Out of town
Rendez-vous with this rag-tag bunch. Should be back late Sunday evening.
Apr 30, 2004
Apr 29, 2004
Weekend Catch-up
Figured I'd better catch up with last weekend before I head into this weekend.
Hung out down at Santana Row with a couple people from church last Friday. It's an overly flashy development, but it's got a lot of patios, and the evening weather was perfect last week.
Three of us had dinner at Pizza Antica, which has good thin crust gourmet pizzas. Food there is simply done, reminiscent of the Italy. Fairly crowded and noisy though. A little pricey, as with everything else in Santana Row, but this is probably one of the more reasonably priced joints in the neighbourhood. 3.5/5.
Sometimes I wonder what makes people 'click'. Is it just a matter of time? Sometimes my time here is reminiscent of the days in Loo. I'd gotten along with CCF people fine, but I guess I just didn't quite click with them as well as my high school friends. I did get to know people a lot better starting in 3B. Scary thought is, it's the middle of my third year down here in Silicon Valley. Time has flown.
We moved over to Left Bank for dessert. A bit of a change of scenery. The place is a french bistro style chain restaurant. We got brisk service from a flustered waitress, but the food quality here is relatively bland, nothing to rave about. 3/5.
Conversation over dinner had spun haphazardly around work and life in general. Conversation over dessert was geared more towards the hospitality ministry at YAF. One thing we've realized is that we've gotten rather lazy at welcoming new people over the past few months. The catch is, of course, being welcoming isn't simply a task, a matter of throwing a switch and pretending to be nice and cheery. People notice if they're greeted with open arms when they step in the door, but promptly ignored the next week because they're no longer the-new-person-you-have-to-be-nice-to. One of the things you learn in college fellowship that can be applied pretty much anywhere.
Came home, went to Safeway, bought 4 lbs of baby back ribs, an onion, a bottle of bbq sauce, two 6-packs of Molson Canadian, and one of those disposable aluminum lasagna trays. They're in the import section here. That's weird. Went back home, cut up the two slabs of ribs into a few more manageable pieces and sliced the onion. Rubbed them down with salt and pepper. Mixed the bbq sauce with a bottle of beer, washed the tray, popped the ribs in the tray and onions and beer-sauce on the ribs. Wrapped it up in foil and stuck it in the fridge.
On Saturday, five of us from the usual suspects finally went hiking at Pinnacles National Monument. It took about two hours to drive down. When got there around 11am in the morning, and the day was warming up. However, there was either breeze or shade through the majority of the trail, it was a comfortable hike.
The first half was mostly flat, with small lizards occasionally scurrying across the path before us. It included a short spelunking expedition down through some caves, which was kinda neat. We covered it pretty quickly, being driven by the picnic area on the east side of the park. However, when we arrived, we discovered that the picnic area had been converted to the residence area for park rangers. A stern looking ranger informed us promptly that we were not to eat on their picnic tables. Obviously not happy campers.
We ended up having lunch under the shade of a tree on the side of the trail. The return trip was a bit longer than the first part of the trail, and much more difficult since it actually had an elevation gain to the top of the hills where the lava rock formations jutted out into the sky. The natural scenery was much more striking than the first half. I was rather tired by the end, and it didn't help that I had left one of my two water bottles in the car. We made it back down to the car by 4:30pm, rested for a little and started the two hour drive back home.
Rested up a bit, headed out for dinner at Straits Cafe in Palo Alto. It's an upscale Singaporean/fusion style restaurant. Arislan has a high school friend doing his PhD in Berkeley, this guy had come to to visit his girlfriend at Stanford, which was why we headed out to Straits. Most of us were too wasted from hiking to chat about anything significant. Food was on par for Straits, which generally pretty good. Their more "normal" dishes with chicken or beef tend to be a bit boring, but since Arislan's friend and his girlfriend were vegetarian, we were limited to vegetable and seafood dishes. Straits seafood dishes are generally pretty well done. From past experience, both their crab dishes are very good, but we passed since those are the most expensive dishes on the menu. The standout dish was the seafood green curry, which definitely had a kick compared to some of their other toned down curries. Waitress was very, very cute. Unfortunately, she was way too pushy, which got annoying fast. Would you like some drinks? Thai Iced Tea, that's great. How about a martini? No? You sure? We have a special martini today blah blah blah... The same for appetizers, main course, and dessert. Would you guys like to any desserts? No? Too full? How about I leave the dessert menu for you to look at, just in case you see something you'd like? The worst was when she came back with the bill, after we had given her 15% tip, because we had a party of 7, and she forgot to put on the 18% gratuity for parties of 6 or more. Pity. 3.5/5 but it could have been a 4 if the waitress wasn't so damn annoying.
Sunday morning, woke up, showered. Grabbed the tray of ribs from the fridge and stuck it in the oven. Put the oven to 225 degrees, and headed off to church. Stayed for lunch at YAF and hospitality team meeting. Got home at 2pm looked at ribs. Still a lot of fluid in the tray, and the ribs were a pale colour, not dark. Hm, I was afraid it would burn since I was gone for 4 hours, so I had set the heat low. Apparently that was too low. Set the oven up to 350 degrees, gave it another hour before I turned it off.
