lundi 8 juin 2009
Spooks
Over the past several weeks, I have been immersing myself in the world of Spooks, and am currently on season four. Since I don't have BBC Canada and PBS airs the show too late for me to catch it, I've been watching the DVDs instead (which I can't complain about since the extra features are great!). I'm really enjoying this show but I notice that whenever I watch too many episodes in a row, my dreams are often bizarre and typically feature me running away or escaping from people; thus, I'm limiting my intake a little now so that I don't wake up feeling exhausted.
It's also starting to affect my thinking, which I wasn't aware of until I attended a conference last week where the speaker started talking about a file that the government has on him; my first reaction was "of course they do!" while a few others expressed surprise. I suppose we don't really hear much of CSIS here but I wonder what a Canadian version of Spooks would look like! Another sign that I've been watching too much Spooks: thinking that one of my pastors looked remarkably similar to Adam Carter and almost getting them confused with each other.
I'm glad I heard about this show a few years ago as I'm now hooked, although I first had to get past seeing some of the main characters as Jane Austen's heroes in television/movie adaptations (Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy; Peter Firth as Henry Tilney; Rupert Penry-Jones as Captain Wentworth) - this will probably be the case when I see Richard Armitage (albeit an Elizabeth Gaskell hero) in season seven as well. So far, the most hilarious character has been Jools Siviter (hey, he was in Sense & Sensibility; I'm sensing a theme here) but that only lasted for two episodes. Other than that, the storyline I'm most enjoying is the one between Adam and Fiona Carter - episode 3.10 was such a moving portrayal of a strong marriage, which isn't often seen on TV nowadays. The only frustrating thing about the show is that there is such a heavy turnover of actors/actresses that favourite characters don't always last that long!
Anyways, this show has been one of the reasons why I don't post very often so I thought I'd mention a little something about it :)
Libellés : media
dimanche 31 mai 2009
Bites and vows
Finally, it's starting to feel like spring/summer! Unfortunately, this is usually precipitated by the worst mosquito bite imaginable each year, which often leaves a part of my body hugely swollen, in pain and at times, immovable. So that's what I experienced yesterday when I was chatting with someone in the parking lot for all of five minutes; it's officially the beginning of mosquito attack weather for me now.
Another sign that the seasons are changing is the appearance of weddings. I'll be heading to one in a couple of days and another one in August, so that'll nicely round out my summer. I'm finding that most of friends are married now so that's been helpful on my pocketbook... until they have baby showers, that is :)
And this has been a constant for me for the past four years but I'll be heading back to Quebec again this summer. I'm not sure how much longer this will continue but I appreciate the opportunity to go again. It'll be for a much shorter period this time around which means I can spend the summer at home and get around to the list I made last year!
Libellés : everyday life
samedi 30 mai 2009
Canadian evangelicals
I heard about this documentary at work the day after it aired, so I'm hoping they'll rebroadcast it soon. Revealed: Hip 2B Holy takes a look at Canadian evangelicalism, so that should be interesting to see how the media portrays it. In one of the articles I came across on Tuesday, I found it funny to read that "there's nobody from western, rural Canada in this documentary", which probably means that there isn't anybody/anything from western, urban Canada either. While it'll be good to see how this movement is being reported on in Ontario, I'm wondering if there will be differences between evangelicalism in the East and in the West (primarily Alberta, since that's my context). I'm excited to finally see something like this hit the air, although it would have been great if I had it for my thesis last year :)
Libellés : Canada, church, media
vendredi 10 avril 2009
Around the sphere
A couple of fun things that have popped up in my feed reader:
- These little books are not only pretty but also look to be fun and brain-stimulating.
- The Telegraph lists some of the lead actors that have been cast for Emma 2009! So now I'll have a third Emma to add to my collection... (HT: AustenBlog)
- Ooh, this is a great idea for charging cell phones! It's definitely a way to avoid having to purchase yet another gadget and you can recycle/reuse at the same time :)
- I don't edit videos anymore, but wow.
- And yet another handy tip from Unclutterer: coupon organizers.
