A Pittance of Time

Based on a true experience (Terry Kelly).


Lest we forget. Thank you.

The Fun Theory

I love the dual purpose of this fun theory and I'm amazed (and a little bit envious) at just how creative people can be.



Check out The Fun Theory for more videos.

BlueBeary

BlueBeary is about a girl named Samantha who experiences exciting adventures with her stuffed toy, Beary. This book is the first of a series called Open Eyes where children discover themes of relationship and self-identity. BlueBeary is written by Kathleen McMillan and illustrated by Rebeckah Joy Plett, both natives of BC. I discovered this book through a friend of mine, CT, whose company Siretona Creative published BlueBeary. What I like about BlueBeary and looking forward to in the other books of the series is that it addresses the wonder children have about the world surrounding them and how children derive meaning from what they see and experience. From their observations come great discussions, which is facilitated through a section of the book called "Starting the Great Conversation."

Want a copy of this book for someone special this Christmas? I'm holding a simple contest and the winner gets BlueBeary, autographed by the author! Here's how you play:

Create as many words as you can from the letters of BlueBeary. Each word must be at least two letters long and cannot include names, abbreviations, and foreign words not used in the English language. E-mail me your list to treeygchan@hotmail.com or send me your list on Facebook. The longest list submitted wins! Contest ends on Sunday, November 22, 2009 at 6pm and don't worry -- when you win, you won't have to answer a skill-testing question. :)

My Weekend

I was really looking forward to an evening of comedy with some co-workers on Saturday. It turned into a comedy of errors or, depending on how you look at it, a tragedy. Our plan was to catch a stand-up show in Vancouver and then head for the Shark Club. We were chauffeured by a driver there and back in a snazzy SUV limousine. Of course, booze was involved and therein lies the source of our troubles.

I believe I know my limit and since I was driving a couple of my co-workers home after our night out, I didn't want to drink much. A few people did not have the same limit and as a result, there were more than a few awkward moments. All is not a total loss, as I did have fun when there was fun to be had, but I don't think the night turned out as well as we all had imagined.

Later that night, after I dropped into bed after 2am, I dreamt that I was walking through an one-storey dilapidated house. The wooden floor was smothered in filth of broken toys, shredded paper, dirty clothes, shreds of drab cloth, shards of glass (from the broken windows), dust, dirt, and leaves. I felt very sad. According to my dream books, a dream that features a house that looks destroyed predicts anguish and depression; the books suggest that the personality or body of the dreamer is in search of better health. A low house is a sign that my work relations in my workplace are about to break down. (Hm...)

I woke up Sunday morning feeling lousy and not because of alcohol. I didn't know what to make of what I experienced with my co-workers last night. I felt deflated, frustrated, sad, and disappointed. I went to church in this mindset and God met me there.

Suddenly, my spirit was uplifted! The sermon was particularly meaningful. The pastor spoke from the book of Romans and how sin separated us from God, but how God has given us a way out through the redemption of His Son. We have all fallen short of the glory of God, but He has given us hope, forgiveness, and grace. I realize that I must learn humility because in spite of what my co-workers did, I am, in some ways, no better. I have done things that I am not proud of, but when I come before the Lord, I am forgiven. There's no hiding my sins, my shame, my guilt. The Lord's mercy and grace has set me free! This inexplicable joy has lifted me out of my slump. Even in my feeling of excitement, I get the urgency again to share the good news of God's love to those who need it and I wished that my co-workers could have received the same message as I got today. At the end of worship, one of our pastors announced the engagement of his son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law. They are such a cute couple and I feel tremendous happiness for the two of them; they are in my care group this year and I look forward to knowing them both better and support and encourage them in this new phase of their relationship. As a congregation, we sang Happy Day (Tim Hughes) and I couldn't help but raise my arms and sway to the music (I would've jumped up and down instead of hop, but I didn't want to accidentally smack the people beside me).

It felt so good to be with people who are happy and don't need alcohol or drugs to be that happy. This is the joy that only God can give and nothing in this earth can replace it.

Where The Wild Things Are

** WARNING: some spoilers.

I just watched this movie last night (opening night) and still mulling over what I saw, so forgive me if this entry goes into too many directions.

The movie is adapted from a children's book of the same name, written by Maurice Sendak. Filming first started in 2005, but creative differences caused the release of the movie to be pushed back until now. At one point, Warner Bros. Studio, which released the movie, wanted Sendak to re-film the $75 million project because it wasn't as family-friendly as they expected, so Sendak was given more time to change it to satisfy himself and Warner Bros. After I saw the movie, I had a hard time thinking what it must've been like before Sendak changed it because if I had been a kid watching this, I think I would be scared.

