Based on a true experience (Terry Kelly).
Lest we forget. Thank you.
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
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.
Check out The Fun Theory for more videos.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Together We'll Make It Through
Recently, I heard Baz Luhrmann's Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) and, for some reason, one part of the song reminded me of my husband and his twin sister.
What is the matter with your husband?
A couple of weeks ago, my husband experienced some sharp pain in his chest, but it went away after about 30 minutes. Two days ago, he felt pain again in his chest, which lasted for over forty minutes that time. As soon as I was ready to go to the hospital with him, the pain subsided. The next day, the doctor told my husband to get a blood test and an electrocardiogram from which we will know the results in about a week as to why my husband has been experiencing this kind of pain. I haven't been sleeping well since the second time he felt chest pain. If I feel him shifting in bed, I wake up to see if he was in pain. If I haven't been feeling him shift in bed, I wake up to see if he's still breathing.
Where does his sister fit into this?
My sister-in-law experienced some complications during the birth of her son in late April. Her son is fine, thankfully, but she has been feeling mild to extreme pain every day for the last four months. Every day, my husband and I pray for her and sometimes I wonder what God is trying to tell us about her ordeal. We went to visit her in Toronto in early July and my husband will see her again in late September. For these past few months, my husband has worried about his sister and I think his anxiety has manifested into a physical ailment (because my stress manifests itself in the form of stomach pains, so I wonder if the same is happening with my husband).
What does the song have anything to do with this?
Not much actually. I like this song because I found the lyrics amusing, yet pragmatic. When this song came on my iTunes, I listened intently to the lyrics. About three minutes into the song, this is what I heard:
Suddenly, I wept, quietly ... for my sister-in-law, for my husband, and because of the immense pain that they are both feeling, both physically and emotionally. I pray for strength and restoration of their spirits and health. Please pray with me. Please.
What is the matter with your husband?
A couple of weeks ago, my husband experienced some sharp pain in his chest, but it went away after about 30 minutes. Two days ago, he felt pain again in his chest, which lasted for over forty minutes that time. As soon as I was ready to go to the hospital with him, the pain subsided. The next day, the doctor told my husband to get a blood test and an electrocardiogram from which we will know the results in about a week as to why my husband has been experiencing this kind of pain. I haven't been sleeping well since the second time he felt chest pain. If I feel him shifting in bed, I wake up to see if he was in pain. If I haven't been feeling him shift in bed, I wake up to see if he's still breathing.
Where does his sister fit into this?
My sister-in-law experienced some complications during the birth of her son in late April. Her son is fine, thankfully, but she has been feeling mild to extreme pain every day for the last four months. Every day, my husband and I pray for her and sometimes I wonder what God is trying to tell us about her ordeal. We went to visit her in Toronto in early July and my husband will see her again in late September. For these past few months, my husband has worried about his sister and I think his anxiety has manifested into a physical ailment (because my stress manifests itself in the form of stomach pains, so I wonder if the same is happening with my husband).
What does the song have anything to do with this?
Not much actually. I like this song because I found the lyrics amusing, yet pragmatic. When this song came on my iTunes, I listened intently to the lyrics. About three minutes into the song, this is what I heard:
Brother and Sister, together we'll make it through
Someday a spirit will take you and guide you there
I know that you're hurting, but I've been waiting to be there for you
And I'll be there just helping you out
Whenever I can...
Someday a spirit will take you and guide you there
I know that you're hurting, but I've been waiting to be there for you
And I'll be there just helping you out
Whenever I can...
Suddenly, I wept, quietly ... for my sister-in-law, for my husband, and because of the immense pain that they are both feeling, both physically and emotionally. I pray for strength and restoration of their spirits and health. Please pray with me. Please.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Not Many of Us Out Here
Recently, I had my sister and nine of her friends stay at my house for one weekend. My husband and I got to hang out with them for dinner one night before they went back to Vancouver and I realized then just how much I crave Chinese-ness out here in Mission. They were speaking in Chinese (not all the time) and making Chinese references. Finally, people who know what I mean when I say "yeet hay!"
Here in Mission, there are scarcely any Chinese people, although there are a few more Koreans. The Chinese food in Mission is westernized (what is kum pao and chop suey?) and sorely lacking variety. Apparently another Chan Clan who also happen to be teachers lurk in Mission/Abbotsford somewhere. In fact, I just transferred to a new school where the former vice-principal there was just transferred to another school and he was a Chan! The school that I worked at had a very small representation of East Asians ranging from Korean to Vietnamese. Only one other staff member was a visible minority and she and I often swapped Asian jokes and statements with each other (she is Indo-Canadian). She understands as much as I do the limited representation of the Asian culture in Abby-Mission. In one instance, another co-worker claimed that the best butter chicken she has ever tasted comes from M&M Meat Shop. My Indo-Canadian friend just about flipped! We all laughed about it, but my brown friend still shakes her head over it.
