Interesting to say the least. I haven't updated since September. I'm not shocked, nor should anyone else be. I've been the busiest person alive and too busy with my Creative Site to bother with this.

Check it out:

tigrislilium.livejournal.com

It's worth it... I think, at least :)

Back to school! The time has come, and I'm more than happy that I'm back into the life of socialism. As of now, I am relaxing (which has been rare in this week of lectures and conferences) and it feels marvellous.

Everytime I come to Redeemer, even after a weekend of being at home like last year, I see that God is here. It's a different surrounding than my household. God's at work. And it's phenomenal. And he's at work in me. Of course, he worked in me in a different way this summer, but it's more apparent in Redeemer. It's more palpable in a Christian community, where there is a church beside you and you can easily talk to peers, not just your mom, about God openly. I miss that a lot about Redeemer. And the fact that you can get involved with people like you, to serve a God that is amazing and faithful is a massive bonus.

I'm blessed where I am. And I'm thankful. God's shaping me as we speak, and I feel him moving. Don't ever stop!

Sometimes we wonder why bad things happen to good people. Although I don't know all the answers, I think this is why:

"Until I learned to trust,
I did not learn to pray,
And I did not learn to fully trust
Til sorrows came my way.
Until I felt my weakness,
His strength I never knew,
Nor dreamed till i was stricken
That He would see me through.
Who deepest drinks of sorrow
Drinks deepest too of grace,
He sends the storm so He Himself
Can be our hiding place.
His heart that seeks our highest good
Knows well when things annoy,
We would not long for heaven
If earth held only joy."
-Barbara Ryberg

Why would we long for heaven if all on earth was joy? Why would we want to be with God when we easily felt at peace and happy with everything. I think we experience pain, loss and suffering so that we can look forward to what God has for us in heaven: perfection.

"Hanging on another day
Just to see what, you will throw my way
And I'm hanging on, to the words you say
You said that I will, I'll be okay
The broken light on the freeway
Left me here alone
I may have lost my way now
But I haven't forgotten my way home

I'm falling apart
I'm barely breathing
With a broken heart
That's still beating
In the pain
There is healing
In your name
I find meaning
So I'm holding on (I'm holdin on)(I'm holdin on)
Barely holding on to you"

"Broken" ~ Lifehouse

I like Lifehouse. I've heard of them a long time ago, have all of their cd's, and I can definitely say the next one is worth the buy! I mean, I haven't listen to the entire cd, but this one song is really speaking to me.

I like Lifehouse for numerous of reasons. First of all, they have a great sound. It's alternative, and I love the lead's voice. It's soothing but it's also capable of pulling a powerful punch. Second, I find their lyrics to be very inspirational which all ties into the complete number three in which Lifehouse has the lyrics that can be tied to God.

You've head the song "You & Me" by them, right? I'm sure you think that's just a song about him and some love (like you would think every rich famous dumbo out there) but take a closer look at those lyrics. Don't you think that we can twist it? "It's You and me and all of the people..." It can easily be referred to God.

On their latest cd, Who We Are, there's this one song called "Broken." I'll leave a lyric excerpt after I finish my tiny "rant."

Lifehouse is kind of like Switchfoot, except with a more mellow sound. Switchfoot has many of those lyrics where you can twist it to point to God. "Meant to Live" and "The Blue" can easily be associated with a Creator and an almighty God. Lifehouse' music can also do that. For example, take "Everything" in which has been featured on Smallville once. (Imagine my excitement when I heard them on that show!) "You're everything. You're all I want. You're all I need." I think that's a rather great confession, you know? Repeatedly, the song allows me to close my eyes and just reoffer myself to Christ. Although, sure, it's about 7 minutes long... but who doesn't need a little silent worship these days?

I like music with meaning. If you have any recommendations, please give me a buzz.

