3.31.2003

Tell me, where in the world is Holz...

I'm still around! Perhaps in a ditch, but still around... trying not to blog too frequently these days, as I have a project and a final to study for this week... it's pretty annoying with all these assignments and tests RIGHT before the exam period. It doesn't help that I'm really behind with this one course.

My weekend was half enjoyable, half hell-like. As I mentioned before, went to Mariko w/ some church ppl, and it was a meal to die for :) However, after that meal, I'm not sure when's the next time I'm gonna touch Japanese food. The table was ladened w/ much Japanese dishes, from Spider Rolls (soft-shell crab sushi), Mushroom Teriyaki, Yosenabe (veggie stew), and much much more... however, it got to the point where half of us couldn't get ourselves off the chair 'cause we were so full. I did take my digicam w/ me, so I'm gonna finally do something I was planning on doing last summer.... write a restaurant critique on Mariko! :) I took a few pictures before I busied myself, stuffing my face like mad. :D With all these assignments and things to study for though, we'll see when I get to it. Hopefully soon!

So, on Sunday, I decided to look at my assignment and I'm freaked. I know nothing at all for this assignment... gaaaahs. I felt pretty terrible (and even now, I still feel blah).... Ian sent me this ecard however (thanks!) - I'm not sure if I should laugh or grumble.... you guys could check it out:).

I spent the entire day studying at Gerstein today for my final for Korean Civ. next week... I bumped into too many people I haven't seen, let it be for years or for days... :D I bumped into this high school friend that's changed drastically, and also Nellie :) I've come to the conclusion that a) I know too many people and b) I know too many people that are waaaaaay smarter than I am. :) (I know the latter part didn't really tie in, but I just felt like putting it there!)

Anyway, enough bloggin for now... and Trish, I will get to bashing our wonderful ROT-man. Just wait and see... :D

3.29.2003

Urbana anyone?

I first heard of Urbana back in Junior High from my dad... he mentioned that it was very close to where my cousins lived down in Illinois. I actually wanted to go in 2000 (when I was finally old enough to go!), but my family decided to take a vacation to HK, my birthplace that I haven't visited since I was 7... so I went to HK instead :(

I heard lotsa good stuff about Urbana from the ppl who went in 2000. A friend even gave me the worship CD from Urbana 2000, and I could imagine how awesome the auditorium was, worshipping w/ LOTS of ppl together, all with that common goal and purpose. :D I knew another friend's fire was lit again after going to Urbana, and she still has it going :)

It's 2003, and Urbana's happening again! With myself wondering what God's plan is for me... I think this yr will be the right time to go. As I struggle to determine whether his plan for me is to stick w/ accounting, something else, or ministry... I have yet to know. Nevertheless, it's something that'll direct me to what God's will in my life would be. This year's theme: Your kingdom come, Your will be done

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I wanna go this year... but am wondering if others are going... :D if so, pls lemme know! :) Thx.

PS - If you've never heard of Urbana, it's a conference that happens once every three years (with the exception to 2000) for students worldwide. Its purpose is to challenge people to seek what God has in store for them (let it be through missions or other ways), and to act on it. It's a five day conference filled w/ seminars, worship, sermons, prayer, etc. Check out their website for more info.... :)

3.27.2003

Freaky stuff

At first, I thought all those ICQ msgs about SARS was annoying... 'cause they seem like rumors. After all, I get one msg telling me not to go to the 168 tea shop at commerce, but I get another telling me that all the waitresses at 168 are fine. :P The one about the Ruby Restaurant also scared everyone off... but was a total rumour like I guessed... (thanks to The Star's article on The Ruby Chinese Restaurant for clarifying that...) But when stuff hits to the ones you know, it's definitely freaky.

I spent the day at my grandparents today, so I was pretty oblivious to all the news updates about SARS for the entire day... until my dad picked me up at the bus stop did I realize the seriousness of it all. Actually, w/ my grandparents worrying crazy about SARS (they've been watching too much HK news), they got me all anal while on the bus. :P When my dad picked me up, I learnt that all hospitals were closed to visitors... including the one my mom has to go to tomorrow for a dr.'s appointment - this means I can't go w/ her like I was supposed to. To make matters more serious, I also found out that the funeral for our neighbour's father was postponed to next week coz he passed away at Scarborough Grace, the first hospital in Toronto to receive a SARS patient... so our neighbours who have been visiting there frequently for the past wk have to be quarantined at home 'til sometime next wk.

Soooo things are pretty freaky for the next while... albeit it's one thing to be alert of your surroundings, it's another to spread the word about telling ppl not to go to all these Chinese places like Pacific Mall, etc... 'cause you really don't know what's true or not. I guess my advice would simply be to avoid any places w/ Asians.... a large group of them, that is.

Anyway... enough about SARS - I actually wanted to avoid blogging about this, but since it has kinda hit close to home, I wanted to let u all know about the seriousness. For more info though, simply check the following webpages :) Enough blah from me!

