an ebay purchase of Ravi: $100.00
a birthday cake from loblaws: $20.00
some candles from gary: $free
a lighter from alex: $free
a mix of salt fellowship pranksters

the expression on gummi's face: PRICELESS

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click the pix and tag along with me…

i feel so much more fulfilled this day then i have in such a long time. it must have something to do with breaking away from my usual routine of playing yugioh at pmall for hours. not that i don’t enjoy it cause i very much do but lately i’ve been so consumed with my own selfish plans that i’ve totally neglected those friendships that have made me into the person i am today. the worst part is i’ve known this fact for awhile now but continue to just fall into the same trap of my everyday routine. case in point one...i promised my friend rudy that i would go chill with him when i saw him at the passion concert nov. 22/05. itz been like almost 3 weeks and i haven’t even called him to arrange anything. the worst part is, i don’t even have any excuses to give...i’m such a bad friend. in the end, i got an email from him asking me why i hadn’t called him yet and of course i had no answer to that. so, finally today, we meet up at a Japanese all you can eat restaurant along with becca and allen.

it was a great time of fellowship together and the food was excellent even tho they somehow managed to always miss out on one item we ordered. if it wasn’t the spicy salmon roll, it was the shrimp tempura or something else. that crispy salmon skin roll was so yummy! anyone, wanna take me again? lol! after filling up our bellies we stop by canadian tire and headed to second cup. i was totally surprised when my old time friend Ann also joined us for some drinks. case in point two...i’ve seen ann only twice in the past two years and both of them at t.c. and each time i’ve gotten her celi digits and promised to call to arrange a time to catch up and do something together. well, i never ended up calling so whatz my record now? like 0-2 or 0-3 because it happen twice with ann...i’m starting to sound like the raptors. with that said, seeing her was so refreshing because itz been too long since we spend more then two minutes together. can i even use the word friend? sigh! before she left we talked about getting together during the christmas holidays so hopefully i can break this disappointing trend. should i ask her to christmas dinner? hmmm...

in the end, our group that started with five dwindled down to two, rudy and i. we talked, got caught up and actually had a conversation that didn’t centre around our past significant other. rather it was more focused on God and building up a better relationship with Him. that was amazing because i can’t remember the last time something like this happening between us. i’d probably have to go back to the days when we shared a pillow together under the musty smell of our retreat cabin out in the wilderness. i like the direction things are going with him but can’t help but feel there is still a lot of pain buried deep inside of him. i personally know itz something that will take a very long time to recover from but i have faith in him that he will be a better person because of it all. i’m praying for you...

so finally i’ve decided to get off my lazy bumbum and update…whoaa…itz been months and so much as happened in that time. too many events to list from all sorts of mini parties, movie nites, and even candy carnival. but i definitely want to thanx all those who surprised me at memories of japan for my bday. i was so blown away to see all those familiar faces once again, especially my long time friend, jenny luc..lol! itz been years since we last talked but seeing her that night, it was as if we never drifted apart. i felt instantly connected again and itz something that i really value in your friendship. thank you for all those who attended or took the time to write me an ecard/email like syd, grace and karen. especially, thanx to becca for taking the time to organize the whole surprise party and for a day i’ll always remember. for the record, let me just say being blind folded is a scary way to travel around town.

so, itz been awhile since i’ve done some serious thinking about doing things to make my life more meaningful but the past two weeks has definitely been filled with a lot of personal reflection. it all started when tony campolo spoke at our church and expressed a need for a generation of not just believers of christ but true disciples living out what we believe in our actions. i’m sure a lot of us can attest in believing in God but itz more then just believing. he said, even the evil one believes in God, so whatz the difference? itz not only about believing but more about being a disciple of God and fulfilling our purpose as a believer. he challenged us that night to do something like volunteer for urban promise or sponsor a child from world vision. i definitely felt a strong tugging in my heart to do what i know was right but didn’t want to commit to.

by the end of the night i did find myself at the world vision display table flipping through pamphlets of kids that need to be sponsored. i was very reluctant to commit even tho i knew everything becca was saying was true. grrr…why does she always have to be right! in the end, i did sponsor a child but did so feeling pressured and not of my own free will. before leaving church to head home i asked God that if this is what He wanted me to do He’ll show me. no sooner did i ask God, did the signs start coming. the song better days by goo goo dolls started playing and the lyrics just spoke to me. the following sunday i got a full dose of reality...you will die...number your days aright. as i sat there taking in the sermon, the tears just started streaming down my face. thoughts of one day not having my parents around, the lose of those i deeply care about, un-resolved issues, a life not completely fulfilled consumed my mind and my heart. i’ve been blessed with so much and have the life that i have not because i did anything to deserve it all, but because God has willed it for me. i have since moved from this idea that sponsoring a child is something that i should do, to this is something that i want to do. i’ve filled out the paper work and sent out my first payment. i’m so excited to see what God will do in her life and to hear all about it in the letters that i’ll get to read.

"teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."