something like a phenomenon...

dang yo - our dance for the recital is freakin awesome! march 17-19 folks, make sure you're there.

winter retreat.

the winter retreat was fabulous. so many good times were shared, i can't sit here and tell you all of them! let's see - tubing was one of the highlights. despite the bitter cold and blowing snow, we ventured outside and went for a ride. there was no 'normal' tubing going on - we experimented with formations. actually, the boys came up with 'formations' and we all tried them out. i must say, the best one was the 'cake' - that is a layering of sorts: tube on the bottom, two ppl on the first tube, followed by a tube on top of those two people, and a further two people on top of the second tube. it was well worth it. :) chrissy, claire and i also took an adventure with snowshoes. ha! that was an interesting time. even better, try tetherball with snowshoes.

the retreat was a great time to get to know people better - i must admit, i hung out with queen's people a lot more at this retreat, but it was worth it i think. but even better than all the aformentioned festivities, was the teaching. luc and rosetta del monte were excellent speakers. they gave us a lot of info, much of which i will be fully digesting this coming week. i put some of alli's pictures of the retreat up here. enjoy :)

i think i'm gonna jet... posse out. bldddssssCHOP!

the queen's contingent 

group shot: everyone at the retreat 

dutch blitz!!!! 

sarah, dave, linds 

phil: teaching the girls  

mm roast beef and butter... 

dave and rob: sprit fingers?! 

jas and i 

somehow, i'm always at the bottom! me, crystal, bren, chrissy 

worship 

saturday breakfast 

ice breakers: knights, horses, cavaliers 

me, bren, jas, alli and sarah 

almost there, almost there!!

i am quite excited for this upcoming navs retreat. like i think i mentioned before, this retreat is ontario wide - usually our winter retreats are just us and carleton/ottawa. not this year my friends. but get this - the BEST part of it is, over thirty people have signed up for it. from queen's. over THIRTY!! whoaaa! i think this might be our largest retreat turn out ever. and with all the other campuses coming, this is going to be huge! i simply cannot wait.

big men.

today began the hoping-to-become-routine gym visits. iris and i went - we thought it would be fun to play some sort of sport and then do some weights. so, we got the basketball and we played for a bit. let's just say i haven't played basketball since grade nine. when i shot, i felt like we were just playing catch! haha okay, so i need some practice...and some help. :) then, we decided to go down to the weight room. we walk into toward free weight room, feeling good about this, until we take our first step into the room. it is filled with boys - all at least six feet tall and three feet wide. we get some looks as we walk in, like we had an extra extremity or something - too late to run back out! so, we walk in..look around and ask each other "what should we do first?" we look around. all the weights are being used by these massive men. there is no room for us. these guys are hardcore. we can feel the eyes on us. we are the only girls. the only brown and chinese people in the room. we decide to turn around and walk out. so we did. *phew* that was ... interesting...

the plan tomorrow: squash.

le weekend.

this has been a great weekend. just great. yesterday i got the chance to hang out with some friends - we had dinner and yummy desserts, watched wicker park and about a boy. today was church, navs and praise and power. killer combination :)

so - yesterday i thought it might be nice to make some chilli. i took the beef out of the freezer and let it thaw. today, the beef was thawed and i was ready. ready for a chili extravanganza. i found this FANTASTIC recipe for chili on the internet. it is so easy, and provides stellar results. i adapted it a bit, seeing as i didn't have two pounds of beef, but it is easy enough to adjust accordingly. i also added some celery, carrots, and cayenne powder to the mix and it was wonderfully spicy, just the way i like it. so, here is the recipe (taken from allrecipes.com):

2 pounds ground beef
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid

- Combine ground beef, onion, and garlic in large stockpot. Cook and stir over medium heat until beef is brown. Drain.
- Stir in chili powder, salt, oregano, tomatoes, and tomato sauce; break up tomatoes while stirring. Heat to boiling, reduce heat to simmer, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
- Stir in beans. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes; stir occasionally.

as you can see from the recipe, it takes a long time to cook, so i suggest making it at a time when you are not really hungry, because when it is finished cooking you will be ready to consume it :) i promise. i am so impressed with this recipe. oh - the only thing i didn't put in was the can of tomato sauce. i'm not sure if it would have tasted much different if i did put it in. mmm fabulous.

well, the navs winter retreat is coming up this weekend and i am SO excited. jess said the sign up sheet was filled by the end of tonight, and this was the first day to sign up! that is just awesome. this year our winter retreat is going to be comprised of campuses from all over the province. usually it is just us and carleton/ottawa who meet up at camp iawah for the winter retreat, but this year i guess we're mixing it up a bit. i don't mind, it should be good fun. maybe we'll even see some people from roots and wings last may! who knows.