The Toronto Star's health section
City of Toronto's main site for SARS

The City of Toronto Site above will lead you to all sorts of other links if you're interested. :D TTFN!

Additional note: I just found this article on msn.com.... interesting how SARS has made little ghetto Scarberia all infamous and what not. I'm actually surprised that Scarb. Grace made it to the news worldwide... but then, anything can happen these days, no?

PS - Yes, I lied again... I'm not gonna blog about ROT-man until another time... :)

Learning something new everyday

I finally thought of a title for yesterday's blog. :) I learned of the interesting tidbits of Kensington Market yesterday... Keeping true to the word, I did learn something new today: I tend to go shopping at the most inappropriate times - esp. when I should be studying or doing work! My mom dragged me out to Winners by Markville today... as much as I wanted to shop, I should've been working on my finance assignment. !(@*&!! Considering how much I dislike shopping, I guess I like to shop during the school year coz studying is sooooo boring and anything else would be better. During the school holidays and summer breaks, I normally avoid malls... :) However, I have these weird vibes lately... where I'm interested in looking at clothes more than usual... :P I've been browsing thru my In Style mag longer than the usual glance on the celebrity updates and stuff. Perhaps the formal issue and my search for a bag is keeping me interested in the short term... heh.

I actually rewrote yesterday's blog, but logging onto blogger just a few minutes ago, I realized last night's post got through, despite the fact I thought it was deleted! Thus... my thoughts of ROT-man will be delayed... to tonight or tomorrow :)

3.26.2003

I really can't think of a title for this entry. Anyhow, I was telling my mom this morning how today was such a nice day and it was perfect for me to take the camera out just to shoot at anything. Of course, having to lug that thing around campus would be a pain in the buttocks, for security and weight issues, so I decided not to do so. I regret this decision :P TODAY WAS THE BEST DAY TO BRING OUT THAT CAMERA OF MINE! Why? Read more... :D

After my class this afternoon, I met up w/ Trish to go to Chinatown since she loves anime... right, Trish? (Spirited Away!!!) We had some time to spare, so we decided to walk past Chinatown and head over to Kensington Market, which was absolutely fabulous :) She brought me to the smallest coffee shop, yet the coziest and funkiest one I've ever been to. Its uniqueness in the cafe and their drinks (ghetto Celestica styrafoam cups?) looked really interesting, and I just had many moments where I wished I had a camera w/ me. In fact, when walking back to campus alone, I looked backwards and realized how interesting that street (I think it was St. Andrews Street? I could be wrong) looked. Better yet, with Trish trying on some sexy Versace dresses at Tom's Place (yes, many interesting shops are there too!)... I should've taken pictures to post :D hehehehe. Nevertheless, it was a day well spent with Trish, and also a perfect picture day.

Stay tuned tomorrow, for Holz's thoughts on ROT-man... :D

3.25.2003

Random bits and pieces

I know I haven't been up to par in terms of blogging daily. Unfortunately my auditing project has taken much of my time for the past week. Anyhow, there have been thoughts invading my brain for the past few days, so let's see what I've been up to for the past while.

~ Clodhoppers!
When I bought a package of these clodhoppers, I didn't believe that they were highly addictive as the package stated... but boy was I wrong! I was gobbling up these chocolate thingies mad. Despite myself having no sweet tooth, I was craving for these clodhoppers even after finishing them. Thus, a definite must try! :)


~ Toronto tour?
No, I'm not offering one... I've decided I am in a dire need of one. After strolling through Yorkville in search of a birthday present, there's so much to see! Not only within that area, but I was in awe when Andrew and Margaret took me to the area on Queen Street W., where the Japanese paper store is! Seriously, I have so much things to do after school's over and done with in May! Perhaps I'll buy a TTC day pass and just take a self-discovery walk of Toronto. :D

~ Jesus...
...bobbleheads & action figures? The first time I ever heard of such a thing was at Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago during a sermon where the speaker asked what our thoughts of Jese were, and showed us the Jesus figurine. During my Yorkville stroll, I found this candy store where they sold Jesus bobbleheads and the exact Jesus figurine that the speaker showed us... :D Interesting...

~ Egocentric?
Yes, I've come to the conclusion that I'm egocentric in a quiet way... according to Miriam Webster's definition of egocentric, it simply means self-centered, not just proud and boastful. I think too much about myself sometimes... *sigh*

~ Fashion Consultant
My friend Mich K is gonna be my fashion consultant. I've decided I lack any sort of fashion sense. :P Since she's a good shopper (in terms of money and style!), we're gonna go all out in changing my style (not drastically... just slightly more feminine, with a slight tomboy-ish twist) after exams. Unfortunately, she made a comment about having to ditch my Roots boots.... NOOOOOOOOOOO! We'll see what happens. I'll continue to update you on this matter.

