ooOH! i just got 5 rolls developed and still have 3 rolls in waiting! and they ALL look great! from ivan's birthday party, to matt's house party, tons of evan baby pictures and mike's holiday party last night. ooh, i'm so excited to show you guys. too bad the darn scanner doesn't work at home. i'll just have wait till i go back to school. =i so keep your EYES OPEN this sunday. i'll be sure to scan like a madman as soon as i move in rez. cheers everyone and celebrate safe, but well. =D

*oh, i wanna go downtown so badly*

oh *drool*......

i know my model of the month feature isn't supposed to come till the mid-january, but i couldn't wait to post him up. might as well, while the lOTR hype is still going....dang, is he a looker or what? sure doesn't make me go crazy like heath ledger does but definitely knows how to "work it" on film!

random & useless facts for the day

• Kermit the Frog is left-handed.


• Miss Piggy's measurements are 27-20-36.


• 20252 is Smokey the Bear's own zip code.


• Donald Duck's middle name is Fauntleroy.


• Walt Disney holds the record for the most Oscar nominations with sixty-four.


• All of the clocks in the movie Pulp Fiction are stuck on 4:20.


• In "The Wizard Of Oz," Toto the dog's salary was $125 a week, while Judy Garland was $500 a week.


• Billie Jean by Michael Jackson was the first video to air on MTV by a black artist.


• When John Lennon divorced Julian Lennon's mother Cynthia, Paul McCartney composed Hey Jude, to cheer Julian up.

*ugh* mad tired. i was up till 3am last night. doing what? well, a mixture of online chatting, discussing with chau about god and predestination, prepin' my peeps for mike's party today, searching for interesting photography on the web and of course blogging. yesterday was lots of fun. it went like this:
service with a simple yet sweet sermon by PJ on forgiveness --> an interesting bible study lead by jon --> swiss chalet luncheon with family incl. aunt maria & uncle andy. i ate too much, three courses dude! but twas some good dessert --> passing out on my bed --> awaken to the sound of my mother's booming voice. next thing i know, evan's sleeping in his winter suit right next to me in my bed. soooo cute. wish i had my camera with me --> continue sleeping --> dinner at connie's. $300 dinner for 10 people + baby evan. was so worth it. authentic chinese food --> clicked minolti like crazy --> everyone went home.

oh gosh, i can't believe it's already the second-last day of 2002. how sad. sad that a new year is already approaching and i feel like i'm not ready for a new year. sad that i only have less than a week left before i head back for school. i haven't even touched my theory textbooks =\ oh dear. yah, i have an exam on the 17th, also known as doOMs daY. i need to pass this or i'm screwed for the entire year. *major aiyah* sad that i still don't know what exactly my plans are for the new year's eve bash. i wish i could fly. then i'd go to times square, NY. i bet it's 10 times better there than watching dick clark on a 21 inch screen set. chances are i'll be third wheel w/ my bro and anita, chilling with some loo peeps. YO! pneuma, why couldn't we hang man? well, i guess everyone has their own family to attend to. ahwell, regardless i'll be accompanying my grandma & pa. it's tradition. so it's not like i'm a bum left on the streets of no where to go. =)

i know this is sooo random, but jill scott is MISSA DIVA. she's hardcore. i dig her. i dig her a lot. i bet she's awesome live. i'm listening to mp3s from her live-in-concerts and she's got that whole "miss THANG" all down, i love it. and she has such a powerful voice. covers both r&b AND opera field. i love it i love it i love it. so much drama, yo!

could he BE any cuter?!!

this is one of the most recent pictures i have of evan. i just saw him last weekend and the first thing i noticed was his adorable baby gap lion jumpsuit. i love it. *great choice uncle andy* oooh, i can't WAIT till i get my rolls developed!! =d

and d'ya wanna know why i'm completely stoked right now?!! yes, "stoked" as in even more excited than getting my pictures processed.....give up?
EVaN's CoMiNg oVEr iN ThRee HoUrS!! and d'you know what dat means?
more pictures & more giggles!! ooh, s'gonna be a great night...i can smell it already! =D

tip of the day:
when in need to get the party started with a group of 10 or more
------> just whip out 'em cards and play MAFIA!!
you might think the laughs won't come, but trust me. it'll come.

recording session @ matt's.....
gOsh did i enjoy this session or what?! it was INtense, but all worth it. i am so blessed with incredible friends of extraordinary talents. i can't wait to hear the final product!
group shot - i seriously don't know what i'm doing. i thot we were all going for a goofy look. heh. guess not. i love the lip and jaw action happening with matt & justis. jokes.
top right - "nonono, girls. I'M da biggest j.kao fan."
me - how appealing, eh? just finished another roll of film.

at the session ---> four very important people. erics*: madame vocalist. the one with the flemmy voice that morning. matty: mister technician and producer. the one with the magical mouse clicking skills. still can't believe with the click of his mouse, a demo can be so well produced. justis: signore "keys". the one with the all the musical gifts. phil: the videoguy. the one with the soft, steady hands =D

intense i tell ya! i was singing from 1:30 - 7:30 straight. no breaks, only pee breaks [which happened more than 4 times. i was living off hot/cold water] after a while my voice starting getting into shape and no more flem =) so that's why the "jesus, lover of my soul" track was much clearer compared to my awful attemp to do rachael lampa. yah. moral of the day: erics* should never do a rachael lampa song or try to begin the recording session with any of her songs. last time i recorded with matt, i did "father's heart" and it bombed pretty bad. my voice doesn't warm up well with her songs. so we recorded 5 songs in 6 hours, which really isn't that bad. i kept my eye on my watch and things were running fairly smoothly.....until we got to doing vocals with justis and i for "jesus, lover of my soul." gosh, that seemed like it took forever. vocals are hard to compile together when you're doing it with someone else cuz you gotta make sure it's intact and at the exact timing. plus we both do a lot of free styling so it's hard to get the rifts in perfect intervals as they move. but all in all in was such a pleasure to sing with justis. i was at ease seeing as how comfortable it was to sing with him. the blend is quite good though there are some vowel differences in sound. just some of the challenges u face when combining a trained and non-trained singer. =d

justis and i doing some serious 'christina aguilera' hand waving motions. haha. it was so bad at one point, matt could hear the cord from the headseat slapping the microphone stand. hahah. too funnie.
setlist

1. rachael lampa's "NO GREATER LOVE"
2. antonio carlos jobim's "GIRL FROM IPANEMA"
3. paul oakley's "JESUS, LOVER OF MY SOUL"
4. etta james' "AT LAST" - sung the christina aguilera version
5. george gershwin's "SUMMERTIME"


that's matt jugging on some serious vodka =d yah....that's how his energy charges up to last a 7 hour session. heh heh. no, in on a serious note....i owe matt my life. i don't think people fully comprehend how tedius it is to produce anything until they actually sit through a recording session. it's a LOT of work - definitely too complicated for words, even i don't fully understand the whole jitz of it all.

so after the whole ordeal at matt's..........
i got a ride back home with phil, with my friends waiting on the driveway for more than 1/2 an hour! *sooo sorry guys* we headed straight to the cineplex and it was a packed house. thanks to lydia and chow for saving seats or else we would have been on the aisle watching "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" on the sticky floor. yah i liked the movie a lot, though it didn't quite float my boat. perhaps it's the whole fantasy, sci-fi genre of the movie but i must say that orlando bloom is indeed scrumptious. personally, i like the original dark eyed/haired mr.bloom as opposed to the blue plastic contacts and fake blond extensions. but i applaud the people behind the scenes for a well put-together movie. the visual effects were unbelievable! i enjoyed all the fight scenes.

i sat on the end, next to gar and we could'nt stop laughing. i tell ya, frodo baggins and samwise are gAY or at least sam has strong feelings for "mr. frodo". i mean, why do you think he calls him "mister" all the time. haha. even in the first lOTR you sense the sexual frustration in his eyes. and that gollum almost made me cry. at first i thought he was too disguisting to look at, but after watching his "schizo monologue" i was dying of laughter. he should get an academy award. =d

my stomach was eating itself due to malnutrition before the movie started. so i got myself some nachos that just made things worse. i sat on those uncomfortable seats for 3.5 hours, in complete agony - and no leg room! my feet were aching to strech themselves out to hit the dude infront of me. i really donno how gar managed. then we went for some bbt and i was sicker than ever. wanted to sit at a toilet bowl and just puke. *blegh* but thankfully we all didn't chill too long so i finally got home at 2am. yeah, next time i'm not gonna schedule any outtings after any recording sessions. it's just too much for me to handle. =/

anyway, i'll keep you posted about the tracks matt, justis and i worked on. *thanks again guys. you are the best. i definitely got more than i anticipated* *grin*

ooh ooh! great stars on tonight. the ever-so yummie
ashton kutcher on david letterman and.....*gasp* could it be? *sigh* no!! but it is!........eDwaRd nOrtoN!!
he'll be on jay leno tonight! i looooove edward norton. i think he's majorly talented. definitely remember primal fear as if i saw it yesterday in the theatres. =d some scenes scarred me for life. i thought all priests were good. =\ but apparently not.....*aiy*

