Today a strange thing happened at a, what otherwise would be a normal Frosh Cell planning meeting. I got a random text message, sent through the online text system.
"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." - Philippians 4.13
Came to the conclusion that it was some random CCF person, since a few other CCFers got something as well. Whoever it is, thanks. It came a little late to save me from Calculus-3, but it was encouraging indeed. It came at a time when we're preparing to ramp into the idea of serving in FC...what does it take to serve?
No. Not skills (well. that'd help. haa.) Not charisma. Not any special "level" you have to achieve or whatnot. Just one thing. Willingness. It seems like I'm contracting what I've referred to just a few days ago, but remembering my own experiences...
Sometimes...it's not the big fancy roles. NSR coordinator. Frosh Cell leader. Sometimes it's the everyday stuff. KWCAC AV. Prayer. And once in a while, it's the little things...baking for CCF peoples. Random emailing. A phone call at 12.30AM. Haa...
"...but those who hope in the LORD renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40.31
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." - Isaiah 41.10
Hum. Someone put effort into this. Thank you.
Okay. I can't resist. "[CS course on accounting systems] talks about the accounting system and suck" - Amantha Ho (random typo. "Suck" was suppose to be "such", but she was telling me how screwed she was for that MT, so...lol such a good typo. laughed for a bit. haaa)
Friday, October 27, 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Once again...
I've come to realize, sometimes the people that are best suited for a particular job isn't interested. And sometimes people who arin't suited, but just have an interest, are slotted in. I'm sure we all have our share of bad TAs and profs. So why arin't the better suited people interested? I dunno. I'm sure I've read somewhere about this...maybe it's just the "Gattaca" effect (great movie, btw.)
So once again I'm wondering. Once again I'm thinking. Once again I'm questions. What does it take to be an engineer...and who else is here...and how do we do this...I wonder...did You ever have to face this?
Once Again - Matt Redman
Jesus Christ, I think upon Your sacrifice
You became nothing, poured out to death
Many times I've wondered at Your gift of life
And I'm in that place once again
I'm in that place once again
And once again I look upon the cross where You died
I'm humbled by Your mercy and I'm broken inside
Once again I thank You
Once again I pour out my life
Now You are exalted to the highest place
King of the heavens, where one day I'll bow
But for now, I marvel at Your saving grace
And I'm full of praise once again
I'm full of praise once again
Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross, my Friend
"Rah." - Josh Lo, 2A Chemical Engineering
So once again I'm wondering. Once again I'm thinking. Once again I'm questions. What does it take to be an engineer...and who else is here...and how do we do this...I wonder...did You ever have to face this?
Once Again - Matt Redman
Jesus Christ, I think upon Your sacrifice
You became nothing, poured out to death
Many times I've wondered at Your gift of life
And I'm in that place once again
I'm in that place once again
And once again I look upon the cross where You died
I'm humbled by Your mercy and I'm broken inside
Once again I thank You
Once again I pour out my life
Now You are exalted to the highest place
King of the heavens, where one day I'll bow
But for now, I marvel at Your saving grace
And I'm full of praise once again
I'm full of praise once again
Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross
Thank You for the cross, my Friend
"Rah." - Josh Lo, 2A Chemical Engineering
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Winter Conf
For some reason I've thought of random events in the past. A few of them, pertaining to my Walk, stood out a little more than others. I think, a really pivotal event was Winter Conference.
Looking at the after-effect, there is definitely a few effects that lingered for a bit...
- Glass box: In reference to that desire to "seek answers from the world"...we all had times where we're just searching for our place (indeed, many of us are still there), or seeing something that looks appealing from the outside, but when we actually got there, was not what we thought it was. "Grass is greener on the other side," right? So imagine being locked in a glass box, always seeing the "ideal" world... but sometimes, we find that, once we're actually there, the "ideal" isn't so "ideal" anymore...being careful of what you ask for. Know what you're asking for. Know yourself well enough to know what to ask for.