It's not that I don't like non-Chinese people; far from it, in fact, since both D and I grew up in friendship circles of mixed ethnicity (D was definitely a minority in his group of friends). Somehow, though, I just feel comfortable with people who culturally understand me. I miss having Chinese friends with similar lifestyles to hang out with.
I talked to my sister about this complaint of mine and she suggested that I move to Richmond. There are TOO many Chinese people living there and they're not the CBC kind like D and I are. My sister said, "Well, now you're just being finicky."
Here in Mission, there are scarcely any Chinese people, although there are a few more Koreans. The Chinese food in Mission is westernized (what is kum pao and chop suey?) and sorely lacking variety. Apparently another Chan Clan who also happen to be teachers lurk in Mission/Abbotsford somewhere. In fact, I just transferred to a new school where the former vice-principal there was just transferred to another school and he was a Chan! The school that I worked at had a very small representation of East Asians ranging from Korean to Vietnamese. Only one other staff member was a visible minority and she and I often swapped Asian jokes and statements with each other (she is Indo-Canadian). She understands as much as I do the limited representation of the Asian culture in Abby-Mission. In one instance, another co-worker claimed that the best butter chicken she has ever tasted comes from M&M Meat Shop. My Indo-Canadian friend just about flipped! We all laughed about it, but my brown friend still shakes her head over it.
It's not that I don't like non-Chinese people; far from it, in fact, since both D and I grew up in friendship circles of mixed ethnicity (D was definitely a minority in his group of friends). Somehow, though, I just feel comfortable with people who culturally understand me. I miss having Chinese friends with similar lifestyles to hang out with.
I talked to my sister about this complaint of mine and she suggested that I move to Richmond. There are TOO many Chinese people living there and they're not the CBC kind like D and I are. My sister said, "Well, now you're just being finicky."
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Hula Hoop Baby
Saw this on the Regis and Kelly show, when I checked it out to see Tamara Taggart filling in for Kelly:
Monday, August 3, 2009
My Week in Vancouver
I love being with family and friends. I regret not taking any photos (except when I went to see my god-daughter), so I apologize to my readers.
From Sunday (night) to Tuesday, I hung out with my parents and sister. I love being able to just sit around and shoot the breeze, although there wasn't much of a breeze to speak of -- it was so hot!
On Wednesday, I celebrated my god-daughter's one-year-old birthday at her house. She is able to say a few words now and crawl really fast around the house. She is so smart -- when she knows she is down to her final Cheerio or blueberry, she savours the last one instead of just popping in the last morsel. Here she is playing in the kiddie pool (sorry, but I didn't know how to turn my video the right side up).
On Thursday, I had dinner with my friend, W, at Brown's in Yaletown and then we walked down Marinaside Crescent and stopped to chat while watching Dragon Boat teams practice along Stamp's Landing. Finally, we went to Kino Cafe on Cambie to drink chilled sangria and enjoyed the flamenco performances. I haven't seen this friend since my wedding two years ago and we haven't been able to hang out since we were in high school. She's been a very good friend of mine since primary school. Thank goodness for Facebook!
On the Friday before heading home, I was able to catch up with another old-time friend, M, who was my bridesmaid at my wedding. Like W, I haven't seen M since my wedding either. Why do Vancouverites think Mission is so far?!? M and I had lunch at Ichiro in Steveston before grabbing some frozen yogurt at Timothy's and strolling around Steveston.
Starting on Friday evening and ending around Sunday evening, my sister and nine other people stayed at my house for the long weekend. Ai yah! It was really nice meeting my sister's friends as they are all so friendly and fun-loving, but I'm not sure my husband and I would do something like that again. Our house looked like a hostel with all the sleeping bags, luggage, snacky foods, and blow-up mattresses lying all over the place. All in all, they were great company to have.
From Sunday (night) to Tuesday, I hung out with my parents and sister. I love being able to just sit around and shoot the breeze, although there wasn't much of a breeze to speak of -- it was so hot!
On Wednesday, I celebrated my god-daughter's one-year-old birthday at her house. She is able to say a few words now and crawl really fast around the house. She is so smart -- when she knows she is down to her final Cheerio or blueberry, she savours the last one instead of just popping in the last morsel. Here she is playing in the kiddie pool (sorry, but I didn't know how to turn my video the right side up).
On Thursday, I had dinner with my friend, W, at Brown's in Yaletown and then we walked down Marinaside Crescent and stopped to chat while watching Dragon Boat teams practice along Stamp's Landing. Finally, we went to Kino Cafe on Cambie to drink chilled sangria and enjoyed the flamenco performances. I haven't seen this friend since my wedding two years ago and we haven't been able to hang out since we were in high school. She's been a very good friend of mine since primary school. Thank goodness for Facebook!
On the Friday before heading home, I was able to catch up with another old-time friend, M, who was my bridesmaid at my wedding. Like W, I haven't seen M since my wedding either. Why do Vancouverites think Mission is so far?!? M and I had lunch at Ichiro in Steveston before grabbing some frozen yogurt at Timothy's and strolling around Steveston.