~ Formal Problems...
Just as I thought I had everything set for the formal (I'm using the dress I wore only once... and I have the shoes), I realized more problems. Problem #1: I have no bag for the formal that would be appropriate for the event... and I doubt that any bag would fit my big ass camera! :P (don't get me wrong... I love my camera to death!) I'm looking for a bag that I could perhaps use when going out as well... but I have no fear, for my fashion consultant is here! (look at my above point...) Problem #2: My hair. I don't want to spend money to get it set up... besides, my hair is too short for something fancy schmancy. Sooooo I need some input on how to do my hair... and get someone to do it for me :) perhaps clips? I dunno... *sigh* see why I dislike formals and proms?

~ Compliment from my prof!
My finance prof (whom I dread since he likes to pick on ppl) complimented me today in class! He said I was "too clever for words." Can anyone tell me what he's trying to tell me? All I know is that it was a good thing.... please explain.

~ Mariko!
I'm finally going back to Mariko for their wonderful all-you-can-eat Japanese food! :D It's an authentic Japanese restaurant, and I doubt many Chinese ppl know about it, so I'm not that hesitant to go there... :D (despite the recent SARS issue) Yay!!! I'll take pics and finally start reviewing my favourite restaurants :) Apparently, a bunch of ppl from NTCBC (well, Myles decided to ask lotsa ppl in Emmanuel) are going, so if you wanna come join, come! Let me know... dinner starts at 5:30pm :D

That's all from me. I'll continue to have fun with catching up on textbooks, playing with my digital camera, and chatting online. :D

PS - Happy Birthday, Ian!

3.23.2003

The ideal role models

I've realized lately that there are several friends who have become my role models in the past while, simply 'cause they make an ideal girlfriend. In order to achieve my goal "to become a model housewife" by the year 2016 (inside joke from the career management class I took in January), I think I should really consider their ways of being the ideal girl friend... after all, you really do need to take the first step to become someone's ideal gf before getting married! I won't name them here, but I think they'll know who they are... anyway, some recognitions of ideal girlfriends :)

- Mi
This gal just smiles everytime she thinks or talks of her boy. Even as she was telling me how stressed she was with school and all sorts, just deviating from the main topic and talking about her beau made her frown turn into a smile... a big one, I must add! However, keep in mind that her bf is very romantic... and knows how to treat a girl right :) Nevertheless, she knows how to cheer him up despite her stressful moments... She's not big on PDA (public display of affection) but you can tell how much she's in love just by that smile of hers. Despite some little requests made by the bf, she is still very willing to try her very best and fulfill those requests, including giving up her favourite dessert! :) but in midst of fulfilling them, she still has that smile that many girls would probably not have... likewise, she also has her set of requests that the bf fulfills. She's actually making me reconsider whether or not I should invite someone to the formal with me... we'll see :)

- M
This is one funky girl... :D Her bf and her are very lovey dovey... :) What really amazes me was the fact that she was totally okay with her bf not paying for her lovely meal from Chippery's, a very yummy fish and chips shop that sells its fishies at a very high price... I mean, if it was I in her shoes, I would've have implied or hinted that I wanted the guy to pay and if he didn't get the point, I would throw a tantrum (in a half-jokingly way), but she was absolutely fine! :) She's also very understanding of her bf's busy schedule, but still manages to try her best to see him or keep him company as much as possible. :D

Anyway, the point of this entry is to simply express my views of the ideal girlfriend, one whom I would want to become as well - to be extremely tolerant, understanding, caring, and to also bring a huge smile on my face whenever I think of the guy :D A the same time, albeit it's reasonable to depend on him in different aspects including financially (for food and all those other nice goodies!), it's better to be too reliant on him on paying for everything... both these girls have impressed me in this area, and for this, kudos to them! :) Secretly, I would want to be like them, and also look up to their bfs in many ways... :) after all, that's what a good housewife is all about, right? Definitely not absolute admiration, but at least a lot of respect and love :)

What other qualities do you think would make the ideal gf? :) That's all from me for now.

3.22.2003

Wanna...?

Wanna impress a new date? Wanna rekindle friendships? Wanna reminsce the old times of a relationship with your significant other? Wanna enjoy fine dining?

I have got to introduce you to... the Il Fornello at Queens Quay Terminal.


Come to think of it, the few times I've been to Il Fornello were either for catching up on old times with AnaV, a date, and also a large get together with friends. Last night's ASUT turnover party was amazing. I was fortunate enough to sit with all those who have made my life at UT quite memorable, despite my strong dislike (I can't think of a better word than 'hate'... 'hate' is too strong :D) of the university itself. The ambience was perfect... not to posh but still high in class, but with a nice twist of a relaxed atmosphere. Certainly, the view of the lake didn't hurt either! The food was fabulous... albeit a bit pricey for a poor university student like myself.

