for all you gals out there. you'd probably enjoy THIS

This Sunday. Scream with others for the 3.5 million people who are hungry, for the 2.5 displaced people due to violence, for the 400,000 who have died and for the women and children raped on a continual basis. At 2pm across North America, people will be screaming for Darfur.

come.

One down, three to go and i am lonely.

its a bit silly actually--why am i lonely now that anja is home and deej is soon to be home? i mean roommates are human contact at its finest. i was going stir crazy alone at home without them. 3 days without communicating with another human face to face was a bit unbearable...that is, until Joshua Robinson saved me from that horrible nightmare.

So why am i lonely? Well...to be honest its the thought (and the current experience) of not talking with my best friends--one of them for three months (although we'll find a way to make sunday phone dates..i'm sure) and the others for 6 weeks. Currently Shelly has left for Calgary and Priyanka has left for some big country somewhere out in the abyss along with Janette; Amac is traipsing off on a church retreat (but then will be gone on tuesday), Warren is leaving monday and so on and so forth...leaving Lydia very alone.

although not for too long...Montreal quickly approaches! i'm looking forward to meeting new people, becoming super friends with the other female intern, Julie, and eating lots of poutine and smoked meat sandwiches. Nevertheless, i wonder...will this feeling of missing people go away? Somehow a month and a half..or three months, seems a long time to not talk to some of these friends--especially since i talk to some of them every single night.

And as the year closes, i realize that a niche truly has been carved in Toronto. This is my home. This is where the people i love are. So what happens after next year, when school is over and done with? Toronto, for the past 3 years, has been the place to return to. Wherever i go, whether its back to Edmonton or to Montreal, Toronto always stays here...waiting for me to return. it is more of my home than my home in Edmonton. Thus, its unsettling to think that at this time next year, i'll be finishing up...people will be going away once more...but this time it won't be for six weeks. it will be for the long haul. and perhaps..it won't be other people leaving me behind..but rather me leaving everyone else...to begin carving out a new niche once more.

its a bit of a scary thought. i feel as though this life of mine in Toronto is like a house that started off empty...but slowly the furnishings have begun to accumulate. And now that the house is cluttered and has that homey feel, its time to put it on sale and buy another house. as life progresses will this become easier? to go wherever God calls, whenever He calls is a very scary and liberating thing.

elect exiles.

and...let the countdown begin.

1st exam of the exam period at 2pm today.

i'm SO ready!!! chaching!

6 days till Montreal and 12 days till exams are OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!

I CAN'T WAIT!

CHEERS....TO MY CHILDHOOD GADGETS AND FADS.

SKIP-IT! (this isn't the right picture...but i couldn't find a picture of a REAL skip-it!)

POGS!

FURBIES!!

NANO PETS AND TAMAGOTHCHIS!!

POLLY POCKETS!!!

Oh wow. the good ol' days.

do you remember when you were a kid and would go outside and play till the sky was dark? When you'd write on the sidewalk with stones and set up lemonade stands? Or when you'd make a computer book out of construction paper and play Inspector Gadget?

those were the days man. my kids are TOTALLY going to do that. none of this modern x-box crap. thats right. if i wasn't allowed to play nintendo, my kids won't either!!!

what childhood games and toys did you play with?

(special props to beth for remniscing with me)

YEAH BABY!!!!!

after many days of reading the social psych textbook, i can officially say that i've made it through to the end!!!! huzzah.

also, cheers to jack bauer on owning a man purse/satchel/messenger bag. if he can own one, so can you. macgyver never owned a man purse. jack bauer certainly IS the man.

in other news, warren was surprised that when he told me to cheer for the sens i was able to tell him Hasek was injured which made me a little weary in putting my hopes in them. He was also surprised when he found out that i knew Kariya plays for the predators... is that ALL that surprising? i mean i don't like hockey...but its not like i live in a hole. he was also surprised last month when i knew what march madness was...sheesh.

soon a more exciting post will come. i intend to heartily post about some gleanings from the word. but until i can invest a solid amount of time to transfer what is in the ol' noggin to the blogosphere, random ramblings about nothing will have to suffice.

10 days till Montreal Project begins!! (well 9 if you include the one day i'm there for staff orientation!) i am SO super excited!
i feel a bit dorky when i talk to the girls i'm support coaching... sometimes there are awkward silences.... haha.. but i'm also SUPER excited to get to know them!
its looking like it'll be a FANTASTIC summer!!

booked my plane ticket to Montreal today... and away we go!!

wheee! the countdown begins!!!!!

EVERYONE PLEASE ANSWER THIS SURVEY QUESTION:

is wearing a visor fashionably acceptable or not?

***


what an AMAZING little brother i have.... check out his blog!!!

www.xanga.com/pebbled_footprints

***

in other news, murses are great! every boy should get a murse. (man purse)

“None but women can reach (Muslim) women...so we have a solemn duty in this matter that we cannot shift. The blood of souls is on our skirts, and God will demand them at our hands.”– (woman missionary to Iran)

"For some men die by shrapnel,
And some go down in flames,
But most men perish inch by inch,
In play at little games."
- Robert D. Abrahams.