Headed over to FunnyGuy aka shaven_yak_with_down_syndrome's bachelor pad around 5:30pm for the first bbq of the year in California (already had a pseudo bbq in Toronto, where it was really too cold for a real bbq). Unfortunately, spilled some bbq sauce in the car, so my car smells now. Yuck. Totally sucks. Luckily most of it was on the removable floormat. Got there, the grill wasn't even constructed yet, but the place was clean. We had flank steak, tri-tip, ribs, a variety of hot dogs, sausages, homemade guacamole, and a chocolate strawbery cake to finish it off. Also watched Hero afterwards. Very laid back, good times. 4/5.
Figured I'd better catch up with last weekend before I head into this weekend.
Hung out down at Santana Row with a couple people from church last Friday. It's an overly flashy development, but it's got a lot of patios, and the evening weather was perfect last week.
Three of us had dinner at Pizza Antica, which has good thin crust gourmet pizzas. Food there is simply done, reminiscent of the Italy. Fairly crowded and noisy though. A little pricey, as with everything else in Santana Row, but this is probably one of the more reasonably priced joints in the neighbourhood. 3.5/5.
Sometimes I wonder what makes people 'click'. Is it just a matter of time? Sometimes my time here is reminiscent of the days in Loo. I'd gotten along with CCF people fine, but I guess I just didn't quite click with them as well as my high school friends. I did get to know people a lot better starting in 3B. Scary thought is, it's the middle of my third year down here in Silicon Valley. Time has flown.
We moved over to Left Bank for dessert. A bit of a change of scenery. The place is a french bistro style chain restaurant. We got brisk service from a flustered waitress, but the food quality here is relatively bland, nothing to rave about. 3/5.
Conversation over dinner had spun haphazardly around work and life in general. Conversation over dessert was geared more towards the hospitality ministry at YAF. One thing we've realized is that we've gotten rather lazy at welcoming new people over the past few months. The catch is, of course, being welcoming isn't simply a task, a matter of throwing a switch and pretending to be nice and cheery. People notice if they're greeted with open arms when they step in the door, but promptly ignored the next week because they're no longer the-new-person-you-have-to-be-nice-to. One of the things you learn in college fellowship that can be applied pretty much anywhere.
Came home, went to Safeway, bought 4 lbs of baby back ribs, an onion, a bottle of bbq sauce, two 6-packs of Molson Canadian, and one of those disposable aluminum lasagna trays. They're in the import section here. That's weird. Went back home, cut up the two slabs of ribs into a few more manageable pieces and sliced the onion. Rubbed them down with salt and pepper. Mixed the bbq sauce with a bottle of beer, washed the tray, popped the ribs in the tray and onions and beer-sauce on the ribs. Wrapped it up in foil and stuck it in the fridge.
On Saturday, five of us from the usual suspects finally went hiking at Pinnacles National Monument. It took about two hours to drive down. When got there around 11am in the morning, and the day was warming up. However, there was either breeze or shade through the majority of the trail, it was a comfortable hike.
The first half was mostly flat, with small lizards occasionally scurrying across the path before us. It included a short spelunking expedition down through some caves, which was kinda neat. We covered it pretty quickly, being driven by the picnic area on the east side of the park. However, when we arrived, we discovered that the picnic area had been converted to the residence area for park rangers. A stern looking ranger informed us promptly that we were not to eat on their picnic tables. Obviously not happy campers.
We ended up having lunch under the shade of a tree on the side of the trail. The return trip was a bit longer than the first part of the trail, and much more difficult since it actually had an elevation gain to the top of the hills where the lava rock formations jutted out into the sky. The natural scenery was much more striking than the first half. I was rather tired by the end, and it didn't help that I had left one of my two water bottles in the car. We made it back down to the car by 4:30pm, rested for a little and started the two hour drive back home.
Rested up a bit, headed out for dinner at Straits Cafe in Palo Alto. It's an upscale Singaporean/fusion style restaurant. Arislan has a high school friend doing his PhD in Berkeley, this guy had come to to visit his girlfriend at Stanford, which was why we headed out to Straits. Most of us were too wasted from hiking to chat about anything significant. Food was on par for Straits, which generally pretty good. Their more "normal" dishes with chicken or beef tend to be a bit boring, but since Arislan's friend and his girlfriend were vegetarian, we were limited to vegetable and seafood dishes. Straits seafood dishes are generally pretty well done. From past experience, both their crab dishes are very good, but we passed since those are the most expensive dishes on the menu. The standout dish was the seafood green curry, which definitely had a kick compared to some of their other toned down curries. Waitress was very, very cute. Unfortunately, she was way too pushy, which got annoying fast. Would you like some drinks? Thai Iced Tea, that's great. How about a martini? No? You sure? We have a special martini today blah blah blah... The same for appetizers, main course, and dessert. Would you guys like to any desserts? No? Too full? How about I leave the dessert menu for you to look at, just in case you see something you'd like? The worst was when she came back with the bill, after we had given her 15% tip, because we had a party of 7, and she forgot to put on the 18% gratuity for parties of 6 or more. Pity. 3.5/5 but it could have been a 4 if the waitress wasn't so damn annoying.
