the DNC is here! the DNC is here!

(and now it's pretty much over)

I've been thinking a lot about why canadian politics is so boring compared to U.S politics. there's a lot of buzz around a federal election coming up soon for us, and yet...all I care about is catching the various speeches by obama supporters at the DNC :)

we have a wide diversity in our political landscape...and I wonder, does that make us less polarized? to make a very general statement, perhaps we agree more than disagree for most of the time. think about this:
- the religious right is...um...less crazy here. (which means issues like abortion and gay marriage are not as controversial in canada)
- we have a "diversity" approach versus the "melting pot"
- we don't have much of a military capacity

or...maybe we have really sucky speechwriters for our politicians. and politicians who have little charisma...

welcome to hazelton

5 (probably more) signs congratulating gold medallist carol huynh (sp?)
4 hours spent in the air to and from YVR to Smithers (who knew the province was oh so long...my understanding of B.C geography has grown four-fold too)
3 non-hazelton towns explored (kispiox, gitanyow, kitwanga)
2 trips to the asian-owned new hazelton cafe (they serve singing chicken hotpot!) and 2 friends made
1 highway of tears travelled on and 1 heart still figuring out what the weekend meant

breathing in the toronto air

it's strange to just fly to a place for like...two days. toronto is becoming increasingly familiar and I finally took advantage of the streetcars today. I don't know if I've ever shared this before but I get very...hmmm...emotional/reflective at airports and on airplanes. maybe it's because of having moved a few times, but it's almost like airplanes force me to think about where I am and where I'm supposed to be.

to be honest, the plane ride allowed me the space to think. august has been chaotic and always a tough month because it's really prep time for september. more so than january, september still remains the "new year"...whether that's in ministry/school/volunteering.

one thought I've had as of late...I don't want to be preoccupied with anxiety and frustration when I encounter disappointment or antagonism. I think I'm having one of those "I'm a grown-up now!" moments where I realize how silly and futile anger can be...instead of disagreeing all the time, why don't we work to find decisions/solutions that we can agree on? this is all easier said than done, however...but I'm trying :)

On a conclusionary note, I feel very blessed today. Blessed by worms and wormballs alike. Friends I haven't seen in more than 10 years. Blessed by a God who grants new mercies everyday. To Him be all glory, honour and praise.

Blindness Trailer

whew - just watched this and it gave me some serious chills. I was intrigued (but suspicious) when I heard the book was going to be adapted...but now I'm looking forward to it.

hooray!

after some serious commitment to adobe audition in a windowless booth - I finished my piece on local band World of Science (whose lead singer is David Eby) - you can find it on the R3 home page...scroll down to "It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a moonlighting musician!" :)

food porn - mistral edition 3.0

1 - tartine aux escargots (I LOVE snails. especially french ones.)
2 - saffron bourride w/ prawns, fish, clams and seasonal vegetables
3 - gaufres aux baies sauvages...(mistral has the second best waffle in town. patisserie lebeau is still king in my heart...and chambar/medina's waffle doesn't even come close to these two)

they simply serve the most affordable/delectable french lunch in town. HANDS DOWN. and their service is impeccable. nous avions la chance a parler avec la proprietaire et elle est tellement amicale! :)

more shameless self-advertising

if you want to hear the result of this - then tune in tomorrow morning @ 8:30-ish on 690 AM :)

the benefits of grinding

get your minds out of the gutter folks - the grind I'm referring to is the GROUSE Grind.

this past wednesday, I whined quite loudly to some of my good friends about wanting to do the grind on BC Day. apparently, whining works (gotta try it some more!) and a few of us went up this morning.

I've been wanting to do the grind for a long while now...especially since I've been exercising more regularly. as I was explaining to kq one time - I totally dig the idea of having one set goal and markers along the way to show me my progress.

so I wasn't super prepared (I'll know exactly what to wear next time - but bringing a change of clothes was a lifesaver.), and I was really tired after a long day yesterday, but I was hyped for the challenge!

the first quarter was quite relaxing, but I found the 1/2 mark to 3/4 mark the toughest. it was the first taste of uber-steepness and some ho danger wet rocks (or was that in the last quarter?)....but it really made me think about taking things "a step at a time". to make a cheesy parallel, maybe life is like one long hike. there are moments where you just want to say "f*** it!" but then you're reminded that it's an amazing blessing just to have breath and be able to be on the hike in the first place. and when you do feel like giving up, it's a good idea to simply take things slow...the journey is much less tough when you are aspiring to finish one step at a time - having faith that God will carry you through.

the most memorable part (other than being the only girl going with three boys...I'm so glad though because I can't imagine having to actually converse with someone on the way up...to me, this is a "between me and God" kinda activity), was being almost near the top and realizing that there was sunlight above. as you probably know, grouse hikers are very well shaded throughout the trek...and the sign of the sun means the FINISHING LINE. I quite literally (and purposefully) said "Oh my God" when that moment of realization occurred. In that second, I realized how blessed I was to be alive. :)

i'm looking forward to going back in a few weeks!

sweet taste of summer

i'm so sad that strawberry season is over...these local strawberries were explosions of sweetness :) I can never go back to california strawberries again!