***
there are four people i currently love.
Shelly, Priyanka, Warren, and Janette.
thanks for loving me guys!!

So my girlfriend Erin's msn name tonight was....

Alright, if you want to marry me you gotta play acoustic guitar (sing too?^_^) ! There's just no way around it man!! hahaha :)

Okay, so i fully concur with her... and have now added this to my list of non-negotiables. ^_^ There's nothing like a guy who can play acoustic guitar!

HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY TO MY MOST FAVOURITE BROTHER (XIAO DIDI) IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!

Louis, you are an AMAZING little brother!! *teary eyed* i can't believe you're growing up so fast!!

*pinches cheek*

have a splendid year buying lottery tickets, smoking, and drinking (only in provinces where its legal!)!!


who am i kidding. if you do those things i will take out my chopsticks and my bamboo cane and beat you!

18 Reasons why i love Louis Wong.
1. louis is my adopted brother.
2. louis has an AMAZING servants heart
3. louis is a ladies man. hahaha.
4. louis calls me gah jeh, and that gives my heart warm fuzzies, since i never had a little brother
5. louis is an FABULOUS piano player
6. louis is ANNOYING.
7. louis has a mean mouse clicking finger when it comes to doing powerpoint while lydia is speaking.
8. louis is younger than me, which means i can boss him around.
9. only louis would laugh if i asked him if two bald men and one old woman were his mother.
10. louis will always play doxology so i don't need to!
11. louis is the organized praise team leader. i'm just a pseudo-leader.
12. louis lets me make fun of him and his macking capabilities.
13. louis is FOB and can read chinese.
14. louis knows how to call me "a cheese" in french. -- tu..es...fromage!
15. louis doesn't smell
16. louis is willing to play hymns with 5 flats... even if we sing BRUTALLY.
17. louis listens to girly music..which i find, embarassingly enough, quite catchy.
18. and finally..and seriously.. louis is amazing, because he is SO devoted to everything he does. Whether its FOG, Praise Team, Softball..etc.. Louis does it with amazing fervour and is always willing to help out. we are SO privileged to know Louis Wong.

its been fantastic being your gah jeh these past 3 years louis! remember. i get to interview any girl you marry!!! she's gotta be TOP notch. teehee. i'm so evil.

love,
gah jeh.

sometimes...many times...

i wish i were a boy.


sometimes...

its just SO unfair.


but what is fair? what is justice? what ARE my rights?

if i cry out for "rights" and cry out for "justice" and what i "truly deserve" then all i am crying out for is death because that is what is rightfully mine.

anything else which signifies life is unmerited. anything else which i am bestowed upon by the Heavenly of Heavenlies is undeserved.

So...

i will glory only in the cross
and i will make my boast
in the Lord Jesus Christ
Crucified to ransom us.

***
in other news...

a question for all of you with brothers and sisters...

what is a sibling relationship like? if you could sum it up in a couple of sentences what would you say? i ask because i am an only, and i don't have a concept of this.

i am simply peopled out!! i love people, but by the end of the day, i am SO tired of them! hahaa sorry joshua robinson for not being so great company on the drive to Finch Station. i usually love to talk music and sermons!! one day i won't be such bad company!!
p.s. SOM, i went on iTunes and bought "Only in the Cross"... SWEETNESS! i SO wanna do this at church.
***

It was mid june, and we sat down. i knew it was over. over before it even began. i held my chin up high and walked out. But as soon as i was far enough away, i cried. big tears, mixing with the pouring rain. i sat on the Métro that day and cried some more.

at the same time..i felt SO free. like a huge burden had been lifted away. they held me as i cried. i remember sitting there, rocking back and forth. crying. i remain unsure of how to describe the feeling-- elation mixed with desperation, joy mixed with pain; it was freedom. it was humbling, as though i had been chained too long and was learning how to walk once more. but walk away i did...knowing that there were bigger things in store.

ce soir, j'ai pleuré encore une fois sur le métro... d'apropos quelque chose tellement different..mais au même temps quelque chose vraiment semblabe. un visage different. j'ai vu ton visage aujourd'hui. et je suis très désole.

Way back when, i KNEW the right choice had been made. was it hard? yeah, it was. but was it RIGHT? there wasn't a doubt it my mind.

But sometimes, decisions aren't as facile. i was hoping that somehow, i'd get that feeling i did last june...the ambiguous one which cried.. FREEDOM with a mixture of glee and sorrow.

but instead the uneasiness is still here like jarring red paint on a white canvas.

je me suis réveille ce matin...c'était difficile. hier soir, j'ai décidé quelque chose...et maintenant c'est le temps d'employer ce que j'ai décidé...c'est plus difficile que je pensais.

désole. je suis très très désole.

i'm also sorry for this grammatically poor french. i haven't edited.

***

EDIT: MEH! JE ME SENS TRÈS TRÈS BON MAINTENANT!!!!!!! WOOT!! LE SOLEIL BRILLE ET IL Y A UNE PARTIE CE SOIR.