- Spiritual high: For myself, exiting events like the Conference...or Retreats, we tend to get a kind of a sugar high off of things. Just really passionate about stuff, until eventually the mundane life kicks in and we're re-introduced to reality. I complain about this sometimes, yet... what is the key? What's the difference between attending a massive conference in a fancy hotel and singing with 5000 people, as oppose to standing in a classroom and singing with 120 people? What's the difference between praying or reading or listening in that type of environment...and doing the exact same thing at home? Can't remember where it is, but the Bible states that whenever two or more gathers in His name, He is there. I think, because we don't put as much focus on daily prayer and devos, we lose out on certain focus...we lose out on seeing the bigger picture...we lose out...
- Walking: Complacency is a huge thing to struggle against. Sure, sometimes we can say "it's good enough" to things...but there are stuff that can't be compromised. As an Engineering student, one of the first things that was driven into us was, whatever we do, it matters. Engineers, unlike the other professions like lawyers, don't tend to have bad names. And whenever an engineering flaw occurs, it get ripped apart in the media (Quebec bridge collapse, anyone? 1918, I believe), and we as an engineering community learn a bit more. I guess I'm think of the stuff I wrote about yesterday as well...investing in the future generations...humans are indeed social creatures. Society is built by people, not by one person. We associate with each other in order to strive forward, to learn from each other. To depend on each other, to walk together. I'm not saying that we keep driving everyone forward. I've come to realize that's impossible. But pick a few people. Stick with them. You never know...to the grads, it was a handful of steps with a frosh. To that frosh, it may have been another pivotal event that changed his point of view forever.
Life begins at university? Maybe. After we got out of all our angry teen years during...our angry teen years. After we've been punished enough outside the box to want to crawl back in. *shrug* we'll see?
Ohoh. When you see the letters STM, what do you think of first?
"A photon is energy in form of light. A phonon is energy in form of vibration." - ECE209
Looking at the after-effect, there is definitely a few effects that lingered for a bit...
- Glass box: In reference to that desire to "seek answers from the world"...we all had times where we're just searching for our place (indeed, many of us are still there), or seeing something that looks appealing from the outside, but when we actually got there, was not what we thought it was. "Grass is greener on the other side," right? So imagine being locked in a glass box, always seeing the "ideal" world... but sometimes, we find that, once we're actually there, the "ideal" isn't so "ideal" anymore...being careful of what you ask for. Know what you're asking for. Know yourself well enough to know what to ask for.
- Spiritual high: For myself, exiting events like the Conference...or Retreats, we tend to get a kind of a sugar high off of things. Just really passionate about stuff, until eventually the mundane life kicks in and we're re-introduced to reality. I complain about this sometimes, yet... what is the key? What's the difference between attending a massive conference in a fancy hotel and singing with 5000 people, as oppose to standing in a classroom and singing with 120 people? What's the difference between praying or reading or listening in that type of environment...and doing the exact same thing at home? Can't remember where it is, but the Bible states that whenever two or more gathers in His name, He is there. I think, because we don't put as much focus on daily prayer and devos, we lose out on certain focus...we lose out on seeing the bigger picture...we lose out...
- Walking: Complacency is a huge thing to struggle against. Sure, sometimes we can say "it's good enough" to things...but there are stuff that can't be compromised. As an Engineering student, one of the first things that was driven into us was, whatever we do, it matters. Engineers, unlike the other professions like lawyers, don't tend to have bad names. And whenever an engineering flaw occurs, it get ripped apart in the media (Quebec bridge collapse, anyone? 1918, I believe), and we as an engineering community learn a bit more. I guess I'm think of the stuff I wrote about yesterday as well...investing in the future generations...humans are indeed social creatures. Society is built by people, not by one person. We associate with each other in order to strive forward, to learn from each other. To depend on each other, to walk together. I'm not saying that we keep driving everyone forward. I've come to realize that's impossible. But pick a few people. Stick with them. You never know...to the grads, it was a handful of steps with a frosh. To that frosh, it may have been another pivotal event that changed his point of view forever.
