see how much time i've freed up =)

the thrill of risks

2010-02-12T03:28:00.003-05:00

ever wonder.. that if you took the risk (logically or just plain dumb), how would the outcome have changed? or maybe if you didnt take the risk. how would things turn out differently?

for example. if you decided to not study for this midterm at all. meh... lets say its worth 20%. just cus... you weren't in a study mood. you really couldn't care less about the subject. you have better things to do. you don't have better things to do, just don't wanna study. have to work hard on another course thats more important.

would it really screw up your life? get kicked outta school? fail a course? end up just winging it and doing okay? acing the exam?

or what if... you took the risk. you attempted that insane double black diamond altho you know you're a n00b skiier/snowboarder. results: you enjoyed the thrill of it all and you ended up okay at the bottom of the hill. you were super scared and wondered what on earth made you go down it and ended up okay at the bottom of the hill. you went for it, did the crazy jumps and sharp corners, ended up in the emergency, but had a blast! or you seriously wish you didnt go thru with it, and now you're paying for it, lying in the hospital.

would you have been just satisfied without ever attempting it? stayed on the bunny hill the entire time? injury free? or would you have acquired an injury in another way?

ive realized some things come with sacrifices. but at the same time... i don't know the results of both choices. i can only choose 1, and whatever happens, happens. and its happening quite a bit now that im in 4th year. a lot of the events i go to, are mostly based on "oh man.. im in 4th year. i still havent done that yet! if i dont do it now, i'll never get the chance." or "this is the last one ever! most likely the last one in my life! i gotta do it one more time!".

im just aiming for the "gotta be satisfied with what im leaving behind". no regrets. done all that i can. milk it!

altho a lot of ppl would claim they "prefer to play it safe", and would probably not choose the option of risking it. we sometimes choose the riskier option, just to spice things up in life. you have no idea why you chose it, and the logical person wouldn't have done that. but you did anyways.

all i can say is, whichever path you choose, you'll get something out of it. maybe you really enjoyed it and was glad you took the risk. or maybe you learnt that it was stupidest idea ever, and know to never do it again. you also warn others who are about to make the same decision as you. or maybe it had an okay turn out... it wasnt all that, but it wasnt too bad either.

i guess im sorta writing this to justify my decisions in life so far. =) but at the same time, i know things will work out. even if it doesnt go the way i want it to, and it can go sour, but i know i'll be able to persevere thru it. it might not be easy, but its definitely doable. cus He is my guide. the analogy is what Francis Chan talked about at Passion2010. think of it like a GPS system (YEEEEEH. Geography major! bahaha...) we have a starting point, and a destination. God will guide us. He'll tell us to keep travelling straight. but for some reason, we feel like making a left turn. crap.. we're on the wrong path. but its okay. because the GPS system will say "recalculating". simple as that. God will guide us thru another path. the most direct path possible. and its up to us if we wanna listen or not. sometimes He will tell us to turn right. it doesn't seem right, and its definitely out of our comfort zone. but we listen, because those are the instructions. and we trust in Him. and it turns out.. hey hey! we are on the right track!

Proverbs 3:5-6

trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

enjoy!

how do you sleep - jmac

2010-02-10T05:13:00.003-05:00

(y) or (n)?

2010-02-08T21:18:00.001-05:00

i think back and smile.

should i keep going?

is it worth it?

final term in 4th year. then what...

2010-02-07T02:43:00.002-05:00

s'almost like gr12 of high school all over again.

first i was so emotionally up and down. (no different, i usually keep it to myself. altho i seemed to blog about it more. well.. back then, i had a private blog. =P)

and now its the whole "what are you doing after you graduate?" question.

its easy for a lot of ppl to say "oh y'know... med school." or "doing my masters!" or "job secured and GTG!". or maybe im just friends with a lot of asians who are school smart.

school has never been easy for me. like ppl claim they hate hwk? i really do hate it to a point where i just dont care, and wont do it. and dont really care if i flunk or something. my high school marks are proof of that. and i never complete any assignment to the best of my ability. i just complete it to the "needed" point and stop there. like say if i need a 60% in the course, the most i'll do is be like "mehh.. aim for 61%. good enough!" and i'll calculate backwards, figuring out the whats the minimum i need to meet the requirements. whatever gets the job done.

but strangely.. this only applies to school.

if im at work, or doing volunteer work... i'll give it my all and more. i'll take that extra step and "one up" it. even if i dont know if i can accomplish it, i'll say i can. then force myself to learn it and achieve it. aka make myself sound better than i actually am, then go and live up to the standards ive set for myself.

i never understood that.

is it a rebellion thing? where if say im "forced" to go to school, i'll purposely just scrape by. whereas if i chose to volunteer, or i choose where i apply for jobs and which job to accept, i'll give and do more than whats expected of me?