*knock knock knock* "uh...erica? eh, erica? still want to go shopping?" {moan} 5 minutes later = "erica? still want to go shopping?" *squint* time check: 7:39 AM. {aiy} oh crapolas. "yeah yeah. {moan} i'm getting up." pass by master bedroom, oddly enough mother is up, looking like she's ready to go; papa waiting downstairs. oh boy. they were serious about this shopping spree. quickly get dressed and washed up for shopping! lah lah lah.... *ahem* lah lah lah lah *crack*. oh geez. still can't sing any higher than a G. key words: chinese herbal medication. mmmmm, tastes like mint. i love it. jug a couple gallons of steamy hot water and i'm good. {{{{lah}}}} *grin* yup. erica's back. [thanx father] so off we go. first stop: fairview. it's 8 in the morning and no one's ready except for sears and fair weather. first purchase, a $200 winter jacket. i tell ya, i spend that dough like water. hallmark comes next and it's craaaazy. everyone grabbing the christmas decor. i find buying wrapping paper for 3.50 or tissue wrap for 2.60 pointless since the invention of the 'dollar store' came abouts, so i head for the picture frames and find a nice angel theme one on sale for half price. waited in line to buy that thing for 35 mins. *ugh* i have no patience. after power walking and bumping into the crowd of asians lined up outside the disney store [what's da deal with chinese ppl and disney store anyways?] ---> my family is done and outta there by 10 AM. next stop: go get ivan outta bed!! he's treating us for dim sum. mmmm. haven't done that with just the family for a while. spend some big bucks on some small dishes, but meh. it was all worth it. *grin* feeling rather stuffed, needing to walk it off badly. off to towne centre we go. it's a MADHOUSE. people aren't even shopping. just lingering and window shopping. i spend 150 in less than 1.5 hours. all VERY reasonable prices. explorus was my fav stop. ENTIRE STORE 50% off! [well except mags and of course books] that's nuts...so i hunt down for products i've had my eye on for years. 2 ibox photograph boxes - one silver one black, 7 cards i use for framing [rather than card giving], and 3 clip frames for the cards i bought. yah, i was feeling a martha stewart vibe in that store. bata shoes catches my attention, next door so i find a pair of mary janes and get a steal for a purse half off. ooh, i always feel so good when i buy shoes =) ok. so i think i'm done, but no. the calender store calls out my name. "ooh, i'm just gonna look." bah. cha right. i end up buying another calender. a 'save the animals' theme with adorable babies dressed up as certain endangered animals. it was too cute. i had to buy it. gotta dress my bare walls with something anyways! ok. so NOW i'm done.....heh, right? yeah. my dad calls hoping 1.5 hours was long enough to spend at one mall. so i wait for him outside in the parkinglot. now, i'm holding 5 gigantic paper bags full of merchandise, of course i cause attention. my bad for waiting around the cars. heh. 'caused a traffic jam between four cars cuz they were waiting for me to hop into one of the nearby vehicles to leave a parking spot available in the crowded underground area. oops. sorry guys. i walk back to the mall entrace. *honk* *honk* @&$^%#! aiyah. profanity galore. *honk* "easy with da honking peoples!" people are sooo easily pissed off. it's soo crazy with all this busy busy business. and so ridiculous how there is absolutely NO parking. so good tip for next year: WALK. take the BUS. don't take your CAR! anywho. so after 45 minutes of turn here and make a lane change there, we're outta there. *phew* and are we done? ha nope! didn't go to markville! haha yah, u must think i'm crazy. but no. i'm just REALLY crazy. =Þ only make one stop for gap. get a dream body scent spray and i'm outta there. said and done. i don't think i have any more money to spend!! so here i am now. updating my blog seeing as how it's been a while since i've last updated. =)

just to wrap up with last night ---> i went to my aunt's house for a wonderful christmas dinner and I SAW MY BABY EVAN!! oh and he's cuter than EVER. sooo playful and fun. he's a big boy now and had no tears this time when we visited. i was so happy to see him. i kept the camera shutter going, [as usual] so i will be posting up pictures shortly. *grin* he's adorable. had the cutest lion suit on from baby gap. hrm...i should ask my uncle for a copy. yup yup. shall do. yah, dinner was great, especially dessert and i think we all had a good time. this year we spent the holiday celebration with the addition of anita. so it was nice. and she got to see evan too. so now she really knows how the family functions during the holidays....nawh, s'not like we have any deep dark secrets about the family. i'm sure any of you would love to date us just for the night to see our family. haha. um...yah. take that back.

any of you know about that man in 'sauga who set up millions of christmas lights outside his yard, spending over 3,000 dollars on his electricity bill alone? yeh, well my aunt mentioned it to us and we decided to give this guy's house a visit. took us half an hour to get to his house, which was only miles away from my aunt's place. there were sooo many cars wanting to drive by and check out the whole hype about this house. wow. when i finally got there i was speechless. all i gotta say is that man has A LOT OF TIME ON HIS HANDS! >,< i brought minolti with me so i will definitely show you guys a sample of how elaborate this man decorated his house. just hope they turned out. 400 iso seemed sufficient. =\ i hope. heh.

anyway, hope everyone had a very merry christmas! sure hope the turkey didn't inflate that tummie too much! hee hee
ooh, and i'm stoked about tomorrow cause i will be recording. yay! s'about time! been praYing like non-stop about everyone's health though. just hope i'm back to normal by morning..... =\ {{{{{lah}}}}} *crack* oh dear.

i woke up at 9:30 this morning to warm up, hoping to clean out that frog in my throat. but no luck. i jugged about 1.5 litres of hot boiling water. no luck. gurgled two cups of nasty salt luke-warm water. no luck. inhaled through a basin of pipping hot steam. no luck. *ARGH* that frog just won't hop out!! justis was going to arrive in less than an hour. *aiy* so i call, seeing if we can reschedule, but seeing as how we've planned to be at matt mark's on the 27th, we're tight on time. so justis comes anyways. i'm barely capable of speaking. i'm completely frustrated outta my mind. so we run through a couple songs and i'm able to sing better than this morning; just can't hit anything higher than a E. [which according to christina aguilera's producer from the vh1 special, "is a very, very difficult note to sing." bah. over my dead body. most could sing that on a bad day] i'm glad we ran through it today, so i know we're confident of what to record. just need to pray for my health and apparently i'm not the only one who's sick. poor matty. he's *cough*cough*ing too. actually more like *blegh*blegh* bARFING! *aiy*..... tis the "season full of sickness." but he hasn't been sleeping all that early lately. so it's off to bed we go, in hopes that god will strengthen us while we rest. oh darnit. it's christmas eve. =( what a way to spend the christmas holidays, eh? just hope i don't get sick 'cause so far my weakness has only been affecting my voice. PRAY, PRAY HARD. hope all is well with everyone else, and i wish you all.....
......a wonderful happy christmas!

MAD PRAYER ACTION pls!!
my voice is going, the throat is dry, my tongue is ichy --> soooo not cool considering i'll be doing stuff at matty's this week.
*AIYAH*.........of all weeks, the voice acts up now. *sigh*
i shall go into the washroom and cry now. O_o

agenda from this weekend
1. matt's house party. 2. the whole blogging deal. 3. praise and worship

1. well, indeed it was a big house party: one of my highlights was finally meeting the faces i've known only online....oh no no. meeting steve's SICKSICK collection of cameras!! yes, that's cameras with an 'S'. man, this wongz guy is soo much cooler than i thought, eh? oh baybee, does he have it stacked! i was all over that nikon F100 and he said something like 6 bills?...but that's in euros which the equivalent to the US dollar. not bad, not bad at all. wow. so i was blown away. heh. i felt so dinky with my wimpy little 300mm. but meh. it's not the size that counts, right? *sigh* bah. who am i kidding? i want more lenses. *sulk*

upon my arrival, it was overwhelming to see sooo many faces i hardly knew. my head was growling like a stomach [yah, yah, i know that makes no sense. but can u just picture that happening in my head?] so i didn't feel the need to be so social amongst the elders but lord of the rings kept me attentive. woah. that IS a great movie. i was so intrigued. great filmography. love the shots. and mr. wood is a better actor than i thought. too bad my eyes couldn't handle 3 straight hours in front of matt's massive tele screen with the speakers vibrating my butt but no worries. i have it at home. heh. actually there are a lot of flicks i have sitting around the house that i've yet to see. hrm.....

some of the happenings chez matt's........

photo credit: phil pang ---> nice photo work phil = you're awesome
gosh, matt! you seriously need a NEW strap. looks like it's been chewed at...*blegh*
my bro doing his renditions of christmas carols. i tell u, he's worse than nayfun tsui. singing high A's at ease. [tis a side of iv i DID NOT know]
mini ma w/phil: "keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."
Bigjon. heh. looks like his eye is doing just grrrrreat.
lyds aka elle-stalkero: trying to pick up some camera tips of her own. that's another one of steve's babies she's carrying. *drool*
c'est moi. oui, j'aime beacoup le cake-du-cheeze...mmm. c'est formidable.

2. i didn't realize how much i've written already. hrm. perhaps i'll put my rants and raves on "blogging" on hold for a day i'm left clueless of what to write.

