Congratulations, Mel and Jer on your engagement! You two are perfect for each other. And I mean that in a good way. 
Archive for July, 2004
Fall on me, ever so gently
Breathe on, breathe on these dry bones
These dry bones
Shower me in Your love
Washing, washing these filthy stains
These filthy stains
And break these chains
And break these chains
Set me free
Set me free
Set me free
Set me free
“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” James 1:2-4
For no apparent reason, Downhere’s “From Protest to Praise” has become my most-played song for the past few days. As a result, I started listening to the words and, surprisingly, they seem to echo the collection of feelings that I’ve been having lately. Although I’m quite sure of my faith, I don’t profess to know everything there is to know about Christianity. There are still many questions that I have, which I’ll be sure to ask God when I meet Him in Heaven. Lately, I’ve been searching, asking and looking for answers and I feel like I am changing. I’m not sure exactly where I am headed, but I trust that it will be for the better.
I knew the times would come
And now the times have landed
With stinging abrasion
As ready as I seem to be
It’s never like I planned it
I’m wrestling my thoughts, I’m overcome
Would You give me up? I’m asking, Lord
There’s nowhere I sense Your presence here
So I will cry out, until I go
From protest to praise
You’re always amazing me
You’re changing me slow, but surely
And You’re gonna see me to the end
How long will I be forgotten by You forever?
You’re not making sense here
Seems like eternity has made a home between us
I’m wrestling my thoughts, I’m overcome
Would You give me up? I’m asking, Lord
There’s nowhere I sense Your presence here
So I will cry out, until I go
From protest to praise
You’re always amazing me
You’re changing me slow, but surely
And You’re gonna see me to the end
Two weeks ago, my dad left to Montreal for a Yee Fung Toy Association meeting for the weekend. At the same time, my two brothers left to Kidz Kamp - Justin being a counsellor and Maurice being a camper, of course. Mom was at work all the time, so I was mostly alone at home. With no one to monitor my eating habits. So, I embarked on the Anti-Atkins diet.
Although I don’t particularly have any animosity towards Atkins, his new diet fad or his supporters, I don’t support the vilification of carbohydrates. Even though I have never been an Atkins advocate, I often find myself questioning whether or not I should opt for the new, low-carb option at restaurants. Despite my resistance, the low-carb marketing has gotten to me and I want to stop it.
I still maintain that people lose weight from dieting simply because they believe that it will work. Once one is conditioned to believe that the New! Simple! Just Ten Days! Plan! will work, it most likely will. And although there are hordes of Atkins evangelists who claim that the low-carb diet has revolutionized their lives, but there are high-carb diets that seem to work too.
So, for the past two weeks, I’ve been eating a lot of extra carbohydrates. My mom bought a big bag of cheese buns and I ate them all before my brothers got home. I’ve been working away at my loaves of multigrain bread. I’ve been increasing my pasta and rice consumption too. I had a little hiccup in my diet plan when we went to Memphis Blues and had that huge meat platter, but I’ve been pretty high-carb for most meals. I must stress that I’m not trying to lose weight, but rather, I’m making a political statement of sorts.
My conclusion: I haven’t gained any weight. I think that my high-carb, low-protein diet has been good. Maybe it has something to do with its adherence to Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating? It’s surprising that so many people have thrown out what they’ve known since childhood to jump aboard the low-carb fad.
Does anybody want to buy me a Choose Carbs t-shirt?
I finally gave in and dropped off a job application at Starbucks. Although I’m usually quite clear on my dislike for this greedy, multinational corporation, I’ve decided to set aside my bias if it will get me summer employment. However, I must stress that I’m doing it solely for the benefit of my eyes. My optometrist has told me time and time again that if I don’t stop watching television and using the computer so much, my eyes will misshape so badly that they’ll start oozing. Or maybe he just said that I’ll need a stronger prescription. Same thing.
I get the feeling that Starbucks will hire me, just because of the irony. I applied everywhere besides Starbucks, at tutoring centers, offices, restaurants, retail stores, etc. but I only got a call back from the office agency that never found me a job. So here I am, crawling back on my hands and knees.
The Starbucks barista that I talked to happens to be a friend of my brother’s. Hopefully, he’ll put in a good word for me. But since I didn’t even recognize him (he recognized me), it’s doubtful. I don’t think we’ve even met before.
Since I haven’t been to a Starbucks in a while, I took the opportunity to try out one of the new Light Frappuccinos, made with Splenda. Upon first taste, I was surprised that it tasted shockingly like a regular Frappuccino. I walked home with it, pleased that I was getting the taste of the regular drink, but the calories of the slighty healthier version of it. But quickly, the drink started separating and half of it was unappealing, undrinkable bubble froth. I guess it was too good to be true. I’m banking on the hope that Splenda has vitamin A, which will hopefully improve my ever-worsening eyesight.