and i see it now. im putting more of my time into CRC, TC Rec, AV stuff, and soon to add in CC stuff (no sball/scac stuff this summer! yay!!).

i'd rather open up a new draft, and write up emails as well as plan/make notes for all those other things i signed up for, instead of say studying for a midterm or starting an assignment that is scheduled before any of the extra-curricular activities. i'll know to sleep earlier and get on a regular sleeping schedule if i have to go to work, but i totally change timezones and skip class during the school year.

it just makes me question myself.

where is my heart?

what am i passionate about? why wont i put in that effort into school?

despite the 2 verses that are constantly popping up in my mind for the past few years now (Colossians 3:17 and/or I Corinthians 10:31), its just so tough to apply it to school work.

its so easy to live out these verses in all other areas of my life.. EXCEPT school.

iunno.. no real conclusion or anything.

just wanted to jot this down, and not leave it hanging as a draft.

selfless faith

2010-01-26T02:13:00.001-05:00

what is that?
seriously think about it. what is selfless faith?

it's been sung so many times in 'Hosanna' by Brooke Fraser, or redone by many others including Christy Nockels and Starfield.

so what is it?
been learning quite a bit about not being selfish lately. more importantly, the 'it's about God, not me' aspect.

there's always the typical 'me me me' in our everyday lives. Twitter can be about bragging what's going in with me right now. facebook can be used to show off more about you (pictures, profile, friends list, etc). going to school to educate myself more, earn a better title and paycheck in the working world, school/work gets stressful and we whine about it.

how about stopping right now. and realizing that none of this is about me? or anyone else nor anything on earth. but rather, it's ALL about HIM. stop trying to be a better Christian. how about loving God more, and genuinely diving into His Word, spend time listening to what He has to say. and thru that, you will naturally become more of a Christ follower.
faith that is not about me, but Him. not about where I will end up when I die. not about my current worries and stress. but a faith where the sole purpose of any of our existence is to glorify Him! 1 Cor 10:31 and Col 3:17.

keep clapping. (story of this to come)

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James 1:19-21

2010-01-24T22:42:00.003-05:00

must not...

gotta slow down...

will not get frustrated...

have patience and high tolerance...

breathe!....

*exhales*

much better. =)

the perks of virtual communication. the immediate reaction is not seen. i have time to slow myself down, not be angry at them, and then response accordingly.

now to train myself to not be angry at all... THAT is the challenge.

i made a rookie mistake. now all of me is paying for it.

2010-01-21T02:28:00.003-05:00

so last night... i made the n00b mistake of wearing shoes that weren't broken in, for sports activities.

needless to say, i got owned. or rather, the back of my right foot got owned. above the heel part. the back of my ankle. the skin pretty much scraped off and started to bleed. oww... but of course, i pushed myself to keep going. refusing to stop and check on my skin. so the scraping goes deeper -_-

so now im really paying for it. showers are down right painful. small movements are painful. walking is painful. =( better yet... when my parents drove me back to london 2 weeks ago, they took my sball gear with them. and whats in my batbag? my FIRST AID KIT. GG. so if i had my first aid kit, at least i could've used my spray on band aid, then put gauze over my exposed wound. but now... im left with limited bandaids that are the wrong size. .

so as i was walking home today, i realized how everything i did, i felt the pain. i mean.. it wasnt unbearable or anything. but you still feel it and its just uncomfortable. thats when i thought of the passage from 1 Cor 12:12:31.

if you want to look at my analogy literally, think about it. every lil bit of your body is necessary. the next time you get a lil cut, or scrape your knee, or something. every movement you make will somehow affect your injury. its amazing how everything connects together. altho your "movement" may require the usage of a body part furthest from your injury, yet it will still manage to affect it.

look at the v26a. "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it."

its so true. think of the church that way. every single person in the church is needed. if say... the drummer isnt feeling all that well (can be physical health, emotionally, spiritually, etc). and it affects their drumming during that sunday service. the rest of the worship team will notice something isnt right. that may affect how they lead worship that morning. that in turn will affect the entire congregation. and until that one person, or one body part heals, the entire body will not be able to function properly nor in it's best state. so until everyone is in "good" condition again, we're not giving our best to God as a whole. individuals may continue to give all that they've got. just like how my arms may continue to do different things, my fingers will continue to type this blog post. but until my wound heals, i wont be able to properly walk nor shower without pain. =P

and if you read from v27 and onwards, those gifted with healing are to help those in need of healing. my brain will let the rest of my body know to look for things that may help. finding the bandaids, my hands will do their part in putting the bandaid on my foot, helping the healing process.

interesting huh? it took a stupid n00b mistake, and quite a lot of pain, to study this passage and understand it from a physical p.o.v. huh! =)

P.S. i seriously look fwd to recovering. haha...