Sunday morning, woke up, showered. Grabbed the tray of ribs from the fridge and stuck it in the oven. Put the oven to 225 degrees, and headed off to church. Stayed for lunch at YAF and hospitality team meeting. Got home at 2pm looked at ribs. Still a lot of fluid in the tray, and the ribs were a pale colour, not dark. Hm, I was afraid it would burn since I was gone for 4 hours, so I had set the heat low. Apparently that was too low. Set the oven up to 350 degrees, gave it another hour before I turned it off.
Headed over to FunnyGuy aka shaven_yak_with_down_syndrome's bachelor pad around 5:30pm for the first bbq of the year in California (already had a pseudo bbq in Toronto, where it was really too cold for a real bbq). Unfortunately, spilled some bbq sauce in the car, so my car smells now. Yuck. Totally sucks. Luckily most of it was on the removable floormat. Got there, the grill wasn't even constructed yet, but the place was clean. We had flank steak, tri-tip, ribs, a variety of hot dogs, sausages, homemade guacamole, and a chocolate strawbery cake to finish it off. Also watched Hero afterwards. Very laid back, good times. 4/5.
Apr 27, 2004
On rotation: Warning Sign - Coldplay
A warning sign
I missed the good part then I realized
I started looking and the bubble burst
I started looking for excuses
Come on in
I've got to tell you what a state I'm in
I've got to tell you in my loudest tones
That I started looking for a warning sign
When the truth is
I miss you
Yeah the truth is
That I miss you so
A warning sign
You came back to haunt me and I realized
That you were an island and I passed you by
And You were an island to discover
Come on in
I've got to tell you what a state I'm in
I've got to tell you in my loudest tones
That I started looking for a warning sign
When the truth is
I miss you
Yeah the truth is
That I miss you so
And I'm tired
I should not have let you go
So I crawl back into your open arms
Yes I crawl back into your open arms
And I crawl back into your open arms
Yes I crawl back into your open arms
A warning sign
I missed the good part then I realized
I started looking and the bubble burst
I started looking for excuses
Come on in
I've got to tell you what a state I'm in
I've got to tell you in my loudest tones
That I started looking for a warning sign
When the truth is
I miss you
Yeah the truth is
That I miss you so
A warning sign
You came back to haunt me and I realized
That you were an island and I passed you by
And You were an island to discover
Come on in
I've got to tell you what a state I'm in
I've got to tell you in my loudest tones
That I started looking for a warning sign
When the truth is
I miss you
Yeah the truth is
That I miss you so
And I'm tired
I should not have let you go
So I crawl back into your open arms
Yes I crawl back into your open arms
And I crawl back into your open arms
Yes I crawl back into your open arms
Apr 19, 2004
Weekend Review
Haven't done this review thing in a while. That's not to say I haven't been out much. A while back, I finally got to go to Chez Panisse, which was great. Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen was pretty good too.
It's funny how good food is a form of escapism in itself. For a little while, a period of a meal, you can forget about your stress. Or if not, it seems a little bit more manageable. The world seems a little more structured. Things actually go your way, you ask for food, and you get it. For a little while at least. I guess that's why it's escapism, because it's temporary.
This past Saturday, our whole crew went up to Raffles Cafe in Fremont. There were 12 of us. The food was decent, a little more homestyle than Banana Leaf, the other Malaysian/Singaporean restaurant we frequent. However, the service was abysmal. This restaurant seriously needs to rethink its service. It prepares a meal at a time, meaning that after we ordered, we had to wait an hour and a half, watching the food trickle out for our neighbouring table (which also happened to be a large group). Furthermore, the satay appetizers we ordered never appeared, we had to ask thrice before we were finally told that they were out. In the end, we cancelled about a quarter of the dishes because we were tired of waiting, and not having your food come out two and a half hours after ordering seemed rather ridiculous. Food wasn't bad, some dishes were pretty good. But the service gives this place a 2/5.
On Sunday, I had to swing by San Francisco on an errand, which seemed to be excuse enough to try out Cesar's tapas bar in Berkeley. I should have figured it'd be rather upscale since it was next door to Chez Panisse. Most patrons were well dressed, although it was casual enough for a few sweatshirt and jeans types, but most definitely not a college crowd as I was expecting. Food was quite good, but overpriced for the very small plates. I guess you're paying for ambience here.
morcilla & mushrooms: morcilla being a spanish blood sausage. real black and ugly looking, but good tasting.
batter-fried asparagus with lemon allioli: perfect texture, but rather bland, and way overpriced at $6.75 for 4 spears.
orange & avocado salad with orange-red wine vinaigrette: ugly looking green blob, but very good. recommended.
a plate of jamon serrano with almond stuffed olives: sliced dried ham, flavour reminiscent of the chinese ham they put in soups. quite good, but salty.
gambas a la plancha: salted and fried shrimp, like chinese pepper/salt shrimp. good, but way overpriced at $9.75 for six shrimp. Overall quite good, but only 3/5 given the price.