J'EN AI ASSEZ DU SENTIMENT TRISTE!! JE DÉCIDE MAINTENANT QUE LA JOURNÉE EST TROP BELLE D'AVOIR ÊTRE MÉLANCHOLIE!!!!

its too nice of a day to be melancholy!! time to finish up this chapter, go outside, grab a bubble tea and celebrate being nineteen and single!

and...to defeat what i just said about being single....

P.S. JACK JOHNSON, WILL YOU MARRY ME??? ITS ALWAYS BETTER WHEN WE'RE TOGETHER!! ^_^

Things to look forward to:

- project party/send-off tonight

- hair cut tomorrow

- eyebrows saturday morning

- ballet saturday afternoon

- lindsay farewell party saturday evening

- speaking at church on sunday

- going to Grace Toronto with Camille Sunday evening

so amac told me to check out this video.... and okay..despite the name..i thoroughly enjoyed it. the end is the best, so keep on watching..even through the dull parts :)

An exciting (and smelly) 15 minutes of adventure.

So i was sitting in front of my computer, reading my textbook..when i started to smell burning plastic. I was about to ask my roommate if she had put anything into the oven by accident...

when i looked out the window..and smoke was billowing from around the corner. My apartment building is in the shape of a U, so i couldn't tell if it was coming from my building or next door. At any rate, i told my roommate Anja to look out her windows..and by this time there was a HUGE amount of dark, black smoke!! She said something like, "if its coming from our place, why isn't anyone looking up?"

As soon as she said that, i saw people on yonge street start to look in the direction of our building...people stopped and stared..one girl even took out her camera!! AND THEN, i looked at a window across from mine, and i could SEE the reflection of flames!!!

Not wasting a moment (other than to change my msn name! hahaha) anja and i headed downstairs where there were already at least 4 or 5 fire trucks, many police cars, a large crowd of bystanders and media watching the smoke..

luckily..it wasn't from our building, but from the construction right next door.

at any rate, it was DEFINITELY a fun 15 minutes :)

yonge street is ALWAYS full of adventure.

the only sad thing is.... my apartment still smells like burnage. ugh.

[edit: the fire was on the news tonight!!! haha wow. i didn't even REALIZE it was THAT big of a fire!!]

Joshua Robinson, my new nerdy partner in crime.

i just HAVE to blog this, because it is SO super nerdy.


JR - Vainly they seal the dead--Jesus, my Lord. says:
I love biblical satire and invective!

*lydia.~He is the eternal Undefended.* says:
ahh that is a new word...invective

JR - Vainly they seal the dead--Jesus, my Lord. says:
cruel, and harsh language...my man Martin Luther was the king

*lydia.~He is the eternal Undefended.* says:
AND in dictionary dot comming it, i learned ANOTHER new word.. synonymous to invective.. vituperation

this is great. i loove new words.

JR - Vainly they seal the dead--Jesus, my Lord. says:
vituperation...nice
thats new to me

*lydia.~He is the eternal Undefended.* says:
whats your favourite word?

JR - Vainly they seal the dead--Jesus, my Lord. says:
Pastiche..
well rightnow

*lydia.~He is the eternal Undefended.* says:
UGh, everytime i hear it i think pistachio pudding.
yum

JR - Vainly they seal the dead--Jesus, my Lord. says:
I can't imagine that...
they don't seem to mix in my mind
whats your ALL TIME fav word?

*lydia.~He is the eternal Undefended.* says:
hmmm thats a hard one
i'd have to think on that.
currently, an old favourite has resurfaced: tautological.

JR - Vainly they seal the dead--Jesus, my Lord. says:
NICE
I used etymologically in an essay intro last month

*lydia.~He is the eternal Undefended.* says:
nice!!

JR - Vainly they seal the dead--Jesus, my Lord. says:
ya..I was happy

*lydia.~He is the eternal Undefended.* says:
haha, you do realize we are...probably the NERDIEST people on msn tonight.

JR - Vainly they seal the dead--Jesus, my Lord. says:
hahaha!!!!
YES....and PROUD

*lydia.~He is the eternal Undefended.* says:
LOL. very.



***

Oh, and his new msn name takes the cake: Son of Man vs. Lowonthego: Tautological vs. Etymological

relying on my own strength.

700 out of 6000. 2-3 weeks left.

i came to the realization today that i've been totally neglecting to pray over my support raising. my church has set a goal of $1700 which will cover project support and travel expenses, and for that i am SO grateful. today, they sold snacks to fundraise support for me!! i truly am blessed.

at the same time, i am hitting myself over the head for being so complacent about this and NOT praying about it and NOT beseeching God for this. i have to stop myself from worrying about this...after all, i've seen $700 come in, in less than one week. And i KNOW that God will provide my needs. Nevertheless, i cried a bit yesterday while i was on the subway. i came to this realization:

it is one thing to be confident that God will provide. and another thing to be confident in what mere human effort can obtain. oh, that He would increase and that i would decrease.

a good Good Friday.