Life begins at university? Maybe. After we got out of all our angry teen years during...our angry teen years. After we've been punished enough outside the box to want to crawl back in. *shrug* we'll see?
Ohoh. When you see the letters STM, what do you think of first?
"A photon is energy in form of light. A phonon is energy in form of vibration." - ECE209
Friday, October 20, 2006
Leadership
Don't know how much CCF here ppl comes here...had to step away from the place for a while, so I dropped by WCF today instead, and had a listen to share about the points of leadership today. Though it was not any particularly deep, it did remind me a bit of the talk Auntie Maureen gave me ... 6 month ago? The speaker quoted this verse:
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice." - Philippians 4.8-9
Wow. How much of us can say that? "Whatever you've seen in me, do it?" To have so much confidence in your self-character to want other people to look to you and know that this is the role model they could look to.
So. Lets plunk down some mentorship stuff, since I have this loaded up anyway...pulling points from the CCF Fall Retreat...
- Don't belittle humble beginnings. The CCF that we call home was once meeting in the basement of a professor
- Invest in the people around you, especially the younger generations. We cannot realize what the effects of our influences are now...the younger ones are the one that will continue the fellowship...the school...the society...the world... not even just when we're here at university, when we return home too. Support the students -> and mentor
- I'm consistantly university will be a unique time. Very few oppotunties like University will occur...the community we have here will not be the same once we've graduated and scattered across the world, each to our places. Make good use of it. Develop your mind. Read good books. Walk.
- And in the next 4, 5 years, people will change. So stay connected with your friends. Or else you will find that, once you're home, home is a totally different environment... stay connected! University friends, home friends alike. Hard, I know, and I've been pretty bad at this. I try harder once in a while though. Haaa...
And mentorship...
- Communication
- Balance and shifting of responsibilties
- Pray
- Maintain focus
- And lift up the rest to Him
Almost forgot my random point (no quote today): Scanning Tunneling Microscope. *nods*
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice." - Philippians 4.8-9
Wow. How much of us can say that? "Whatever you've seen in me, do it?" To have so much confidence in your self-character to want other people to look to you and know that this is the role model they could look to.
So. Lets plunk down some mentorship stuff, since I have this loaded up anyway...pulling points from the CCF Fall Retreat...
- Don't belittle humble beginnings. The CCF that we call home was once meeting in the basement of a professor
- Invest in the people around you, especially the younger generations. We cannot realize what the effects of our influences are now...the younger ones are the one that will continue the fellowship...the school...the society...the world... not even just when we're here at university, when we return home too. Support the students -> and mentor
- I'm consistantly university will be a unique time. Very few oppotunties like University will occur...the community we have here will not be the same once we've graduated and scattered across the world, each to our places. Make good use of it. Develop your mind. Read good books. Walk.
- And in the next 4, 5 years, people will change. So stay connected with your friends. Or else you will find that, once you're home, home is a totally different environment... stay connected! University friends, home friends alike. Hard, I know, and I've been pretty bad at this. I try harder once in a while though. Haaa...
And mentorship...
- Communication
- Balance and shifting of responsibilties
- Pray
- Maintain focus
- And lift up the rest to Him
Almost forgot my random point (no quote today): Scanning Tunneling Microscope. *nods*
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Second Law
Newton's Second Law of Motion: F = ma
I finally got a degree of understand of Schrodinger's equation yesterday. In case you don't happen to know any Quantum Mechanics, Schrodinger's equation basically said F = ma isn't good enough anymore. Think of it as the F = ma of particles and atomic sized stuff. It gives allowance to quantum tunneling, the ability for electrons to "disappear" and "reappear" somewhere else... funny how things look from another environment and perspectives.
Second Law of Thermodynamics: All reaction releases heat; no process is 100% efficient.
For some reason, I'm thinking of Moore's Law. You know. Every 24 month, the number of Integrated Circuits you can cram onto a given board is doubled. I read something we're approaching the theoretical limit of Moore's Law...things are so small, we can't just minimize things...cuz the effects of quantum mechanics will apply to things that small. It's like a exponential graph! Always some limit to things, even if we can't see it now...
"Real big men that go arg!" - Marianne Heppleston, UWCCF DL
I finally got a degree of understand of Schrodinger's equation yesterday. In case you don't happen to know any Quantum Mechanics, Schrodinger's equation basically said F = ma isn't good enough anymore. Think of it as the F = ma of particles and atomic sized stuff. It gives allowance to quantum tunneling, the ability for electrons to "disappear" and "reappear" somewhere else... funny how things look from another environment and perspectives.
Second Law of Thermodynamics: All reaction releases heat; no process is 100% efficient.
For some reason, I'm thinking of Moore's Law. You know. Every 24 month, the number of Integrated Circuits you can cram onto a given board is doubled. I read something we're approaching the theoretical limit of Moore's Law...things are so small, we can't just minimize things...cuz the effects of quantum mechanics will apply to things that small. It's like a exponential graph! Always some limit to things, even if we can't see it now...
"Real big men that go arg!" - Marianne Heppleston, UWCCF DL
Monday, October 09, 2006
Report from MTL
I could be working. lol. Sorry for all you non-Waterloo audience. This one is pretty much for the locals (local used loosely here. Waterloo-Toronto-Montreal area).
Congrats to Rebecca and Jackson. They got married at Montreal, Quebec this Saturday (Oct 7), so a few of us from CCF, MCCF and KWCAC bused/drove down...14 hours of net travel time. oyy...
However, Montreal gives off quite a different feel. Most of its buildings have a very European feel to them. Very cool. It's like one of them movies with European stuctures. All the red "Arret" signs, complete with accents on the e. ~50 cloth shops on St. Catherines Street. Ownage ambiance at Montreal Alliance. Yeah...I think MCAC feels better than MCAGC, but MCAGC was also built downtown, so they didn't really have the space to expand... The driving was kind of nuts though. I'm surprised no one got nailed with all the ... car shuffling that happened on HWY-20 (or rather AUT-20)...
As for the wedding itself...I dunno. It's cool being able to attend a wedding + reception and actually know the groom and bride, but I guess it's your typical wedding. Reception had AV problems (lol. chalk it up to me to shiver at the feedback eh...hey, Herman was doing it too!). Haaa...I felt like a physist watching a sci-fi movie, pointing out all the physics flaws.
Once we got back into Toronto, we had some time to waste before Grayhound arrived, so Eric was nice enough to drive us (well. me I guess, since Lue and Steve would know TO already) around. I have to say...UT campus >> UW campus...any random building looks better than UW's MC...sigh... it's too bad I didn't step onto McGill's campus too. I would've been on 3 campuses in one day. lol.
Alright. I don't think I'll be going on a road trip anytime soon. Stuck in a car for 14 hrs...once a term might already be too much ><
"No capes!" -Edna Mode (yes, the random quotes will get more random as times goes on)
Congrats to Rebecca and Jackson. They got married at Montreal, Quebec this Saturday (Oct 7), so a few of us from CCF, MCCF and KWCAC bused/drove down...14 hours of net travel time. oyy...
However, Montreal gives off quite a different feel. Most of its buildings have a very European feel to them. Very cool. It's like one of them movies with European stuctures. All the red "Arret" signs, complete with accents on the e. ~50 cloth shops on St. Catherines Street. Ownage ambiance at Montreal Alliance. Yeah...I think MCAC feels better than MCAGC, but MCAGC was also built downtown, so they didn't really have the space to expand... The driving was kind of nuts though. I'm surprised no one got nailed with all the ... car shuffling that happened on HWY-20 (or rather AUT-20)...
As for the wedding itself...I dunno. It's cool being able to attend a wedding + reception and actually know the groom and bride, but I guess it's your typical wedding. Reception had AV problems (lol. chalk it up to me to shiver at the feedback eh...hey, Herman was doing it too!). Haaa...I felt like a physist watching a sci-fi movie, pointing out all the physics flaws.
