3.31.2004

Bring on the Fish Bones!

I'M READY FOR 'EM!

We dug Can and Myles' shin tonight :) (man, Can's witty humour is rubbing off me...) Surprisingly, I didn't shed as much tears as I thought I would. Usually, I'm the one tearing up... yes, while hugging Myles, I did get teary eyed, but knowing that I have property at their place, I didn't fear that I'd never see them again. Quoting Daniel, "it's not like they're dying or anything."

:D

I know the encouragement, listening ears, care, thoughts, teasing, and friendship will always be there.

In other news... I have just completed my last assignment in my university career ever. The reality of finishing school in less than a month is starting to hit me.

On an totally unrelated note, lately, I've taken up my father's advice to use Proverbs as a daily devo/prayer thing... and I've been more aware of a few things: fear, discernment, wisdom, and more discernment. Discipleship is also another key thing. We'll see where this month takes me...

Anyhoo... am in the process of uploading pictures. Feel free to look and sign up for YOUR OWN account! :) (if you need my usn&pwd, msg me). TTFN!

3.29.2004

My Patience Meter...

... has been running on low for the past while. It's evident as I'm driving... my muttering has increased substantially in the past week. I've had many instances this past week trying very hard to refrain myself from saying the wrong thing out of frustration and impatience (and I've succeeded!). Patience is a virtue... which I am lacking of severely.

God has definitely put me in places where He is nuturing my weaknesses. Sometimes I wonder why he puts me in a place to serve... at times, He wants to reveal His glory and works... at other times, He wants to discipline me.

I'm defintely seeing more of the latter these days. :)

God, continue to guide me.

3.26.2004

D'oh! I pulled a...

On Wednesday, I pulled a Sarah.
Yesterday, I pulled a Myles.

*sigh*

Here's some clarification:
Sarah generally forgets to include attachments along with her emails.
Myles, due to her new stage in life, generally forgets certain things, and is rather forgetful (read her blog)

SO... how did I pull a Sarah & a Myles?

On Wednesday, I asked Sarah to edit my paper (due Thursday); I received an email from her at 11pm on Wednesday night after returning home, letting me know I forgot to attach my paper w/ the email... thus, my paper was left edited by me. Haha :P

Yesterday night, while pulling stuff from my school bag, I realized my precious pencil case was missing. :P After much tears (yes, I cried like the pregnant woman after she talked on the phone) and thoughts, I decided to go down to UT early this morning in hopes of finding my pencil case... and I found it! :)

To justify my crying - my pencil case has been with me for years... the calculator since high school, the Keroppi pencil Karen has given me years ago, the KPMG pen, the morning glory ruler from those days, and much more. :)

Anyway my day off :) Better enjoy it!

3.25.2004

Things to say:

- Happy Birthday, Old Man!

- I pulled a Sarah... D'OH!

- Fries and sundae.... an interesting mix.

- Headache :( headache = sleep.

3.24.2004

Definitely NOT my Favourite Number

Wondering which number? Anywhere w/n the range of 1000-1050. Unfortunately, any number in that range has been stressing me out today.

Example? Here's one: my uncle has been kind enough to go through my incredibly boring essay on the Maritime provinces, to give it a good edit and up it to a level that Profs and TAs like it (seeing how he writes these things for a living, I'm sure he's an expert at it!). However, my heart has been given a good shock as he sends back the edited version, and has destroyed it literally. From the 4100 something worded essay, he slashes it down to 1035. The required number of words for the essay: 3500. Yikes. However, he says I'm on the right track, and I just have to elaborate and fill in some examples using what I originally had. Still... that was a good schocker. Right now, I'm up to 2508 with two more pertinent points.

Another example? Think credit card bill and bank account. :P Gotta give mad props to the interest charged last month cos I miscalculated stupidly the payment amount. AHHHHHHH!

Enough stress bloggin' for today. Stay tuned tomorrow for more of Holz's adventures!