3. please pray for the praise and worship at mcbc tomorrow. i'm a nervous wreck. this is the second time silas and i have done this but we've made more invitations this time and added mr. guitarist, bernard lo. i feel like i'm worrying too much. i donno. i fear only 15 people will show up and things won't run as smoothly as planned. hrm. je ne sais pas pourquoi je suis un tres craintif personne. so pray that we won't let our big heads get into the picture, letting God use us three, being able to serve Him with completely focused minds to glorify Him, and Him alone. you know, even if only 15 show up.....i think i'll still be content that people came. sure, it'd be nice to worship with a full house, but having a meager amount of people worshipping doesn't necessarily affect one's worship to God. they still have the potential to move mountains with the holy spirit. this is something i've learned while attending laurier chinese christian fellowship. a routinal role i play is leading a group of 20 or so in worship prior to the fellowship program, and it always amazes me how much god comes through, reassuring me of how great this small group of eager servers are. my expectations on how great a worship session will go can't help but be influenced by the numbers i see. and i'm constantly being overwhelmed by how much god can do. i love lccf ---> the people there make me smile, esp when they sing with such enthusiasm, so great in sound, sometimes i can barely hear myself. i love that. *sigh* yah, i can't wait for school in january.....oh gosh, i can't believe i said that. so yes, please keep me in your prayers and if your agenda's empty, come by and support us! i'd love to see you there! =D

i was surfing for photographic arts and came across this website. it's student work in advertising. incredible stuff. a must-see. my favourite project is the numbers assignment and how the photographers creatively incorporated the element of 'numbers' in their work. *bravo* to those innovative minds. =)

my dad's a hero!! so he overheard that i absolutely LUV these cute little monkeys who work as slaves for the telus phone company. the next day he comes back from work, holding up a 22x28 board with those cute monkeys on it!! i totally freaked! seriously, that was the best christmas present ever!!! i swear, i would've been happy with JUST that. so now i have these two adorable monkeys holding a gift box in my room. [it's the first graphic seen on my photogalore] heh, i guess i no longer have to scheme out a plan to steal the tcc ads on the subway....hrm, or maybe i'll still do that. i'm feeling the need to start to collection of these ads! =d

erica's wish list: [for now]

1. cokin filter: A29 | 30.


2. film. you can never go wrong with film. just as long as it ain't expired!


3. black and white C-41 ILFORD film iso 400.


4. anything from ikea. seriously, ANYTHING.


5. john mayer paraphernalia!


6. diana krall live performance DVD.


7. macro 800mm minolta lens....yah that ain't happening. it's at least $800.


8. a monkey! like marcel....hee hee


9. then of course a zoo-keeper to look after my *marcel*


10. models to pose for my next photoshoot. preferably male. =d


11. a trip to new york. i want to see ground zero and jay leno...um, the 'billboard' of jay leno. yes. just the picture of him. =p


12. any telus monkey ads. ANY. even newspaper clippings!


13. happiness for everyone during the christmas holidays!

alright. i couldn't help but further my blogging adventures into another page. i've actually started this page a couple weeks ago but wasn't happy with the layout.....until now. i'm starting to get the hang of all this html coding stuff. it took me a couple hours to figure out the color codes with no manuals; pure trial-and-error clicking action non-stop.

so what's the point of this page? hrm. ha. i don't really know exactly. but i know there are tons of photographs and pictures of celebrities that i have stored on my comp. "tis a pity it ain't posted" i thought. plus, there are some people i know who certainly have *time* on their hands, to be checking my blog on a daily basis *ahem-shin* so i figured "hey, why not give 'em more to surf through on my blog?" =D

oh, and if there are any photographs you've discovered that you thought was worth posting...by all means, hit me with one.

bored? then try this. ----> colorgenics.
you'd be surprised how accurate this thing is. i was skeptical at first, but after taking it myself, it's relatively correct about most things that i believe to know about myself.

this is the order in which i choose my colours:


and here are some things i received on my results:

my mood:

• you want to reach out and make contacts with others.


• you are feeling friendly inside and others around you will unconsciously pick up on this.


• you feel more determined than usual and are not prepared to put up with unnecessary delay or restriction.


• Not in the mood to be told what to do you resent anyone trying to control your behavior.

my current situation:

• there is a real danger of wasting your energy, seek out someone who can help you to calm down and relax.


• your current situation is causing you a great deal of angst. somehow you have become over-involved in something that is leading to feelings of stress and doubt. you are at risk of feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. . . .

my conflicts:

• you have no conflicts at the present time . . .

i just saw mariah carrey perform on the view. my only major comment: she needs to put out another audition for back-up vocals. dear lord. i've never heard a back-up crew mess up the singer so bad. it almost beats britney spears' live performances when she puts dancing on hold for one number to sing about her reasons for being a sleezy dresser and her back-up singers sing just as bad as she does. *aiy* this proves that people don't need talent to make it big. they just oughta be gorgeous and work a thong real well. =p

i felt bad for mariah cuz you could tell she was struggling to maintain her notes in the high register, constantly putting her left fingers in the ear-piece. one bad move they did was have the 3 back-ups sing with her in the upper range. you know how mariah's gift is having a 4 octave range. well, it's rare. no doubt about that. and she's very good at that, despite the loss of colour in her voice when she goes up so high. but for some reason they got the back-ups to sing the same notes as her, or a third below and above. so it was this huGE treble sounding mess. it was awful. especially when they overpowered mariah. so the two black women seemed to be hitting the notes fine. well, of course no one could beat the quality mariah had going on but still, it was good. then this overweight white lady (who seriously didn't look like she knew what she was doing) sang horribly out of tune. it was so obvious, too. ya hear the three voices ringing in the high tones, then this voice...*ugh* this voice sticking out like a sore thumb. she was completely frozen, bopping her mouth up and down. when examining the shot of the back-up vocalists carefully, you see some raising eyebrows and uncomfortable glances from the woman next to her. it was pure jokes. *aiy* poor mariah. first she gets paid to stop her career and now she can't even afford decent back-ups??

*yawn* squint. rub eyes, squint. *aiy* it's already 10 AM. ohp, better get up. don't want the sun to go down and hit the traffic when i head downtown for my photography hunt. hrm, maybe i'll take don mills instead of finch to check out the new subway line!! yeah.... and pretty was it ever! sheppard/yonge looks fabulous. a LOT of work done on the walls in mossaic. it's quite nice when you take a moment to look at the walls from a distance. of course minoti accompanied me so i shot about a roll worth of stuff i observed along my travels in the bay/bloor area and eaton centre. nothing very exciting happened, other than a couple street dudes who tried to pick me up, almost getting eaten away by obese pigeons, and being kicked out of the pottery barn (and you gotta say it with a west-england accent) for unauthorized photography. eyah. like i said --->not that exciting. =d

ha hah. no. but it s'all good. i'm still in one piece. i wasn't able to shoot as much as i wanted but i'm happy with what i came home with. just hope the results are good. i used 200 iso with no flash inside some stores. shutter speed seemed ok; fast enough to not need a flash, where that gives a harsh, direct white light...yet just enough light in the store to capture a realistic view of the yellowish lighting. =) i shall post up what i took today hopefully soon. didn't find anyONE interesting. ended up doing more abstract photography. ha, then again....that's practically all i do.

well, that's it for now. my mind's blank. gimme a while. maybe i 'll think of more to post later tonight.

can you see why i'm pissing my pants right now? what on earth is the united states government doing, looking at my blog?? geepers, i hope i'm not in trouble. and i don't doubt my site meter for a second. i must say i've been quite intrigue with the 'organization' results. first it was the netherlands, then germany, then new zealand, now brazil. ha. i guess it's a curious world out there! =D

some peeps asked me to check out this.....*ahem* an in-ter-es-ting website.
give yourself a detailed tour........and tell me what YOU think.
i have several mixed emotions about this. not quite sure if these ppl are for real and why none of their so-called friends have busted a cap on their you-know-what but to save my @rse from getting kung-fu whipped....eeyah. i'll refrain from posting any comments here.

oh and remember, i DO have a guestbook. heh heh. just a small, friendly reminder. =d

all right, so i know i just got it but.....
EIGHT different users on KazaA lite have already *stolen* a video copy of john mayer's YBIAW off me....... do i see someone rising for stardom rather fast?!! *sigh* a good and bad thing in my opinion. probably more "bad than good" at the moment because i'm feeling pretty selfish. me dont wanna share john with others. he's all mine.....*hrmph* =p

i don't know why, but blogger was having some problems yesterday [which was only a couple hours ago]. i had so much to say before but after FOUR straight hours of "smallville" and "will and grace" my mind is too boggled on the laughs that i forgot what i wanted to post. hrm.....

anyway. while i was watching smallville, i jotted down some massive amounts of songs to download. now i practically have every song used in that show - season one AND two. the directors picked great songs that couldn't have fitted particular moments in the scene any better. some songs that have been on replay since last night is: dishwalla's angels and devils {the same band that had the hit single counting blue cars} coldplay's in my place {gosh, just get the album. excellent stuff} and pete yorn's on your side. i highly recommend giving these songs a listen. =)

ooh ooh! and i finally found john mayer's YBIAW!! thankfully i was home alone, cuz i was screaming like a pubertal girl at a live n*sync show. it's so much more satisfying now that i've seen the entire clip. geez. all this time i caught only the last 5 seconds. [shame on you much music for not playing the good stuff more frequently] so i just went ballistic....and it felt good. john mayer is VERY therapeutic.