GOD

2010-01-13T02:32:00.004-05:00

first thought that comes into mind when you see "GOD". go.

God cares.

that was mine. for today anyways.

whats yours?

(and yes, rhetorical question. because i know ppl dont visit this blog. so that should explain the lack of responses =P)

He cares. He really does. i am this small little insignificant speck. and He is the almighty God. yet He still cares for me. =)

no no no! i still love people!

2010-01-13T02:31:00.001-05:00

hah.. don't get me wrong. i realized my last few posts were just 'frustrated at ppl' kinda posts. its just that things arent going as planned, ppl letting me down, broken promises… all that jazz.

and God never changes. He never fails me. through it all, His is faithful. and i wanna learn to be the same too.

and things just keep popping up to remind me that.

like Chris Tomlin's new song, "Chosen Generation". (or at least thats what i've named it =P

here's a snippet of the lyrics.

You are everything

more than all we need

God we live for You

yes, God we live for You

i've found this world to be

not enough for me

God we live for You

yes, God we live for You

seriously...

2010-01-10T22:29:00.001-05:00

you cant rely on ANY human.

only rely on God. and ask Him to give you the strength to accomplish things, if it is in His will to do so.

people.. stop letting me down =(

praising God in the midst of suffering ain't all that difficult

2010-01-08T14:57:00.003-05:00

y'know.. in Acts 16, it mentions Paul and Silas singing praises and praying to God in the middle of the night, when they were thrown in jail, after being stripped and beaten. (talk about a run on sentence. but i couldnt care less about grammar atm)

and honestly... its not all that hard to do so at all. i mean.. sure, ppl can question how they can still praise God after all that they've been thru. wouldn't they question why God allowed them to be beaten? to be stuck in jail for doing something for God? because they freed a girl from demons that had possessed her?

im quite confused atm, not understanding why im going thru some things, feeling the way i am, and in general, trying to put things into perspective. and it feels terrible. i really do want this to be over with. but the first thing i can think of doing, is praising God. even before trying to figure out why, and/or possible solutions to the problems.

throughout all this, im still continuously seeking God, diving into His Word, busting out the guitar and worshipping Him thru music... it was an automatic response.

why? cus He's the only hope ive got. He doesnt cause the sufferings. the devil does. having hope in Him is the last bit of happiness i have. other things/ppl on this earth will disappoint you, fail you, and hurt you. but He never will.

so the question is.. why wouldnt you continuously praise Him no matter what the circumstances are? it only makes sense to do so. really.

this is weird...

2010-01-08T11:43:00.001-05:00

have this really weird feeling right now.
dont like it one bit.
and I want it all to just go away :(
can I just sleep until all is right in the world again?

I feel like a high schooler. I don't know what the problem is, but somehow I feel down. it's like my adolescent emotions aren't done playing with my mind yet.

well, that's a partial lie. I do know some of the contributing factors but WHY are they affecting me like this? I don't want to and probs shouldnt but my mind is unconsciously over reacting.

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so fed up!

2010-01-08T01:53:00.001-05:00

at humans. other ppl. in a few different ways.
this really really sucks.

"this world has nothing for me
You are my One and only"
- All to You, Lincoln Brewster

question: how do you hold on to 22,000 college students singing 'how great is our God' accapella?
I mean, personal/devo worship is one thing, fellowship/community worship at fellowship or Sunday service is another, but what about an arena PACKED with 19k college students, connected via video feed to a convention center next door with another 2k college students?
seriously, it's like the 'furthest' I've 'gone' to see what it will be like in heaven with all the beautiful praises everywhere, non-stop!

a Passion2010 blog post to come soon. probably more than one. got some yays and nays to jot down.

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my last name means im last

2009-12-09T19:06:00.003-05:00

my dad always said he loved our last name.

why?

cus every time he would go to profs/teachers to get exams back, he would just say "the last one!" since the papers would normally be in last name alpha order. and he was right. Yuen is usually last! haha.. unless you get the special kids whose last name start with Z. other than that... its very rare any other last name that starts with Y is after Yuen. you've got the Yu's, Yeung's, Yee's, Yang's, etc.

so looking at the exam schedule, look! i get 2 mentions. my 2 exams.. last in both classes.

bahaha....

the nerdiest thing ive ever done...

2009-12-06T17:58:00.001-05:00

good old high school days.
haha.. merry early christmas!
enjoy! =)

AYJ Tech Crew

Where We Are - Westlife (the album. not the song. song is crummy)

2009-12-06T02:11:00.008-05:00

click and listen to "Shadows". so good!

