dineout 2008 - a blur

the weekend was full of cramming for my adobe indesign quiz (which got postponed today due to snow, btw) and eating. it strangely just kinda worked out that way...so I'm going to resort to being a LAZY blogger and just tell you what happened.

1) the irish heather

ok...good. I actually have some photographic evidence for this one...six of us went, which was nice in this circumstance cuz it's really a pub and it was all very casual and lovely. the "decor" is genuinely european - and the wall-sized poster of U2's "Boy" cover upstairs certainly made me feel at home. I enjoyed a selection of their charcuterie, a pork chop on mashed potatoes with braised cabbage (oh my goodness...definite comfort food. I salivate just thinking about it), and their cheese plate (I believe it was camembert, served with apple slices, caramelized onions, and baguette).





2) chambar

I got lazy for this one re: photographic evidence. I also wasn't totally "there" mentally, so that also contributed to no photos. I had spent most of the day in the publishing lab, later to be joined by a friend for some "studying". I discovered that walking around downtown on a Sunday evening in stiletto heels and finding out that many places we wanted to go to were closed is not THAT fun(I'm thinking of you, Muzi Tea! Book Warehouse! grr!). when we got to chambar and still had to wait 20 minutes...I was a bit pooped. however, the waiter was cute, the food was fab, and most importantly, the libations were delish. I had a cocktail with pear eau de vie in it...Mmmmmm. Belgian fries and belgian beer. Venison carpaccio. Matcha pot de creme with blueberry compote and lemon sable. Yum.

One more to come - with wormball and strawberry ball. Girls night out!=) I'll try to take photos.

White as snow - Jon Foreman

Have mercy on me, oh God
According to Your unfailing love
According to Your great compassion
Blot out my transgressions

Would you create in me a clean heart, oh God?
Restore in me the joy of your salvation

The sacrifices of our God
Are broken in a contrite heart
Against You and You alone have I sinned

Would you create in me a clean heart, oh God?
Restore in me the joy of your salvation

Wash me white as snow and I will be made whole
Wash me white as snow and I will be made whole
Wash me white as snow and I will be made whole

Reflection: I had a terrible night; it was one of those insistences where everything just went to %$#* and I got home discouraged and mildly depressed. I woke up this morning anew however, knowing that God grants us mornings to refresh ourselves and begin again....and how beautiful it is up on the mountain! The frost has permeated nearly everything in sight - I am reminded of His presence as my toes shiver in the briskly cold. I was listening to the above song as I walked into the warmth of the school's halls, and I was suddenly struck with a thought. Jon Foreman writes:

The sacrifices of our God
Are broken in a contrite heart
Against You and You alone have I sinned

I know that passage well, as most Christians do - the one where Jesus says that whenever we forsake to take care of the weakest and poorest of our society, we have forsaken to take care of Him. What struck me as I heard the lyrics though, is that the passage applies to everyone else also. whether it is angering our friend, ignoring a family member, being rude to someone on the bus....those are all sins that we have committed against God and God alone. I don't know if you're having a "DUH!" moment here, reading my thoughts, but it really hit me hard. Maybe it's because it's easier to think, when we commit sins of commission/omission, that we have simply hurt another person. It's a whole other level of accountability when we think that what we've done hurts God...
When I call someone a name, I have done so to Jesus...when I have not kept in touch with my friend, I have ignored the call of God to love...and the list goes on.

Time to head to class - toodleloo.

shocked

at around 2ish, I received a text message from a friend telling me that heath ledger had died, and there was no explanation why. it was weird to hear the news, and certainly surreal, and it reminded me how quickly things can change. change can be instantaneous and immediate - it sure shows how little control humans have on the world.

it was particularly surreal for me because I used to have such a huge crush on the actor. and i know how common it is, in our postmodern society, to have these strange attachments to celebrities...but nonetheless, heath ledger always had a place on my top 10 fav actors list.

I loved almost every moment of the hilarious "10 things I hate about you" (and I stand by it being the best teen flick of the 90s)...and thought his rendition of "can't take my eyes off of you" in the film to still induce butterflies. I even suffered through the TERRIBLE "The Patriot" because of his presence...and thought his performance in Brokeback Mountain to be beautifully subtle yet touching. I'm really looking forward to seeing him play the Joker in "The Dark Knight".

It's truly sad to see such a promising career shortened...his talent on celluloid will be celebrated for a long time to come.

weekend of almost wastefulness

I really wish I was a better steward of my time...but alas, that is not something one can just plainly wish for and get. Gotta work at it.