So boys, if you ever want to impress your date or girlfriends, take 'em there... and get a seat by the patio or the window. After a nice dinner, take a stroll along harbourfront, and you can plan the rest of the night off on your own. :) Although if your gf likes coffee or simply looking at the lake, end the night off at the Second Cup next to the Queens Quay Terminal, and sit by the window to stare at the lake some more, with a nice chocolate lovers latte.

If you wanna go w/ a friend, I advice you to grab (or nicely ask the waitress) for a cozy corner seat where you won't be bothered by anyone besides for the nosy waiter :) Take all the time you need just to catch up and laugh at the old times. Enjoy the fabulous tiramisu and coffee, and simply let the world pass away while you catch up. :)

I've had my fair share of good memories at Il Fornello (at both the Bayview Village and Queens Quay Terminal locations) with friends... and I strongly recommend you to go there if you're ever in need of a place to catch up or get to know someone better ;). Besides, the food there is great... :D Good food and company make a great combination!

3.21.2003

Oink :)




Before I forget, might as well blog about this too.... (shows you how much work I've been doing for the past hour) This pig means a lot to me. You see, it is my birthday gift (last year's, that is) from my aunt in Tokyo. It's a cute pig... and it arrived in the mail at the perfect timing. I think it was the day when I had two exams - one was relatively simple and one was a killer. Nevertheless, it arrived in mail and it cheered me up big time! Along with it came a really beautiful birthday card, which cheered me up.

This pig really reminds me of how cool my aunt is. I really do love her lots :) Of course, my uncle and cousin are cool too... must not forget about them! (I better not!)

All righty, time for bed. NO MORE BLOGGING FOR THE NEXT um.... 12 HOURS! :D

3.20.2003

I thought of something!

I was dwelling on what to write for most part of the day. I finally thought of something, but it's a topic where I need more time to think of what to write... (let's just say, it's rather sentimental). So for the meantime, I'll just blog about randomness of my life.
:)

~ Prom again?
I finally made up my mind. I AM going to the commerce formal! However, I'll be going with friends instead, 'cause I know if I go with someone in particular, I'll end up ditching him by himself at the table while I go around taking pictures with other ppl. Actually, him = Ian :) hahaha.... anyway, I'm actually excited about this formal, 'cause I'm gonna be seeing a lot of my friends who are graduating this year... come to think of it, I did meet a lot of ppl these past two years at UT. UT isn't as bad as I thought, albeit some do know I still have my strong views about certain things.... :D (Marissa would know...)

Man, speaking of prom, my high school prom sucked. I didn't like it 'cause at that time, I was kinda a "floater" - I had three groups of friends, and I ended up sitting with a group that really didn't mean THAT much to me at the end of our high school careers. Besides, I went to a different after party than they did (their idea of fun was to get drunk at Scarborough Bluffs.... heh) and it just wasn't the same. Besides, I have my share of horror stories in terms of my dress, make-up (ARGH! I HATE THAT STUFF!), shoes, and hair.... well, the hair was okay, but taking everything out was painful, I tell ya! At least having Lillian there was really nice.... you see, Lilli didn't go to Thornlea, but accompanied a church friend from Thornlea to the prom :) Since she was an old childhood friend, it was really nice to have her there!

Anyway, I hope the formal will be great.... btw, Trish, COME!

~ The procrastination soulmate is back again!
No Lyds, I don't mean you! I mean myself! Yes, Lyds and I declared ourselves to be procrastination soulmates, but over the past year, we've both decided to break away from our status and become motivated ppl. However, while working on my auditing project today, the procrastination part of me was kicking in... and unfortunately, it paid a visit. I ended up doing not as much as I'd like. Instead of reading up on auditing info, I've been playing with the camera, playing music, eating, catching up on my TVB old videos (I used to record the episodes that came out eons ago), and chatting online. *sigh* At least I had some happy convos online, not ones that involved school, let's just say!

~ I love you...
Yes, G3, I LOVE YOU :) (sorry if I got anyone's hopes up in particular...) You're fun to play with and I see plenty of potential in you ;)
(yes, I realize it's quite sad that I'm making a blog entry just for my camera...)




~ Stupid STUPID Leafs
As much as I love them, they SUCKED tonight. Blew away a 2-0 lead and ended up losing in OT. *sigh* McCabe really annoys me sometimes.... his temper, gosh. However, tonight's game was rather physical... lots of fighting, which resulted in lots of two-man advantage powerplays for the BlueJackets. *sigh*

~ Parents
Funny how they've been chatting it up so well these days :) Nevertheless, it keeps me happy!

~ IDEAS!
Please gimme ideas on what to blog on (other than my love life, or the lack of one).... who knows, you might also spark up an idea that will be useful for me to write for the Mike :)

Okay, enough blah. Stay tuned for entries with more substance :)

My mom...