Shadows - Westlife

so there only seems to be 4 songs i really like on this album. outta like 13.

i know. what the crap. i usually like 10/13 or so. but this time.. there's only 4.

disappointing.

then i realized the connection between the 4 songs. they're all relatively emo. haha... hmm.. and a few other songs on the album are quite emo too. its quite a sad album actually. which usually isnt the case. i mean.. c'mon. its westlife. your typical ballad, sappy, "this relationship is perfect", and "totally gunna use this on my wedding day somehow" type of songs. which probably explains why i love them. haha.. the hopeless romantic i am.

except.. as i mentioned above. these 4 songs i like are the 'breakup' or 'he/she doesnt like me back' songs. huh..

i hope you're getting what im implying. haha...

one year and 2 months down. another 6 months to go! =)

"now i've made it this far

and the pain isnt over

but the sun keeps on rising

and i keep getting stronger."

PS. epic holidays coming up! i officially only have 4 free evenings left. haha.. book me now if you want a piece of me! :D

SoaBH - (you guessed it,) Westlife

2009-12-04T05:58:00.001-05:00

stab.
then twist.
then stab again.
ow...

vicious cycle.

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for once, a non westlife quote!

2009-11-01T20:11:00.007-05:00

came across this today on an fb profile.

"a woman's heart should be so lost in God, that a man should seek Him in order to find her."

interesting. in a way that is trying to get across how both the man and the woman should put God first. but if the man's sole intention of seeking God is to get to her, then i would have to disagree.aka if the woman refuses the relationship because he's a non-believer. and he 'becomes' a christian just to get her, then no.but if it helps him truly begin and/or maintain that relationship with Christ, where He is first and will come first in both their lives, then yes.so yeah.. still a pretty good quote. well, its blog worthy to me anyways. haha...

"so don't let your past destroy what comes tomorrow" - FH

2009-10-28T12:07:00.003-05:00

i can quote westlife lyrics all day long.

that one's from Fragile Heart off the Coast to Coast album. one of their best albums imo.

but yeah. every time that line comes up, i keep thinking about my school habits. every time.. i never learn. i procrastinate, and leave things til the last minute. then end up doing a rushed crappy job. im pretty sure my papers can be better if i finished it like a week in advance, left it alone for like a few days, then went back to edit it. but nope. more like i 'start' it the day before its due, then end up finishing sometime in the early hours of the morning its due, leaving no time and no incentive to proof read it. and i know i did sucha garbage job i dont want anyone else reading it either! lol.. thats the pride right there. *sigh*

i just end up in a lose-lose situation and end up with a mehh mark.

yet every time, every paper, i say it'll be different this time. i'll actually finish it in advance! papers? nope. but it's been improving with assignments and readings. im getting those done. its a step. a bitta progress. its just how much i hate papers. yet its ironic how i can just open up a new blog post, then manage to type so much. bahhh...

anyways. im slowly getting somewhere. ive always managed in the past. and it can only get better right? dont let your past destroy you. learn from it and let it help you. cus im pretty sure we've all witnessed someone or something never learning from their mistakes, and watch them continue to repeat the same actions, and obviously getting hte same results. aka a fail.

gotta throw in a WIN somewhere =)

chin up! time to focus and get thru this midterm and paper! RAWR!

how to break a heart

2009-10-27T11:27:00.004-05:00

if only this came out like a bit more than a year ago.

wow.. what a find! (uhh... what the song is trying to get across. not so much the vid. kinda super emo. but im sure i was feeling something similar then =P)

Nikki - How To Break A Heart

(bahh.. embedding was disabled. so you gotta click on it instead.)

"a simple line can make you laugh or cry" - FWW

2009-10-24T02:08:00.000-05:00

ah. Flying Without Wings. oh westlife.. gotta love the music from back in the late 90s. solid stuff!

anyways, the point of quoting that…

when someone says a simple line. just 1 line. and it triggers so many thoughts, in your head, plus the emotions come with it.

it can be good, like super happy (all the engagements lately? im sure that what those ppl have been feeling)

it can be bad (some devastating news. a relative passed away recently. hmm...)

it can stir up some realization (stuff that triggers thoughts. just one line. then another person comes along and just says one line, and it contributes to the other 'topic'. and now im just.. ehhhh…)

yeah. i was leaning more towards that last one. thats how im feeling right now. well, all 3 but mainly that last one.

feel like a high schooler again. thoughts/emotions are all over the place. there are things that someone can say and it immediately puts a smile on my face. and i'll be smiling like an idiot.

and there are things ppl can say and that one line will just repeat itself over and over again in my head. almost as if it were something i knew, but couldn't put it into words, or didn't want to admit to. but when someone says it to you, it seems to stand out more and plays like a broken record.

its funny how something as little as one line can trigger so much thought and/or emotion. i guess it can depend on who says it, in what context, and what has happened in the past.