In all my years of post-secondary, I have never had SUCH A SCREWED UP SCHEDULE. My classes are all either in the afternoon/night...which leaves me to really work at this time stewardship thing. (I know God is laughing at me from up there. Haha to you too!)
I've been finding it tough a) getting used to school after work, and b)actually doing work on days I'm off.

this week has been ultra productive though. I've been waking up early and studying...would go to the gym at about 10am...ticking things off my to-do list, and working at a pace where I could stop and spend time with my dad, and the other dad up there. It was refreshing really, and I hope to continue in this manner...but man, on the weekend, I just crashed. I wanted to do NOTHING...purely NOTHING...had no capacity to think or feel even, and just wanted to exist for no particular reason. It was weird for me...I had never quite felt like this before, and I didn't know how to deal with it. In fact, this story has no happy ending because I haven't quite figured out the answer.

friday night was a good night though. spent time with the girls, celebrating a special 22nd bday for the clumsiest person I know. I made seafood chowder (oh my goodnesssss...it was so good. and I didn't even use cream!) and bought pate from oyama meats @ the granville island market (oh my gooodnnesss...I could eat that stuff with baguette FOREVER...) and a baguette from terra breads. oh yeah..and I made a salad as well. nothing crazily fun happened, but I think we just enjoyed each other's company...even in moments of silence. we talked about school, plans, boys, God, poo, and I think it reaffirmed my recent realization that it is such a blessing to be able to love people. to want to care for someone and to walk with them in this life...that is indeed a gift from God.

in memoriam

Nicholas Kelly, Codey Branch, Nickolas Quinn, Javier Acevedo, Daniel Hains, Justin Cormier, Nathan Cleland, Beth Lord.

may the peace that only God can give bless the community in bathurst, NB.

new TV obsessions

I'm trying really hard to see the writers' strike as some kind of blessing in disguise. on certain days, it's hard, especially when The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, an important source of joy in my pathetic little life, is not as good as it used to be.

frankly, I want to kick the big studios in the nuts as well...I can't deny how much we are moving towards a digital age for television and they have to recognize that soon! it means - pay up!

to showcase this even more, I have been watching old shows that I've missed over the years (not on DVD, but certainly, um, in digital format). the one show that I've been meaning to check out for the longest time has been The West Wing. I'm a little embarrassed to say that my first witness of Aaron Sorkin's written work was Studio 60, which probably explains why I'm so damn impressed with The West Wing.

the great thing about the show is that I'm getting nerdier watching it - so it's not only entertaining, but slightly...slightly....educational as well. The shooting is simply impeccable - the now famous "walk and talk" technique that Sorkin and Schlamme have perfected on the show....creates a pace like no other. although the dialogue is often heavy, it works because the pace of shooting has so much movement. another treat about the show is the absolutely fabulous cast: NOW I know why allison janney won so many awards...the woman is exceptional! rob lowe also makes nice eye candy...=)

one of my "resolutions" for this blog is to make it more educational - I'll start on that another day....

03.11.2007

maybe waiting is the hardest part
anticipating, pacing
hoping in the end that it will all work out

maybe sometimes
all we can do is lay down
our expectations of someone else

putting to rest
what we want to gain
the words that want to be heard
the sweetness yet to be felt

maybe all we need to do
is learn to wait a little while

wait for love
to come around the corner and surprise us

putting to rest
our selfish ambitions
our desire to be accepted
our silly dreams of the way it's supposed to be

guilty pleasures

I admit it...I can be condescending when it comes to tastes regarding food, music, film, television, books, coffee...I ADMIT IT. It's hard, when I love love something, to not try and convince others of the same. And also...it's hard to see the ones I love and care for save their Thursday nights for crap like Grey's Anatomy. I'm working on it, you guys, I really am...trying to save my snarkiness a bit and make life easier on my friends, but when push comes to shove, it's really hard not to tell someone that AVRIL LAVIGNE CAN'T SING.

But I digress.

This post is to put all my incessant talk about what I consider "good" and "cool" down the crapper. This post is about all the horrible and "tasteless" things that I just happen to LOVE with a passion. This post is my way to prevent you from blackmailing me in the future. :)

5. a walk to remember

shane west. mandy moore. a storyline involving teens in love and cancer. the makings of a thought-provoking film, right?