yesterday was fun. i somehow managed to wake up in time for 9:30 service and found a seat beside garway and andy. we had a new speaker today. matt silver. real nice guy. a keep-it-simple, straight-to-the-point kinda preacher. real fruitie i'll say. =p had bragging rights to say that he sang with the barenaked ladies.... yah, there's a catch. [no need for autographs: it was some music camp schbeal] then i headed to tim hortons with pris, meeanda, gar and sifi for some great laughs. gotta try the timmie's apple cider: gosh, now THAT's da stuff! we lounged and mingled for what seemed like hours. *ah* yeh, it felt good to be home. and i haven't laughed so hard [and so loud] for some time now. so thanks guys *grin*

well, i'm excited cause i'm off for another one of my photography hunts later today. i heard the don mills station is open and looking ever-so schnazzy! ooh! i can't wait to start clicking!! and i'll get a chance to check out the boys in my hood. and when i say boys....i mean the stores on bay/bloor that have missed me! gosh, it's been too long! and i hear they relocated roots into the nike lot?! and that they've renovated a whole strip of stores on the west side?! *gasp* it's like manhattan in yorkville! =D then i have worship practice for the praise and worship event on the 23rd. "oh you're coming right?!" {pause} "yay, great! i knew i could count on you to come!" *yawn* which reminds me. i better get some shut eye. i wanna meet the traffic of people tomorrow morning so i can pull off that shot of moving people alongside of the train? hrm...yah, i'll show you later.

i've been such a bum. been killing my time either by shopping, spending dough that ain't there or sitting in front of the monitor catching up on smallville episodes. ooh....i could watch the reruns five times and STILL not get sick of it! tis a great great show. and if you sTILL haven't seen ONE episode!!! then what are you waiting for?! start watching! definitely worth your time. =) i'm so glad i've been watching it since day one or else....well, i don't think i'd have the patience to watch all 20+ episodes at once =p that's a lot to handle.

swell, so nothing new and exciting has happned with me lately, other than getting a lot of comments on my blog. i received a couple random emails last week from "visitors" telling me how much they enjoy their visit here. *that just puts a smile on my face* it overwhelms me with such contentment that people find me somewhat interesting and show a sincere interest with the events in my life. it was very encouraging so that's why i wanted to return the favour and make a blog completely invested in other people. i think the Spotlite® started off well and i'm looking forward to how it will turn out in the next year. silas asked how long the 'today specials' last....heh, well considering they ARE more or less daily specials i will do my best to find one for every day/other day. he mentions how that would be difficult but when i think about it....it isn't. nor should it be. i mean, the number of people on this planet is so colossal, i'm sure i can pick out one person to appreciate for the day. but it's just a matter of sorting out my thoughts and thinking of "who" to put up. hrm......i wonder who i should put on the spot for today?

oh and i've listened to james horner's "all love can be" 12 times in the past half hour. i cried so much when i first heard it after watching the touching movie "a beautiful mind." it's a beautiful track but i kind of wished charlotte church didn't sing it. *argh* -----> maybe to save myself from words i wish not to post to the public, i should leave it at that. let's just say i'm not very fond of her. sooooo many things wrong with her voice development. *ugh* ok ok. no more no more. =p

[::.. model of the month..::]
joaquin phoenix

so why do i enjoy this man's profile so much? well, look at him! he's incredibly great on film. he has such a distinctive look, a sinfully tactful edge. he poses extraordinarily well - heck, he could even make rubber-ducky pyjamas look real good. you might recognize this face from "The Gladiator." He plays the villian, opposite of Russell Crowe.

so what's this new idea i was talking about before?
well, while i was frying my brain on monday for my german finals i came up with this plan to start another blog dedicated to others who've made some kind of impact in my life. it's called the SPOTLITE ® so if you're curious and wanna see who's in the Spotlite® give your mouse a click here and who knows! maybe you'll see someone you know.......could be even yourself!
cheers everyone and hope you enjoy.

.......*ah* home sweet home.

some things i missed while i was stuck in the loo:
1. high speed sympatico!!! gosh, i've been so used to the ghetto reznet, taking sometimes almost a minute to upload one page that i'm completely floored at how fast this baby is. *ah* i miss the home computer.
2. my comfy bed. nothing gets any better than what's provided at home.
3. ma familie. need i say more? i get mad spoiled when i'm here: no more 'instant food' and right down to the home-made authentic asian stuff. *mmm*
4. my bathroom. i like to call it my venting place. i do just about everything there. and no more embarassed looks when doing the *ahem* number 2. haha
5. KAZAA! ooh baybee, i went BUCK i tell ya! i think i have about 132 songs and videos downloading. haha. i don't have kaZaa back at rez. i believe i'm the only room that's having difficulty with that on my floor. =(
6. just knowing that i have the ability to hop on the 'rocket' and head downtown. *sigh* oh....it's been TOO long. time for another one of my photographic hunts.
7. television: no more fighting over the remote with 16 different gals! i've missed a whole half season because of school, and basically not having cable in the floor lounge. =D now i can continue my routinal catch ups on reality tv! yay!
8. blarring my music as loud as i please!
9. laundry machines: no more scavenging for quarters!
10. actual TOILET PAPER! even costco's kirkland signature toilet paper is 10x softer than what i have in rez!

mad tired. MAD TIRED. can't say much right now because last minute work awaits....*ugh* theory....but i'm somewhat relieved for the day because
I DON'T HAVE ANYMORE EXAMS!! whoopeeeeeeeee!
the german exam wasn't as hard as i anticipated. the dinning hall kept me company while i studied the DAY away.....got there @ 10 AM and didn't leave my spot till 1:30AM!! i don't think i've ever, EVER in my entire life sat with a textbook THAT long! but i didn't mind....i kind of enjoy studying german. so praise god my exam schedule is now officially nonexistant! but i'll probably have to go back to the dinning hall corner again to finish up some theory and composition assignments .....*aiy* so the day isn't over yet........ =p

oh! and stay tuned! i came up with this idea yesterday. i can't exactly start the project now since i'm lacking time here but as soon as i go back to toronto tomorrow, i'll show ya what i have in mind........
cheers y'all and remember: god is always watching. choose your decisions wisely!

hey everyone! check out...... "Trading Places" [not spaces] on the life network [only available in canada] this tuesday @ 9pm!! jon t's sister signed up online and just so happens they get a call back to do an episode of the brand new show. so tune in on the 10th cause you'll get a glimpse of what life is like in the loo plus you'll see me with my bro leading worship during kwcac service! i donno how short the segment will be, but at least i'll have bragging rights to say "hey look! i'm on tV!" <----- that's jon. posing one @ the gym near kwcac.

......ooh baybee.....

ok ok, so i couldn't help but show the world who this is. *drooooling* everyone, this is steve from road rules 11: the quest. i first caught him while surfing on mtv.com but i flipped to OLN and bam! there's road rules and i'm looking right at steve. i almost freaked! he looks so much better on the tV. =d i used to be hooked on OLN, watching all the reruns of the RR seasons. i swear, i think i've seen every episode in every season. the network started to go backwards and replay the stuff i've already seen so i haven't been keeping up with that since june. and yes, steve is mixed....*ahhh*....half thai, half-caucasian. =D

ooh, and i bumped into this webpage: angryasianman.com. i thought it was pretty funny to know that some dude actually keeps track of all the asians on televison --- though, seeing the minority...probably isn't very hard to do. =p

all right, so i know i said i wouldn't give in to this "counter business" but i couldn't resist after looking at some random guy's blog with a site meter. it shows you stats and everything. pretty niffy. but *wow* i'm really flattered! 43 hits already? it was at 32 like a couple hours ago......and i just started this thing yesterday, in the wee hours of the morning. *grin* it's great to know that people are surfing and tunning in with what i have to say. so thanks for taking the time to check out what's new with me! i'll be sure to update it as much as possible and give you the down-low in erics* mind. =)

i just got back from an afternoon with geoff low, alice and schelling. we went dim suming! @ crystal palace which was pretty good....nothing compares to the 'real deal' we got going on in richmond hill but still, it's good. just hope i don't get food-poisoning in the next couple hours. *eek* it's been awhile since i've dim-sumed so i thought i'd refresh my "asian roots" and go buck on the "low-bak-goh", "ha-gawh" and "siu-my"...*ahem* excuse my chinese. i know i have a terrible, yet distinct accent. =p

then we decided to go walk off the weight at the waterloo towne centre. oh my. nothing could possibly be more ghetto than that run-down mall. and they say it's gonna get teared-down? ha, it already looks torned-down! but i still had tons of fun! people should shop more with geoff low.....oh goodness, i've never seen or heard anyone more excited about a 'liquation store' than geoff. he made my tummy hurt from laughing so much. =D he definitely went buck! he went nutz on the furniture and random antiques, and practically made everything in that store hilarious. oddly enough, he didn't spend a penny. [see geoff? you DO have self-control!] i just bought some glade plug-in scented refills and wrapping paper. only a buck yO! it's mad cheap, and it's nice. i mean, who actually keeps gift wrapping paper? it's only purpose is to make the gift look nicer on the outside. i really don't understand hallmark, charging at least 7.99 for 3 metres of wrapping paper. that's just ridiculous.