She's the coolest. Yes, despite her continuous nagging and what not, she's still a pretty cool mom. When I'm tired, she gives me a good shoulder rub. When I'm having my once-in-a-while seafood cravings, she decides to buy crab and cook it for me. She's awesome.

Oh, and I finally got a digital camera! Not the one I wanted... but even better :) Yay! Although my dad insisted on getting that camera too, mom made the final call. :D

Yay...!

3.18.2003

Interesting quote...

It's really interesting how things just appear out of places... and where you'd least expect it. I just finished a paper for my Korean civilization course on the conflict between western religions (namely Catholicism, but also looking at Protestantism) in some late Korean dynasty. While researching a week ago, I found this article with a very interesting quote...

"...it [Confucianism] can be compared to Christianity which is often blamed for the ills of the world. But here again, it is not what Christ taught that is to blame, but rather those who either watered down what he taught or didn't live up to his teaching." ~Michael Daniels

Especially in a time like this, with the 48 hour deadline quickly approaching, people may wonder why bad things happen. Mr. Daniels says it best. So if someone asks you next time why does God allow bad things to happen, think again... don't question God.

It's only 10am... do you know where Holly is?

I've actually been here at Gerstein (one of UT's libraries) since 8:30 this morning. I'm trying to wake up earlier each day, to avoid wasting all that lovely time I spend sleeping. But of all the things I should be doing, here I am updating my blog. How wonderful. Here's what I've done so far: read my In Style mag, enjoyed a coffee, checked and responded to emails, and did a bit of studying. Nevertheless, despite the amount of work I've done, I actually do enjoy getting here early 'cause it's just so quiet and not too many ppl... which is something you normally don't see at UT.

On a totally unrelated note, men w/ green hats crack me up :) You see, yesterday my dad and I were watching CityPulse and their coverage on the St. Patrick's Day celebrations on breakfast television, and they showed a guy w/ a green hat. My dad was like laughing too.... why?

I learned of the meaning behind men w/ green hats a few years ago after bumping into a teacher at Indigo. My dad was with me at that time, and when he saw me talking to my music teacher from OAC (who was a Chinese born here in Canada), my dad asked me if my teacher was whitewashed... and he was. My dad then told me why he understood the teacher wore a green hat. You see, the Chinese saying of "wearing a green hat" (Dai Luk Moe) means the man's wife or girlfriend just dumped him for another man. And in my teacher's case, it was once true, as he told my friend once about his girlfriend dumping him... (my teacher told ppl the weirdest stories and things).

Okay, enough procrastination here. Back to work! :D

3.16.2003

Some deep(er) thoughts...

So I've been doing some thinking lately, and random thoughts pop up here and there. Just some stuff going around Holz's head these days :)

~ Keeping in touch
I've come to the conclusion that I'm terrible when it comes to keeping in touch. I used to be good at it, but eversince 2nd yr, I've lost my touch in connecting w/ old friends, let it be through email, phone, or even in person! This past week, I received an email from my aunt, and she's wondering what the heck has happened to me since she last visited. :P (I'm sorry MYYY!!!). Appearing online this past wk also spurred up two conversations w/ friends whom I haven't chatted with since December... and mind you, I go online almost everyday! Perhaps my goal in the short run is to try and keep in touch with friends... I don't mind catching up w/ them from time to time, but it's kinda nice to connect on a regular basis :)

~Pay it forward
Have you seen this movie before, with that somewhat annoying sixth sense kid? Well, this is actually one of my favourite movies... simply because of the meaning behind it. If you haven't seen the movie, you better skip this paragraph 'cause I'm gonna ruin the movie for you. =D Anyway, it's about a kid who's project is to think of something that's gonna make a difference. He chose to base his project on the concept of "paying it forward", in that if you receive a good deed from someone, instead of paying him back, you pay it forward to three other people without expecting anything in return. (If you haven't seen the movie and you read up to here, I apologize for ruining a good movie for you.)

What led me to remember this movie? Simply because of the recent atypical pneumonia fiasco happening in Asia, which has a chance (albeit it's not confirmed) of becoming an epidemic, considering that cases in Canada, including here in Toronto, Europe, and other places have been reported. Although my thoughts about 'pay it forward' is kinda far fetched from this example, I do wonder why it isn't possible for such a concept to spread widely and quickly. After all, it isn't really a hard concept, per se. However, I suppose if the amount of greed and selfishness infested in this world is considered, then the failure of this concept is understood, although the reasoning itself is quite sad and disturbing.

~ Encouragement
I find that I dwell on this topic a lot. Recently, I've learned something... even though I may have done something or have been going through a lot, if people don't say anything to you about your accomplishments or your problems (as in coming to talk you through your worries, etc.), it doesn't necessarily mean they don't care or that they don't notice anything. I used to hope that people would take notice of the work I do, or comment on my accomplisments, or sense that I wasn't feeling great. In fact, there was one year (i think in grade 9?) when I was in the youth group (YG) at church where I decided to leave for the wrong reason, which was simply to want people to notice that I wasn't around. Of course, I've matured quite a bit since then (or at least I hope so, although I know I still have a lot to see and learn!) However, things don't usually go the way I'd like it to be.