3.22.2004

Ridin' w/ the Horses

The past Saturday was really a gift for me :) Originally, I was quite obliged to go to the NTCBC Leadership Retreat, but after some persuasion from Ms. Chung ("Yeah, you could bring your laptop and work on your essay there!") and thoughts, I decided to go for one day. Am I glad I went. :) Why?

1. I overcame my fear of riding horses. I was rather hesitant to go horseback riding with everyone because: a) I had a paper to work on, b) I was petrified after my first horseback riding experience at the Josiah retreat years ago cos the horse galloped on me, and I was going "aaaahhhhhh!" for at least five seconds, and c) I had a paper to work on.

2. I concluded that God wanted me to take a break and be w/ Him. Aside from the time of fellowship, I really did feel that He was telling me to slow down and just take things one step at a time. Ah, the refreshing (yet cold) moments of walking in the rain, sniffing fresh air mixed w/ horse dung, and the streams of water, added w/ the horseback riding experience reminded me of God's providence and that it's really with Him that we can go anywhere or do anything.

3. Josiah beat Emmanuel in Trivial Pursuit! :) Finally, the record has been broken. Emmanuelites, I'm sure we'll be seeing you in SC this year.

4. Learned a lot about discipline and prayer. :)! As well as seeing where God may take you - comes from a passion, vision/mission, and action!

Regardless, pics are up if you'd like to see... click here!

TTFN!

3.21.2004

Help Needed!

I need a new webhosting place in a few weeks time. I don't think I'll be using utoronto after graduation :)

I've looked at doteasy.com - $0 monthly fees, only domain registration for $25 USD per year. CHECK IT OUT.

I know Phil has suggested christianwebhost.com, but I don't like the idea of paying monthly PLUS having to register for the domain name.

What to do, what to do? I NEED GEEKY TECHNIES HELP! Please?

:) Oh, the things I could do with the website. BLOG. ONLINE ALBUM. BLOG MORE. EAT AND BLOG ABOUT IT. Ooooh, endless possibilities.

3.18.2004

Thankful for Your Fellowship

Every time I think of you,
my heart is filled with joy,
I thank God for all you've meant to me.
You have helped me served the Lord,
in many, many ways
We are partners for eternity

I'm thankful for your fellowship,
thankful for your partnership,
thankful for the love we share in Jesus Christ
thankful for the joy we've known,
thankful for the way we've grown,
I thank God each time I think of you


===============

Some food for thought. :)

3.12.2004

The Answers

*drumroll* The answers to the bulletin board game. Yes, it's rather late, BUT yesterday night at 2am was th only time I had to play around w/ the picture. Here goes; see what you got and what you didn't get:

1 - Shows my love for two things: a) passport photo booths and b) family and friends (btw, there's one w/ Vicky, and the other w/ both my grandparents)
2 - A printout for Contiki's intinerary :) the important things in life - this summer!
3 - Urbana delegate nametag, with the bracelet/ID tag, and also a bunch of contact cards received from ppl I met there
4 - My unhealthy love for Keroppi and other fobby toys :)
5 - Little trinkets and tidbits that a certain fellow often gives me (that was from the wrapping of a Godiva box)
6 - Josiah schedule - that's my life every friday night!
7 - Ding Dong thingy - yes it's NOT on my board, but it's within the vincinity of it. My grandpa gave it to me two years ago while we went to the Exhibition Place for Chinese New Year Celebrations... on Ding Dong, he's wearing this bandana that says "he conquers all", and my gramps gave it to me so I could do the same w/ school. Hahaha.
8 - My unhealthy obsession w/ Mr. Tie Domi. :) Haha.... just kidding. It's really representative of all the Leafs things I have on the board.
9 - Postcards - No one sent it to me, but it came along w/ this coin or stamp my mom bought. I love postcards, and this one was rather unique cos it's 'bout Canada, and also it was printed right around the Millenium
10 - Business cards - for pleasure and necessities, not work! Right on #10, we have the beloved Mariko business card
11 - Lyrics to "Every Season" by Nichole Nordeman. I like to put inspiring and thoughtful lyrics up sometimes; "On my Knees" is up there too
12 - Pictures w/ Family and Friends! (there's more in my room, in picture frames!) That particular one was taken w/ my Aunt Lidia in St. Petersburg, and I have one w/ my cousins elsewhere; I also have the lovegety pics w/ Jess&Clary, and also one w/ Karen.
13 - Bookmark Myles made for the Woman of Christ workshop years ago, when she first came to NTCBC; that was her first workshop that she led there. :) The bookmark simply prints Proverbs 3:5-6. Great reminder.
14 - My unhealthy love for Roots and Canada
15 - It's supposed to point to the daffodil. I bought it from the Canadian Cancer Society... you guys should know what it stands for.
16 - Gifts ppl have made; that was a Christmas gift my friend Miche made for me this year; also, there's the foam name plate that Vicky made for a bunch of us in Summer Day Camp years ago... :)

