A taste of fine dining...

This past weekend, we had the pleasure of having my aunt and uncle visit from Denver, Colorado. I usually only get to see my aunt briefly once a year and haven't seen my uncle for over 5 years now. It was definitely a good time for my family and them to reunite, get re-acquainted, enjoy each other's company.... and, of course, enjoy food food glorious food! heheh. My aunt is what I call my "education" to all the fun things I enjoy... movies, cars, fine dining, etc... heheh, and she started "educating" me at a young age!

On Saturday, I was able to take them to Oh So Good for dessert and coffee. After a brief walk, we decided to try one of the better French restaurents in the Ottawa/Hull region, the restaurent Le Panache (www.lepanache.com) in Hull. It was a wonderful evening of fine dining that I enjoyed very much... :) We all ordered a 4-course set menu that included coffee & dessert and here's a taste of what we had:



Our culinary journey began at the Oh So Good dessert place in the Byward Market, where we started our evening with some coffee and dessert. Mmm... had some amazing carrot cake there. My parents and I spent the evening with my aunt, Anita, and her husband, Nitin.



Foie Gras with a Chocolate and Cherry sauce... I've heard of the use of Foie Gras as a more upscale ingredient in many of the Food network cooking shows I've seen, but have yet to actually taste it. Let me tell you, it definitely lives up to the hype... Foie Gras (actually fattened liver from a duck or goose) is used moreso in French cuisine and our serving was crisp on the outside, and melt-in-your-mouth smooth and creamy on the inside. Absolutely exquisite and the pairing with the sauce was delicious.



Snails (escargots) in a garlic cream sauce and puff pastry. Very delicious and tasty spin on a traditional French dish.



A trio of tuna, scallop, and salmon tartare. Beautiful plating, I love the simplicity.



My main course, Rack of Pork with a Curry Banana sauce. The pork was a bit overcooked but the sauce was very original and savoury. Underneath was mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. This paired nicely with the house white wine I had.



My aunt's order, a lovely Banana Crepe.



My dessert, and one of my favourite kinds! White Chocolate Creme Brulee. I was actually a little disappointed with this one because the custard on the inside was a little too rich and heavy and the consistency was more like pudding than an actual light custard.

All in all, a lovely evening of fine dining! Not shown in pictures, for appetizer, I had a Strawberry Gazpacho (chilled soup) and a sweetbreads dish, many of the others at the table ordered the Rack of Lamb for the main course, and my dad also ordered a creme caramel with mini-fruit for dessert and my uncle ordered a chocolate hazel cake.

On Sunday, we went to Sushi Kan for lunch and you gotta love their all-you-can-order japanese food. Tried everything from sushi to teriyaki to tempura to miso soup to eel on rice. Quite good actually, but man were we stuffed afterwards. In the evening, we had dinner at home for some surf&turf! My dad cooked his famous lobster with ginger and green onion dish while I manned the bbq to cook some chicken drumsticks, steak, and shrimp skewers. I also made a very appetizing spring salad with shallots, mandarin orange slices, and strawberries in a sundried tomato dressing that everyone seemed to really enjoy. Ah yes...and... my proud experimental dish... I made a portabello mushrooms dish on the fly! I took the mushroom caps and spread on some butter, dried herbs, garlic, salt&pepper... grilled them on the bbq... and then added cheese on top to make 'em nice and gooey. It was a big hit! So yummy... gotta make 'em again sometime. :) This was all paired with a nice dry red wine merlot that my uncle bought. Later in the evening, we enjoyed some Blackforest Cake from Swiss Pastries to end the evening.

All in all, a great long weekend for me! One filled with waaaaaay too much food... but it was all quite enjoyable. :)

Nature in the oddest of places

Lately, I've noticed there are some nice little pieces of nature scattered around my workplace, which is smack in the middle of Alta Vista. Kinda neat that there are trails and little forests just behind work buildings. They definitely make lunch breaks more relaxing. :)



A couple of pics I took off my cell phone of the duck family that resides in a pond and feeds in a small stream near my workplace! I noticed the 8 little ducklings only recently.



A pic of the little stream in the forest near my building.

The constant through it all...