A brief update from May 6 and the considerably long list of "I wonder..." comments: the cold did go away but was replaced by lack of wisdom teeth and large headache, University mode was successfully uplifted, I picked up the book, read a few pages, and put it back down, I was still bored, I can't recall the weather of the next day, Dave and I went to see Shakespeare and it was magnificent and full of kidnapping (with me involved), Taryn's party was brilliant especially including the tearjerkingly beautiful Brahms concert (of which gives evidence to ditching the family's Stag & Doe), I didn't work the next day, I did survive the wisdom teeth being pulled (albiet with a lot of crazy things afterward such as vomiting and fainting an convulsing), the headache went away and was replaced with a brand-spankin' new one, the stomach ache is gone, and last but not least, the cold has gone away!

The end.

I find it very... disturbing and incredibly interesting to know that if an unknown band or artist or song is played in the background of a TV show or movie, it can instantly shoot them to five star fame.

Take for instance, Snow Patrol. I knew of Snow Patrol about three years ago when listening to them on purevolume.com, and I instantly loved them. They're song "Run" spoke to me. I'm very thankful the the person who referred me not only to purevolume.com but to Snow Patrol at the same time. However, and I should say fortunately as well, they were propelled into fame by the hit we all know as a massive sap-fest, "Grey's Anatomy." I am a big fan of the show as most people would know, and ergo, I love the music that they play.

First there was The Fray, "How to Save a Life," then there was Snow Patrol, "Chasing Cars," and now, I foretell that the next rising star will be Ingrid Michaelson's, "Keep Breathing." This song was aired on the last episode of season 3, and with it perfect emotions crescendoing with the ever evolving plot.

But what does this say about us personally? I realize that I speak mainly for myself when I say this: "We are too much involved with the television screen and the labels and offers it shows to us." I watch shows like Grey's Anatomy - which is/was the only show that I watch until the season ended - and I'm like, "Hey, I dig this song! It works perfectly with the show, and boy, did it ever help me cry!"

I think I'm becoming many things: a Grey's Anatomy-aholic, a TV-aholic (although I don't watch the tv... I watch seasons), a musaholic (nothing to say for there because music is wonderful) and of course, a Hey-This-is-neat-let's-see-what-the-song-actually-sounds-like-and-get-it person.

Is this a bad thing? Like I said, yes and no. I really need to get off of my butt and experience the importance that life isn't at all like that on the TV screen which soap's and sap-fests' continually try to make us believe.

But no, it's an important thing to know music, and I am officially hooked on indie.

And I probably contradicted myself on so many things in this post. But I was bored and I was trying to find something to talk about upon lack of updating.

Wondering

• I wonder of this silly cold is ever going to go away.
• I also wonder if I'm going to get out of the University mode.
• I wonder if I'll stop being bored and I wonder if I'll pick up the book beside me and actually start reading it.
• I wonder if that would solve my problems of boredom (probably).
• I wonder what the weather will be like tomorrow.
• I wonder if Dave and Ike will keep up to the promise to go see the Complete Works of William Shakespeare with me.
• I wonder if I'll go to Taryn's birthday party.
• I wonder if the choice to go with friends to a wonderful Brahms concert is better than to go with family to a cousin's Stag & Doe.
• I wonder if I'll be working tomorrow.
• I wonder if I'll survive to most dreaded of all - getting my wisdom teeth pulled.
• I wonder if this headache will go away.
• I wonder if this stomach ache has anything to do with the headache.
• I wonder, once again, if this cold will go away.

Reflections

I love seeing plays. I would be lying if I said that watching plays isn't my favourite pass time. Tonight I went to go see my old highschool's play, "More Than Meets the Eye." It was brilliant. I would say great job to all those involved, but if I do think hard enough, none of them even have a blog. Regardless, great job. I think it brings back a huge sense of nostalgia for me. It just reminded me of my first time being onstage in highschool, where I realized,"Yes, I love theatre. Yes, I am going to turn into a drama kid. And yes, God is pulling me to where he might need me to be."