think im just starting to overthink things. hm… i gotta stop doing that.

okay that made my day (or night rather)

2009-10-23T03:47:00.001-05:00

was just looking up some drummers (cus i was watching drum covers on YT) and decided to look up Velroy Bailey. who? only one of my all time fave live drummers. and yes.. he's been the main drummer touring with Westlife for the past who knows how many tours now. since 2003 i believe. he's so ridiculously good! so i decided to YT his name (dunno why i haven't done that till now) and guess what i find? Velroy Bailey, Andrew Smith, and Mark Walker are the musicians for a gospel singer in Leeds! and here they're playing "I Give You My Heart". have a watch/listen. i totally recognize some of the style as stuff in the Westlife live tours. haha.. the 'transition' music on tours. similar chords, style, etc. =P

what are the chances that THEY'RE CHRISTIANS. wow.. like WOW. =) pure God given talent right there. f'reals.

further google searches doesnt really say much. hmm.. google actually failing me on digging up info on ppl? thats a first...

initiate hermit mode!

2009-10-22T23:21:00.002-05:00

not cus of academics.

but the introvert side of me seems to be taking over... kinda.

im a natural at being an introvert. just really good at faking being an extrovert.

focus. FOCUS. ooooh. a gift?

2009-10-09T01:56:00.004-05:00

"never give in to the lie that anything is better than Jesus."

-Louie Giglio

aka He's my #1. =)

Louie said that quote at Passion05. but its been popping into my head a lot since fall retreat. so i decided to finally look it up and repost it i guess. maybe i'll even tweet it. okay i will... later! haha...

anyways. its 3am. and i decide to start up a blog post. [cough typicalunivstudentsleepschedule cough] *ahem*

leaving london and going home 2mrw for the thxgiving long weekend! yay! yet its 3am and i havent packed yet. haha.. hope i dont forget anything. its okay. im trying to travel light. actually.. ive been saying that since 1st year. i've always pictured it as just me, backpack, with laptop in it, at max 1 textbook, then thats it. but nope. always at least another piece of luggage with me like a duffle bag that gets pretty filled. haha... okay i'll pack after i post this.

what was i gunna say... oh yeah! so i was on the phone with my mom earlier tonight, just finalizing travel plans/times for 2mrw. and she tells me ive received a birthday box/package at home. and im thinking "uh.. you mean one of the many things i order from the internet?" (its true... i think im waiting for like 3 things to arrive. haha.. uh oh!) but my mom goes "no.. it says its a birthday gift".

hm... interesting. first of all. its 2009, and i still get gifts (or anything really) via snail mail? second, im turning ten ten one. i still get gifts? and 3rd, its 2009. whoever sent it, get the date right! dont send it 2 days early. actually, now that i think back, im not sure if i got it via snail mail or if someone dropped it off. =P yeah.. overthinking this. hahaha.. no worries if the sender is reading this. im grateful and appreciate it all the same, even tho i dont know what it is nor who its from. its a change from the 'norm' or from the typical and that usually grabs my attention. so now im looking fwd to going home even more =) hoping im not hyping this up like crazy for myself. i tend to do that.

21 in like 2 days. (technically 2mrw since its already 3:15am meaning its already the 9th today). i dont know what to say anymore. when you're younger, you look fwd to getting older. y'know, more responsibilities, less parental control, more freedom. when you're older, you attempt to deny your age, cus you dont want to get old. you miss your youth. im just not feeling either responses. content with where i am right now or what i will be in two days (not that it really matters. seirously.. 2 days difference?) but yeah. its a good balance atm. old/mature enough to have your parents' trust, can baby the froshes, guiding other non 4th years, been of age for a while now (yay canada!). and at the same time, i sitll feel the youth in me. ever since i start office jobs (2007 summer), my gchat list has been growing, and being filled by ppl who are already working. hence older friends who are already in the working world, at the same time, they're also older bros/sis' yet also friends of mine. but we're not at our parents' generation/age. haha...

s'all good. s'gunna be a good few years to come for sures. maybe when i have to admit im stuck working every week with no summer holidays.. it'll hit me then. haha... for now, its a good balance. not too young, not that old either. =)

since i started it, i might as well continue the typical 'another year' posts. so what happened when i was 20? gosh this feels like another "and now to wrap up 2008 and welcome 2009, this year, i did this! and this! etc" haha... nothing stands out too much. guess i gotta mention that i finally went back to hk, and went to other places in china for the first time. my first time in hk was when i was 7. so dont remember too much (seriously.. how much of your 2nd grade do you remember?). went back this time, wow. talk about culture shock! going to beijing and xian really opened my eyes to just how brilliant the ancient chinese were. the things built, the art, the 'weird' things worshipped, finally seeing the Great Wall, etc.

okay i give up. its 3:30am and im writing stuff for the sake of blogging, procrastinating from packing... haha... most of this post doesnt even relate to the blog title. whoops!