*LISTENING TO:*
Song: You Carried Me
Artist: Building 429
Album: Iris to Iris
Quote: "See below"

I’ve been so busy
I missed the reasons
I missed Your love
and I nearly missed it all

Still You’ve held me
And You’ve healed me
You’ve given all
And it brought me to Your cross

And I stand only because
You’ve given me grace to walk
Only because

[CHORUS]
You carried me
You carried me
You carried me through it all
And I believe
Yes I believe
You’ll carry me all the way home
Cause mercy covers all

I know the scripture
I’ve known the songs
I sang the words
from my hollowed heart

But You’ve spoken softly
Through the storm
I’ve heard Your voice
and I’ve felt the calm

I stand only because
You’ve given me faith to walk
Only because

[Bridge]
Lord I know that you love me
I’ll never doubt it
I can’t live without it
Your mercy has found me
I am astounded
I can’t live without it, oooh

* * *

There is a television commercial that has always kinda stuck in my mind... one of the marketing creations of Nike many years ago... it focuses on Michael Jordan, arguably one of greatest basketball players ever, walking into the stadium with the following voiceover:

"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career, I've lost almost 300 games, 26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed, I've failed over and over and over again in my life... and that is why I succeed."

For christians, maybe the last line should read "...and that is why I believe"?

It amazes me. It amazes me how many times I've strayed. It amazes me how many times I try to do things by my own power. It amazes how many times I've failed in trusting Him with absolutely everything in my life. It amazes me how often I try to choose my own path in life, whether it is according to God's will or not. It amazes me how frustrated I get at God sometimes. It amazes me how sad I get when something doesn't go according to my own hopes or dreams. It amazes me how short-sighted I can be. It amazes me how many times I have to learn and re-learn lessons. And it amazes me that despite all of this, He still loves me, He is always faithful, His mercy and His grace are ever present, He is still moulding and shaping me, and His plan for me is still unfolding... It's hard to fathom sometimes.

I feel so undeserving sometimes.... to be blessed so abundantly.... whether it's health, possessions, family, or dear friends...

On this gorgeous sunny spring day, I had the opportunity, at work, to go for my usual stroll at lunchtime. Just off the path, I was able to find a little stream of sorts within the forest... and decided to just sit on a rock in the middle of the trickling water, just taking some quiet peaceful time to think and reflect. Heheh, I was soon pleasantly joined by two ducks, one male and one female, that apparently flew in to enjoy their own lunchtime as well. I was literally only a few feet away from them. I just sat there and watched them while deep in thought. It's so neat how God is teaching me lessons every day, and as I pondered, I couldn't help but reminisce and look back with a different light... it's always so cool to look back and see God's story unfold according to exactly how He planned it... even though I was frustratingly blind to it at the time. Just as there is beauty in nature, there is beauty discovered when looking back, kind of like finding buried treasure or discovering hidden precious stones... I couldn't help but smile.

Through all the ups and downs, through all the highs and the lows, through all the trials and the triumphs, through this whole mess I call my life... God has been the one constant through it all. How amazing. How beautiful.

A New Year

*LISTENING TO:*
Song: Beyond Measure
Artist: Jeremy Camp
Album: Beyond Measure
Quote: "...I know that I’ve been given more than beyond measure. I come alive when, I see beyond my fears. I know that I’ve been given more than earthly treasure. I come alive when I’ve broken down and given you control..."
* * *

And so culminates another year... looking back, it's been one heck of an up and down ride as I saw my share of personal and spiritual highs and lows, uplifting happiness and accomplishment as well as pain and sadnesss. It was a year of learning, experiencing, following my heart, stumbling, picking myself up, and going at it all over again. It was a year where I got to meet a lot of new faces and made new friends, getting closer to some more than I ever thought would have been possible, and yet also seeing other friendships frustratingly fade into obscurity at the same time. It was a year where I felt God's "distance" as well as God's presence in my life... certainty in His direction as well as utter confusion and frustration. It was a year where certain things I thought defined me no longer gave me security, and yet new passions arose that gave me hope. It was a year of stepping out of comfort zones and finding myself out on a limb. A year of chances for me to open my eyes to the life before me and the opportunities and challenges it entails, whether it was in China or even in the workplace. It was a year of some of the toughest decisions I've had to make, and yet also some of the easiest. It was a year where I uncharacteristically seized opportunities while also reluctantly relinquished long-held dreams. It was a year where chapters closed only to signal the start of new ones. It was a year where I experienced and realized God's abundant blessings and valued those who are, through His grace, blessing me. It was a year where I welcomed the independence and responsibilities of being a "grown up" while, similarly, cherishing the times when I can still be a "kid" again. In all, it seems that this year marked a big milestone in my life... or at least several little ones, heheh... so, for better or worse, here's to 2006!