The first huge show I was in is called, "Godspell." I performed it when I was in grade 10, so that was about... four years ago. I can't recall, and it's hard to do the math late at night. Despite that fect, it was this experience that told me that I was a drama kid. Unbeknownst to me at the time, it would lead me down a different path, go to Redeemer and take theatre there. I am not complaining.

I think it's because the play was so centered on God and Christ's call for us. I don't care if I'm terrible or if I'm good, but if I'm feeling like I'm hearing God's voice... I think it's a good choice to head into theatre. What I'm going to do with it, I'm still not sure. I don't want to be an actor who strays from God. I don't want to be an actor who thirsts on fame and glory. So I thought, what if I became a drama teacher? That might be fun. It's still in limbo, and I'm waiting for God to steer me in the rigth direction.

The first time I came to Redeemer, I came for a Campus Visit day. I was there for the night, and it was special because it was Coffee House. There I met a few important people that have influenced me in many ways: Kevin Lobert, Nikki VanEyk, Chelsea Wagner and Noah Hicks (inadvertedly... I more-or-less saw him onstage. I never met him until the first week of school). Realize that two of those four very important people were theatre majors. Nevertheless, I was still rather skeptical and upon being accepted at Brock, I was absolutely sure and strung to go to a public school. Why was I so sure? Because of the lame excuse to "get into the world and out of the private system."

The second time I came to Redeemer, I went to see the play, "NZR." This night, I got in a fight with both my mom and dad, and my mom and I hardly talked on the way there. I was invited by Melissa, who is now not only a "visit the highschool" woman, she is my friend. I saw the auditorium once or twice before hand, and of course I was impressed. Compared to be my highschool stage, the Redeemer Aud. seemed like the Festival Theatre or the Avon Theatre at Stratford. I sat down in the front row, and noticed that not many people were there. It was closing night. A woman with blonde hair (who I learned is named Jody) was sitting near to the front with a camera in her hand. When the lights lowers, out came many people which introduce another set of important characters in my life: Melissa Veroen, Ryan Sero and Laura Stewart (who would later become known as L-Stew, Mama Stew, Auntie Shnapps, etc, etc.). Once again, these were the people that I met during my first week of school (give or take a few extra days).

I know the play wasn't really a big deal, but it moved me. It brought me back to my Godspell years (even though they were only three years before) and how God had reminded me that he was pulling me where I needed to go. I cried that night, not because of the music but because, yes, I had a huge fight with my dad and had a huge with my mom in the car. I walked in totally unassuming, and I came out thinking that I was changed.

The most exciting thing for me, personally, was as we were driving home in remote silence (after apologizing) I heard something, felt something deep within me. I felt God's presence in that Auditorium, and I felt God's presence as I left and I knew that he was taking me somewhere special, and he was leading me down the road of a theatre kid, a drama geek, an outgoing maniac with a super loud laugh, just to serve Him.

Thinking
"I'm sitting here thinking: is life going to be wasted on typing cheap messages and talking crazy through a window screen?
And I wonder what music is best for a moment of loneliness - pop, rap, R&B, dance, easy listening, alternative.
All this is confusing because in reality, I don't feel lonely.
I just want someone to hold me."
~ Amie ~

Btw, this is a place to post the creative thoughts in my head. Or whatever is up in my life.

I got referenced to blogspot by Felix and Becca. Perhaps I'll stick to this longer than two weeks. I've had other blogs, a lot lasting about a week, a week and a half. Regardless of this fact, I have renewed inspiration. After Becca made one, I thought, "Oh, maybe this will be a hit just like Facebook."

Just maybe a Blogspot takeover will ensue.

Regardless, I dedicate this to all the dramie's out there. After being labelled the original dramie by Mike Koning, it is my responsibility to live with the slogan "Long Live the Dramies" and pass on the award once in awhile. The only one I think I've found to be worthy of the dramie award is Becca (if you look at her very first post, you'll see).

So this is to the dramie's who are flourishing with creativity and may need just a little bit more from a fellow drama major.

I hope this doesn't get as addicting as facebook.