Had the joy to hear and meet up with the missionaries Freddie+Dorothy Sun at church again. Some of their sharings I've heard before last year, but it still strikes a chord in my heart of what faith and carrying the cross meant to them as they spent 20 yrs of their young adult lives in prison, suffering at the hands of the Communists, but victorious in Christ.

Quote by Charles Spurgeon:

"If you have talents keep not back from using them. Hoard not your wealth, waste not your time; let not your abilities rust or your influence be unused. Jesus kept not back, imitate Him by being foremost in self-denials and self-sacrifices. Keep not back from close communion with God, from boldly appropriating covenant blessings, from advancing in the divine life, from prying into the precious mysteries of the love of Christ. Neither, beloved friend, be guilty of keeping others back by your coldness, harshness, or suspicions. For Jesus' sake go forward yourself, and encourage others to do the like. Hell and the leaguered bands of superstition and infidelity are forward to the fight. O soldiers of the cross, keep not back."

"Keep not back."—Isaiah 43:6.

Wanna watch an NHL Coolshot interview with Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne? go here

click 'fan connect', then 'interview'. It's pretty funny.

Back sore....went to my first Dragonboat practice, and let me tell you: I need to get in shape!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARON! I tried to call you, but you were probably out celebrating! =)

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO LYDIA!

and HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO PASTOR BEN! may you always look this young! lol.

First things first: Em, I am so so so so sorry I got car sick......=( I know it didn't make the road trip home much fun. But thank you for putting up w/ and taking care of me. I feel ashamed, cause that's the side of me I don't want anyone to see. Hope your thanksgiving weekend was good. =)
Drove into Sherkston Resort on Niagara-on-the-Lake on Sat. Lots of fun playing, eating, studying, chatting with my church posse. =P I suck at tennis, don't I? hehhe, but I'm good at mini-putt, so there. Good laughs/fun about shaving those guys legs, and what-not. Crazy kids. Got to eat turkey too! Lots to be thankful for. =)

I am SO unproductive at home.......ugh. I finally went to the library to study today, and what I've covered in 2 hrs time is more than what I've accomplished at home over 6 hrs of time. Aiya.......need to get away from T.V., phone, computer, net, and thinking about the long weekend! lol. That doesn't help at all........hehhee......
I watched one episode of "The Bachelor" yesterday, and Bob is such the ladies man. So many of the women are falling for him, and not for his looks, it's his humour! He is so caring, funny, witty, and happy. Lots of fun to be around. hehe

Hurray for Indian summer! It looks like a beautiful weekend ahead. = ) The only problem is that there's an explosion of insects out and about, especially ladybugs. They're flying everywhere, on cars, buildings, buses, ppl........one flew into my ear today. yuck! And to think that I used to collect them in a jar while in elementary school. lol.
I had a hard enough time falling asleep yesterday, cuz I found 2 beetles in my room b4 I went to bed......one was on the wall, another was under my covers! double eww! I was so paranoid. These are the pitfalls of living in the basement, I guess.

The weekend went by so quickly. Had a nice 2 days in Waterloo visiting Hannah. Got to have lunch and dinner w/ Lil, Justin and Sharon as well. = ) Thanks for being such a great host! Love ya. Went to the Community Fellowship Church on sunday, very similar to North Park here. Had a chance to relax and hang-out, don't really do that much anymore. Looking forward to the Thanksgiving weekend, where I'll get to go on a family trip w/ my church posse and their families. Woohoo!

I've had friends tell me that I've changed this year. Perhaps it's my mood, but I think it's my attitude. Attitude is a little something that can make a big difference. I've handled a lot more with less stress, and worries. It's a wonderful feeling to look at a situation that had once made me hit the ceiling not cause any negative emotions anymore. As the song goes, "Feelings......nothing more than feelings...."
Emotions are unreliable. I've learned this now. How we feel at one point in time will change the next moment, so if we use it as a measure of our well-being or happiness, it will be forever fluctuating, and innaccurate. What will sustain us is JOY. "The joy of the Lord is my strength." Joy isn't a feeling, it's much more than that. It's a state of mind, that God has given us. Only this joy can completely satisfy us, that can't be shaken by our surroundings.
I observe many people who exaggerate situations or problems that really aren't that big a deal. Complaining is a big part of daily life, and it seems like the most common subject. So a friend and I tried an experiment for one day: to not complain or speak negatively for 24hrs. It wasn't easy, as many ppl start their day by telling others how tired they are and whatnot. But we did it, and it seemed that less complaining occurs in a conversation when one party doesn't speak negatively. Cools!
I learned this quote in class today.

"A lump in your oatmeal, a lump in your throat and a lump in a breast are not the same lump."
(Fulgrum, 1991)

So lighten up, and stop reacting to those little inconveniences of life as problems!

I miss my cats......I'm sitting here, longing to be rubbing Simba's big belly, and having Nala sitting on my shoulder, snuggling up to my neck. I've been mistaking many things for them. Like Ophie's moving foot, a stationary shoe, and plastic bag on the street. It's sad. I'll get to see them for one day during Thanksgiving weekend. I wonder if they'll remember me? They'd better, cuz I weaned them from a bottle when they were 4 weeks old, when they could each fit in the palm of my hand. I guess I can only dream about them for now. Good-night world.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY NATE! =) I don't know if you received the e-card I sent, but anywho, hope your birthday was filled with smiles, friends/family, and memories. Cheers!

One topic of the four sermons at retreat stood out to me. It was simply about God's love; this topic is such a basis for our faith, yet I've never wondered about it's origin before. We know that God loves us, and the reason is this; 'just because'. He loves us because God IS love. So have you wondered who or what did God love before he created the earth and mankind? Before the heavenly beings and angels? Before the universe? Before anything and everything? Whoa....really makes you think huh? The answer is so simple, and yet it is so crucial. God loved Himself. That's why there is a Trinity, and Godhead of 3 Persons. As I thought this through on my own, if there is only 1 Person as Godhead, loving Himself seems selfish. This is why we're Trinatarians, God loved Himself. The Father loved the Son, the Son loved the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit loved the Father, and vice versa. No selfishness whatsoever!Love exists in God, between the Father, Son, and Spirit. This is the reason why love exists. There is a point in love, a source and an object. This is the perfect, loving relationship between the 3 Persons of the Godhead. The Son obeys the will of the Father, laying down his life for Him (and us, but most importantly for His Father), the Father raises His Beloved up, and the Holy Ghost promotes the Father and Son. The Godhead has one voice, always in perfect harmony, with an unified will. In Genesis, the Trinity cooperatively said "Let us make man in our own image". It's in plural form. Not just God the Father saying, "Let me make man in my own image". How wonderful it is to see to truth in all of this. "We love, becaus He first loved us".