Am I a better man now than when the year began?... I don't know for sure. Am I that much different now than a year ago? I guess only my closest friends can tell me that. All I know is that I've amassed a big year's worth of life experiences that I hope will make me a better person. The ongoing search for the man God has called me to be still continues... one year... one month... one day at a time...

As for what's been happening lately, work's been pretty time-consuming. Coming back from the Christmas and New Year's holidays, RSP season is in full gear so work's been starting to pile up, with me starting to pull in overtime hours and working into the night, till as late as around 8pm and even 9pm sometimes. I can't complain though, 'cause heck, this is what we were hired for, and I'd rather be the one pulling overtime than someone else who has a family to go home to. Not only that, I'm still working for an extension to this contract that ends in only a couple of months (March). Only downside to pulling late-hours at work is that there's little time to myself to do other things and less time to spend with friends, parents, and with Bonnie. Ah well, it's only gonna get busier... just gotta suck it up, I guess, heheh. On the bright side, I think I'm starting to settle into my job, getting more accustomed to doing my job as well as getting along with co-workers. I was so skeptical when I first started working there if I'd ever be able to get along with the other people in my QCU team, but lately, it's been getting better and better, and we're starting to joke around and stuff more often now. It's still a struggle to keep my Christian morals at times amidst the secular influences and I falter every now and then... but I guess that's just another challenge I'll hafta face. Pay could always be better, but I'm still looking at this job as a stepping stone, as work experience for, hopefully, an eventual job related to Marketing (either at MD or elsewhere). I am definitely appeciating and valuing little things like sleep and personal "vegging" time though... heheh.

Christmas in Toronto was the usual... somewhat boring and uneventful. I always hate heading to Toronto when all my out-of-town friends JUST arrive back in Ottawa. :P Only real benefit from the trip was that I got to spend a little family time with my parents and I picked up a new cell phone at Pac Mall. :)

As for church, I've been going regularly to CCCO and just taking a passive approach at the moment, observing and seeing where I can fit in. I've offered my help to Pastor Cal regarding being on or leading worship teams, but he still hasn't gotten back to me yet. Haven't actually led worship in a few months now, which is kinda odd for me! Still itching to use my new electric guitar and pedal sometime though... hoping to incorporate it into worship team sometime, if allowed, heheh. I'm still trying to figure out the people, young and old, at CCCO and see where I can contribute and where I can make a positive impact. My mind strays to Celebration Church every now and then, since I did spend a whole year there... heheh, I still remember helping 'em organize their Christmas service a year ago... and though I miss 'em, I wonder sometimes if I'm missed there at all or if my brief stay there made any difference. I'm very glad they're doing well though, praise God, and glad my quiet discrete exit didn't cause too many ripples. Being around fellowship members helps. I recently came back from an H2O Committee retreat organized by Esther Seemold and it was a good time to get away, pray with the committee, and be open and honest about our thoughts on the fellowship this past year. I've been feeling more of a sense of pride and ownership of the fellowship lately, and even though events like the Winter Gala 2007 (pics below) were draining and lots of work, it's still a joy to serve the fellowship and try to be as best of a servant leader as I can be. The gala itself, by God's blessing, turned out really well and we had a great turnout of current fellowship members as well as some welcome out-of-towners. It's been a joy to work with the committee, especially working the "second job" with Steph (my co-chair), bouncing ideas, planning, evaluating, and brainstorming. :) I'm looking forward to a new year of growth for H2O and a new approach to leading the fellowship for the new season.

Winter Gala 2006!

Distinguished gentlemen.

The H2O Committee.

They're so thin!