last night i killed the night away with movies. i stole jen's tV/vcr and a couple of her flicks. finally completed "A Beautiful Mind". i own a DVD of it but always ended up falling asleep near the middle. yes, it was very good. the story of john nash is very moving. of course, my eyes got wet near the end, when he makes his speech at the awards ceremony. i was very touched and admired the role of jennifer connelly. gosh, can i just say for the record that i think she is stunning!! she's so pleasant to look at and has absolutely no flaws. she's naturally very beautiful....i bet she still looks fabulous first thing in the morning. *cringe* ooh, i'm so jealous... then i saw "Ever After" um.....yes. it was 'in-ter-est-ing'. too predictable i'd say. well duh? it IS the cinderella story. hrm....but it's drew barrymore. i don't dig her so much. i mean, after 3 hours with the gorgeous jennifer connelly, you somehow get annoyed with drew's acting skills. yeah, this movie definitely falls in the 'click-flick' genre. but at least it's not as bad as "a walk to remember"....oh dear. wouldn't watch that again even if you paid me!

well, i hear my books calling for me....seeing as how i've neglected them for the past week. got a german exam on tuesday morning and then i'm off! almost like ONE FULL month of a holiday. oh joy! i can't wait till christmas.......

a small preview.......
@ victor martins' studio party!

victor martins [serving after dindin tea] | irene | me | jean pierre [aka jae-pié]

i just received an email from jae-pié enclosed 'top model'. haha, at first i thought it was junk mail but i recognized the sender. haha, sometimes i wonder what those francophones are thinking. haha. his grammar cracks me up! there are days i just don't know what he's laughing hysterically about but nonetheless.....i love the dude. he makes my day. so i thought i'd show you who jae-pié is as well as the man who oils my voice to work ---> victor. tis not the greatest picture, but i'm happy to give you an idea. ooh! i cant wait till i get my roll developed from mikey. [oh and mike i'm sorry. didn't realize till today that your last name is MAK not mac, as in big mac. haha. i donno why i always spelt and thought of it that way =d my bad]

i didn't think i'd join the club and use the common forms of website features [ie. the counter] but!...i did it. yup, i added a guestbook. although i'm not to sure if i want to put a counter on my site.....not sure why to be honest. maybe i'm ashamed it will gradually move up by numbers because i'm the only one responsible for doing that. heh heh.
anyways, if time allows please feel free to give my guest book some life!!
it's in desperate need of a face-lift. =P

cheers y'all and good luck with exams!

mmm........*snore*.....dream man dancing away in the clouds with me. watching the stars, so crystal clear....then he leans over and......

*behN* *behN* *BehN* *BeHn*
*BEHN*BEHN*BEHN*BEHN*BEHN* [x158]

*UGH*. pulling pillow over ears. "SHADUP!!".....*ugh* too annoyed, so i get up. grab a hold of my track pants, a blankee and flip flops. completely forgetting we're in the middle of winter.....i get shoved outside anyways. time check. it's NINE IN THE FRICKEN MORNING!?!! *ARGH* .....shiver, shiver and toes all exposed to the friendly cold of winter. i feel frost bite coming on. oh dear. time check: 9:15AM. and still no cops?...*aiy*.

*sirens go off in 5 different directions* ooh ooh! fire fighters. girls get excited, watching the red truck ever so closely. hunks of male jump out. *sigh* ....coming closer. coming closer. *ewh* they could be my father! ahhh......gross. shiver. shiver. toes starting to feel warm. oh dear. c'est ne pas bien. time check: 9:25. "aH! c'mon. we all know there's no fire boys! so let's just call it a day!" someone probably heard me, cuz we start to head back in. all 185 of us at the front parkinglot. it was like a cat brawl, to see who could shove themselves through the front door first. *aiy* girls....

thankfully, i didn't hit the showers at the time of the drill or else i would have been screwed. check agenda. one exam at 2:45 for musical skills. have i practiced yet? haha, no. *hrm* time for nice hot shower. maybe i can still save my toes. head back to my room and end up taking a 2 hour nap. time check. 12:00. great. still have 2 hours. *grumble*grumble* ohp, better grab some lunch! smoked salmon and dill cream cheeze on panini. *mmm* how beautiful does that sound? chomped away quickly so i can head over to practice rooms to drill on prepared portions for exam. *AIYAH* something must be wrong with me. i can beat the congas, sing a melody and tap my shakers with one foot yet i can't clap and 'tah' two rhythms?! c'mon erica. only 1.5 hours left - get yourself together. stressing like a madman till 2:30. alright. i'm screwed. time for some maD prayer acTion.

i get there. i'm early. terry's waiting for me. the last student of the day. the last examination he has to do for the year. he mentions being here all day and dying to get the day over with, in hopes that he leaves on a good note. ha! like no pressure there. i jokingly say, "heh, yah. save the best for last then." he chuckles, then immediately starts. gee golly.

"um, how about i suffer later and do the singing passage first?" "sure"
{sol-me-re-do. do-ti-la-so-le-te-do} perfect. now rhythm. oh dear.
"ok....um, 6.J please."
*hesitation* "heh, are you sure you're not feeling a little 7.I? or maybe a 7.C?" *eyebrows up w/ charming grin*
"ha! *grin*.......... no. i'm in the mood for a 6.J."
{under breath, "oh crap"} "ok. here goes....." *terrible beyond belief* =\
the rest of the exam goes well but that awful rhythm passage is the only thing that haunts me.
"oh...terry. gosh, i could have done so much better."
"yeah....i know. well, you did pretty well overall. 54/63 on your dictation on friday: you lost 5 marks on your italian terms which killed it for ya but otherwise it's still very good."
*pause* he looks at me as if he was gonna beat me with his tactful words.
"erica. i must say, i am truely a big fan of yours. you have a good sense of ear-training and know how to relate that with your singing. you are doing impressively well at your year and i can see you going quite far with this great skill. so well done this term."

woah. can we say, CAUGHT OFFGUARD? i was speechless. after digesting what he had said, i simply smiled and thanked him for being a great teacher. seriously, it doesn't get any better than terry kroetsch when it comes to teaching music. he's very talented. though i didn't enrich my skills so much, i still enjoyed myself in that class and found him very resourceful.

so that was my day. one down, and one more to go!

for the fifth time,
my name is nOT mONiCa!!*arrrrrrgh* ...............................*ahem*......

thank you.
{darn german teacher. never seems to get it right. =p i am not amused}

random pictures for the day.............

*ah*....good old softball days. taken at our last game. we lost, but still left like winners at heart. can you guess which one is me?


this was @ athletic banquet, sandy and my feet. our shoes can be found at towne shoes =) d'ya see that bruised 3rd toe on my left foot? yah...that was my foolishness. i dropped at 10 pounder while doing reps in weight lifting at home. the tV must of have distracted me.



left - sunburst by camp shalom, church retreat in march 2002.
right - kingergarten years @ the PTA meeting with my family. heaehe ivan =p


just barely one year. back in the old house. my cousin, grace posed that shot =)


left - check out the XPU on that giraffe. even though i used my 300mm lens, i was still close enough to almost get hit by her.
right - taken at larry chan's mansion, at the indoor swimming pool. i love the lines accented by the mid-day light.

oh dear. i've never had problems with my blogger! yesterday nite, i wrote the previous blog along w/ a paragraph that took me 45mins to type. it was long and well thought of. and now it's all gone. *oh boo* i learned my lesson. always use NOTEPAD and SAVE!!! *argh* so it's no worries. not like i have soooo much to do with only ONE exam [yeh, musical skills doesn't count. no studying required. just rhythmic drilling] to study for.

so who feels like an idiot? i do! I DO! *sigh* so my bud marielle walks me out after that long musical skills dictation [which i totally aced] and screams at me, "you butt! you had me so worried! so i called trevor and his sister picks up. he isn't missing! he was just sick all week! he's here today!" my mouth dropped. "what?! no way, that can't be....." "ha, well look behind'ya then...." and low and behold, trevor walks by me looking like he just woke up. i almost jumped him. "tREvoR!? do you have any idea what hELL i've been through this past weekend! some of us thought you got kidnapped or something. dUDE! where have you been?!" "oh, heh. yah...i was sick." i wasn't sure whether to hit him or hug him first. i had to jet cuz i was tight on schedule but i knew we'd talk later in composition.