a friend of mine invited me over to his house for lunch today. apparently they were having chinese guests over? at any rate, i decided last night that i would go, and i was pretty excited. if you know this friend, you'd also know that his mum makes some good food. Well, technically any food is better than what i usually eat at home (i'm somewhat of a good cook, but when there's no one to impress but myself, it bodes the question, 'whats the point?'). At any rate, woke up this morning at Janette's house (had an awesomely fun sleepover with her and pri last night. y'all can read about it on pri's blog.) and remembered... that as a church we were fasting on Good Friday. aie! no turkey lunch?

as i lay snuggled up on the mattress, my first thought that came to mind (ashamedly) was "ugh! can't i just fast a different day?" and then "why don't i just drop the fast, its not that important anyways." and finally, "stupid plan for fasting."

and then it hit me. conviction central!! what kind of priorities do i have if i'd choose turkey and friends (in that order...ahhaha) over God? as i was dragging my feet around, dreading the one day fast, my mind was thinking... "woe is me. what a sacrifice." i was hit with the sinking pit in my stomach of my carnal and sinful nature. SACRIFICE?? giving up turkey? uh, hello! i think not. Sacrifice was the suffering He endured. The mockery, the loneliness, the stench of Satan and the pain--now THATs suffering. Sacrifice was living a life of absolute purity and accepting treatment as a criminal. Sacrifice was the decision that He would rather go to hell for me than to go to heaven without me.

It put it into perspective for me. Suffering is not giving up turkey on a friday afternoon.

With this in mind, i set off for church, deciding against a friday lunch with friends...and i am SO immensely glad that i did. Would i have had more fun otherwise? Perhaps. But there is no better food for the soul than a good Good Friday, wherein which sin is recognized once again and where i can come boldly before the Lord and weep at His feet. Today will not be about what i gave up (which is nothing at all really) but rather, about what He gave up so that i could know Him.

an interruption on all this talk of pursuing (and speeding, i suppose.)

well, 33 comments (albeit, many are mine)...that must be some sort of record. and i'm almost not inclined to blog, to see if the number will continue to ascend.
the sad thing is knowing that this new post will garner almost next to no comments. but 33 comments is a hard act to follow. its not unlike some random kid having to follow Jeffrey Buttle in the Men's free skate.

At any rate...even so, i just HAD to blog about my undying affections for Apple. The moment i received my ipod for Christmas, i just knew that Apple and i were destined to be lovers.
So when my left earphone started to buzz, i realized the honeymoon phase was over. buzzzzz it did. Tremendously annoyed that my Ipod's love for me should disintegrate so soon, i hopped online to the Apple store, and filled out a request for a replacement. Free of charge, they sent me a replacement set of earphones...and they came in 2 days!! Not only that, but i have to return the defective earphones i had...and they make it SUPER simple to do so!! All i do, is stick them back in the envelope the replacements came in..call up purolator, and ask purolator to pick them up from me..all shipping paid for by Apple.

SO, this is just to say that it has increased my love for Apple once more and now i am more than infatuated with Apple. i am sincerely and deeply in love. swoon.

***

GIRLS, click here to read... if you are a guy, i ask that you would refrain from reading. its just for girls. however, if you do choose to read, know that that is YOUR prerogative and don't say i didn't warn you.

my hand is cramping from writing hand-written letters to accompany my support letters. ugh. so break time!! i will pose 2 questions for you...think about them and then reply :)

Question #1: Is speeding biblical?
i was talking to my friend andrew about this...and my first thought was Romans 13.

he then asked me...if the flow of traffic is going above the speed limit is it still unbiblical to speed? admittedly,...if the rest of traffic is speeding, then it is unsafe to drive slower than the flow of traffic....does it become biblical then?
OR what if its a clear stretch of highway...no cars...is it okay to speed THEN because its safe and there's no one around?

what do y'all think?

edit: i googled this issue...and this is a blog i found. some of the comments are good.
http://www.timlinden.com/blog/2005/11/27/speeding-a-sin/

Question #2: What is the girl's role when she thinks a guy might be interested in pursuing her and she is interested in him? (in a Christian context...although i'd be interested to hear what anonymous would say. always provides a good viewpoint that i may not have considered before)
Been talking about this with a couple of my girlfriends and guy friends. Seems to come up relatively frequently, since most friends my age are beginning relationships for the first time.

Should the girl just remain stoic and not give any hints? or should she show that she is interested too?

i talked to Maria and Dave about this during our car rides yesterday. Both weren't too sure..haha its a more complex question than it seems.

Maria said that some of her solid girlfriends who are in relationships would probably say that a little flirting would be a positive thing (flirting in a christian context...not in 'i am a floozy' context)..perhaps a better word would be what Pri uses "impress"... allowing the guy to impress her, and in turn, also impressing the guy.
Maria, however, also pointed out that most of her solid girlfriends are bubbly and would therefore need to go beyond that bubbliness to show a guy they were interested...whereas someone with her personality, who is more reserved wouldn't need to be as bubbly..and therefore, it depends on the person.

Dave pointed out that regardless of whether a girl hinted or not, if he liked her enough, he would pursue her anyways. I'd like to mention though, that Dave Wong is a SUPER solid, godly guy..and most guys are not like him...in that they might not act the way he does. He also made a good point that most guys don't even realize that a girl is hinting anyways...so it doesn't make much difference.