Bonnie & I


New Year's eve was relatively quiet but nice and mellow. Stopped by Megan's party to say hi to the old Zoo Crew bunch that I haven't seen in a while. After that, rolled in the new year with Bonnie, just cuddling up for a movie at her place. Twas nice and relaxing. :)

Oh and a shout out to Josh & Shelly, who just got married and to Aron & Yayoi, who just got engaged! Congrats! :)

And so begins yet another week of work... wonder how busy it'll be this week? Heheh, hopefully, it won't be another couple of months before I post again.

PACs, SWPs, and QCU...

*LISTENING TO:*
Song: Waiting on the World to Change
Artist: John Mayer
Album: Continuum
* * *

Wow, time's just flying by... but things have been good. :)

Had a busy but good week. After a whole two weeks of learning a new system, procedures, and a MULTITUDE of acronyms, Friday saw the culmination of our two weeks worth of training at MD Management. A few of us went to the Thirsty Toad (a nearby pub) to celebrate after work. I got placed in the QCU (Quality Control Unit) department of Operations, which is kinda where I was hoping to be. I also got the manager I preferred as well, plus a couple of nice new hires to join me there in our team of 10 total. QCU is gonna be busy busy, since we're the last line of defense against input errors... and so, we're the last ones to go. But it's a good challenge and we'd be learning a lot, since we essentially hafta know just about everything in order to be able to quality control anything that's thrown at us. :) It's been kinda neat meeting new people and everyone's been pretty nice, including the supervisors. I'm hoping to be up to speed as soon as possible... 'cause once December hits, it's gonna be super busy with all the work coming. Longer hours, heavier piles of work, and overtime is expected... so time to get ready.

Wednesday, got to spend some quality time with Bonnie after work, just hanging and watching a couple of movies... hopefully a relaxing time for her to ease her mind as well, 'cause she's been a little stressed over school lately. Tomorrow (Tuesday) will mark our one month anniversary! :) yay! Can't believe a whole month has gone by already... wow... heheh... it's been great and despite our busy schedules, I think we've been discovering and learning more and more each day what it means to be a couple and be in a relationship, to care and to be cared for. Soooo, happy one month, sweetie! :)

Saturday, our fellowship competed in the annual Iron Chef cooking competition. As usual, I love these events 'cause it gives us the opportunity to stretch our imaginations with our cooking, draws everyone together, and I just love the teamwork that's sparked by events such as these... We always come through big, and this year was no exception! After brainstorming and test cooking sessions with Steph, we devised an awesome menu and theme centered around the tv show, Survivor. Decorations and skit team also pulled through in grand style; everyone rocked and everyone contributed to a great Iron Chef showing by our team. Proud of our H2O peeps! Our delectable menu can be visually tasted by the pic shown below. :) It consisted of:
a) Appetizer: Baked Salmon served with two sauces, in a ginger glaze & a cucumber dijon herb cream sauce.
b) Main Course: Pan-fried Marsala-spiced chicken with a red pepper & sweet potato spicy sauce, coupled with a side dish of pineapple fried rice served in a coconut shell.
c) Dessert: Coconut Rice ball with Mango sauce.



Sunday, after church, popped over to Frank's for a little gaming, dinner, and just plain old silliness. Haha. Note to self: when wrestling your gf, make sure you work out beforehand. grrr... :P Oh, and who knew Nerf guns could be so much fun?!? Fun times, as usual. :)

And so begins the first week of real full-time 9-5 work for me... feels good to be working... heheh, I am definitely NOT a school person. I like being payed to be stressed as opposed to paying to be stressed. ;) haha.

Standing at the beginning with you...

*LISTENING TO:*
Song: Made to Worship
Artist: Chris Tomlin
Album: See the Morning
Quote: "...you and I are made to worship, you and I are called to love, you and I are forgiven and free. When you and I embrace surrender, when you and I choose to believe, then you and I will see who we were meant to be..."
* * *



In a year of change and growth, disappointment and achievement, confusion and realization, new experiences, stepping in faith, and life lessons learned... I stand at the starting line of a new chapter in my life, branching into a new journey... I don't quite know where this road will lead, nor do I know exactly how to navigate it... I know it's a calculated risk, but I'm counting on having faith that God will bless this journey and guide us through it all... and I feel so blessed to be given the privilege of being able to walk this journey with someone special. :) May the bond forged be pleasing and honouring to You, oh Lord.