Starting on Friday evening and ending around Sunday evening, my sister and nine other people stayed at my house for the long weekend. Ai yah! It was really nice meeting my sister's friends as they are all so friendly and fun-loving, but I'm not sure my husband and I would do something like that again. Our house looked like a hostel with all the sleeping bags, luggage, snacky foods, and blow-up mattresses lying all over the place. All in all, they were great company to have.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
What Does This Mean?
Frank Ogden said, "There is a bulldozer of change coming. You can be part of the bulldozer or part of the road."
Saturday, March 14, 2009
The Cellist of Sarajevo
There is a handful of books that have gripped my attention so ravenously that I could neither put the books down nor stop contemplating their themes days after I have turned the last page. The Cellist of Sarajevo is one such book.This amazing tale of human spirit in the face of civil war recollects from three different viewpoints. We read from the cellist's point of view in the first chapter and only in the first chapter. He chose to play the Adagio in G Minor in memory of the people who died while waiting in a food queue. Throughout the novel afterward, we follow the stories of a defender of the city, a man who traverses town to get fresh water for his family, and a baker who meets an old friend as he waits to cross the street without getting hit by snipers. Each character struggles through the throes of a revelation that can only result from a defiance to live in a city that was once livable and a hope that the city will be livable again.
The author captured brilliantly the sorrow and determination of these three ordinary (fictional) citizens. The story is never a romantic cliché, always respectful in invoking empathy for the people who, in reality, lived through this civil war. The killers remain faceless, as are the dead. War is random and predictable all at once. The Cellist of Sarajevo makes no attempt to solve war, but gives a voice to those who are often not heard above the "conversations of violence."
The book is inspired by a cellist named Vedran Smailović, who actually played the Adagio in G Minor by Albinoni (arranged by Remo Giazotto) outside in the spot where twenty-two people were killed by a mortar while they waited in line to get bread. After I listened to the Adagio, I could not find words to express the sadness and beauty of the music, but the author, Steven Galloway, was able to. I imagine that he wrote out the words in the novel to the melody of the sonata. Both the music and story are simply breath-taking and heart-wrenching. I suggest listening to the Adagio before beginning the story and listening to it again after reading the novel.
The following video plays the Adagio, performed to commemorate the people who perished on September 11, 2001.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Things You Don't Say to Your Wife
I'm glad my husband doesn't say these things to me. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
How to Stay in Shape
This video is for busy people like me and have access to unique weights such as the ones shown in this video.
Friday, February 6, 2009
How To Defend Yourself
I'll be taking another self-defense class on Feb. 20, but I think I'll learn as much as I need to know from this video.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Sunday, October 7, 2007
The Ironman Marathon
Team Hoyt is truly an inspiration.
Rick was born with cerebral palsy. In 1977, Rick told his father that he wanted to participate in a charity function for a local lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. His father, Dick, who was not a runner, agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair. Since then, Rick (now 44 years old) and Dick (66 years old) have run in several marathons, including the Ironman Competition, a race that tests endurance in three events: swimming, cycling, and running. This amazing father and son team helps give hope to others -- hope for those who feel handicapped and for those who felt they have failed as parents.
Not too long ago, I had a discussion with friends about Paul's message to Timothy about pressing "on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14). Some of us mentioned that our Christian journey is not like a race, but rather a marathon. Our faith in God is tested through many trials, but we know God never leaves us. Like Dick pushing his son in a wheelchair in the races, God pushes us forward so that we might experience the thrill of the journey.
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. ~~ Philippians 3:20-21
Rick was born with cerebral palsy. In 1977, Rick told his father that he wanted to participate in a charity function for a local lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. His father, Dick, who was not a runner, agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair. Since then, Rick (now 44 years old) and Dick (66 years old) have run in several marathons, including the Ironman Competition, a race that tests endurance in three events: swimming, cycling, and running. This amazing father and son team helps give hope to others -- hope for those who feel handicapped and for those who felt they have failed as parents.
Not too long ago, I had a discussion with friends about Paul's message to Timothy about pressing "on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14). Some of us mentioned that our Christian journey is not like a race, but rather a marathon. Our faith in God is tested through many trials, but we know God never leaves us. Like Dick pushing his son in a wheelchair in the races, God pushes us forward so that we might experience the thrill of the journey.
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. ~~ Philippians 3:20-21
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Mac vs. ME
I love those commercials. I've always been a PC girl, but now I am forced to use a Mac computer at work. The Abbotsford School District has equipped nearly all its schools and staff with Macs. I can see the attraction of a Mac, but I've become too familiar with PC icons, programs, control settings, etc. I guess I'm just a creature of habit, but it's no biggie. Using a Mac is just one of the hundreds of things I have to learn in my new job.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Saturday, June 23, 2007
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