What do i think? well obviously, i'm not sure.. or else i probably wouldn't be asking the question. However, i do think that in 'hinting' the line can be easily blurred between allowing the guy to do the pursuing and pursuing the guy.

so what do y'all think?

SO HOT.

a fun filled weekend. for my own recollection purposes, a run down of the ongoings.

friday: dinner with miss lindsay layne....at this great shanghainese restaurant. YUMM... dumplings. yumm...shu mai. yumm. noodles. great time of bonding. i'll miss her :(

praise team practice for good friday until 11:30.

miss layne kindly drove me all the way back downtown. we had boy talk ^_^

saturday: realized i couldn't fit the dress i was planning to wear on friday night...so headed over for a RUSH shopping trip. bought an irish green dress. don't ask about the pricing fiasco.

got ready to go to the fellowship dinner. ran out of fuel for my cordless hair curler...and was forced to run to the drugstore, with my hair half curled and half not curled to get a new energy cell!

amac, a-ching, and ryan l. picked me up from the subway station and off we went. got a bit car sick and had to squish beside ryan l. and sit in the middle.
"if i moved over, would that be invading your personal space?"
"are you hitting on me, lydia?"

fellowship dinner. great time with great people. 2 tables of people from maria's and my church.

timmy ho's after the fellowship dinner. good times. especially at the very end when a-ching, ryan and i watched to see if amac would hold the doors for us. it slammed in my face and we shared a laugh, just the three of us.

amac, amanda and ryan dropped me off at my place...but before that we went to dominions to find andrew's parents flowers for their anniversary. it was 1 am. to redeem andrew, he did offer to carry my purse and my shopping bag that i was carrying around. what a sweetheart. found flowers, but there was no one there to help us wrap them...So we went behind the desk and retrieved tape, scissors and a plastic sleeve. i felt a bit sneaky. got the heart pumping. very clandestine.

sunday: church in the morning. lunch. you should've seen maria get irritated. she was SO cute! had the BEST bubble tea ever...great pearls man. destiny's is where its at!! too bad its SUPER far from my house.
purpose driven life leaders training. UGH RICK WARREN IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO long winded!!!!!!!!!!!!! i was DYING watching that video.
and yes...my church HAS jumped on the 40 days of purpose bandwagon. c'est dommage.
had a good ride back with dear dave wong. he's a solid guy. and single, girls! hahaha..i don't think he'd appreciate me saying that. but yes, i love dave wong! he's totally fab. and gave me a good opinion on something i've been puzzling on lately.


all in all a splendid weekend.

and now some photos. apparently pri and i love to 'practice being photogenic'. because being photogenic has everything to do with practice.

pri, amanda, teapot lyd (wow, don't i look short and stout there).

laugh fest. we were SO not ready!

there we go! so much better!!

sad...

thats better!

wendy, the soon to be cowgirl...and lydia..the former cowgirl.

maria is SO cute right now.... SOOOO CUTE!

jazz hands/fob fingers/asian cuteness...whatever you want to call it.

there'll be more with other people..sometime in the near future. thanks pri for the pics!

a good night filled with fun.

nobreux pensees.

sometimes i blog stalk. found this on a staffer's blog:

50 foods to eat before you die. i have 8 more to go! find out which ones i have already eaten here

Wow, here i am blogging away like no tomorrow! but i loved this post and it spoke truth to me today ^_^ So i'm going to post it anyways. YAY Carolyn McCulley. i love her blog. she's such a wise woman.

Waiting to be Interrupted

Okay, so back to the college-and-your-future discussion. I spent about a half-hour today looking for a quote that had been buzzing around my head for the last few days. It was about how it's the man's job to interrupt a woman's plans. I was sure it was something Elisabeth Elliot had said. But after flipping through all the copies of her books that I own, I realized it was Douglas Wilson who said it. What he wrote in Her Hand in Marriage was:

But boys must be trained to take risks, which means being

confident in the midst of the unknown. As they do this on

an immature level, fathers should work with them, and teach them,

without destroying this masculine impetus.

Courtship reveals how necessary this masculinity is. Many modern

young men approach a girl, and they are quite serious as far as their

intentions go, but they are afraid of interfering with her life. "You

know, she is going to graduate soon, but she wants to go to school

at Notre Dame, and I don't really want to go to Notre Dame, and

showing interest in her would really disrupt all her plans."

But the whole point of courtship is to disrupt a young lady's plans.

A godly young woman is not going to stand around waiting for marriage.

Rather, she will be preparing herself for marriage. This means she

will be heading in some particular direction, and not just marking time.

A young man should not be afraid of disrupting, because marriage is

by its very nature a disruption of her previous way of life.

This is a releasing perspective, isn't it? There is a tension Christian women can experience in trying to live for God right here, right now, while also trying to prepare for a possible future as a wife and mother. Because we creatures don't like the unknown, we often want to box God in and try to determine from the outset what our futures hold. Fortunately, for the sake of our characters, the Lord doesn't allow this. Instead, He asks for our trust as He unfolds the details He's lovingly arranged.