ACF Fall Retreat 09

2009-10-05T00:11:00.002-05:00

let's start with the good
- girls' group sharing (going beyond that surface, being transparent, there to support each other, rebuke each other, and keep each other accountable)
- when we sang as one voice and knew that Jesus was present in our midst
- bedside talks
- encouragement notes recieved (failed to write any. promise I will for winter retreat)
- saw a FULL rainbow
- saw a double rainbow!!
- sat night random jamming
- broken pictionary AHAHAHA!!!!!!!
- bang-ing (and all the jokes that came with it :P)
- 'i like to move it move it'... 'nough said!
- MCY punching the watermelon instead of cutting it
- 'cha siu fan' for dinner!!! (all girls table win!)
- watching ppl play touch football instead of homecoming football (stangs lost to mac btw. fail)
- much much more!

and the not so good
- busy
- tired
- lonely at times
- i have no heart
- constant runny nose
- bugs everywhere
- totally shafted
- didn't spend as much time in personal reflection as I'd hope
- feeling super old
- mind wasn't really focused at retreat
- getting slightly confused (definitely overthinking or wishful thinking)

just a super brief summary, and I wanted to jot down my notes. just a tiny lil reminder.
all in all, the good always outweighs the bad. always more. blessings in life than trials.

if anything, this retreat totally topped last year's fall retreat. altho, it's not tough to top last year's :P that was just THE worst. and I would like to think quite the opposite happened this year.
we'll see... we'll see how things goes.

random:
I read thru some old blog entries, and there were times when I was being really vague, not really mentioning what was on my mind, but only posting a line or two, and if anyone read it, they would definitely need to ask me directly if they wanted to know what I was talking about. except now, I don't remember what I was being vague about! lol! fail. yet I don't really learn from it and I still do it. haha... even bigger fail.

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priorities

2009-09-28T19:28:00.005-05:00

when things conflict, i hate having to pick one.

even when im not super fond of one of them (but in this case, i enjoy both. quite equally), telling the other party that you can't do something cus you chose another (aka rejecting one of them) is just... a really bad moment. and i really hate it.

in this case, if you havent guessed yet, its between the Western Mustang Band and Asian Christian Fellowship. i handed in my availability sheet (supposed to pick at least 4/5 parades and 12/17 athletic events). i could do 5/5 parades (was debating if i should do London. it'll kill me to do all 5. especially London on the saturday and Toronto on the sunday. yes... SAME WEEKEND. the 2 longest parades. deadly.. but as a band, we cant turn down either. hometown and international exposure!) so parades was alright. was gtg with that. no problems there. now the athletic events... im already missing homecoming cus i'll be at ACF Fall Retreat. so thats 3 events im missing (parade, football game, hockey game). so i can miss 2 more. except... majority of games were on friday nights! meaning ACF. matching up the ACF sched, there are some ACF events i cant miss. long story short, i could only sign up for 4/17 athletic events. =( i felt so bad handing in my availability sheet, and staying behind to talk to section leader, who brought it up with prez, and it just so happens the ENTIRE exec was standing there to listen to the whole thing.

ACF. its ACF. its where the 'good times' and f'real bonding happens. these are my brothers and sisters in Christ during the univ days. and im heading up the CRC. i can't just not be there for like most of oct/nov on friday nights. i mean, i tried to balance it out. every other week i'll be at band, then ACF on the other friday nights. i want to be there... to fellowship. to grow/bond with others and grow in Christ. its something i dont really have at SCAC.

i can say the same for both WMB and ACF. this is my final year. i still and have enjoyed both 'clubs' since 1st year. but here's the thing. i guess you could say that ACF is my 'comfort zone'. and ever since 1st year, ive always viewed WMB as my mission field. to be that example, to shine for Him. the different one. the fruitcake. but in a good way. yet i need that something to go back to. ACF. ive grown so much. learnt and seen so much since high school. i know Christ is the ultimate foundation yet at the same time, i need other brothers and sisters to keep me accountable. and im glad to have other brothers with me in band who're also committed to ACF or C4C. it helps when WMB ppl go too far in their jokes and we know we need to stay grounded.

its just tough when i guess you can say im 'needed' in both WMB and ACF. limited number of bass drums in WMB. and heading up the CRC in ACF.

i guess i can always plan CRC and just delegate. then go to band. but a part of me still wants to be at ACF. y'know.. like new stuff such as Battle of the Years, and other big stuff like Coffee House and Retreat.

y'know, after typing all that out, i think i might decrease the amount of ACF stuff. lets see if i can bump up that athletic events attendance number.

on a completely random note.

y'know how guys usually open door for girls? whether you're dating, friends, or complete strangers. its just a 'gentleman gesture' to do so. so today, i was about to walk out of the UCC, and there was a guy walking in to the UCC. so he pushes open the door with his hands and walks thru. instead of holding the door open for me, he pressed the handicap button, waits until i walk thru, then he keeps walking. LOL. GG laziness. not bothering to use his 'strength' yet its a twist to it. hm...!

just a random tidbit i thought worth mentioning (and it was too many characters for twitter =P)

so what bugs me more?

