truth

march has been an incredibly fun and busy month, with Nancy visiting for 1.5 weeks, dinners, recording sessions, work, etc... i'm only home for maybe one night, or two nights per week at most, so i've been keeping pretty busy...and this month just flew by.

i really feel that God is calling me to stay here in Vancouver. He has blessed me beyond what i could ever imagine, and i've experienced Him in ways i never even thought of. going to New Joy has been an eye-opening experience for me, and it is home for me, even though i do not know 75% of the church, but God speaks to me there, each and every sunday. there is no denying of His power or presence-He is moving. i cannot even count the number of times i've broken down and cried during service because of what He convicted me of, in the deepest and inner parts of me, and spoke into my life. it is incredibly bone-chilling and i am left shaking in awe and wonder.

today was just like that. the sermon was on God's authority vs. the authorities we submit to here on earth...and keeping our eyes focused on the prize ahead, and forgetting everything... carrying the cross daily. i've been trying to shop less,
and not give into the consumerism, but i fail every time. it's near impossible, living across the mall and working there too. i don't think i've gone 2 weeks without buying at least one thing, big or small. and yesterday was probably the worst failure. i bought a used DSLR for $600 on Tuesday, and i resolved to not shop for a month, since it was such a big purchase. but what happened? i spent $100 when i went to seattle with my friends. it was a planned road trip since january, so i couldn't back out. but i felt so guilty and ashamed and disappointed in myself afterwards.

i just want it to stop, but i do not have the power to do it myself, as seen in my numerous failures. so all i can do is surrender it to God, who has ALL the power, over all the other authorities in this world. although it probably wouldn't hurt to take my credit card out of my wallet too.

i think my only regret about living here is that i don't have a spiritual mentor. someone i can talk to about my walk and hold me accountable and provide spiritual guidance and support.

sometimes i think that maybe i'm meant to go at it alone, without a partner or companion, as much as i hope and desire for one, and it'll just be me and God.

whatever the future holds, i'm open to it, for it's all in His mighty hands.

so many questions

but no answers.

how am i going to find a job here? what if i don't finish my internship by the end of August? what will happen to my car if i don't find a job by August? what if i have to stay longer? will i be able to find a good roommate? will i be able to support myself? will i be able to maintain a balanced diet without my parents? will my retail therapy ever stop? am i going to be independent enough to handle living here on my own?

i don't know! time is passing by too quickly-it'll be April in less than 2 weeks...o_O

the best snowboarding trip EVER

if only i had went earlier...but i can now say i have been snowboarding @Whistler!:)

if it wasn't for Nancy's visit, i might not have made it up there this winter. it was my first time boarding in BC, so it was quite the treat to say the least. i was planning to drive, but i got worried since my tires were pretty worn out and i didn't want them to turn our car around halfway there... so we took the greyhound after church on sunday, and it was a 2.5 hr drive up the mountain. the roads turned out to be clear, besides the construction, but i was so glad i didn't drive, because i was exhausted after boarding, and i had to leave right after to get back in time for work @5pm.

anyway, we booked our hotel online on friday, and the cheapest one turned out to be the Westin,a 5-star hotel, for $205/night inclusive. it was amaaazing. it was right next to the lifts, and they have ski valet, since they don't allow any skis/boards in the rooms.

here's some pics of the room:

oh, and they had a whole PAGE of things you could request for your room... like contact solution (travel size opti-free!) and shaving cream. we made 3 separate requests within 12 hours.. hahahahah. we're so chinese.

after we settled in, we went to catch the Fire & Ice show by the lifts. it was so awesome, and the energy and crowd was great. i felt like i was in a completely different country, it was exhilarating. we watched the snowboarders and skiiers warm-up and basically they jumped through a huge ring of fire while doing backflips etc. pretty nuts.

after the show ended, we did some grocery shopping and went back to the hotel and went to check out their fitness center, the avello spa & health club, which was super nice.. the work-out machines were facing the windows facing the mountains, and they had an outdoor pool (STILL open for winter!) which led to a smaller pool indoors. there was also a hot tub outside, so we stayed there for a bit before it closed at 10pm. pretty stinking awesome. they also had a eucalyptus steam room, but we discovered it too late :(

it was a very relaxing night at the hotel, we made gong jai meen for dinner, and blueberry pie for dessert. because there's no night boarding @Whistler, we had to go early the next morning.

we woke up @7am and after getting our gear and packing up, and i FINALLY had the vanilla bean latte i'd been craving forever (since there's only 3 Second Cups in Vancouver), we were on our way up the gondola before 9am. the gondola ride was around 15 minutes. it was rainy at the bottom, so it was snowy as we went up the lifts. we were pretty soaked by the end but it was worth it. we went down 3 or 4 runs, which took us about 20-30 minutes each. there wasn't enough time to go on all the runs, but my last run was the most brutal, because it was windy and narrow, with the mountain on one side, and a kind of cliff on the other. that one probably took us around an hour to get down.

too bad i had to leave right after lunch to rush to work that night, but it was the most glorious snowboarding experience i've ever had! boarding on a huge mountain, with a view of mountains, it was beautiful even though it was rainy/snowy.