So, we are not to just stand around. We are to be making plans for the future--and praying for godly men who know how to risk interrupting us. As Elisabeth Elliot used to say, if you don't know what to do, then just do the next thing in front of you. As you are faithful with that next step, you can be assured that God will keep directing you to one next thing after another. And maybe one day those steps will put you right in the path of the man who is to be your husband. In the meantime, here's further counsel from her book, Quest for Love, about what waiting should look like:

Often a Christian man or woman falls prey to that cruel and

vexatious spirit, wondering how to find marriage, who, when,

where? It is on God that we should wait, as a waiter waits--not

for but on the customer--alert, watchful, attentive, with no other

agenda of his own, ready to do whatever is wanted.

Amen, amen!

(bold= my emphasis)

i'm hopeless!!
A morning story which will hopefully make you chuckle.

I was on my way to the elevators (to pick up my new shoes which had just arrived... they're simply phenom, by the way!!) and a short asian woman came out of her apartment, just across from the elevators and said, "Excuse me, you don't read an asian language do you?"

"No," i replied regretfully.

"ha ha. its okay, i'm hopeless too!" replied the woman.


HAHA. i'm HOPELESS?? awww. shucks!!!

wow what an eventful day. seriously. i don't like blogging about my day..but seriously, i feel as though i had many adventures!!

Had a good QT this morning and just felt so at peace..ahhh gotta love those days!! Even in the midst of confusion, His word is just so steady and trustworthy!

Nicknames
Lyds, Lyd..but NOT Lid. can't stand Lid.

the best nickname i've ever been given is probably Lydidia...because no one named Lydia has that one :) Props to nathan. i think though, that nathan is the only person that gets to use this one. if everyone starts using it, it'll get hokey. invent your own nickname for me, and you can use it. well..maybe.

so choose either Lyds or Lyd...or better yet, just call me Lydia.
***

Went to class...SHORTEST class ever ^_^ Got out 1.5 hours early.

Met up with pri.

Adventures in Korea Town
Okay so Pri, J and I are having a sleepover next thursday. And we REALLY wanted to watch the movie Darren blogged about on his blog. So, we decided to go to Korea Town in search of this movie.

The first video store we went into had NO clue what we were talking about. We went to Morning Glory (a stationery store) to ask for directions to another video store. We went to the second video store--the guy had NO clue what we were talking about. SOOO, we tried phoning J to get her to google it...but she didn't answer her phone. Refusing to give up, we made a LONG DISTANCE phone call to Ottawa (1139-D) in the hopes that either matt rice or nathan would be home. Matt answered, and we got him to check out Darren's blog..and then google the actors in the movie. HAHA. Went back into the video store, got the name of the movie in Korean..but they didn't have it. SO they directed us to yet ANOTHER video store down the street. BUT, we couldn't find it..and had to walk BACK...went into a coffee shop, who FINALLY directed us to the video store... got to the video store..and GUESS WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they had the movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSS!
...


or not. since it didn't have subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UGH.

Pigs
we came back and treated ourselves to eclairs for the 1.5 hours of walking (and eating curry chips) in Korea Town. the eclairs were so disgustingly sweet. i feel fat.

Adventures at Eaton's Centre
Chatted with Deej for a bit...and pri realized that a brown dress with a black cardigan would be a fashion faux pas... SO at 5 past 8pm, we hustled over to Eaton's centre to find Pri a cardigan that would match...ONLY to realize pri had forgotten her wallet at my place. KNOWING that the mall closed at 9, i offered to pay for her purchase and we scurried around the mall looking for a cardigan. Went to FOUR shops in the space of less than 30 mins and ran back to my place.

Clean-age!!

THEN i decided that it was high time to clean my room and Deej kindly volunteered to help. i wish i had a picture. but essentially... i had SO much clothing on the floor, that it was not only piling up...it was impossible to SEE the floor. Think a year's worth of clothing, lying on the floor. So Deej and i cleaned and vacuumed and folded LIKE MAD!!! Thanks DEEJ! you are SUCH a cool roomie!!!!!! we've had some rough patches, but its been great getting things a bit back on track!!!!!

and now i'm here. tomorrow.....cleanage of the solarium, club status petition meeting and sleepover at pri's house.

i'm so tired. ha.

so i took time today to think about attributes i would want in a future boyfriend/husband... i do this on a semi-regular basis (about once a year)...keeps me grounded. anyways, i always lose my list...so this time i'm blogging it..so that i can't lose it. actually, come to think of it...i remember blogging about this in December (read it HERE)...i remember because i think it was one of the first blogs that "anonymous" commented on. hahaha.

but i'm going to write this out again. i think i have more stuff now...and its in a list format. if y'all have non-negotiables/negotiables that i haven't listed on here, leave a comment ^_^ i've probably forgotten some things :)

Non-Negotiables

• must have a heart for God-- a mature Christian with a walk similar to mine
• must be a leader--someone that i can follow ( i know that i have a very strong and dominant personality..and so this is something that is essential.)
• must be bold
• must have a heart for the Gospel and the Great Commission (although, this goes hand in hand with a heart for God)
• must desire to be in full time ministry
• must ask my dad to date me (on the phone, or with a letter... no email!)
• my dad must say yes
• must treat his parents (especially his mum) lovingly and with respect
• must be authentically humble
• must be gentle
• someone who can make me laugh ^_^
• must understand the role of biblical womanhood and manhood
• must be loving and tender
• has a missions statement for his life
• (must have a heart for francophones *
• must desire to join staff with Campus Crusade for Christ *)
• any potential husband MUST be willing to support my parents--this is the chinese custom...and i intend to uphold this custom.