2009-09-27T11:02:00.003-05:00

tone deaf vocalists? (plus the attempt of harmonizing)
outta tune guitar?
blurred/fuzzy electric?
imbalance volume levels of all? (can't hear bass and drums, one vocalist is too loud)
wrong chords?
song choices? (full hillsong set that couldn't be pulled of, all slow)
lack of transitions? (awkward silence between songs)

shall I bother continuing on with this list even? and this is just the singspiration part.

what bugs me isn't the fact that it's not good enough in 'human terms'. cus whatever we do as our human best still won't match up to what God deserves. but what really 'grinds my gears' (hah..) is the fact that it CAN be so much better but no ones doing anything about it. and knowing what is out there in other churches...

I used to think I was such an 'all-star' drummer. cus I AM at SCAC (no. not bragging. its true..). but after getting to know other beginner drummers at other churches, I realized I'm pretty garbage. how crummy I was and how much more there was for me to learn.

I don't know where this post is going. sorta a rant. sorta just putting down my thoughts. partially also cus I've been MIA from SCAC for a month so the sense of 'not belonging' is back.

still wondering if going to colluni on friday was the right decision. iunno...

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trust

2009-09-11T00:18:00.003-05:00

gotta trust in Him.

just listened to a talk by Louie Giglio. well.. part 1 and 2 outta 6 so far. haha... but it was def a good reminder, plus realization and learning from a familiar passage or two.
that I can't put His plans into my own hands. that He, as the creator of the universe, will most def ensure things will work out in the end. and I gotta trust in Him to do just that.

I'm a person who has their moments of wanting to plan out everything, down to the very last detail, and will over think it all. but this will only happen if I really want something or am really driven to make something happen. if I don't like it, or just don't care at all, even if its important, I will not only procrastinate taking actions, but i will procrastinate the planning so much that I would just let things happen as they come. 2 opposite extremes basically.

but back to the 'detailed planning' part, I would also rush things, just so it could happen sooner. rash actions without much thought. just the spur of the moment. but what I need to learn is that His timing will always be better than mine. i mean, whenever anyone wants anything, chances are, they would prefer to have it immediately. but this is where patience comes in. my friend's msn name once said (or something along the lines of):
Patience: the last guy who ate when Jesus fed the 5000.
hahaha.. so true. never thought of it that way. that He will provide more than enough for us. we may not see how it's possible that a loaf of bread and 2 fishes can feed 5000, basically we wont know when or how we'll physically recieve His blessings. we may not understand how God works. but in the end, He provides for all of us, and there were 12 baskets leftover! an abundance in goodness. =)

in the end, all i CAN do is ensure that my relationship with Christ is continously growing, and He will provide me with the rest. gotta trust in Him! :) it'd be dumb to not. really. think about it.

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what a weekend!!!

2009-08-24T08:20:00.003-05:00

wow.. where to begin? actually, the continous activities began before that. mid week last week, the good times began to roll!

starting off with wed, illuminate v3 went well, plus chillage at mcds afterwards was pure jokes.

thursday, rained out games so surprise! 3 guys had nothing to do and showed up at my door -_- we ended up watching abdc402 and playing all 32 tracks in mariokart wii. haha.. the trash talkin' was so bad yet made it so much more fun. =P

friday, sushi bong + bbt with like 5 others for lunch! pretty epic way of ending off the week really. but the moment work was over, start off the weekend with a bitta bp! sam and i joined up with another like 7 ppl from ekklesia and we just hit around. good bitta chill practice before playoffs :D then sam and i headed off to the annual tailgate party at scac. joint colluni and didomi, outdoor event in the parking lot, my first 'bbq' of the season (street meat pre/post jays games dont count), vince's verson of boom boom pow (haha.. oh boy!), goodbye colluni grads, welcome soon to be new froshes. yay!