anyways, i think i'm gonna jet - i can hear my bed calling me :) time to sleep! soon anyways...night!

atten-shun!

hip hop has begun. we started to learn our routine for the big recital tonight, and it is AMAZING. for those coming to see it - be prepared :) you will love it! i will reveal no more.

i went to sarah's house after dance - they were having a winter party :) it was good fun! we played taboo - i love that game!

i would write more, but my hunger has overcome and i must satisfy this empty craving in my stomach!!!

posse out.

second semester. end of week one.

we're back. back in ktown, back to school. and oh what a week it has been. thankfully, my classes seem really interesting this semester. i'm taking a course on religion and ethics - the prof came to class on the first day with a jacket, suspenders, and a bowtie. so cute. he is a retired prof who was asked to teach this course again this year. so far, so good.

on another note - how many people wiped out yesterday?! freezing rain is possibly the worst thing to happen in kingston. not only are the sidewalks not salted, but they slant downwards toward the road, and at intersections there are steep slopes that will send you skating into oncoming traffic if you are not careful. it definitely makes for a more interesting walk to school! i saw this poor girl step out of the gym, and her first step sent her flying - feet up in the air, butt on the ground, heels over head kind of scene. like something right out of a movie. thankfully all the ice melted away today as we enjoyed balmy 8 degree weather. i think winter is coming again tomorrow.

so, i am in the process of learning how to play my newly acquired guitar. over the holidays i traded in my trumpet (which laid dormant for a number of years) in exchange for a guitar. exciting, no?? i decided against a djembe because i picked up my bro's guitar a couple days and had a grand ol' time trying to play it. he was teaching me how to play backwards, cuz i'm a south paw. it all works the same. up to now, i can safely say that i know five chords well. not bad since i only got it less than a week ago! all i have to do now is resist the temptation to pick it up when i should be doing school work.

okay - so one of my resolutions this year is to read through the Bible entirely. i feel like i am missing out - correction, i know i am missing out on a lot of good stuff in there. problem is that i always start at genesis and get stuck in leviticus. i can't seem to get past leviticus. this time will be different - i will get through it :) i have been reading a book called "Searching for God knows what" by Donald Miller - and so far it is amazing. i am in the part where he is talking about the Fall of mankind, and he looks at it through this lens i have never even thought about - but it is such an interesting view. i am intrigued. so many times i read the Bible and take it at it's face value, not really thinking about the emotions expressed, or the gravity/joyfulness of the situation. take for example - when adam and eve sinned in the garden of eden. God had this perfect relationship with them - and they blew it. miller compares it to a husband who finds out that his wife has been cheating on him - the sense of betrayal, loss, grieving, anger, sadness - such a mix of emotions. the Bible is filled with stories like these, and i guess i just now need to take the time to prayerfully and deliberately read the Word with a lens searching for deeper things revealed in these verses.


well, i think i'd better head off - gonna call it an early night and an early morning :) tomorrow's the day to jam with bren and jas!

bollywood

it's a new year. feel alive in 2005. 2005, you have arrived. gotta jive in 2005. i could go on. instead i choose not to :) for your benefit and mine. we went to ajax yesterday to enjoy some quality family time at my aunt's place. it was good fun - gotta love extended family and christmas soca music.

i am privileged to enjoy another full week of vacation before heading back to school. i came to the realization this holiday that i can trade in, or sell my trumpet (which now lies dormant) in order to buy a djembe! how exciting is that?! we checked out the djembes at a music store on lakeshore in port credit, as well as 'lakeshore music' in burlington. they are looking great. i got a pretty good estimate for my trumpet - and i'm looking forward to selling it to a new and excited trumpet player. it has served me well during my years at OT while playing in the symphonic band, as well as in the Youth Orchestra in Barbados, but the time has come for me to say goodbye. goodbye to my trumpet, and hello to a djembe. excitement courses through my veins! i really don't know how to play the djembe well, but i definitely can make some sort of sound on it that is pretty decent. :) perhaps this week will bring me the pleasures of my own djembe, but if not, i will wait patiently for the day to arrive.

on another note, since i've been home we've been getting more and more into the bollywood scene. the movies are quite entertaining. as i type this, i can hear indian melodies in the living room. i suppose it lets us enjoy a culture that is familiar yet quite distinct from our own. by the way - for those of you who wanted to see bride and prejudice, it's coming out in february! i thought it was coming out this christmas. we'll just have to wait. but then we can all see it together in ktown anyways - wouldn't want to watch it with anyone else! haha. looking forward to it. as for now, i think i will indulge myself in some authentic bollywood cinema.