Kemis sings Edmund

You have to see this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVvsjty7FPw

heading south

it's final--i'm going to the states this fall. i'll be attending wayne state university in detroit for a 2 year m.a. in speech-language pathology. it's exactly 6 consecutive semesters of coursework and practicum so i'll be done at the end of summer 2008, if all goes according to plan.

i'm excited. as much as i love my family i have wanted to go off on my own for a bit and this is the perfect opportunity. plus it's a great program at an amazing price. since ontario borders michigan, wsu has a "good neighbour policy" where ontario students get to pay the in-state tuition fees. the cost ends up being similar to what i would pay if i were to go to a canadian school.

speaking of which, i did not get into any canadian schools. i wasn't even waitlisted this year, as i was last year. i think the reason for this is that my gpa last year was higher since it didn't include my abysmal last semester marks. anyway, if i add this year's and last year's applications together, i'm 0 for 7 in canada. yet i got into all 5 american schools i applied to. in any case, i'm very thankful i got in anywhere at all and can only attribute it to God's grace.

He reigns!

One of my favourite Easter songs is In Christ Alone. The first time I truly sang the words was while I was on a missions trip to Nashville. We were at Belmont Church where every member of the congregation worships zealously--young and old. The lyrics were particularly powerful to me that day for some reason, and as we sat in the pews singing the 3rd verse I desperately wanted to stand. Just at that moment every member of the congregation jumped to their feet in worship and celebration and tears welled up in my eyes. May we never lose the joy and wonder of Christ's victory.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone! - who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand!

Learn Chinese in 5 minutes...

I found this in my email account. Someone sent it to me when I was in high school and I saved it and forgot about it until now. The first half I found hilarious but the magic wears off a little toward the end.

Are you harboring a fugitive? : "Hu Yu Hai Ding?"
See me A.S.A.P. : "Kum Hia Nao"
Stupid Man : "Dum Gai"
Small Horse : "Tai Ni Po Ni"
Did you go to the beach? : "Wai Yu So Tan?"
I bumped into a coffee table. : "Ai Bang Mai Ni"
I think you need a facelift. : "Chin Tu Fat"
It's very dark in here. : "Wai So Dim?"
Has your flight been delayed? : "Hao Long Wei Ting?"
I thought you were on a diet. : "Wai Yu Mun Ching?"
This is a tow-away zone. : "No Pah King"
Do you know the lyrics to the Macarena? : "Wai Yu Sing Dum Song?"
I got this for free. : "Ai No Pei"
Please, stay a while longer. : "Wai Go Nao?"
Our meeting was scheduled for next week. : "Wai Yu Kum Nao?"
They have arrived. : "Hia Dei Kum"
He's cleaning his automobile. : "Wa Shing Ka"

throwing stones

SWEEEEEP!!! HURRRRRRYY!!!!

curling is fun. we all have bumps and bruises from slipping on the ice, but they are well worth it. nathan and kelvin were excellent skippers, giving brad gushue a run for his money : P

for more pictures, click here.

a great day

this morning i parallel parked between two cars for the first time since my last driving exam (two years ago?)--and it was perfect! i did it on the first try and under pressure, too, because i could see a car approaching in my rearview mirror. i was so proud i took a picture of it with my camera phone, but i don't know how to get it from there onto my hard drive.

AND i got a second acceptance, this time to the university of vermont! WOW!! i want to go there : P it's in burlington, apparently a beautiful city. it's also close to montreal and it's a good school. it just costs more than clarion. but i'm excited to have options!

i'm pooped

quite a bit happened this past week or so. although some of my recollection is hazy due to my having caught a cold, here are some highlights:

last saturday i went to see lord of the rings at the princess of wales theatre with my family. i had been looking forward to it for several weeks and had had such high hopes for it. it's not that it was terrible, but you just can't compare it to the movies. if i had seen it before seeing the movies, i would probably have loved it. it was four hours long with two intermissions and the theatre was hot and the seats were uncomfortable. the hobbits were amazing, though. before the production even started a bunch of them were on stage catching fireflies and having a party. their dances made me laugh, too.

i came home from work on tuesday and read a note that my mom had left for me. while i was out, clarion university in pennsylvania had called informing me of my acceptance into their master's program! it was totally unexpected and i didn't even fully appreciate it at the time b/c i wasn't feeling that well and just wanted to sleep. but i now acknowledge that it is by God's grace alone that i got into this program. it definitely wasn't on my own merit. if you knew what my gpa is and the average gpa of those who get into speech-language pathology, you would have to agree that God has been very very gracious. i haven't heard from other schools yet, but i expect to within the next 3 or 4 weeks. very excited to be going to grad school! i had already been working on plan b in case i didn't get into a program: teaching english in hong kong : P

i attended teens conference senior as a coach this year, so i had a busy wednesday and thursday. my co-coach was none other than ray lee, who used to attend jaffray and was one of the founding counsellors of hosanna. it was great to be paired with him--what a wonderful learning experience. the event was humbling in that it made me very aware of my weaknesses and what i need to work on. i still have a lot to learn about mentorship, but i have an awesome example to look to.

that's all for now!