Haven't done this review thing in a while. That's not to say I haven't been out much. A while back, I finally got to go to Chez Panisse, which was great. Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen was pretty good too.
It's funny how good food is a form of escapism in itself. For a little while, a period of a meal, you can forget about your stress. Or if not, it seems a little bit more manageable. The world seems a little more structured. Things actually go your way, you ask for food, and you get it. For a little while at least. I guess that's why it's escapism, because it's temporary.
This past Saturday, our whole crew went up to Raffles Cafe in Fremont. There were 12 of us. The food was decent, a little more homestyle than Banana Leaf, the other Malaysian/Singaporean restaurant we frequent. However, the service was abysmal. This restaurant seriously needs to rethink its service. It prepares a meal at a time, meaning that after we ordered, we had to wait an hour and a half, watching the food trickle out for our neighbouring table (which also happened to be a large group). Furthermore, the satay appetizers we ordered never appeared, we had to ask thrice before we were finally told that they were out. In the end, we cancelled about a quarter of the dishes because we were tired of waiting, and not having your food come out two and a half hours after ordering seemed rather ridiculous. Food wasn't bad, some dishes were pretty good. But the service gives this place a 2/5.
On Sunday, I had to swing by San Francisco on an errand, which seemed to be excuse enough to try out Cesar's tapas bar in Berkeley. I should have figured it'd be rather upscale since it was next door to Chez Panisse. Most patrons were well dressed, although it was casual enough for a few sweatshirt and jeans types, but most definitely not a college crowd as I was expecting. Food was quite good, but overpriced for the very small plates. I guess you're paying for ambience here.
morcilla & mushrooms: morcilla being a spanish blood sausage. real black and ugly looking, but good tasting.
batter-fried asparagus with lemon allioli: perfect texture, but rather bland, and way overpriced at $6.75 for 4 spears.
orange & avocado salad with orange-red wine vinaigrette: ugly looking green blob, but very good. recommended.
a plate of jamon serrano with almond stuffed olives: sliced dried ham, flavour reminiscent of the chinese ham they put in soups. quite good, but salty.
gambas a la plancha: salted and fried shrimp, like chinese pepper/salt shrimp. good, but way overpriced at $9.75 for six shrimp. Overall quite good, but only 3/5 given the price.
Apr 17, 2004
Here is an interesting synchronicity. Maybe there is something about July... (cue in Travolta and Newton-John's conclusion of "Summer Nights")
Addendum: someone's blog template doesn't allow linking to individual entries because they're not named. You'll have to manually scroll down to the April 10th entry on the second link.
Addendum: someone's blog template doesn't allow linking to individual entries because they're not named. You'll have to manually scroll down to the April 10th entry on the second link.
Apr 14, 2004
Apr 13, 2004
Back to Reality
Main Entry: pro?found
Pronunciation: pr&-'faund, prO-
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French profond deep, from Latin profundus, from pro- before + fundus bottom -- more at PRO-, BOTTOM
1 a : having intellectual depth and insight b : difficult to fathom or understand
2 a : extending far below the surface b : coming from, reaching to, or situated at a depth : DEEP-SEATED (a profound sigh)
3 a : characterized by intensity of feeling or quality b : all encompassing : COMPLETE (profound sleep)
- pro?found?ly /-'faun(d)-lE/ adverb
- pro?found?ness /-'faun(d)-n&s/ noun
I think everyone desires depth in their lives. Well, I can only speak for myself really. Somewhere deep inside I'm looking for a level of profundity in my relationships with people, the things I do, the experiences I find myself in. I prefer a few close friends than many shallow friendships. A part of me chides myself about meaningless work while the other side of me thoroughly enjoys it. It's the same part that disapproves of cheap thrills while the other half is looking for the next adrenaline rush. Generally, the other half tries to dismiss him as raising a ruckus. Who needs all the drama of internal conflict anyways? Isn't it just easier to have things clean and simple and open to all, rather than buried in one deep mess? One of my friends describes life as being inherently trivial, but even that indicates that there's a desire for something more. Each person wants to be individual and special, but in reality everyone's the same. I think everyone desires depth in their lives.
Toronto was fun this past weekend. The idea of friendship popped up a lot.
Had lunch on Friday with a bunch of old high school friends. It's been a long time since I've seen many of them. We were all pretty similar back then. We each had our own slant, but we really weren't that different from each other. Now it seems like we're worlds apart.
Babysat on Saturday for the first time. Our relationship started off pretty rough, she didn't want anything to do with me. She warmed up eventually. I'd like to think that it's something about me, but I suspect it's really because I was the only guy around. I was the one with the bottle. In the end, when she fell asleep on me, I couldn't help wondering how she'd grow up. I pray that she'd be wise and kind and compassionate and beautiful. Like her mom, but even better. I wonder what it's like to be a parent. It must be tough seeing all the shit in the world and just praying that you can teach this one right.
Besides that there was a lot of time just hanging out with friends over the easter weekend. Time at church together, eating, drinking. I felt just at home, with my family. This is what I'm used to, this is where I fit in, just like everyone else.