- An interesting definition of seeker-sensitive churches - I'd like to think my church is maybe more seeker-friendly than seeker-driven. I think the word 'seeker' just looks funny now.
- I still don't know what to call my professors when I see some of them from time to time; glad I'm not the only one.
- A great April Fool's Day joke from the folks at Boundless, ahem Boundful... or should it have been Bountiful?
- Hilarious/great. I didn't know such a site existed (nor should I, I suppose).
Libellés : humour, media, organization
jeudi 9 avril 2009
Found in translation
My French has deteriorated so much since I've left Quebec that I've been reduced to using online translators when I want to quickly write something on Facebook without having to think about verb conjugation and whether something is feminine/masculine. I know, how sad. However, I'm finding that Babelfish (formerly of Altavista, now Yahoo!) is getting increasingly impossible to use because it doesn't seem to recognize apostrophes! How silly is that?! As a result, I've finally made the switch over to Google Translate but the only thing is that I can't find an official Firefox add-on for it...
Libellés : language
mercredi 8 avril 2009
Goal tracking
So here is an update on some of the goals that I've posted on here:
Fasting from unnecessary television: Most days are good; some aren't. When I was horribly sick a few weeks ago, I spent way too much time watching TV. I've also fudged a bit when it comes to what's "necessary" - I've included news and movies (which technically aren't on TV, ahem) in this category so I'm still pretty glued to the set. On the other hand, when I was sick, I probably spent half of that time watching British movies as well, so that was worth it :)
Guarding my tongue at work: I still need lots of prayer for this. Some days, I just have to bite my tongue. Unfortunately, I am encountering more and more situations by the day where I really need to heed James 3.
Bible reading plan: Hooray, three months and I've been able to read the Bible everyday without missing a day so far!
Health stuff: I'm getting worse with the exercise but doing better with the food.
100 books a year challenge: I am over a quarter of the way there but I'm slipping behind again.
Getting outside of the church/Christian bubble: I don't remember if this is something I've mentioned on here but it's been on my mind for a long time. I can say that being at home is definitely being outside of the bubble but I do want to get engaged with the community somehow.
Libellés : everyday life
lundi 6 avril 2009
Technologically unadvanced
Compared to most people I know, I must be one of the least technologically-savvy 20-somethings out there. For instance:
1. I have happily had dial-up internet for the past decade.
2. I refuse to get a new cell phone that has more functions than calling people, receiving calls, and getting the occasional text message from someone who doesn't expect me to write back. I have no plans to give my almost five year-old phone up but in case I absolutely have to, I don't see where I can get a basic phone that's not a Blackberry, iPhone, etc.
3. I jumped on the Facebook bandwagon back when it just opened up to the public since my school wasn't one of the registered colleges that could access it beforehand. The academic feel appealed to me (remember when you could list your college courses on there, pre-app?) but now, I'm losing interest with it.
4. I refuse to get a Twitter account. Isn't that what blogging is for?
5. I still don't want or need an iPod.
6. I ended up receiving some sort of new technology gift in the mail but it's something that is so unnecessary and practically ridiculous yet I'll probably use it just so I don't feel like I'm letting it collect dust - even though it will. Why do people invent these things?!
7. I'm tempted to get a GPS system because I get lost going everywhere but I'm still content with writing directions down in my notebook, although I'm a bit behind on it right now.
8. The last time I ever chatted online was in my third year of college. I don't miss it at all.
9. I just learnt how to program my VCR three months ago.
There are probably other things out there that brand me as one who is a bit tech-backwards but this is a start. I have to laugh at the fact that one of my dear mentors who is in her 70s is way more advanced than I am in that she has a Mac, a Blackberry and she texts her friends (none of which I have/do myself). Someone mentioned that it's ironic that I used to be in tech ministry and yet I don't subscribe to any of the latest gadgets. Personally, I like having a minimalistic approach to all of this gear; if I don't need it, then I don't want to have to worry about it. I'll use it if someone else owns it but that's about it. I guess I'm not doing my part as a millennial in this generation..?
Libellés : everyday life