I can identify three main themes of Where the Wild Things Are, although this movie is so unique, I wouldn't be surprised if others find other themes to be more dominant. The three I thought of are belonging, loneliness, and self-identity. Max, the bratty protagonist, makes revelations for all three of these themes, yet the movie doesn't quite resolve his issues with them. The monsters in Max's fantasy world represent various aspects of him, overtly displayed for him to address; he acknowledges each monster, although he deals with some better than others. This child's imagination knows little boundaries, casts aside logic, and throws caution into the wind.

Slowly, I grew to love this movie, yet it wasn't what I had expected. Definitely, this movie is an English teacher's delight because it was chock full of symbolism and imagery. I love how the movie was shot, literally, from a child's point of view. I worried that my husband would get motion-sickness because the camera moved with you as you jumped, ran, dodged, and slid. Most of the scenes were filmed as if you were the child and everything else was so much bigger than you. The movie had humour and satisfyingly brought a child's imagination to epic proportions. My favourite parts included Max and Carol howling together, which occurred twice in the movie and with different purposes each time.

What I did not expect, and can't figure out even at this point whether I'm ok with it or not, is the fact that the monsters are portrayed as depressed, self-pitying, angry, spiteful, and lonely. This is what holds me back from embracing this movie fully. I was interested in seeing how a plot could be formed from a picture book, but I was blind-sided by how each character was saturated with just one emotion and never quite developed out of it. I expected Max or Carol or KW to be changed by conflict, but they stayed as static as the other characters who had more minor roles, and to this end, I am a bit disappointed.

Overall, I am satisfied with this movie. Growing up for almost six years without a proper companion, three of those years hidden in an apartment because the superintendent didn't allow children to live in his building, I had to rely on my imagination to stay entertained. My parents worked as custodians who worked the graveyard shift in various buildings in downtown Vancouver and strip malls in Richmond and I had to tag along. Some nights, I pretended to be in jail, hiding among boxes of supplies, and plotting my escape plan. Other nights, I was a movie star, a rock star, an astronaut, a spy dog, or a beauty pageant queen. While other children fell asleep to the voices of their parents reading a bedtime story, I fell asleep on waiting room couches to the sound of the industrial vacuum cleaner. I'm not sure how and when Where the Wild Things Are landed in my lap, but I couldn't put the book down and I memorized each picture; I created tableaux of the pictures with my dolls and I, of course, was Max, except instead of a cat costume, I had my hooded blanket that I used to get married in. This movie awakened in me the lonely, yet highly imaginative, child within -- I bet I was the only person crying in the theatre that night.

Proud Auntie!

I wish I were there to be with my sister-in-law, her husband, and their baby, Teagan, the last time my husband went to visit them in TO just a week ago. Here's what I missed:

"Uncle D may not like flying, but I do! WHEEEEE!!!!"

"Take that! That's for not bringing Auntie Tree with you!"

"I love Mr. Star! Thanks, Mommy and Daddy!"

"No Kids"

Recently, a few people have talked to me about their reasons for not having kids and when I tell them that I'm one of the many who decided to not have children, we begin to bond and validate each other's desire to be "child-free."

Manitoba Agriculture (don't ask) published a research report indicating that the cost of raising a child from age 0-18 is about $193,000 in Canada. This amount does not include piano lessons, private montessori schools, or hockey practice. And I thought my bills now were big.

A (child-free) friend of mine gave me an article to read in Macleans Magazine called "The Case Against Having Kids." Although, I agree with almost every reason it gave for not having kids, I found the article to be very anti-parent. I am not anti-parent; I have nothing against people who find so much joy in their children and are able to take care of them. I am upset that just because my husband and I chose not to have children that people automatically assume either that we have physical problems that prevent us from having children or that we hate kids (hence the "child-free" as opposed to "child-less"). Someone, whom I care about a lot, claimed that we were being selfish (that hurt) for not wanting to have kids and even went as far as to say something like "God created us to procreate and populate the earth and fill it with joy." What is so hard for others to comprehend that not having kids is not a bad thing?

I really thought long and hard about having or not having children. Up until two years ago, I said the complete opposite. But, now, my husband and I find life fulfilling and I don't think we would regret the choice of not having kids. Besides, we are surrounded by incredibly lovable children in our lives. My god-daughter is simply delightful and I love to hold her and love her and just watch her eat. My husband's nephew is a wonderful newborn, so full of character and spirit already. I can't wait until the next time I can be with him again and watch him make the funniest faces. I enjoy reading my friends' blog about their son tremendously. LW is the same age as my nephew and he is so adorable, even though I have never seen this little guy in person. There are several babies and kids at church who light up my heart, too. So, yes, I love kids. But, no, I do not want one of my own.