Setting a new course, taking little steps of faith...

*LISTENING TO:*
Song: Comatose
Artist: Skillet
Album: Comatose
Quote: "...I don’t wanna live, I don’t wanna breathe, unless I feel you next to me. You take the pain I feel; waking up to you never felt so real. I don’t wanna sleep, I don’t wanna dream, 'cause my dreams don’t comfort me. The way you make me feel; waking up to you never felt so real..."
* * *

What a great album, the new Skillet album (Comatose)... been listening to that non-stop for days now and still lovin' it. :)

First off, big item of praise... I finally found a job! It's a temporary position (until March) as a Client Services Administrator for RRSPs at MD Management, but I'm hoping it'll lead to something more substantial. Kinda cool that this happened the day right after prayer meeting too... being prayed for really helped and God, by His grace, definitely answered our prayers, for which I'm sooo thankful for. I know the job will be quite busy and demanding, but I hope I can make the most of what God has blessed me with and, if this is where He wants me, that it'll lead to something more permanent. But, for the time being, I'm just relieved that I'll be employed by the end of the month. :) Oh it'll be nice to have an income again as well... heheh. Guess I'll be starting my career... I'm definitely excited and eager to prove myself.

Spent Thanksgiving weekend with parents in Toronto. Did the relatives thing and the grandma thing... nothing special... ate lotsa chinese food... the usual, heheh. Got a chance to eat some all-you-can-order Japanese food there though, so that was a treat from all the usual chinese food. Also got the chance to meet up with Sam a couple of times at bubble tea shops in the evening to catch up and talk. Always good seeing the guy again, and I look forward to seeing him again during the Christmas break. After driving back to Ottawa, was able to catch some time with Karen before she headed back to Waterloo. It was good to see her again, to hear all she's experienced while away the past month, and just to catch up and hang out like old times. :)

Tonight, had an H2O worship committee meeting at Steph's place. Led by Steph's mom (one of H2O's two newly appointed mentors), it was a good time of honest sharing, prayer, planning, and, of course, eating. :) so.....much....apple...pie.... heheh. As we all shared ideas on how we can all draw closer to each other, to God, to dig deeper into scripture, and direct the fellowship as well as keep each other accountable, I grew more and more excited about the upcoming semester in the new year, when we'll be implementing many of the new ideas and, hopefully, give the schedule and direction of the fellowship a fresh makeover. :) Also looking forward to the Gym Night this Fri at OU and the annual Gatineau Hike we'll be having on Saturday!

As for my church situation... I've arrived at a tough decision that I've been struggling with for a while now. After about a year serving there, I've decided to take a step away from Celebration Church and try to look for a home church elsewhere, perhaps at CCCO, where my fellowship resides. My purpose at Celebration has been more and more unclear lately and I just don't really feel like I can pour myself into the church the way I'd like, or the way I feel God would want me to. Through all my personal struggles, I've come to terms with realizing that I can't settle for the status quo week-after-week any longer, and that something's gotta change. God's still first priority in my life, and I need to be in a place where I can worship Him and serve Him undistracted; where my thoughts, my attitudes, and my state of mind are pleasing and honouring to Him. It's been a tough decision because the people at Celebration have been awesome and I believe I've seen some fruits in my ministry there. But somehow, through various ways, I just feel God is leading me away... and that, although He definitely had a purpose for leading me there in the first place, I feel it's time to step aside... So I'm stepping in faith... but as I've discovered during the missions trip, God will not fail us if we place our trust in Him. I can only hope that, during my time there, I was able to do some good at Celebration and that God was able to use me to bless them and bring Him glory... because I know they've blessed me tremendously, and I'm so thankful for that.

As I was listening to music while driving back to Ottawa, I came across a song whose lyrics kinda made me ponder... it's from the new Mercy Me CD (Coming Up to Breathe). It struck me because it talks about what I'm aspiring to do... that through struggles, through good times and hard times, I can still praise Him and give Him glory. As Steph's mom shared tonight, God uses our struggles for a greater purpose than the pain or sadness we feel... and although we sometimes can't see the end-result, we just have to have faith in Him.

The chorus goes...

"Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain"