:: Friday, August 30, 2002 ::

DENTISTRY ORIENTATION... boring!!! All we did today was listen to a man speak about Western for 90 minutes, and then spend the next 3 hours going through our Dental Tools and kit, doing an inventory of the stuff we had inside... jeez... there must have been over 500 drill bits and burs, all these other things' which purpose I haven't a clue, and woah... just so BORING. We're going to this pub tonight, but we're not even meeting up prior... we're just going there. That's stupid cuz that's a huge bar that's extremely popular and so we're not gonna be really meeting other dental students. pooers.

:: Jesse 7:28 PM

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Ahhhhh school is starting so soon!!! The summer is drawing to a close as my orientation for dentistry begins this Friday. The last week in Toronto has been quite a relaxing one... kinda. I've forgotten how intense and scheduled people are in Toronto. I think that's why I like the life in London.. it's so day by day.

God has been extremely faithful in showing his faithfulness. I got some info from OSAP the other day and I was surprised to have received some funds that I otherwise would have been strapped to pay for. Another one of God's promises that he would provide in the end. After a whole summer working in London, I've come to realize, if God asks you to do something, but there are things yet to fulfil (time, money, even desire), He will be faithful in providing them all. While working at Pathways, my summer job, I've come to adore and cherish the friendships there. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness. Last friday was the farewell bbq at my boss' place. So many babies! Yay. I love babies. It was so nice to intimately share with 13 other coworkers. I'll miss them like a ton of bricks.

Oh... Pris and I went to a wonderful restaurant called "Marvellous Edibles" on 120 Laird Street, south of Eglinton (West of Leslie). Incredible food, reasonable prices. We had some incredible mashed potatoes with veal strips... but our sandwich was a bit questionable... Pris didn't really fancy the Tandoori chicken, and I didn't really fancy the apple yogurt salad that accompanied it in the bun, but hey... there's first time for everything! Yeah... highly recommend... go check it out if you want a place that has a small atmosphere (~10 tables) and a italian twist to it!

Priscilla just got a puppy from the East Coast... her name is Sing Sing (monkey/stars in chinese)... and her english name is Blessing. She's a poodle / they don't know... but it looks like a golden retriever/ or lab... but it's so cute, it doesn't bark yet, but it poos everywhere! I have to go get my favourite pants dry cleaned AGAIN. :) She's about 7 weeks now and still the size of a shoe, but she sure loves chewin on them!

Jessica (Taiwan) is leaving tonight! Ahhh we're all gonna miss her "bummer" comments...

:: Jesse 1:13 PM

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It’s incredible, when you think of the multitude of people God uses to do His work. Everyone of them has their own gift, their own trade, their own specialty. This weekend I was able to see this in the lives of 3 of my dear friends.

Justis Kao- Justis had his first concert this weekend. Every time I hear this brother play his piano, I’m amazed how God packs so much talent into one human being. His concert was a charity fundraiser for a refugee home called Matthew House, where my good buddy Albert has been working over the summer. Justis is such an inspiration to those around him, being honest and human altogether. The lyrics of his songs and the tone of his music is one of a man’s journey through the true desires of one seeking God. His website is www.justiskao.com. You can listen to some of his demos.

Bernard Hull- This man of God spoke at the ACF winter retreat on the seldom discussed topic of the Holy Spirit. When he speaks, I don’t ever doubt that he is filled with the spirit to bring the message. Him and his wife are here on a lil tour from Exeter, England, and speaking at a few churches. The church we went to this weekend was a lil boonie church in Stoufville. The streets had no names, only concession numbers. But what a beautiful service with beautiful people of the Lord. Open hymn singing, open praying, open sharing... it was wonderful. Almost felt heavenly.

Hazel Hull- This is Bernard’s wife. She was in my cell group at retreat. She’s one of those angels who when they tell you that they’ve been praying for you daily, you know that they are telling the truth. What a bundle of joy and smiles she brings to every person... the gift of joy and encouragement!

Well as I embark on my last week of work here in London, I will dearly miss my new friends at my workplace . More to come....

:: Jesse 2:33 PM

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People have been asking me, Jesse, what are you doing this summer... and I tell them that I am a graphic designer and marketer at an agency that helps people get off Ontario Works (the old welfare system) and back into employment. Well I've finally put all the projects I've done online for you to see what exactly it is that I design. Click here to see my updated portfolio with Pathways Company designs.

Just went to a camera store and blew away so much money on developing trays, tongs, paper, sifton, thermometre and chemicals... holy cow... never thought it would come to be so expensive!!! Ouch!