On the flight home, for the first time in a while, I drew up a list. People and things to pray for. It was longer than I expected. It had quite a few things I had forgotten about, but I guess I was reminded of this weekend. People and things that I have ignored for a long time, just because I haven't seen them, they might as well have stopped existing. But they were still there. I think that's the point of Easter. It's been 2000 years. To be frank, I don't see God every day. I know he's there. But sometimes He might as well not be until I'm reminded by the bread and the wine, eating, drinking. It's like the open tomb. It's there and empty unless we are reminded what it stood for.
When I got back I found something else to add to the list. Please pray for Renee's dad, his health is poor. And pray her family too.
I had a good weekend. Thanks.
It seemed like I was on the edge of something profound. But something was missing.
Main Entry: pro?found
Pronunciation: pr&-'faund, prO-
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French profond deep, from Latin profundus, from pro- before + fundus bottom -- more at PRO-, BOTTOM
1 a : having intellectual depth and insight b : difficult to fathom or understand
2 a : extending far below the surface b : coming from, reaching to, or situated at a depth : DEEP-SEATED (a profound sigh)
3 a : characterized by intensity of feeling or quality b : all encompassing : COMPLETE (profound sleep)
- pro?found?ly /-'faun(d)-lE/ adverb
- pro?found?ness /-'faun(d)-n&s/ noun
I think everyone desires depth in their lives. Well, I can only speak for myself really. Somewhere deep inside I'm looking for a level of profundity in my relationships with people, the things I do, the experiences I find myself in. I prefer a few close friends than many shallow friendships. A part of me chides myself about meaningless work while the other side of me thoroughly enjoys it. It's the same part that disapproves of cheap thrills while the other half is looking for the next adrenaline rush. Generally, the other half tries to dismiss him as raising a ruckus. Who needs all the drama of internal conflict anyways? Isn't it just easier to have things clean and simple and open to all, rather than buried in one deep mess? One of my friends describes life as being inherently trivial, but even that indicates that there's a desire for something more. Each person wants to be individual and special, but in reality everyone's the same. I think everyone desires depth in their lives.
Toronto was fun this past weekend. The idea of friendship popped up a lot.
Had lunch on Friday with a bunch of old high school friends. It's been a long time since I've seen many of them. We were all pretty similar back then. We each had our own slant, but we really weren't that different from each other. Now it seems like we're worlds apart.
Babysat on Saturday for the first time. Our relationship started off pretty rough, she didn't want anything to do with me. She warmed up eventually. I'd like to think that it's something about me, but I suspect it's really because I was the only guy around. I was the one with the bottle. In the end, when she fell asleep on me, I couldn't help wondering how she'd grow up. I pray that she'd be wise and kind and compassionate and beautiful. Like her mom, but even better. I wonder what it's like to be a parent. It must be tough seeing all the shit in the world and just praying that you can teach this one right.
Besides that there was a lot of time just hanging out with friends over the easter weekend. Time at church together, eating, drinking. I felt just at home, with my family. This is what I'm used to, this is where I fit in, just like everyone else.
On the flight home, for the first time in a while, I drew up a list. People and things to pray for. It was longer than I expected. It had quite a few things I had forgotten about, but I guess I was reminded of this weekend. People and things that I have ignored for a long time, just because I haven't seen them, they might as well have stopped existing. But they were still there. I think that's the point of Easter. It's been 2000 years. To be frank, I don't see God every day. I know he's there. But sometimes He might as well not be until I'm reminded by the bread and the wine, eating, drinking. It's like the open tomb. It's there and empty unless we are reminded what it stood for.
When I got back I found something else to add to the list. Please pray for Renee's dad, his health is poor. And pray her family too.
I had a good weekend. Thanks.
It seemed like I was on the edge of something profound. But something was missing.
Mar 31, 2004
Anime on the Web
Some entertaining stuff from Studio Tanuki. First there's the flash based Pin-pin Le Lapin movie, then there's the Catfish hotel Quicktime movie.
Some entertaining stuff from Studio Tanuki. First there's the flash based Pin-pin Le Lapin movie, then there's the Catfish hotel Quicktime movie.
Mar 28, 2004
Cried Wolf
I don't really know who reads this blog out there. I've purposely not put up any sort of commenting system because I like the mystery of not really knowing. Just one of my quirks.
However, I have had a number of comments about the last entry, and I do owe an apology to everyone who was genuinely worried about me. Something that was intended to be sort of tongue-in-cheek if you know what's going on can come across pretty differently if you don't know what it's referring to. Being annoyingly vague doesn't help.
Great start of the day came from hanging out with a friend I haven't seen for quite a while. We had lunch in San Francisco and walked around aimlessly downtown for a couple of hours before I dropped him off at the airport. I've missed his company without even realizing it.
However, I ruined my own evening with my lack of "mad skillz" (actually, any skills at all). I was, in fact, genuinely angry at myself. Sufficiently angry so that the intended melodrama of my blog came out more dramatic than intended. Unfortunately, I made it sound like my world was ending. Ladies and gentlemen, Exhibit A also known as "Why do we always hurt the ones we love?":
I don't really know who reads this blog out there. I've purposely not put up any sort of commenting system because I like the mystery of not really knowing. Just one of my quirks.
However, I have had a number of comments about the last entry, and I do owe an apology to everyone who was genuinely worried about me. Something that was intended to be sort of tongue-in-cheek if you know what's going on can come across pretty differently if you don't know what it's referring to. Being annoyingly vague doesn't help.
Great start of the day came from hanging out with a friend I haven't seen for quite a while. We had lunch in San Francisco and walked around aimlessly downtown for a couple of hours before I dropped him off at the airport. I've missed his company without even realizing it.
However, I ruined my own evening with my lack of "mad skillz" (actually, any skills at all). I was, in fact, genuinely angry at myself. Sufficiently angry so that the intended melodrama of my blog came out more dramatic than intended. Unfortunately, I made it sound like my world was ending. Ladies and gentlemen, Exhibit A also known as "Why do we always hurt the ones we love?":
Mar 27, 2004
Mar 14, 2004
Mar 13, 2004
Writer's Block
I think for most of my life, Bible reading (apart from group Bible studies, and prepartion for Bible studies) usually amounts to either reading through a few verses for daily inspiration, or reading through an entire book as one would read a novel.
Sitting down and really studying as part of the intern program has been tough but rewarding in many ways. On one hand, having a mandatory study schedule can easily make study a chore. Study can also turn the Word of God into an academic text, the way an academic study of Shakespeare can take the joy away from reading the literature. Finally, it is a constant challenge not to interpret scripture in manner that is suitable for myself.
On the flip side, in recent weeks, I've been finding moments of joy in staring blankly at a Psalm, not knowing what to write, praying in frustration, and eventually over hours or days, seeing a beautiful relationship with God among the lines of poetry.
So as I myself have nothing to write now, here's Psalm 32:
I think for most of my life, Bible reading (apart from group Bible studies, and prepartion for Bible studies) usually amounts to either reading through a few verses for daily inspiration, or reading through an entire book as one would read a novel.
Sitting down and really studying as part of the intern program has been tough but rewarding in many ways. On one hand, having a mandatory study schedule can easily make study a chore. Study can also turn the Word of God into an academic text, the way an academic study of Shakespeare can take the joy away from reading the literature. Finally, it is a constant challenge not to interpret scripture in manner that is suitable for myself.
On the flip side, in recent weeks, I've been finding moments of joy in staring blankly at a Psalm, not knowing what to write, praying in frustration, and eventually over hours or days, seeing a beautiful relationship with God among the lines of poetry.
So as I myself have nothing to write now, here's Psalm 32:
How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away
Through my groaning all day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.
I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD";
And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.
Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.
You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.
Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
Mar 10, 2004
Canadian Traditions
Here's to a man who had a worthy invention. Imagine that, being known as "The Man Who Invented Poutine"!
Here's to a man who had a worthy invention. Imagine that, being known as "The Man Who Invented Poutine"!
Mar 7, 2004
Forever the optimist
Working in the States made me actually proud to be Canadian, and I'm not one for nationalism. Reading the Star lately has been a depressing pasttime, with everything that's been going on in Toronto. Random shootings and murders definitely tops the list, especially since San Jose's been running with the title of the safest large city in the US for the past few years. Sometimes I wonder whether it'll still be a place I'll want to move back to.
But to be honest, even if I was in Toronto, I don't know what I'd do. Would I simply dismiss the problem because it's out in Scarborough and not at my doorstep? Do I tell myself it's just a problem with the projects? Would I actually get off my ass and do something about it? Maybe it's time to write a letter to a politician (or am I too cynical to believe that does anything?)
Even Ellie's tip of the day today was depressing (although I must admit it makes it more interesting than the everyday cheery fluff).
Tip of the Day: Waiting for someone to love you is rarely worth the reward.
Working in the States made me actually proud to be Canadian, and I'm not one for nationalism. Reading the Star lately has been a depressing pasttime, with everything that's been going on in Toronto. Random shootings and murders definitely tops the list, especially since San Jose's been running with the title of the safest large city in the US for the past few years. Sometimes I wonder whether it'll still be a place I'll want to move back to.
But to be honest, even if I was in Toronto, I don't know what I'd do. Would I simply dismiss the problem because it's out in Scarborough and not at my doorstep? Do I tell myself it's just a problem with the projects? Would I actually get off my ass and do something about it? Maybe it's time to write a letter to a politician (or am I too cynical to believe that does anything?)
Even Ellie's tip of the day today was depressing (although I must admit it makes it more interesting than the everyday cheery fluff).
Tip of the Day: Waiting for someone to love you is rarely worth the reward.
Feb 29, 2004
Just some thoughts
If one considers 40 hours as a normal work week, I normally work a lot. This week somehow, has been brutal in comparison. It's been a slowly slipping release schedule with last minute bugs showing up due to last minute features that were crammed in. Three week ago it was "we're almost done, we just need these final features added". You try to get the job done and juggle life on the side. Two weeks ago it was "we're almost done, but we need these bugs fixed by Monday". So you put down everything else, and crank away till it's done. This past week it's been "we just found a new bug, we need it fixed in two hours... oh we found another one please fix it by tonite... oh one last one, we need it fixed first thing tomorrow morning", then when you wake up "ok, can you just add this tweak, we need it before lunch". Drag that on for a week where it's every waking moment and it gets tiring pretty quick.