so what happened? many of you might ask......well, yes. trevor was gone. yes, he was missing. yes, his mother called looking for him. and yes, something was wrong. he's having family problems. *sigh* don't cha just hate to hear news like that? i've been so blessed with a wonderful family i can't say that i completely understand what it's like to live in a household where this line of arguements and maybe physical fights breaks a family apart. but i saw trevor hurting in his eyes when we spoke over the break to get dinner. poor guy. and he's the type to bottle up his emotions...and that's no way to handle things. so he left home and didn't tell anyone. he wouldn't call it "running away" i mean....how far can you go in little loo? and he did plan on coming home but for now. he's outta the house. it's rather a sad story. at one point during composition class, a very young and glamorous woman opened the door, handed a yellow card to trevor and shut the door. no words were spoken. "what, it's your birthday? and you didn't tell me?!" i remarked, trying to lighten the mood. as usual, trevor goes along with the quirkiness. but i later discover that woman was his mother. and outside the door is a tiny blue suitcase, that's barely even shut with trevor's name tag on it. "so i guess you're moving out, huh?" he simply replied, "yeeeah." gosh. so this is more serious than i thought.

so for now, please pray that trevor is safe. i know he's living in nearby appartment with another friend so that's good. perhaps he just needs a little "breathing" time. but while the time passes, i sure hope he works things out with his mother and mend the cracks soon. oh man, and it's almost christmas.....*sigh* how sad.

oh, and on a side note. i did finish 2 compositions yesterday for class. one took me 3 hours because it was fixed meter - 24 different meters including 11/8 with a 5/4. you wouldn't believe how tedius that was! and i compiled my poetry and chording together, included a violin part for the sake of the "trio" assignment. and though the class was impressed and applauding, i got completely shot down by my prof. i felt like dirt. she noted to the class right after i performed, "please, for next term - no pop." *aiy* well there goes 2 hours of hard work. =( so some dude can pull off this "supposed" composition [he literally sat in front of the class for 16 mins with a mug in one hand and moved 1cm per minute. then had a taping of 'we three kings' that was supposed to be played at the 7th minute - but of course the power fails him so that was it. he just sat there] and my teacher was blown away. but nooo. i can't do this 'POP' music. i'm actually offended cause it's not 'pop'. that's the same category as britney spears and hanson. nono. je ne suis pas 'pop'. *hrmph*

MONDAY. probably the longest school day i've experienced this term, but also the most productive i've ever been. yay for me! here's a lookie at my schedule:
12AM - 4:30AM - working on theory, listening logs & other music what-not.
4:45 - 8:25 - i hit the sack. *ah* i love my bed. almost as good as home.
8:30 - 9:20 - musical skills dictation exam. i was 3 minutes late. so i missed the first 3 intervals played. argh.
9:25 - 9:40 - take a quick shower.
9:50 - 10:15 - voice tech lesson with victor.
10:30 - 12:30 - masterclass. but i only stayed till 11 cuz i had to finish up some things on theory. je detest theory....
12:30 - 2:25 - theory class. LAST CLASS OF THE YEAR! YeAH!!!!
2:30 - 7:10 - crouched at the grand in the studio, composing two pieces. je detest notating music. man, what a smuck. and my back was so sore from hunching over the piano bench. but at least i got the work done!!
7:15 - 10:00 - showtime! composition class --> everyone cramping in time slots to perform their pieces.
10:00 - 2:00AM - walked with jean-pierre to sheila's for Martin Studio Christmas Party. oh man...those guys really have tolerance! i didn't dare touch anything....yes, i was a good girl. plus, i didn't want to get tipsy infront of the profs. how awkward would that be?
now - so i am here. alive and well. and praise god SCHOOL IS OVER! now i can just focus on two things. German and Musical Skills....since those are the ONLY two exams i have this term. *nan-nah-nan-nah boo-boo* boourns on those with 5+. ooh. that would suck.

awaken this morning at 9:45. hit the snooze to shut up some annoying country tune with a terrible male singer. he returns in 15 mins. i get agrivated. i stumble over the floor to reach for the alarm. then greet my wonderful pillow again. 2 hours later. i rise from bed feeling rather weak. time for stretches! greet my computer. hit the tub for some intensive, hot bubbling shower. suddenly feel an urge to use HMV gift certificates. get dressed and head for plaza. hair still wet = not good news. turns into ice, hardens thicker than dred-locks. i start to run. even worse. my ears start to freeze and fall off. get to the bank. oh praise god for heaters! and i still have $$ in my account - double praise! heading for hmv. oh? what's that i hear? coldplay tunes blarring from speakers. oh baybee! that's what i'm talking about! hunt down for coldplay's latest. jackpot. it looks right at me w/ a beautiful 14.99. yup, i'm sooo buying it! about to leave but thinks, "why not wait for the icicles to melt?" running hands thru hair. aiy, it's still pretty bad. okok. just roam around. and who do i see? radiohead: "ok computer" and "the bends". man, long time no see! starting to feel guity - reminiscing on gr.9 days: doubling all their music on tape cassettes off david porteous. aiyah. and they're on sale. 2 for 30. ok-lah, i have extra cash. might as well have the whole radiohead collection. first time customer holding and purchasing 3 cds at once from hmv. meant to spend no more than 2 buckeroos but payed 34.50 instead. oh money....must you run like water? =/

dying for food. sushi place - closed. what?! argh! nooooo. *sigh* to the concouse then, for...*blegh* pitas. oh..wait. nono. harvey's is open! mmm. yes yes. burger it shall be. then who do i see? my mezzo buddy jen cullin. she heads the same way. oh, talk about timing! we dine in together and talk a heckuva lot. laughs, laughs and more hysterical laughs. completely cracks me up. plan to do germany together in july for two months. oooh! can't wait. we talk politics. talk profs. talk grades, then futures. she wishes to head for germany in her last year. i, on the otherhand wish to head for london, britain. oh, i would give anything to go to brit. tis my dream. *ugh* feeling stuffed. time for symphony concert.

we head over to get a good seat. left mid-centre, 15th row. beautiful spot. oh? what's that i see? an additional chair at the back row of violins? wait a minute...that means hannah is sitting there, meaning she's not sharing a stand with trevor's partner, meaning TREVOR IS pLAYING?!! *heart thump*heart thump* 2 mins before program begins. backstage dude takes away the back chair. *oh* sulking back into my chair. trevor's not playing. he's not here. almost in tears. say a quick prayer. reassuring myself, "it's gonna be ok." maestro pulford comes on. beautiful music of debussy. very moving. very touching. powerful concert. wide range from beethoven's symphony no.7 to mozart's concerto in A+. left the recital hall feeling proud to be a laurier music student. twas a great concert. but still saddened by trevor's disappearance. and so i sit here now. blogging away. thinking, how am i gonna compile my ideas together for 3 compositions in the next 24 hours? =/ *yeeeelp*

~ HAPPY BURFDAY IVAN!! ~



man, you're 23 now? gee golly, you're getting old dude!
anyway, hope you have a grreeeeat one. now you be good tonight. hahaha.


so ivan's surprise plan was a success. we sure scared him. not many ppl came but it was sufficient and i still had fun. he just got back from dinner and walking in the freeeezing cold with anita. yu-ling, nate tee, bonnie, waiki, tim lo, and i are stuck in andrew's room, trying to be as silent as possible. as we wait, we listen to beatle classics and play juvenile games with andrew's pink blanket. oh! the door opens. we hear anita's giggle. ohp. time to get in action. anita gets ivan into his room with her. door is closed. we get into position. bonnie asks for a stapler [that yu-ling had taken beforehand]. ivan's looking thru his drawers, but no luck. he finally opens the door to tell bonnie and BAM! handmade cake right at his face while we sing an interesting "happy birthday". mission accomplished. yay! so we just chill the entire night. playing video games for the first half. then caught up with last weeks "Friends" episode. hilarious stuff i tell ya! i love them all. especially joey. *ah*...it's all in the facial expressions. he's a genious.

then i get tim lo started on the six-degrees of separation. i didn't know he was such a movie-buff! my, my. i was blown away. we played that game, going back and forth with movie flicks for almost 3 hours! yes, 3 fricken hours: 11:30- -2:30ish. and poor nate tried to survive the night singing along to some jay chow. that's some good mando-pop. chinese music is definitely growing on me. =) soon enough our brains start frying [though i think tim was still prepared to go at it for another 2 hrs. heh heh] so we get a-talkin' and nate brings up dating and the "who-i-can-see-you-with" game. it was interesting. definitely got to know ppl better. actually, i already knew everyone except tim and nate. and nate refused to answer anything since he claimed his life to be "boring." so it was more a getting-to-know-tim game. so it was fun. but i was exhausted. i left the apartment @ 3:30 with tim. i donno how they all made it for church service in 5 hours. =\ and ya know how tired and unconscience we were? tim and i got into the elevator and did some mingling. then we stood in silence. we look up and see we're still on the 7th floor.....?? [and i was thinking, "gosh, i know the elevator is slow, but not THIS slow!?!"] man! we were so out-of-it, we didn't even realize no one had pushed any buttons! ha! so we were just standing on a still lift. too jokes. =d and that's how i knew it was time for bed. =/ *ugh* yah, so it was a quiet night, i didn't embarass my brother as planned. but i thought i'd be nice this year. see? i am a nice sister......bahaha.

i was in german class talking to sally about the pulford symphony concert this sunday and checking in with her, if she was going to watch. i brought up trevor's name because the last concert we attended by the symphony orchestra, we couldn't get over the transition trevor had gone through. he went from class clown, looking like he just picked up whatever he found on the floor to wear for school......to 007 bond....yes, james bond. i think ever since then i was intrigued by him and found his company enjoyable. i only have composition class with him, on mondays for 3 straight nightly hours *ugh*...but thankfully for people like him, i remain sane in that class. i got to know him better and we'd usually have our moments of inside jokes and facial gestures across the room. unfortunately as weeks went by, he was no longer punctual for class, soon leading to 3 skips in row. i usually see him in the mornings, after musical skills - but no sign of him. it has been 2 weeks since i've personally talked to him.