That's all! :) I'm surprised; all you guys got at least half the items as a group!

The World Needs More of...

It's strange how lately, many words or things I think of tie back to a certain person. (Myles, you should know what I'm talking about, esp. w/ the blog title!) I can't go into Indigo w/o thinking about this person. I can't stop laughing at the word GOAT for reasons yet to be known. Why?

Cos of P.Can's witty and unique humour. Haha...

Scenario #1: After a PC meeting a few weeks ago, we dropped by Indigo w/ Ernie and Hilton... while the two boys went to look for a book, P.Can, Myles and I were wandering by the gifts section. P.Can suddenly pulled out an umbrella and plays around with it, mentioning how interesting the umbrella is cos it's double layered, w/ some words written inside. Being curious as usual, I asked him what the caption says. His reply? "The World Needs More of Can."
Because of that, whenever I step into Indigo and see their motto "The World Needs More of Canada", I can't help but laugh my head off in front people. Just like today, when I went to Indigo for a break from school/school work... and bought myself something for the trip :) (a travel journal)

Scenario #2: I'll wait until tomorrow to blog this... but a GOAT. HAHAHAHAHAHA. A combination of Joe's neverending questions and Can's quirky humour.

3.11.2004

My Life on Hold

Thanks to this, I have no life. Every morning when I wake up, I think of this. While I'm in class, I think of this. Sadly, while I'm at prayer meeting, I think about this (well, I do have the tendency to listen and drift off at the same time...haha). Before I sleep, I think of this. If I'm not thinking about this, I'm actually doing something related to this. As much as I love the cute Telus commercials, I really don't like this project I'm working on - the acquisition of Clearnet made by TELUS, as well as another acquisition made by BCE. Not my cup of tea.

Went to prayer meeting tonight... GO TO PRAYER MEETING! (shameless promo, like Myles states) Not only do you get to pray w/ fellow bros and sis, you also get first dibs on hearing certain praise items :) I'll let the lady share the news herself though :D Haha... a GOAT... hahahahahaha..... (only Joe and the ppl who shared the news would understand it...).

Anyway... I've decided to put THAT on hold for the remainder of the night, and update my blog, which I've abandoned for more than a week. Recently, I've had a deja-vu of my Junior High days. Perhaps seeing some of those people that made my live in junior high a living hell triggered it. I always thought I had gotten over it (thinking that people, including myself, do grow up and learn), but through recent situations, I've realized that it isn't the case. Is it because I haven't learned to forget about it, or have they not changed in terms of their perspective and attitudes since grade 8? Perhaps it's a combination of both.

I guess I'm getting older and older; I've been bumping into more people from my past lately - from a classmate in elementary school, to high school friends. Even though I'm at another stage in my life (and am about to enter another one), it makes me think of the memories of each stage, and realize how fast time flies by.

