Savage Garden - I Don't Know You Anymore

I would like to visit you for a while
Get away and out of this city
Maybe I shouldn't have called but someone had to be the first to break
We can go sit on your back porch, relax
Talk about anything, it don't matter
I'll be courageous if you can pretend that you've forgiven me

Because I don't know you anymore
I don't recognize this place
The picture frames have changed and so has your name
We don't talk much anymore
We keep running from the pain
But what I wouldn't give to see your face again

Springtime in the city
Always such relief from the winter freeze
The snow was more lonely than cold
If you know what I mean
Everyone's got an agenda, don't stop
Keep that chin up, you'll be all right
Can you believe what a year it's been
Are you still the same?
Has your opinion changed?

'Cause I don't know you anymore
I don't recognize this place
The picture frames have changed and so has your name
We don't talk much anymore
We keep running from these sentences
But what I wouldn't give to see your face again

I know I let you down
Again and again
I know I never really treated you right
I've paid the price
I'm still paying for it every day

So maybe I shouldn't have called
Was it too soon to tell?
Oh what the hell
It doesn't really matter
How do you redefine something that never really had a name?
Has your opinion changed?

Because I don't know you anymore
I don't recognize this place
The picture frames have changed and so has your name
We don't talk much anymore
We keep running from the pain
But what I wouldn't give to see your face again

I see your face
I see your face

Encouragement

I guess that kind of crept up to me for the past week or so. Seems like I haven't done much of that ever since I've been submerged into the EngSci community, with so much stress and complaints and swearing being dominant in an overall negative environment. I guess Colluni Winter Retreat was the perfect time for God to give me a nudge at the side to encourage more, and just to realize how powerful they can be to those who need them. The encouragement notes at the retreat was an amazing opportunity to just start something, and praise God for just opening that door. Hopefully, I will strive hard this week to encourage the people I haven't talked much to recently, and for the next coming weeks or so, I will remember my goal to encourage those around me at school with just uplifting words through the stress of the EngSci monster.