:: Jesse 11:00 AM

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Alas... I return to work. I find my self dreading how short the days are till school begins. Then again, I feel as if God has taught me everything he needs to this summer... and then I realize I still have 3 more weeks left of God’s moulding and shaping.

I forgot what it was like to have “nothing” to do in a day. My weekends have been pretty packed, going to NY last week, visiting Toronto, ACF retreats... but this weekend was unlike any other. Not only did Rob and I discover treasure chests all over London, we had a pretty crazy fun time using them!

Recently the two of us have gotten into Photography. Rob, with his brand new fully electronic Nikon SLR 28-80mm is awaiting his expensive Flash in the mail from eBay. I on the other hand, have been extremely ghetto in this area. My cheap 150 buck Vivitar manual cam with a 20 year old flash, spent my entire weekend designing flash hoods and diffusers out of cardboard and cheap flash filters found in AS-IS bins across London. Not only that, me and Rob discovered that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Filters filters filters!!! A brand new filter can cost up to 25 bucks, but we found them for as cheap as a dollar!

So my gear stands at this:
V335 Vivitar 35-70mm SLR (52mm lens) * a 10 year old camera bought brand new this summer for $150*
Sunpak Autozoom 3000 180 swivel bounce flash *my daddy’s*
B W Yellow Filter *$1.50*
UV Filter *1.00*
Polarizer *5.00*

Now my ghetto additions include:
Flash hood, similar to the “Optiquest Pocket Hood”
Flash diffuser using a flash filter found for 1 buck

Well it doesn’t end there... I ended up winning a simple 35mm enlarger (Bogen x35) for $17.50 US... but there’s a 25 dollar shipping fee... but hey... enlargers normally start at somewhere in the 100 dollar ranges used!!! Woohoo.. so it looks like my washroom at Western will be converted into a darkroom... now me gotta find more deals on eBay... like some lights, trays, and developing tanks...

Well... Rob and I decided to be adventurous, and at about 7:30pm we decided to try to get onto the train tracks near our apartment to shoot some exciting sunset shots. Well other than being pricked and almost rolling down the hill, and Rob losing his lens cap (and after much trouble finding it), all we got were bad lighting and boring shots to take. I guess the skill will come in time.

:: Jesse 4:21 PM

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God is so good. In case you’re reading this for the first time, please take a moment and read my entry below before reading this entry (it will make more sense).

God is so good. It’s amazing when the Lord shows you His works, but it’s even more amazing when he lets you be there and see the fruit of his work! After yesterday’s encounter with “Charlie”, he was seen (not by appointment, but because he was distressed) by an employment counselor. He was set up for a job interview that he hadn’t intentionally wanted to apply for.

There I was in the lunchroom today, sticking around just a bit longer than I normally would, mainly because I was tired, but also because I was supposed to be there (one of those moments when God just wants you to stick around and wait). In comes the employment counselor that had seen Charlie the day before, to inform me that after an interview this morning, Charlie got the job! Praise God! 4 months of unemployment and suddenly, after a distressing situation he was able to get himself back together.

I dunno… I was thinking, just thinking… about prayer. I’ve been reading this book “Power in Prayer”, talking about sometimes God doesn’t do things until we ask Him. Not that he’s incapable of doing so, but because of his character and desire to have us intimately involved, he chooses to let us divinely affect things around us. Yesterday, after seeing Charlie in that state, I went back to my desk and prayed for a long time. I kept thinking to myself… what if no one were to pray for Charlie to get a job? What if God was just waiting for a prayer to be made in faith that something would happen?

It did. It has twice already during the time I’ve worked here at Pathways, where prayer had led to IMMEDIATE results, mostly happening within a few days. Wow. I guess I am learning a lot here! Praise God… I’m so full of joy I can’t seem to get back to work!

:: Jesse 1:11 PM

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There are those moments when I find that my summer work is all about brochures, inches, CMYK values, printouts, and web designs. There are those days that pass when I feel extremely frustrated when projects don't work my way and end up costing the company more $$$ to fix it. There are the days when I feel like taking a long break and not coming back for the rest of the afternoon because something went really wrong and I don't want to fix it immediately.

Then there are days like this that remind me why God, in His grace, placed me here to begin with, and what he intended to do from the beginning. These are the days that God uses his children to do his loving work. One week ago, I grudgingly stepped away from my busy projects and took about 20 minutes to do a mock interview with a client, and for this story's purpose, shall be named Charlie. Once I was excited to meet up with the welfare clients and help them out in any means, but recently work has been getting a bit hectic and I've had to focus on my projects.