NOT.

but I loved it all - maybe it was the Switchfoot music, maybe it was the way Mandy Moore weeded her way into my tiny little heart...maybe it's cuz I had a crush on Shane West when I was 12. Who knows? Let's just say I've seen it more than twice and the scene where Mandy sings "Only Hope" for the first time still makes me teary-eyed.

4. starbucks maple americano mistos (even better with soy)

so this wouldn't have made the list, like...2 years ago. but since my conversion to all things coffee geeky, I would be ashamed to admit that I still like this drink at an establishment like 49th parallel. I mean...it isn't REALLY coffee if you think about it...

3. filet-o-fish/mcchicken

I'm the least likely person you'd find going to mcdonalds while on the quest for food...I shudder at the thought of a "complete meal" eaten there, especially since I've read "fast food nation" twice. but gosh dang it, if someone offered me a filet-o-fish or mcchicken...I'd take it with open hands.

2. apologize by one republic and timbaland.

the top 40 can be a scary place to find music. but there's something about this extremely emo song that just GETS TO ME. I LOVE IT AND I CAN'T HIDE IT (my itunes "play count" would be indicative of this). the minor chords, the yelling, the catchy beats, the piano tinkling - I LOVE IT ALL! I KNOW ALL THE WORDS. Most awesomemest breakup song.

1. gossip girl

oh upper east siders. you know I love you. the nonchalant serena van der woodsen, the bitchy yet relatable blair waldorf, the glassy-eyed and empty nate archibald...they are the makings of unadulterated guilt. the thing I love most about this show is that it never tries to be more than it is: pure guilty pleasure. puppy love! betrayal! bad wardrobe! amazing wardrobe! hair flipping!

and you know, there's rufus humphrey...who supplies all the eye candy requirements I need on TV. (RUFUS AND LILY FOREVER!)

so that's it, dear readers...I'm going to find myself a hole to die in now.

xoxo!
Chinese Girl

juno - reflections

Juno MacGuff: I think I'm, like, in love with you.
Paulie Bleeker: You mean as friends?
Juno MacGuff: No, I mean, like, for real. 'Cause you're, like, the coolest person I've ever met, and you don't even have to try, you know...
Paulie Bleeker: I try really hard, actually.

Sometimes, movies leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. Sometimes, they don't taste like anything at all. Sometimes, they leave a lovely mark of a satisfied meal. But once in a while, you fall upon a movie that leaves you with a Willy Wonka-esque sense of wonder - it is at once sweet, sour, and everything in between. it even has that extra kick of umami. Juno did that for me.

I think it completely had to do with how relevant it was to me personally...(no, don't worry...I'm not pregnant). sometimes, you're so dwarfed by your circumstances that you're just trying to make it through. yet, you realize through it all that that's what growing up is. Growing up can be this excruciatingly painful process, but you just need to get through it as honestly as you can...no dodging, no running away...but make the best out of the situation given. and also, surrounding yourself with people you love often helps.

sometimes, the most mundane things can contain the greatest treasure of all - finding love in something as everyday as a friendship. Where's the cheese to my macaroni? ;)

little beautiful things (2007 edition)

the trigger of fascination with bob dylan
film geeking out to errol morris - documentary filmmaker whose feet I would gladly wash
juno
"hot dates" with the girls - chu and koo, our love is for reals!
walks with the wormball
jim and pam...reunited, and it feels so good (TV)
worship team screwups and my uncontrolled laughter when they happen
Streams of Justice (SOJ) tent squat - who knew the media would be so kind?
the many friendships made through SOJ production (still wanting that teddy bear hug, poe)
the time traveller's wife (book)
oh yeah - the digital diversity contest! woohoo for "family"!
espresso @ the elysian (oh those sexy cups)
the inner voice of love (book)
SWITCHFOOT CONCERT! who knew hand touching could be so glamorous
SRO surveying
pushing daisies (TV)

the list goes on, and that's the beauty...

and of course, I shouldn't forget -

you! the reader! although clearly most of you lurk - follow in tree's good example already and comment ;) I love you, tree! you're so cool for commenting!

From Juno - Anyone Else But You

You're a part time lover and a full time friend
The monkey on your back is the latest trend
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else...but you.

I kiss you on the brain in the shadow of a train
I kiss you all starry eyed, my body's swinging from side to side
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else...but you.

Here is the church and here is the steeple
We sure are cute for two ugly people
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else...but you.

The pebbles forgive me, the trees forgive me
So why can't, you forgive me?
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else...but you.

You are always trying to keep it real
I'm in love with how you feel
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else...but you.

words cannot describe how much I loved this movie.