Once we got back into Toronto, we had some time to waste before Grayhound arrived, so Eric was nice enough to drive us (well. me I guess, since Lue and Steve would know TO already) around. I have to say...UT campus >> UW campus...any random building looks better than UW's MC...sigh... it's too bad I didn't step onto McGill's campus too. I would've been on 3 campuses in one day. lol.
Alright. I don't think I'll be going on a road trip anytime soon. Stuck in a car for 14 hrs...once a term might already be too much ><
"No capes!" -Edna Mode (yes, the random quotes will get more random as times goes on)
Thursday, October 05, 2006
40 ms
Can't remember where I read it from...but 40 milliseconds is the amount of time between each "refresh". Yup. We as humans see the world in 40ms pictures. Cool random bio trivia.
The other day, in PSYCH101, Ennis was talking about Regression to the Mean. "The truly unusual day is when nothing unusual happens." Given the amount of people there are on this planet, the number of events that occur, statically speaking, people should be winning lotteries multiple times..."An event that happens to but one in 1 billion people every day occurs about 6 times a day..." -> Open Mind, but Skeptical Eye
Anyways. Been stacked with school and CCF stuff for the last bit. With midterms coming up...oy...but we had Frosh Cell again today... cooking night, at my place, random reportings from the night then...
- We crammed at least 16 people into a 4 people suite's kitchen/common area
- Because we didn't have enough bowls and other stuff, we ended up using various pots, rice cooker...rice holder pots..., Tupperware containers to hold things. A bowl to mash potato. A pan as a lid to a pot. Scissors to cut lettuce. A pot to mix concentrate juice. It's too bad myself, Josh or Betty didn't have cameras, or else it'd would've been awesome scene. lol. Not having measuring cups when we had to bake, to find out the oven was busted later on.
- Had to share about certain stories of mine...such as my strawberry milk/KD event...
- But on a more useful point, had to remind the froshes not to skip out on homework, to ask upperyears lots of questions, to balance out in things
Things are going alright I guess. Need more sleep ><
And inserting random stuff from the Mentor workshop: "Invest in the kids"...those of you slackers reading this, go do VBS. It's good.
And lastly, since it's released online...
UWCCF Lifesong, Fall 2006: http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=JJStiles
"Walking away from a past I can't return to, through a present I don't belong in, to a future that is hard to believe in"
The other day, in PSYCH101, Ennis was talking about Regression to the Mean. "The truly unusual day is when nothing unusual happens." Given the amount of people there are on this planet, the number of events that occur, statically speaking, people should be winning lotteries multiple times..."An event that happens to but one in 1 billion people every day occurs about 6 times a day..." -> Open Mind, but Skeptical Eye
Anyways. Been stacked with school and CCF stuff for the last bit. With midterms coming up...oy...but we had Frosh Cell again today... cooking night, at my place, random reportings from the night then...
- We crammed at least 16 people into a 4 people suite's kitchen/common area
- Because we didn't have enough bowls and other stuff, we ended up using various pots, rice cooker...rice holder pots..., Tupperware containers to hold things. A bowl to mash potato. A pan as a lid to a pot. Scissors to cut lettuce. A pot to mix concentrate juice. It's too bad myself, Josh or Betty didn't have cameras, or else it'd would've been awesome scene. lol. Not having measuring cups when we had to bake, to find out the oven was busted later on.
- Had to share about certain stories of mine...such as my strawberry milk/KD event...
- But on a more useful point, had to remind the froshes not to skip out on homework, to ask upperyears lots of questions, to balance out in things
Things are going alright I guess. Need more sleep ><
And inserting random stuff from the Mentor workshop: "Invest in the kids"...those of you slackers reading this, go do VBS. It's good.
And lastly, since it's released online...
UWCCF Lifesong, Fall 2006: http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=JJStiles
"Walking away from a past I can't return to, through a present I don't belong in, to a future that is hard to believe in"
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