As I was going through my old encouragement notes I received from YG (it was a weekly thing where we wrote encouragement notes to people or simply notes to say 'hi' and stuff :D), I saw one this note: "...Always remember that even if it doesn't seem like it, people appreciate what you do and are thankful for it. Always remember." The note was anonymous, but it really meant a lot to me, not simply because it made me felt appreciated, but it also reminded me doing things or making accomplishment shouldn't really be for my glory, but for other people's benefit so that they can appreciate the fact that a certain thing was made available to them, not the person who contributed to the existence of that "thing".

My purpose of this point? It's a constant reminder to myself about my motive for doing anything (and that is not for recognition or personal glory), and an encouragement for those who are feeling down for various reasons, such as feeling uncared for or unappreciated for the work they've done. On the other hand, it's also a friendly and kind reminder to everyone; many people appear in and out of your life, and some do need this sort of encouragement and attention... some people will be fine with no recognition of things they've done even though it is appreciated, but some people do need to receive some "kudos" or a pat on the back to keep them going. It doesn't really take too much time to write or say "thanks for everything", or "how are you doing? i hope all is going well..." :)

BTW, I've been getting better at this whole "wanting to feel appreciated" thing :D I used to want it all the time, but now, I'm slowly realizing ultimately, that's not what I need to hear... simply knowing it w/o having ppl tell me is sufficient. :) Of course, there's always room for improvement ;)

~ Finally...
Just some random useless thoughts (hahaha... so this blog isn't just all about deep thoughts!):
- I must be the last person on earth to see Lord of the Rings. In fact, I only watched the first half of the "The Fellowship of the Rings"... heh :P
- I finished my Korean paper early! Yay!
- I'm finally finished with this blog... if you got up to this far, kudos to you! I have the tendency to write really long blogs. :)

3.15.2003

Google

I am starting to love this site more and more. It's been a great help so far with my research essay, but at the same time, it's a procrastination tool, especially when you're bored. :) I mean, I'll admit it, although I'm sure many of you have probably done so likewise, that I go on google when I'm bored to search for sites containing my name or other ppl's. It's interesting to see what search results come out, especially ones about your Profs. (Heck, I didn't know one of my acctg profs who LOVES TENNIS *hint hint* was part of a country club near my area... hahaha)

Okay, this essay is driving me insane. I wanted to write something of substance, but this is the best I can come out with in the meantime while trying to word my conclusions to my essay :P

3.14.2003

It's up!

I can't really blog 'cause I'm at my grandma's once again, using her phone line connection for the 'net.
However... I've been told by Magda that my articles are out... so either grab a copy on campus tomorrow or if you're oh-so-dying to see it, go to THE MIKE ONLINE and look at the pdf version (the March 14th issue). Pls let me know via comment box or other methods of communication about your impressions on my articles. :D Share with me my joy here... it's the first ever newspaper articles I've ever written...!

Funny though, how I wrote about Gilmour's contribution to the Leafs and how he got injured tonight... during his first game back as a Leaf. and DAMMIT, they lost. At least Domi scored and is at a record high :)

3.12.2003

Something to share...

"The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all men, charity."
~ Francis Maitland Balfour (1851-1882)

Holz, a writer?

I don't think so... but seeing how I managed to write up two last minute articles tonight for The Mike, it may be possible. Funny how I'm trying to finish the blogging article, but instead writes up two other articles on the Leafs and the Yaomania phase. Hence, all my writing juice has been used up, and my blog will remain relatively bland for the next day or so...

I'm still wondering why I was willing to write two articles tonight... perhaps anything is better than facing the reality of writing my Korean civilization paper? Perhaps.

We have Douggie back!!! :D and he's great friends with Domi :) Yay! (okay, my ramblings of nonsense certainly tells me that I have to get to bed... :D)

3.11.2003

I want, I want!!!

My dad and I have been camera searching since the beginning of last summer. I've been eyeing on this baby for a while...the Canon Powershot G2.


i've really gotta find a better quality img.... gif files suck big time!