Anyways, enough bitching about that, I tied it all up on Friday, left after dinner, and didn't check email again. I didn't write a paper today. I didn't write about what David felt as he fled pursuers who were trying to kill him. I don't have people trying to kill me. I don't have a kingship to fulfill. I'm just incredibly tired.
I woke up at 5:30am today and left the apartment shortly after six with my snowboard. It took us 3.5 hours to drive up to Kirkwood in South Lake Tahoe. I fulfilled my sense of tradition by having a bacon and egg bagel meal with orange juice at McDonald's for breakfast. I marvelled at the beauty and grandeur of the snow covered Sierras. We cursed at the 45 min long drive into the parking lot. I marvelled at the beauty and grandeur of the snow covered Sierras. For five hours I was focused on sound of the carve through the groomed packed snow as I leaned into it, the silence when gliding swiftly through the fresh powder among the trees, or the satisfying pfwop as I practiced landing jumps, and the peace and solitude riding the chairlift.
Unlike the drive up, we were all awake on the drive home. We talked about pee and poop and farting. We talked about society and greed and capitalism and altruism and socialism and sex. We talked about relationships and racism and evolution and aliens and family and why America is a f!@#ed up place.
In the end I'm thinking a few things. I'm glad I don't have to be at home writing a paper on a psalm to see God. I'm glad I've been reminded why the world needs Him. I'm glad I've been reminded why my friends need him. I'm glad He's given me my friends. I'm glad some of them actually want to go see this movie, The Passion of Christ. I'm glad that Mel Gibson made this movie as much as I'm glad I didn't have to fulfill my supposedly evangelical duty to market a movie to my friends. I'm glad that the essence of the psalms, worshipping God in art, has not ceased in this century. I'm glad I've been taught faith. I'm glad I've been given grace. I'm glad I've been shown rest.
Addendum: I checked my email. Boss said thanks. That made me glad too.
If one considers 40 hours as a normal work week, I normally work a lot. This week somehow, has been brutal in comparison. It's been a slowly slipping release schedule with last minute bugs showing up due to last minute features that were crammed in. Three week ago it was "we're almost done, we just need these final features added". You try to get the job done and juggle life on the side. Two weeks ago it was "we're almost done, but we need these bugs fixed by Monday". So you put down everything else, and crank away till it's done. This past week it's been "we just found a new bug, we need it fixed in two hours... oh we found another one please fix it by tonite... oh one last one, we need it fixed first thing tomorrow morning", then when you wake up "ok, can you just add this tweak, we need it before lunch". Drag that on for a week where it's every waking moment and it gets tiring pretty quick.
Anyways, enough bitching about that, I tied it all up on Friday, left after dinner, and didn't check email again. I didn't write a paper today. I didn't write about what David felt as he fled pursuers who were trying to kill him. I don't have people trying to kill me. I don't have a kingship to fulfill. I'm just incredibly tired.
I woke up at 5:30am today and left the apartment shortly after six with my snowboard. It took us 3.5 hours to drive up to Kirkwood in South Lake Tahoe. I fulfilled my sense of tradition by having a bacon and egg bagel meal with orange juice at McDonald's for breakfast. I marvelled at the beauty and grandeur of the snow covered Sierras. We cursed at the 45 min long drive into the parking lot. I marvelled at the beauty and grandeur of the snow covered Sierras. For five hours I was focused on sound of the carve through the groomed packed snow as I leaned into it, the silence when gliding swiftly through the fresh powder among the trees, or the satisfying pfwop as I practiced landing jumps, and the peace and solitude riding the chairlift.
Unlike the drive up, we were all awake on the drive home. We talked about pee and poop and farting. We talked about society and greed and capitalism and altruism and socialism and sex. We talked about relationships and racism and evolution and aliens and family and why America is a f!@#ed up place.
In the end I'm thinking a few things. I'm glad I don't have to be at home writing a paper on a psalm to see God. I'm glad I've been reminded why the world needs Him. I'm glad I've been reminded why my friends need him. I'm glad He's given me my friends. I'm glad some of them actually want to go see this movie, The Passion of Christ. I'm glad that Mel Gibson made this movie as much as I'm glad I didn't have to fulfill my supposedly evangelical duty to market a movie to my friends. I'm glad that the essence of the psalms, worshipping God in art, has not ceased in this century. I'm glad I've been taught faith. I'm glad I've been given grace. I'm glad I've been shown rest.
Addendum: I checked my email. Boss said thanks. That made me glad too.
Feb 27, 2004
Feb 23, 2004
Was it something I ate?
Massive insomnia. Was working on my paper for this week (I am SO far behind), but I didn't get far. It's one of those passages where I'm looking at it and I don't actually have much to add that doesn't seem obvious already. Anyways, switched away from that to working on the project I'm working on for work. Before you know it, it's 4am, and I still don't feel particularly tired.