"oh gosh, ya know trevor? have you seen him lately? .....cuz he's been reported missing....for the past week or so. no one knows where he is. he hasn't even been home. his mother called jerzy kaplanek [the professor trevor studies under] to ask if any one has seen him cuz he hasn't been home since sunday. jerzy called all the students in his studio to ask if they knew about his whereabouts but no one has seen him."

*my heart just sank* i almost didn't want to believe sally. but i knew only truths spilled out of her mouth. i was so frightened; couldn't help but feel concerned immediately after hearing that. i am not trevor's bestest friend but i know him well enough to say that he would not just run away from home or pull something stupid, putting his life on the line. [but then again you never know] now, trev has a good bud named sunny who he spends a lot of his time with. they're both in my composition class, both froshies, and a rare couple indeed. sunny's from hong kong. i hate to be stererotypical but he's your typical 'honger'. been here for more than 2 years and still struggling with his english. meanwhile, trevor, a tall caucasion with a great sense of humour who's lived in kitchener/waterloo since birth. honestly speaking here, i know the combination of the two is not good news. mischief and god-knows-what can happen with those two. putting a connection with trevor's disappearance with sunny, i got a few ppl to call sunny's cell. but no answer. mind you that is quite rare b/c sunny has his phone with him 24/7. so this isn't an average week of skips from trevor. he's not sleeping in. something has happened to him and no one knows how big of a hole he has been put into. so why do i care so much? because he is my friend and i admire him a lot. [4 further investigation, read p3 of this entry: i was refering to him]

so please. if you have a minute or two, please pray for trevor. pray for safety and pray that he is well. pray for peace in his family as this must be a difficult time for them. *sigh*

God, only you know what's going on so whatever state he is in, bring him back and end this mystery that troubles the worried minds of us all. i pray all these things in your name. *sigh*

hey, are you bored on the 23rd? don't have plans with friends? not having a festive dinner with your family that night? well then, do i have news for you!
come to markham chinese baptist church for a time of worship, praise and intimacy in songs on monday, december 23rd @ 7:00 . please note this is not a concert. this is a time of pure worship. a time to spend with other brothers and sisters in worshipping god through song, prayer and His word. all are welcome so i look forward to seeing many of you.......

if you have any questions, feel free to email me or my partner in crime, silas ng.

.....like HOW cute is that!?

kudos to my dorm mate danielle.
i saw a print out of this photograph taped on her wall. i absolutely loved it and immediately got her to email me a copy.

oh gosh.....i'm completely spooked outta my mind. i think evil spirits are roaming amongst my presence so i just got back from the studio ---> 3 intense hours of singing, pounding the piano and notating music for my last assignments in composition. i had planned to stay there till closing (which is at 2 am - they say security comes around and kicks people outta the studio rooms by that hour but i've been there longer than that numerous times, so it's all good) or maybe longer but i couldn't concentrate with the droning of the trombone blaring out Db minor scales, on top of sally and her crazy friends making awful music with their voices and instruments. you could tell they were just fooling around. so after ONE full hour of ear-drum-ringing i decided to call it quits. but something peculiar happened while i was alone in one room with an upright piano. i was sure to bring tons of liquids, seeing as how i would most likely be spending the night at the studio, so i put my water canteen and fruitopia on top of the upright. a couple times i witnessed the fruitopia move! it was so weird. i distinctly remembered my left hand placing it down 2 inches from the edge of the piano and it moved itself towards the end three times! as if it was going to spill over and land terribly on the keyboards. i couldn't understand. so i figured i was probably just losing it. continued to play the keys, then some keys stopped working. it was like someone had put their hand inside the piano to obstruct the strings from vibrating. *whoa* so i was too freaked out to play anymore and ran back home. and when i opened my door, all the lights were on. weird. because i NEVER leave the lights on when i go out. i hate leaving the lights on, it's a pet-peeve of mine. i can understand leaving them on at home in my own room but not in public places such as my resident room or the washroom. i always make sure nothing is running thru the outlet, except my clock and computer. =o so i've been asking god to calm my heart as i stay up the night in my room to work on my 3 pieces [which are coming along rather nicely. i can't wait till the final product].

i slept the whole afternoon today since i only had one class this morning, having masterclass cancelled. beth ann [my pianist] and victor martins [my vocal prof] couldn't hold masterclass today due to opera rehearsals so we had class sunday afternoon at 3:00. none of the guys except for jean-pierre showed up, only 8 of the 13 showed. so it wasn't that intimitating for me, since it was my turn to sing this week. but afterwards, we drove over to victor and beth ann's place. *erica blown away* and what a FINE place it is. it's not overwhelmingly grand yet just right. and the decor of the house is phenomonial. i absolutely loved it. and we were served the finest of foods and wine. it was such a delight. the boys came later [i mean, c'mon, who could say no to free food and booze?] and it was a gay ole time. =D of course i bought minoti with me so i took one roll of pictures. sort of wished i had taken more but i felt like the paparazzi clicking away. so now everyone knows my other love and interest. some were fascinated with my cokin filters and the many possibilities in manipulating a photograph. that was my two cents during dinner conversation. i was too focused on etiquette and not making a fool out of myself, so i sat attentive, being the observer. but i chatted a lot to my buddy irene who was seated right next to me. she and i are the only asians/non-white persons in the martins studio. heh, so we take advantage of our heritage and talk cantonese silently whenever we can. she's great and makes me laugh. homework called, so i went home with jenny-leigh and irene while the rest of the gang did their small talk on music and got intoxicated on scotch and grand marniers. ha, from what jae-pi says, victor was pretty tipsy. haha, too bad i left early. would have loved to see that. i dont know how victor can get any bubblier or happier cause he's always in high spirits. swell, so stay tuned in the nearer future; i shall get my rolls developed shortly from mikey at henry's and i'll post up samples of the house. plus i'll show you this gnome-looking my prof of mine. =d

i've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.....[where?] down in my heart, down in my heart!

hrm, this week hasn't been the greatest of times.....struggled through work and disappointed myself and others these past couple days. perhaps i'm harsh on myself, but i know i definitely got a good kick in the butt and God waved out signs clearer than ever.

firstly, my prayer request. i gotta fess up, i have a problem. i used to struggle with priorities back in high school and to this day i still think of it as a miracle that i made it through and graduated. basically, i lack attention to my studies and don't do jack squat. and what kills me most is i KNOW that i have work to be done and yet i don't do it. it's a matter of motivation and mentally preparing myself for my work. *sigh* this is my weakness and some may think, "well, what ARE you doing then?" you'd be surprised how erica can kill the time away...... internet can keep me up for the night. you know what i wrote on a post-it one morning? "icq X devil" i was so mad that morning, that even before opening my bible or showering, i scribbled that down and posted it on my monitor, in hopes that i would avoid signing on. perhaps that's why my icq prgm isn't running properly. fyi: i'm using icq2go. icqlite doesn't even load up properly. =\ so tis a good and bad thing. but for now i'm completely limiting my hours spent on icq. heck, i'm not gonna even turn it on. so if you see me online, pls do question my presence there.

and then there's the whole priority factor. setting up my schedule and preparing for classes etc. i donno how time does it, but i find it running from me so quickly that i feel constantly stressed on the lack of time. i praise god that he's given me the 'gift' to learn things so quickly and have that ability to pull off things last minute. i think my best record was preparing a 1.5 hour seminar on photography/pornography, the morning that it was due to present. man, and i aced it with a 84%. so i think to myself, if i could pull off a mid-eighty on such last minute terms imagine what i could achieve had i prepared a week in advance?? i think i could seriously be a scholar, but i dont suffer and work in the hours to become one. same scenario goes for music. of course being in the faculty of music it requires a LOT of singing and using all music aspects such as theory, musical ear-training and learning a wide range of repetore. oh and on a side note: i really dislike it when ppl underestimate the challenge to study music. most ppl ask me "so uh....how do you study voice? do you just sing all day?" it's not as easy as it seems. sure, i am singing all day but that requires a lot of work in terms of preparation in the voice. i don't just "SING". there are SO many things to remember and apply such as breath control, understanding how the body functions as body posture affects the sound produced, development in facial expressions, lungs and palette....gosh, i could go on forever. and this is not mathematical. one cannot be taught these formulas and then be able to master any situations when applying the procedures. it took me 9 years of choral training to learn how to breath properly and as of today, i am still struggling to maintain 16 bar phrasings. singing is not easy. of course there are people who can sing and still make the sound beautiful, though they've had no training but what i'm studying is the technique of singing and how to prolong my voice so that i don't damage it in the future. it's a different kind of 'difficulty' yes....i know, but please be understanding and realize that it's still hard work and difficult to a certain extent. you digest the equations, i'll digest the notations of 18th century music so i can compose more like bach. =p