I know there are newer models out there, but after doing some research and some playing at Future Shop today, I know I want this baby more than the G3, the S45, or anything else... :) Hmmm.... :D i love the screen at the back, and how it flips in any angle to my likes :D Time to save up some dough.... *sigh*

3.10.2003

Timid me

I've realized that my weekends don't permit much time for me to blog... :( whatever happened to my daily blogs? I guess similar to Lyds, my priorities have shifted drastically over the past few months, but at the same time, I still thrive to blog about my rants and raves from time to time... :)

Anyway, I finally realize today that I am very much a timid and worried person. Even though people ask me from time to time how my mom's doing, I simply tell them that she's fine and managing well. I believe that :) for the most part, that is. However, there are times where these fears and arise about her as well... I mean, with the uncertainty I have about her condition, I do fret at times. It doesn't help that I'm a business, not a science/med student, and have absolutely no knowledge of medical terms, treatments, etc. Nil. Niet. Nothing. Just like today... out of the blue and unexpectedly, I teared up a little bit in front of my mom. Of course, not wanting her to know the reason behind my tears, I simply said I was tired (which was true)... but at the same time, both her and I knew why I was in waterworks, albeit it was unsaid.

I guess these are the times when I really gotta let it go to God... yet, I sometimes wanna smack myself for neglecting to remember how good God already is to my family and I. Heck, this whole ordeal with my mom is quite positive despite the circumstances... the processes she's been thru and the attitude she has is all from God. Yes... I must learn how to rely on Him fully. After all, worrying doesn't really add anything constructive to any situation :)

PS - Since my mom doesn't want me to say much about her situation, I've decided to be rather vague with my blogs about her, simply just to respect her decision. Even though she doesn't know of the existence of this blog (and I hope that it will remain that way, not 'cause I'm hiding something from her, but simply this is my private space...!!!), I still want to respect her wishes. That's all...

3.08.2003

They're back!!!

The encouragement box (actually, this time it's a bag, but a cool one indeed) is back in the house! This time, though, it's in Josiah... my university/college fellowship at church. You see, we started this encouragement box idea back when most of us were in the youth group fellowship, and the tradition didn't pass on to Josiah until tonight.

Some people don't realize how much words can mean to one person... just receiving some notes tonight encouraged me in terms of the fellowship we had, the care ppl had for each other (and myself included), and it brought smiles to some caes, despite the fact we only see each other two-three times per week (with the exception of two certain individuals who work w/ each other...;D)

Anyway, just thought I'd share w/ you something that brought a smile to my face :)

3.07.2003

Random Babblings...

~ human interaction and relationship between people will never cease to confuse me; somehow, the lesson of being tricked by these girls in grade 7 into playing hide-and-seek (so that they can ditch me while they 'hide' and i 'seek') hasn't been learned. the lesson? not everyone on this earth wants to be my friend... and would take advantage over this silly thought of mine. *sigh* i've gotta keep reminding myself that i'm not in utopia, where everyone treats each other as equals and trusts people w/o any scepticism. holz's naivety (sp?) of the week!

~ tim hortons' 'roll-up-the-rim' contest has begun! unfortunately, my winning streak hasn't started yet... unlike during my first yr of univ, where i won something four times in a row... :)

~ it's really silly of me to worry about stuff like people, school, and student associations i'm part of when there are people worrying about life... i dropped by the princess margaret hospital today to see a dear friend of mine, and passed by people who were going thru chemotherapy. for a second, i had to smack myself in the head to remind myself that the problems i have are really infinitesimal compared to those receiving treatment...

~ *sigh* what's happening to my beloved buds? the leafs had another upset against buffalo last night... prob. 'cause domi wasn't around. heh. but seriously... what's going on?

~ i wanna learn how to sing. just listening to utada hikaru's 'deep river' cd made me wanna learn how to write and sing music. i wanna learn how to play the piano properly again. the six songs i practiced over the span of two years for my arct diploma has totally been erased from my memory. it's quite sad... i can oly play one of them half decently. not even. i don't know... this interest of mine for music, however, pops up from time to time... nevertheless, i wanna learn piano again for sure... what a waste of twelve years of my life.

~ for you shopaholics out there, visit Carol's website... has a rather small, but interesting, list of online sites where you can shop to your heart's content (as long as your wallet and credit card permits you to)

~ as you can see, i'm just rambling on and on. i think right now, i feel really indifferent about anything... i need to go out. forget about writing my korean civilization paper! :D

3.06.2003

Sports update...

Yes... I haven't blogged about sports for the longest time! Seeing how I went to the raptors game tonight, I thought today would be a perfect time to blog about my beloved Leafs and the Raptors. :D The game was GREAT even though they lost... but anyhoo, let's do this in point form style again :)

~ "Shaq, who's YAO Daddy?"
Replace Shaq w/ Antonio Davis :) I wouldn't say Yao Ming dominated the game and didn't kick the Raptors' arse entirely, but he did rock the ACC...! (or at least he did w/ the Chinese population watching the game) That man is tall... and he does look like a cute frankenstein :) He didn't begin w/ a great start, but ended up doing a fine job towards the end of the game. Houston isn't such a bad team like my father suggested... or maybe they are, but the Raps weren't putting in their best efforts. Honestly though, I thought the Raptors did a decent, although not their best, job in tonight's game... it was quite close, seeing how Lenard nearly tied the game with 2.8 seconds to go (he shot the ball, and it went thru the rim but popped right back out... then the buzzer went off...) in the fourth quarter.