On the other hand, I do have a 10am meeting, and I don't think I'll be particularly awake by that time, so I probably should try to sleep. We'll see how well that goes.
Massive insomnia. Was working on my paper for this week (I am SO far behind), but I didn't get far. It's one of those passages where I'm looking at it and I don't actually have much to add that doesn't seem obvious already. Anyways, switched away from that to working on the project I'm working on for work. Before you know it, it's 4am, and I still don't feel particularly tired.
On the other hand, I do have a 10am meeting, and I don't think I'll be particularly awake by that time, so I probably should try to sleep. We'll see how well that goes.
Feb 22, 2004
Dinner
I cooked for myself today, a rather extraordinary since I never cook. Actually, I had a bunch of leftover vegetables from last week that were starting to wilt, and if I didn't do something with them today, they'd be destined to compost in my fridge until I remembered they were there. Oh, and as an appetizer, I noticed that the roots on onions and leeks closely resemble a bunch of maggots peering out of the end of the vegetables. Yum.
Cooking time 3hrs
1 onion
1 large sorrento pepper
1 tomato
1 package enoki mushrooms
2 leeks
3 cloves of garlic
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 dried bay leaves
1 lb of stewing beef
1/4 bottle of white wine
1/4 bottle of pomegranate juice
soy sauce
small bunch of fresh cilantro
black pepper
white pepper
salt
water
1. Chop up onion, garlic, leeks and sautee in a pot with olive oil until tender
2. Marinate the beef in soy sauce and black pepper.
3. Chop up tomato, and cilantro, and make a lengthwise cut along the pepper. Add all three to pot, along with thyme, cilantro, bay leaves, a sprinkling of white pepper, 1/4 bottle of white wine and fill the pot halfway with water. Bring to a boil and let cook for an hour, or until water level has dropped to about the same level as the vegetables.
4. Stir in the beef and marinade, pomegranate juice, and mushrooms. Add a bit of water to ensure that the contents don't dry out. Cook for an additional 2 hours on low heat. Stir occasionally and add water if it appears to be too dry for a stew.
5. Add salt to taste a few minutes before serving.
It was actually pretty good. You might not want to add the pepper if you don't like spicy foods, but it adds a wonderful kick.
I cooked for myself today, a rather extraordinary since I never cook. Actually, I had a bunch of leftover vegetables from last week that were starting to wilt, and if I didn't do something with them today, they'd be destined to compost in my fridge until I remembered they were there. Oh, and as an appetizer, I noticed that the roots on onions and leeks closely resemble a bunch of maggots peering out of the end of the vegetables. Yum.
Cooking time 3hrs
1 onion
1 large sorrento pepper
1 tomato
1 package enoki mushrooms
2 leeks
3 cloves of garlic
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 dried bay leaves
1 lb of stewing beef
1/4 bottle of white wine
1/4 bottle of pomegranate juice
soy sauce
small bunch of fresh cilantro
black pepper
white pepper
salt
water
1. Chop up onion, garlic, leeks and sautee in a pot with olive oil until tender
2. Marinate the beef in soy sauce and black pepper.
3. Chop up tomato, and cilantro, and make a lengthwise cut along the pepper. Add all three to pot, along with thyme, cilantro, bay leaves, a sprinkling of white pepper, 1/4 bottle of white wine and fill the pot halfway with water. Bring to a boil and let cook for an hour, or until water level has dropped to about the same level as the vegetables.
4. Stir in the beef and marinade, pomegranate juice, and mushrooms. Add a bit of water to ensure that the contents don't dry out. Cook for an additional 2 hours on low heat. Stir occasionally and add water if it appears to be too dry for a stew.
5. Add salt to taste a few minutes before serving.
It was actually pretty good. You might not want to add the pepper if you don't like spicy foods, but it adds a wonderful kick.
Soreness
Woke up at 8am feeling particularly crappy today, as if I had slept on the couch. Went back to sleep and eventually dragged myself out of bed at 10am. I think I'm getting old. I was still feeling kinda groggy as I showered, and it wasn't until I was limping to my car that I remembered I was blocking this huge 240lb white guy when I was playing football at the retreat yesterday. That explains a lot. Ow.
Woke up at 8am feeling particularly crappy today, as if I had slept on the couch. Went back to sleep and eventually dragged myself out of bed at 10am. I think I'm getting old. I was still feeling kinda groggy as I showered, and it wasn't until I was limping to my car that I remembered I was blocking this huge 240lb white guy when I was playing football at the retreat yesterday. That explains a lot. Ow.
Feb 9, 2004
On rotation: The Scientist - Coldplay
Come up to meet you
Tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh let's go back to the start
Running in circles
Coming in tails
Heads on a science apart
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
I was just guessing
At numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart
Questions of science
Science and progress
Did not speak as loud as my heart
Tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles
Chasing tails
Coming back as we are
Nobody said it was easy
Oh its such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start
Come up to meet you
Tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh let's go back to the start
Running in circles
Coming in tails
Heads on a science apart
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
I was just guessing
At numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart
Questions of science
Science and progress
Did not speak as loud as my heart
Tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles
Chasing tails
Coming back as we are
Nobody said it was easy
Oh its such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start
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