so god has blessed me tremendously. i find myself ahead of the rest in terms of vocal development. i have a very good ear [which helps plenty], can sight read better than most, play the piano [those tedius years of piano lessons really paid off] and generally have a very musical sense in singing. but my problem is....i'm settling for less than i'm capable of. bluntly speaking here, in competition, there isn't much in my year. i 'practice' and 'learn' my repetoire one hour before my lessons and can still manage to impress my profs. i hardly attend musical skills class and still come out of dictation feeling like nothing's challenged me, aceing my tests. choral rehearsals are a joke - key words: sight-reading skills. so why am i not content? because i'm not pushing myself. i do things half-assedly but pull off satisfactory marks. hrm.....but in order to be even better than how i'm doing i must work harder. hence harder . but it's all in the mind [as victor once stated]. and that is where i'm missing the picture entirely. i shoudn't need some to kick me in the head everytime. i should be accustomed to doing my work on a daily basis. so please. pls pray for me. i'm still trying to climb that hill but some days i feel it's too steep for me to walk uphill. *sigh*

and also pray that i use my spiritual gifts to glorify god. dont get me wrong, desite all that i've written above, not one sign of cockiness shows when i'm on school grounds. in fact, not even at all. i'm a very modest person, [remember? i'm the girl who despises compliments] and i'm not boastful with my musical qualities. i dont go around parading my voice to others. but i have this constant fear that if i don't use my voice to lift our father's name ---> he will take it away. i honestly believe that. i could get permanent bronchitis or a terrible throat infection. that is why i worship in songs. hrm, that may sound selfish but can i just tell you what joy it brings to me to sing for my saviour. *ah* every moment, every note sung is a true blessing.

one thing i've learned this past week ~ regardless of what it is i need to do, missing out on spiritual occasions such as cellgroup or fellowship won't do me justice. i used to think that "time" was the main factor; it was my prime for studying and working harder and maybe better on my school studies. but that should not be the case. somehow god rewards me for devoting time to him, for spending time with my brothas and sistas in fellowship and that things work out in the end. because i find that i get spiritually, mentally, and in some cases physically charged for the night. plus it's so healthy for me to do that on a regular basis. man, i donno how strayed i'd be, had i never attended fellowship. so, instead of missing fellowship, to stay back home to work on a paper, i'll put fellowship on the priority list first and will know that somehow time will be made afterwards to finish up my work. but it's a matter of NOT doing things last minute, right?! ha....a true rarity from erica....

so i was stressed yesterday, had a pretty bad day [also since i've realized my failures] and i was gonna shelter myself in my room as i usually do when i'm not feeling the best of times but i decided to give sofia a call to have a dinner date. we went for sushi...[oh, was it ever good - a found a new home] and we talked within a short one hour or so but it felt longer than that somehow. anyway, it was a great sense of release being able to vent out anything i was holding back and just being able to spend some one-on-one time with sof. i'm very thankful i have a sista like sof. after that date, i felt so much better, like i was refreshed. *thanks again gurl* and then i headed to cell group [which i haven't been to in weeks!]....so the day started not-so great but i'm grateful for the decisions i made later in the day because i slept that night with a smile on my face. lord father, you are amazing.

i don't know him personally, but i'm in love with his work. and not only is he a talented photographer, but sometimes his journals make me smile. ^_^

|||||[:::::::::: ladies and gentlemen, i introduce you to noah grey::::::::::]|||||

i know i've mentioned him before but i wanted you all to read his most recent journal entry. i know you all have one somewhere.....and if it's abandoned, clean it and put it somewhere where you can give it your love. *grin*

AHhhhhh!
JoHn MaYeR in da tee-doT!

YUP! john mayer, will be holding a show in toronto at the kool haus tomorrow! i didn't know about this till tim lo told me......man! if only it weren't sold out!! or else i'd be there in the blink of an eye! unless i wanna get ripped off by some scalper and pay double the price...naaah. i'm sure he'll be in town again. if not, i can always hitch a ride to the states [mmm, new york: it's been too long] but seeing as how popular he's been getting lately, i'm sure there will be more demands on canadian tours! =) if you don't know who john mayer is i HIGHLY RECOMMEND you check out his stuff off his site. it's good stuff, smart music, i'll say. massively talented on guitars; he pulls a bag of surprises at every concert. no two concerts are ever alike. i went to his concert in june when he held a small gig at the opera house. check out how close i was! i scanned my work with silas' scanner. not exactly the greatest clarity but you get the idea.

my tribute to john: acrylics on canvas painted by yours truly. it was my last OAC art unit assignment. and i did it in 6 hours [heh, i started painting the day it was due and worked on it the entire school day] =d

"proud to be a LAURIER student"
welcome to laurier! i'll take you through a tour.........

this is the front entrance of my school [midcampus & university]. the maureen forrester recital hall, which is where i will be singing my solos for the dvorak concert on november 29th @ 7:30, holds one of the best accoustics. i love singing in there. comfortable seating too!


clara conrad hall: my second home. i love it here. ya see the windows on the second floor? yeh, that's my floor - B2. it's literally right beside the music building and MFRH. sometimes my dorm mates can hear me singing out the window on the 3rd floor when i have my morning tech classes. teh heh.


"gooh-ing to the cha-pel and we're, gonna get mai----reeed"
this is the laurier seminary and church. the keffel chapel is a common place to go for mass and worship in the mornings. i've never been there, other than singing ocassions but would sure like to see how services are in there =)


this building is attached to the MFRH. infact the first picture is the john aird, but no one really enters through there. ppl who live on campus come through here. it's lovely here in the fall time. there are so many trees and areas to sit and just mediate. you'll find many students on a good day relaxing under the shade here. on my composition class breaks, i come here to 'chill' with my classmates and a cup of coffee or ice cream, depending on the mood. =)

remember that one morning i woke up at 4:30 to do my devos? [the day we gained one hour] well, of course i brought my camera and awaited the sun to rise but the sky didn't get interesting till 7ish, so i explored around campus and found myself composing the frame around a crane. heh, yup...a crane. there's still construction going on to make another science building. so after 15 minutes of planning the right angle, i was finally satisfied with THIS.......

every wednesday [after grocery run] pastor tim hooks me up with "Mikey's Eatery" which is a chinese/canadian fast food joint. the best thing you'll find there: sesame chicken! ooh baybee is it ever good! so that usually gets finished in the van, while the noodles and tofu remain in the takeout container abandoned. so what do i do? i take 'em back to my dorm. scream out 'FREE CHINESE FOOD IN THE LOUNGE" down the B2 hall and a bunch of girls come running down the hall, scavenging the food as if they've never before in their lives! we scarf down 3-4 dishes in a matter of minutes...and then feel guilty afterwards, wanting to throw it all up. =\


B2 girls at shinerama: [back] mandy and melinda. [front] crystal and julie.


Go BACK to WORK! i was in katie/julie's room [accompanied by some of the b2 girls] yelling out their window extremely loud comments to the picketers. don't worry, nothing offensive, but very bold statements mind you.
[left - right] katie emmrich, moi, jen gaal, amy hetherington, mandy urbach, heather spence.



evil heather threw a water balloon at lana. two of the CRAZIEST people i know: heather and lana . they're the ones who came up with my nick "asian sensayshon". if theyr'e not wrestling in the halls, chillaxing/passed out in the lounge, cooking whacky meals at irregular hours, listening to funny porn music [which has a phat bass beat, might i add] or causing some kind of ruckus ---> well then, they might be in their rooms trying to invent another stoopid yet fun game to play. they're such odd balls and yet i enjoy their company. i'm probably the only asian friend they ever had, and still to this day they mock me for my asian descent. it's all jokes though. tis a good balance though, considering most of the time ccf claims me to be a "chigga" or "white-washed" and then being called "chinawoman" back at rez. =p


our floor rep melinda ~ she's the first gal that i got to know on my floor. real cool and does a funny walk when she's drunk [like somethings stuck in between her legs]. i love hearing her stories about her roomate, [not exactly a match made in heaven] and having her boyfriend visit. probably one of the nicest b/f on our floor.


lana went to go get her hair done at TONIC, which did a marvelous job straightening her hair. i had her pose for me. *ah* don'cha just love window pensive shots?
[very similar to the shot i took of justis]

~ grocery shopping! ~

although i am on a meal plan at the gorgeous and wonderful laurier dinning hall, i still take weekly trips to "sobeys" with pastor tim on the weekly grocery run. tis fun! i don't usualy get a chance to dine on campus on the weekends, [sat 10-6 and sun 11-2ish: like wHat kinda hours is that?!] nor is there ever any time in the mornings so i spend my dough at the grocery plus catch up with ccf peeps. i took a hand full of pics but most of 'em are yellow due to insufficient light. so! i only posted three........

anita & euoming [aka YOoh-ming] sharing some laughs before picking out groceries.


my attempt to get artzy ~ the photograph turned out relatively yellow since i was relying on the yellow halogen lights but i like the effect it has on the plump oranges. mmm....i haven't eaten an orange in months!


ivan and pastor tim wai ----> so do you see a resemblance? ahh hahaha =D