On a totally unrelated note, I am getting excited about May, June, and July! I'm still wondering where God will lead me in August and September... not to a certain destination, but to a place where He wants me to serve Him. However, convocation is slowly becoming a reality - I got my final midterm in my university career back. Didn't get a stellar grade, but decent enough to ensure that I'd pass the course come April. :)

In other news, I've recently started my compulsive magazine buying thing again... :P good thing I've only purchased three this past month. NO MORE UNTIL I'M RIDING ON THE JET PLANE! I was so intrigued w/ the bimonthly "Photo Life" magazine. I was also yearning for some reading material that required no thinking... so I sucuumbed to buying a copy of Lucky Mag. Yes, I'm quite astonished with myself, seeing how I've changed a bit recently... I've become more interested in looking and buying clothes (which are actually light coloured and NOT typical t-shirts or shirts...), bags, shoes. It's a bit scary, cos most of you know that I really dislike shopping. Perhaps school is really THAT boring.

Anyway I'm starting to ramble. These late night blogs certainly do you blog readers no justice, as you have to go through the messy and unorganized blog entry. Apologies in advance... in the meantime, I have to head off to bed! :)

3.01.2004

A Week in Review

I've disappeared for almost a week! I had full intentions of posting up the answers to the bulletin board, but unfortunately, I haven't had much "Holly Time" to blog or relax :( Surprisingly, I haven't been immersing myself w/ school work, but with extracurricular activities (I've been busy w/ coordinating THIS... not the website, but the actual event).

SO.... Holz's week in review... in a few adjectives:
1. Spontaneous
Vicky came down to UT to study w/ me on Wednesday, and we planned on going to dinner and prayer meeting afterwards. Suddenly at around 3:30ish, Daniel calls the both of us (w/o knowing that we were together), asking if we wanted to see the Raptors game w/ him in the lovely box seat. After much thought (on my part), we decided to go! It was a fun night, starting off w/ the 20 something wings Daniel couldn't finish at Peel Pub, Dan's lectures on proper box seat behaviour (ironic, no?), and a lovely Raptors game which, to my surprise, they lost... (now, I'm not that retarded am I? I know how the Raps are doing lately. Of course I'm being sarcastic!) Fun times... for VISUALS click here.

2. Stressful
Running student elections on campus is no piece of cake. Scheduling students for their campaign speeches took up my entire Saturday night, where it could've been put into good use w/ seeing friends, relaxing, and spending time with my family. However, it's an interesting experience. I also volunteered at a tax clinic on Friday; it was a great learning experience, but at the same time, being stuck in a little room with no fresh air wasn't my cup of tea.

I did get some time on Saturday to spend w/ my family and my mom. We went to the buffet so that my grandpa could stuff his face for two hours. Mom and I then cruised down to King Street to Mountain Equipment Co-op and had some fun time trying on shoes (and eventually buying them) and buying me a backpack for school & for my trips in the summer. I love my belay bag (in grey & black)! More importantly, spending time w/ my mom was nice... the nice weather that complimented the day topped it off.

3. Surprising :)
Got some midterm results back... so far, I think graduation is still planned for June 2004. :D Also found out one of my uncles may be going to Shanghai, so the trip troute may have some changes.

4. Self-Realizing (all righty, this doesn't sound like an adj)
During service on Sunday, a brother shared about his experience about this youth conference he went to sponsored by InterSchools (another InterVarsity ministry, the organization that brought you Urbana). He was inspired by the youths there, who had the passion for Christ at such a young age. His sharing reminded me of my days in Thornlea w/ the Open Doors Christian Fellowship; back then, I remember being really excited about the fellowship, even though a small handful of people attended. However, despite the differences in grades, churches, ethnicity, and background, we still had a wonderful fellowship time, sharing and listening to each other, and supporting them in Christ even though we didn't know each other as well as we would've liked.

I realized at that moment that I've lost my first love. Recently, w/ different activities going on in my life, including ministry, it has become more like a duty rather than sincere service. However, I thank God for this reminder... it truly is uplifting to remember those days...and how it's never too late to regain that first love.

That's all for now... I must get back to studying... I have very rare moments to study/work this week, so must get back to it! :D I fully intend on relaxing a bit tonight, so I may post the answers to the bulletin board later tonight. Stayed tuned! :D Ciao.