Charlie was a good fella, one of those guys who you wish the best for. He was looking hard for a job and well during the interview I just did my usual, check here and there for interview skills he needed to improve, wrote a lil comment here and there for encouragement, and when the interview was over, I went about my usual business, seeing him very occasionally through the glass of my office when he'd walk in and out of the building.

Today, for some odd reason as I walked pass the kitchen, I had this sudden "urge" to get a coffee. Weird, cuz normally I get an urge for coffee when I'm tired, or when I'm at my desk, or when I need to get coffee for someone else. Well without a moment's pause, I stepped into the kitchen, and there was Charlie closing the fridge. His eyes were full of tears, and there was so little hope in them.

I know that in the office people see me as a summer student. Clients blink twice when they see a young student working full time at an employment agency, and during mock interviews they don't take me quite seriously (unless I dress business or professional). I was wearing my usual student clothing, but nonetheless I asked him immediately, with this surge of compassion what was wrong. I don't know what it was, but recently the Spirit has been placing me in these sudden situations and urging me to share God's love. We sat down for a coffee in the kitchen, not many words were spoken either. It lasted about 5 minutes or so and in that time I knew the Lord wanted me there to be there for Charlie. Just a hand on the shoulder, a person for him to cry and show his frustration with. I guess being on welfare and coming to all these job search workshops, it's really hard on the clients, with all the stress and anxiety that takes place.

Nonetheless, with very little hope in his eyes, a coworker of mine comes into the kitchen and sees us together. He has a sign of hope for Charlie, a job lead. Charlie looks up with hope, and for a moment he is restored. He reaches out his hand, though a finger at most, to shake mine and thank me. Thank me? I hope he saw an eternal love that was within from the source of the spirit.

Thank you God, for blessing me during your blessings for others.

:: Jesse 10:51 AM

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Hee hee hee... no digital effects here... all in the skills of photography and perspective!

:: Jesse 12:16 AM

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mmmmm wonderful Jaguar ladies. After a wonderful weekend in Toronto, chilling and eating at Indian food, buying a cheap $11 answering machine, I find myself yet again back to the work and life of London. Tonight was a great get-together... yummy Peaches and Cream Corn and Chocolate Fondu (not corn in Chocolate). It's amazing how the lil things in life can make the day. Oh... and Paul *the Ham sup Lo in the Picture* is in the bloggin business too!!! Wow... it's like Asian Avenue all over again!

:: Jesse 12:10 AM

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SPEECHLESS... absolutely SPEECHLESS.

http://www.cheermarkham.com

I just came off this website, entirely unaware that my high school had put together a cheerleading squad that had disappeared for 4 years. And in two years they were at a calibre that our team had never acheived. Man... after watching those videos... they only had 6 guys and I swear that 3 of them must have been doing back handspring backtucks... and wow... jeez...

Times have totally changed. I remember the squad back in 96, when we had like 12 guys and 8 girls... and it seemed as if everything was so hard back then... watching those videos and the pictures brought back so many fond memories.. the competition, the excitement, the hard work ethic, the concentration... I don't remember putting so much work into one thing. I'm feeling so old now!!! But wow. Way to go MDHS. You have paved your way through!

Yeah... people blink twice when I tell them that I used to be on a cheerleading team. :)

:: Jesse 12:57 AM

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SKYDIVING... it s becoming more of a reality... just got in contact with this awesome company... for all of you who want to go skydiving too!!!

http://www.niagaraskydive.com

it’s quite a beauty, but it’s also gonna take a real hit out of the ol wallet! But imagine... 11,000 feet in the air... FREE FALL for 35 seconds!!! woooooo hoooooo !!! Hopefully it’ll all work out and people won’t back out on this!!!

It’s been pretty humorous in the apartment these days. I got a wonderful cheap 8000btu air conditioner , but problem is: Rob has one as well and we’ve blown the fuse about 4 times these last 2 days... so if we plan to watch Pete Samprass on the “tele”, then we’d better suffer the heat... it’s dumb how the apartment is connected electrically... the 2 bedrooms and living room are all under the same fuse. I guess since we’re not paying for any electricity we tend to abuse it by leaving our Air Cons on all day and night long... ahhhhh nice utilities included deal... that’’s the way to go for university life!!!

It’s been pretty interesting as of late, reconnecting with some people that I’ve lost contact with over the years. A part of me really regrets how I cut off so many people from my high school once I hit university. But all in all, a phone call from Angus and an email from Jaime Yamishita really brightened my day. Makes me wonder... where has everyone gone?

:) All the best.

:: Jesse 11:14 AM

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