* these may change and fluctuate depending on the Lord's leading.

Negotiables

• musical (i put this under negotiables..because music is a huge part of my life...but i think about how my dad was not at all musical until he married my mum...THEN he became an awesome singer..haha)
• a good dresser. (okay, so a BIT superficial..but still... dress for success!! i personally am very fond of preppy (i.e. styles like GAP, AE, Club Monaco)
• listens to similar music (it would be horrible to be driving somewhere with him and have to listen to rap or screamo...but of course..i would if i loved him!)
• will watch ballet with me (this is actually VERY close to being a non-negotiable)

having written these things out, i wanted to point out that it isn't just a one way street... if i ever end up in a relationship/marriage... i too will strive to meet these non-negotiables...well, its not as though it begins when i'm in a relationship. i rephrase that. I AM striving to meet these criteria. :) i know they seem immense...but i have these things as a standard, so i won't settle for anything less. likewise, if i do not meet the criteria a guy holds, then he shouldn't settle for me.

anyways, this has been good to think these things through once again.

oh, while i'm at it....lyrics that i LOVE :) Seriously. bethany dillon= amazingly stunning. and all this from a once 15 year old? insane.

For My Love~ Bethany Dillon

Walk towards me
I want to hear
The heavens singing over you
When you breathe
And look at me
I want to be captured by you.

Gaze into my eyes
And let me know you’d fight
Thousands, for my love
Slip your hand in mine
Ask me to dance with you tonight
Just ask me for my love.

I want to hide
What’s deep in my eyes
I’m scared to be known by you.
But when I turn my head
And see you there
I want to be pursued.

Gaze into my eyes
And let me know you’d fight
Thousands, for my love
Slip your hand in mine
Ask me to dance with you tonight
Just ask me for my love

A dream I won’t wake from
A story that will never end
The ground your feet walk on
Let me be there, let me be there

Gaze into my eyes
Let me know you’d fight
Thousands, for my love
Slip your hand in mine
Ask me to dance with you tonight
Just ask me for my love

Gaze into my eyes
Let me know you’d fight
Thousands, for my love
Slip your hand in mine
Ask me to dance with you tonight
Ask me for my love.

my favourite chinese word has always been "ma fan"....i suppose the direct translation would be "troublesome"...but somehow ma fan holds just so much more meaning than troublesome ever could.

anyways, i hate bureaucracy and red tape. so today, i am using this word a lot.

UGH!!!!!!!!!! hen MA FAN!!! 很麻烦！！

A memory.

it was the first day of grade 6. i was late for class..and i was running.

i stepped into a hornets nest.

i got into class, and was crying because it hurt so much. i had stings everywhere.

everyone was staring at me. i was the new kid. the kid they knew was supposed to be in grade 5 but was instead in their class.

my new teacher, who had protested against me skipping a grade, ignored me as i slipped in late.

i don't think i ever felt more lonely and more insecure than that first day in class.

but i'm pretty much glad i'm not as nerdy anymore.

or maybe i just have nerdier friends, so it all equals out ^_^

we met up with the mormon guys again today--i can't explain it, but we parted and i just felt SO horribly frustrated. For the last 15 minutes of meeting with them, i wanted to cry knowing they are so misled and so far from the truth. a part of this is my pride--i hoped that what was said from our last meeting had at least left an impact, or made a dent in their hearts....or that perhaps today would make some difference--but it didn't seem to do anything...and my heart just aches for the three of them.
i don't think we'll be meeting up with them anymore--a part of me is relieved; no more manipulative questions! Another part just wants to meet them again, in the hopes that something could be said that would change their hearts.
i dunno...

tonight my heart just aches for them.

confusion....all gone! bai bai! ^__^

confusion in the noggin....

...

anyways...onto thinking about bigger and better things.

like how i have a super friend like pri ^_^ isn't she super hot!

so let me post something my dear friend Warren G. e-mailed me:


hey lydia
how's it going with the video?...hopefully you'll get it all done by tmw...=->
anyways, I was thinking, since we're helping out tomorrow with the decorations, I'll be there early. and I'll need to get changed before the banquet. But I will be bringing my car down, so I was thinking, maybe I could pick you up from your place after you get dressed up and we could go together?...sort of like a date?...nothing like really serious though, and if this freaks you out just don't worry about it...it just seemed like the right time to ask and hopefully you won't mind...but yeah, let me know, and I guess I'll see you tomorrow!
-Warren G.

i totally freaked!! i was like, what the heck? i go online and tell pri that i have to tell her something..and even before i tell her, she says, "before anything u know its april fools day right?"