saturday... start that off with a 10am softball practice. haha.. wow it was humid. but it was a good start to the day. excercise, nice way to wake up! nice and small practice too (altho that meant crap attendance. ah well..). in the afternoon was shirley and enoch's wedding! CONGRATS! oh man.. i still cant believe how young they are and married. its like.. MY AGE sorta. so the wedding was just this big massive western reunion, + scac/jaffray ppl there. its like my worlds colliding. haha.. its a weird feeling. then you find out everyone already knows each other. what the..
after the wedding, tim and i needed to ump at warden. needed a ride, then we saw sam lee at the wedding. hey.. he plays on harbs. HE CAN DRIVE US. score! haha.. the live tweeting and updates thruout the weekend was hilarious. the reactions were usually "yes!! [insert team] is winning! MY BRACKET!!" or it could've been "WHAT. [insert crummy team] is beating [insert higher seed team]?!?!! HOW?!?! NOOOOO.. MY BRACKET!" haha.. for those who are lost, basically, a bunch of us are doing a fantasy ccsa playoffs bracket. hilarious! yet we know we all make our predictions anyways. so we'll add a bitta more fun to it =P
so sat night, i had this random sudden craving for marble slab. well, maybe not a craving but i wouldnt mind going for it. and it ended up being 10 ppl going to marble slab! it was good times. from feeling really cold and STILL wanting ice cream, to epic loitering outside in the cold, more hilarious moments! haha... ET ppl are good times!

sunday... kicked that off with attending ET. YES. I FINALLY WENT. after numerous invitations, and already knowing like half (or more) of the eng congregation, i finally went. why? well, enough of the invites already, haha... and also to just learn from other churches and see what i can bring back to SCAC. i actually had the idea of 'church hopping' around toronto for the sole purpose of seeing what other churches are like, and what can i bring back to SCAC. but i guess that never happened. its just that ive never been to another church in toronto except for baptism services or something. other than that, every sunday would be SCAC. but yeah. more on that later. lets just say ET was a good bridge between SCAC and WLAC. i miss london.. cant wait to be back at WLAC in 2 sundays =)
so after service at ET, that means its ROUND 1 OF PLAYOFFS. ahhhhhhh! who knew? first year of seniors, and we finished strong with a 7-3 record, seeding 13! only to find out we're playing a 10th seed team in round 1. how... oh right. cus we had to request sunday, since like more than half the team was at S+E's wedding on sat. dont get me wrong, not bitter nor blaming the weddding. but its just yeah.. haha.. its okay tho. we ended up beating Spirit in round 1 =) so HELLO ROUND 2 AT 5PM. so inbetween those 2 games, we found out that Passionfruit lost to oracles. -_- still hard to believe but yeah.. upsets happen. so at around 4:30-4:45, we were so happy to see PF, Ravens (who just played game at 2pm), and some of Sanctified show up to watch our round 2 game! ROUND 2. thats unheard of! SCAC in srs making it to round 2? is that history right there?!?! yeh! we were facing the 5th seed, Anointed. and they beat PF in the regular season, by 5. but guess what.. we ended up losing by 5 as well. haha.. ah well. it was a great season. well played SG, well played. oh btw, im still sorta buzzin' from a guy grounding out to me. it feels so good =P not to mention SG's IF pulling off about 4 double plays yesterday! SICKK. well, i think only one was a legit 6-4-3 play. the others were 'tag up fails' and we managed to get em out. haha... oh! or leo in LF, gunning someone out at 3b! phil's sliding catch in LF! sam's catches in deeeeep RF! no major injuries... good times!
of course we had to pull an ET and end off with team dinner at pho88 =P
and last but not least, one of THE HIGHLIGHTS of the weekend, was when hazel, wes, and i were arriving at the Turn2 game, we saw these 2 ppl making out. and we were like "ughh.. high schoolers". but when we drove by, we recognized them! HAHAHAHAHA IT WAS HILARIOUS! we were causing such a ruckus in the car, wanting to turn around, and HIGH BEAM them! lmao.. it'll be fun to heckle em for awhile. :D of course, after that 'energizing' moment, one of them hit a triple. wonder what gave him that boost? ;)

what a weekend.. cant believe summer's coming to an end. =( its so chilly now in the mornings/evenings. makes me wanna bring out the hoodies already! and CCSA is over for another season. mm... fall is near!

currently...

2009-08-22T02:12:00.001-05:00

I am smiling like an idiot. =)

end of blog.

okay fine... not the end of blog. but no, it is not Twitter that is causing these short, limited and vague blog entries. it's more so plenty of things happen to me which I think are too personal to be shared on something as public as a blog on blospot ( as it's part of google now, or rather has been for awhile) but as the same time, I wanna make a blog entry so I write something that would remind myself what was the 'happening'. afterall, it is MY blog and blog and I put up whatever I choose. haha.. altho I guess that does defeat the purpose of blogs on the www for all to see. plus I keep my own personal journal (well, can't call it a journal anymore. I only write in if when something worth remembering happens)
hey look! I made a blog post without needing to elaborate the one line or the blog entry before! GG. I win. haha....

Geolocate this post.

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