Nevertheless, it was an awesome game... I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I found myself standing up in the box Ian and I were in (yes, my first time seating in the box seats!) towards the last ten minutes of the game. And Ian's right for the most part about being in the box seats. Unless if everyone in the box had that energy and enthusiasm similar to the crowd below, then it feels really weird to scream, hoot, and yell "dee-fence!"... especially if the box next to yours has a bunch of corporate goons who bring their wives to the game and their wives do anything but watch the game. *sigh* (the boxes only has a fence-like wall that separates them... so you can actually shake hands w/ the guy in the next box)

Unfortunately, Yao Ming couldn't show up for the post game Q&A session hosted by Ian's dad's athletic group thingy... he was too busy at the press conference. Nevertheless, there was a Q&A session with Glen Grunwald, which was interesting. The Chinese ppl kept asking if the Raps were gonna look for any Chinese ppl.... and some lady at the end was soooo desperate to shout to Grunwald (which she did) "We love Yao Ming, but we love the Raptors too!" All in all, I had a great night...

~ Owen Nolan?!
Nooooooo! Well, I'm sure Nolan is okay, since he WAS on the Canadian Mens Hockey Team for the Olympics in 2002, but still... the Leafs gave Alyn McCauley up for him! I liked McCauley... not just his looks, but 'cause he's a great penalty killer.... w/ a great attitude (positive one... unlike Domi's tough-but-cute attitude...yes I like goons... you've got a problem w/ me?) We'll see what Nolan has to offer for Toronto... better defence? Hehe.... step aside, Lumme!

~ Good Old Tie...
So after playing like a good kid for the past month or two, he had to unleash his fury and punch the lights out of the Senators dude... I saw the replay at the ACC (during a time-out sports update) and even I was a bit disgusted... although I don't entirely agree with the three game suspension. Tucker deserved it though, for punching some guy sitting on the bench. :) So what's up w/ the Leafs lately? They lost two straight already... and they usually kick Ottawa's butts. I'll just imagine the Leafs are saving their energy to play against the Canucks on Saturday night.... I like both teams, but I'm a true Leaf fan at heart... GO LEAFS GO!!! :D

~ Last but not least, Vinsanity!
This is my third time watching the Raptors live at the ACC (the first time I watched them was back when they were at Skydome... went to see Michael Jordan and the Bulls play against Mighty Mouse... remember those days?), but this is my first time watching Vince Carter play live. :) For the two times I went to see the game at the ACC, he was suffering from his knee injury. He's still not up to his full potential, but did manage to dunk a once or twice. No complaints however, but I hope he'll release his potential soon and get back to the full vinsanity stage... :) At least he ended off tonight w/ 21 points, just like Yao Ming :)

Oh, congrats to Ian for getting a chance to shoot hoops on the ACC basketball court (he got some stupid question right about McCoy, and was eligible to shoot hoops from the free throw line... and won a bike as a result!). Lucky fella.

Ahhh, life w/ sports is awesome. :) I wonder how the summer days will pass... I usually dread the start of baseball season, since I know that the hockey & basketball season will soon end, esp. this year w/ basketball since even Mr. Grunwald has hinted during the Q&A the odds are against the Raptors about making it into the playoffs... anyway, Go Leafs Go, and night!

3.04.2003

Random bits and pieces from Holly's life...

Ian's been commenting how I've been nostalgic for the past, so I decided to blog about the random thoughts in my head for a change. Besides, from busying myself with this accounting assignment for the past few days, I haven't really had a chance to blog anything in general... but now that I'm almost done, I'll give myself a break :)

~ God is good... all the time
Wow, I got all my midterms back... and I did considerably well :) Despite being very busy, dealing with stuff at school and home, I managed to get through school decently. Thank God :)

~ Breaking out... AAHHHH!
Never had I ever had more than 3 zits on my face at the same time. Props go to my accounting assignment for its contribution of stress, and hence, the zits. I now have five big lovely zits on my face. Normally, zits aren't really a big issue, but for some surprising reason, I have fairly decent skin and rarely get zits :) So now I feel reallllly strange.

~ Yao Ming!
No, I didn't see him. I didn't meet him in person. But I'll be watching him at the ACC on Wednesday... thanks to Ian for offering a seat :)

~ I wanna write better :)
After working on analysing numbers for such a long time, I have taken an ambition to write better instead of becoming better at analysing numbers. Numbers mean nothing.

~ Xanga sucks
It's just like another AsianAvenue... and sadly, people who "blog" there blog like dis, n think dat they're all dat... liKING to wirte like dis aND it annOYs me a lot.. GAAAAAAAH!

Enough w/ this entry. Even I'm disappointed with the lack of content of today's blog. :D Toodles!