UGH WARREN IS A JERKFACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and if you scroll down in his e-mail: april fools my friend =->

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH warren you are SO dead. if there's pie tonight, its going in your FACE.




***

i have to post another april fool's day e-mail i got because it was SO hilarious. LOL. its from my friend Chris who is currently residing in East Asia:

So, I was shopping at a big department store near my home, and I saw a new
foreigner (not many around here). He said he was Canadian but somehow I
didn't believe him; he had a southern drawl and sounded more like he was
from Alabama. Anyway, we did our shopping together, talked a little, and he
asked me about some good places to shop in town, etc.

We exchanged phone numbers (little did I know his number was phony), and
made plans to meet again sometime.

He'd obviously been in country quite a while, as his language was
phenomenal. Anyways at the check-out counter, he said something I couldn’t
catch to the girl and then left.



But after the girl put my few items through the scanner it came to over five
times the price it should have cost.


I told her "impossible! I only got these things!" Then she said that my
brother told her I would pay.

My brother? Who the heck is my bro--- THAT FOREIGNER!!

I told them no, he lied, and tried to chase after the guy, hoping he hadn't
caught a cab yet. I dashed out of the door and told them “he's a thief! He
cheated me!” but the stupid door lady and a few others stopped me form
leaving. Then I saw the manager who knows me and I gave him my ID card and
said I'll be back.

The manager let me go, and I ran out the door with the manager. LUCKILY we
saw him getting into a cab across the street and the manager yelled at the
cab driver "Don't go! Don't go!" and the foreigner was yelling at the driver
"Quickly go! That foreigner is a gangster!" which was funny when I heard the
translation later.

I got to the door, grabbed the guy's leg, and started pulling on it, just as
I'm pulling all of yours.









Happy April Fool’s day!



Chris :-)

i'm kinda sad today, thinking about how next year will be super different. as the year ends, goodbyes quickly approach...

the last time i had to say goodbye to friends was when i was moving to Toronto for university. But this time, its not me leaving--but rather, friends of mine who are completing one phase of their life and moving on to other exciting endeavours.
While this is exciting, and i'm so eager to see what God does with their lives, i can't help but think of how much of an impact they had on my life--i know..its not as though i was SUPER good friends with most of the people leaving, but they still impacted me in some way.

When i think of people graduating and leaving, i think of two particular people--not because they are SUPERLY good friends of mine, but because i've learned so much from them. Their wisdom and lifestyle of servant leadership have impacted me immensely. i remember the first time i met these two guys--it was the KSL breakfast at summit. there they were, sitting side by side at the end of the table, and for some reason they seemed SUPER old to me. i was so terribly intimidated--i don't think i said more than two sentences that first breakfast. Its crazy to look back and think that i now consider these two guys my friends. for the past two years, i've looked up to them, have learned so much by just observing them...and am so blessed to call them my friends. Ethan and Parker, i know you two probably don't read this blog...but i just wanted you both to know that as you graduate and go overseas, i will miss you both. words don't do justice to how much i have learned from the two of you, and how encouraged i've been by both of you :) we'll keep in touch for sure!


















Two other people who are leaving who really impacted me in first and second year...
Ryan and Wendy--i don't think the two of them read this blog....in fact, the chances are significantly lower than Ethan and Parker reading this...but i'll write this anyways.

Well wendy, thinking back, my first memory of you is actually NOT meeting you. Rather, it was the day when Karmen Wong told me that she had a friend from Toronto visiting her place in edmonton, and that i could meet this friend if i went to her house on Saturday morning. Alas, i slept in on Saturday morning, and didn't get to meet you then. I wasn't too worried or disappointed, i think my thought went something like "ahh, well whatevs, its just another person, no big deal."

So clubs day rolled around, i hadn't made any friends in Toronto, hadn't found a church...and i met you "by chance". in less than 5 minutes, i had learned that YOU were the person i was supposed to meet that Saturday, and that my former worship team leader's parents had led you to Christ at an airport in Asia. Coincidence? i think not.

over the past 3 years, you haven't been "just another person"; you have impacted my life greatly--you were one of the first people i had ever met who was (and is!) sold out for the Gospel. i am SO glad that i met you, and just SO blessed to have been discipled by you--even if it was for just a short while. i can't wait to come visit you in calgary. ^_^

Well Ryan Kirk... i hear you're the ultimate blog-ker. so maybe you'll read this ^_^ do you remember our bible studies when i was in first year? sometimes it was just me, you and melissa. hahaha. isn't it amazing that in just a few short years, there's now 3 DGs running at U of T? i wonder what it'll be like the next time we see each other... i'm so excited for the day when we'll meet up again and i'll be able to tell you about all the fruits reaped at U of T because of the multitudes of seeds you have planted over the past few years. i won't forget that first year bible study--how i never talked, was super quiet, and how you and melissa reached into my life and astounded me by your commitment to the gospel. you'll be missed for sure!!


welps, enough cheese for one night! lydia is going to bed!