The Epic of 2006

So I skipped my 3:00 BIO lecture and CSC laboratory at UT downtown to go all the way back up to church for the Colluni Winter Retreat, but unfortunately the "6PM SHARP" did not register among my fellow campers.........So at 8PM, off we (Tim Li, Andrew, Alison, Alex, me) went into the wilderness in Andrew's car. Travelling on Highway 400, we passed the Wendy's/Tim Hortons, and thought of whether it was our "midway" stop....but no, it wasnt, cuz us chinese ppl love deals, and obviously, the McDeal was a big hit. Then suddenly, off on our left, the McDonalds zipped by.....and from some strange conclusion, we decided that it wasnt THE stop, so we kept going. So after many more KMs, we got to barrie, and got a call that all the cars except ours and Dave's stopped at the McDonalds.....haha, so we decided to go find a nearby McDonalds in Barrie. As we approached the Barrie/400 intersection (Yes, to me, Barrie only has one intersection with 400), a sign said that a McDonalds was just 2km away.....but another McDonalds was off of the Barrie intersection. After 5 zigzags along the lanes decided whether or not to exit, we did exit, and stopped by for our McDeal dinners (well, most of us, cuz fish isnt too satisfying for us hungry asian stomachs). So after our quickie dinner, most notable by Andrew's $0.22 Fillet O'Fish (HAHA, Barrie McDonalds girl cashiers dunno how to press the buttons properly!!!), we went off into the wilderness...and this time, yes, it was wilderness, cuz we were out in the rural, where only darkness surrounded us. Then, the snowstorm came. The blizzard swung into the area, and pretty much made us blind and everybody else invisible, because there was ZERO VISIBILITY. Driving blind was not fun. It was dangerous. But amidst our freaky conversations about possible serial killers jumping out of the wilderness to attack us, we did lighten up the mood, and after many attempts of finding the correct directions, we all arrived at a nearby A&P in Collingwood to ask for the directions we never really found through the snow... (Yes, all 5 of our cars, minus Peter's, somehow met up at the A&P). It was then we got news that Peter's car got stuck at the bottom of the hill, and Pastor Tim's car got stuck at a ditch at the bottom of the hill as well. We needed a solution fast. The solution? Kitty Litter. Yes, kitty litter. Maybe it can give more grip on the ice? I dunno, but off we went. On our way, we passed the entrance, so we tried to do a 3pt turn. Bad idea. Got the front wheels stuck in a ditch, so Dave, Dan, and I tried to LIFT THE SUV out of the ditch. After some rhythmic rocking-of-the-SUV, three orange-jumpsuited muscular white dudes on snowmobiles came to the rescue. The 30-second interrogation was something like this:
Us: Hey!
Them: What the f*** did you guys do?
Us: Um, we got stuck.
Then the three of them plus us three lifted the car. Time duration of lift: 5 seconds.
Us: Thanks alot!
No reply. They drove off.
So yes, we continued our adventure (It was past midnight now), and found the entrance at the bottom of the hill. After spotting the snow covered Honda Accord (Pastor Tim's car) off to the side, the engineers decided that we needed to have at least 30km/h speed to go up the hill. Our SUV and Dave's car got up, and we were safe! YAY! Peter's car made it too somehow. But unfortunately, 3 other cars were still stuck there on the hill. Then there was this one hour break that some of us did at the cabin because we werent the drivers, but at around 3AM, after 2 more cars made it through, a few of us guys volunteered to trek down the hill to help get the last car out. So how did we get Kristen's car up? KITTY LITTER!!! And it worked! We got all the cars, and more importantly, everybody safe!!! Praise God!!!! After the madness, some of us decided to play some "dare-poker". No chips, no pointsystem, just either IN or OUT, with winner daring the loser something. Of course, Sampson and I were the winners, not losing even once during the +1 hour of playing, but the dares did get really really funny! Kisses --> Snow --> Butt biting. Yes, butt biting. I didn't even lose once, but somehow, Gabe's teeth got a chunk of my butt. Still haven't checked for any scars yet, but everything was on video, so.......... nevermind. =)
Yesterday and today was alot of fun at the retreat! We made our own food, and had our own worship sessions, and Pastor Tim spoke 3 messages. The experience was amazing because only 30 of us were up there and the small fellowship made it seem like the Didomi Committee retreat last year. We had an awesome snowball fight and also skeleton/luge/bobsled on shoemats down a steep icy hill (alot of fun!!!)! Also, even though ladybugs were EVERYWHERE in the kitchen, we managed to have a good time scaring the girls with them, as well as just catching them (and for Peter, having one tickle his tongue). God really was with all of us at this retreat. Being with us on Friday night through the snowstorm, being us while we had our fun playing Cranium. Being with us during worship and messages. God really gave us an awesome weekend away from schoolwork and stress. I am very blessed to have had this opportunity to spend time with fellow church uni students away from Toronto. Even though we arrived back in Toronto at 8PM Sunday (3.5 hours late....again, chinese time), all was fun, and all was well. Praise the Lord, for His guidance! and also the fun! (including the butt biting and ladybugs...)

Unfailing Love

Just lift your head.

Here it comes...

yea.....here it comes around the corner...AGAIN... It's the weekend before Valentine's Day...and just like last year's post, I'm sticking up with all my brothers out there man....to just hang in there..... V-day keeps coming, yet it is just an ordinary day as long as you keep it like that. Yea....this time around, I've tasted so much more, but things happen for a reason, and there ain't much you can do. It's just not the right time for many of us, but just hang in there, because one day, God will say "It's the right time", and when He does that, then everything will be right. Life steamrolls its way thru your life, but you can always get back up and continue the race...

im so stupid haha

whats the stupidest thing so far in my uni life? forget ur lab coat on the day of the only bio lab of the whole year....hahah...so i had to run all the way back to rez and back to the lab...in freezing cold winter morning weather! hahahah ah well, at least i made it....but still so stupid

PITTSBURGH STEELERS! SUPERBOWL CHAMPS!

oooooooooo randle el to hines ward?! now that is mad TRICKS! hahahah......congrats to jerome, the bus, bettis and the steelers for winning superbowl!!!! i knew they would win!!! good defense, good offense! hahahah.... very balanced, and cowher wins the superbowl!! yay!!! but whats more important, i actually finished the stupid CSC assignment so i could watch the superbowl! hahahah praise God for giving me a clear mind to work thru the programs! =) yayyyyyyy!!!! haha