spies no more

We have some sad news today, folks. After 5 seasons, Alias will close it's final curtain this spring. This means no more wistfully hoping that Will, Sark, Irina and Vaughn will come back as permanent characters. It also means maybe we'll find out everything they never told us. Hmm, so no more suffering through bad story lines only to be disappointed again and again? Maybe it's not such a bad thing, even though I must say this season is significantly better than the last two.

You know what would really be fun...we (being all Alias fans) should each bet on how we think everything will work out in the end. Will Irina come back to Sydney and Jack, and Vaughn resurrect from the dead? Or maybe Will comes out of hiding and becomes the love of Sydney's life...does Sark turn Rachel evil and run off with her to their little evil-ville and plot to take over the world? Will Sloane finally be revealed for whatever he really is? I'm sure in true Alias style, it will be nothing like anyone expects. Maybe it's all been a dream. That would be the worst. I'd probably throw things at the TV if that's what they came up with. This could go in so many directions, but since I should already be asleep...

good times, good times

I am afraid that I have no creative juices left to write about anything...or at least they are in reserve for my papers and upcoming finals. So this may be my last post for a few weeks...hoping that pics will make up for lost words...

These are dedicated to my dear friend Mynda who bravely left her hubby and 2 year old daughter in Wyoming, dragging her prego self out to visit her long-lost friend in Philadelphia. We had a great time catching up this past week, and an equally great time reminiscing of our crazy college days. Can NOT believe this was taken 10 years ago. Weren't we lovely?


Self-imposed crazy-dress-day at ORU. (The now Dr.) Tracie between Myn and me.


An incriminating photo...but what will they do to us now? The traditional (even if somewhat illegal) "Howard Run," on top of Howard Auditorium. Do you see Mynda in this pic? Nope. Couldn't ever get her to go beyond eccentric into the realm of breaking rules. (But she WAS the getaway car.)


Ok, so how about some current, Machen madness pics as well?
Spivey out of reach


Tiff...?!?


buddies


HAHA - random but priceless. Yoshi is too cool for school. Roshini on the other end of the line. Chaos as usual in the Machen kitchen.


me and Sandrine


That's all for now...pray that I survive this semester!

calling

Fun to be back in the saddle of behind-the-scenes big-convention working today. Nice to be back in the world of practical theology as well - after all, what IS theology if it isn't practical? Not to digress, not to digress...

Many good things from CCEF's annual conference today (this year on the topic of ANGER)...plus the bonus of finally meeting and having lunch with Julie and Soetji (friends of a friend who had spent some time in Jordan and were able to guide me a bit on my upcoming journey). Basically, all I want to highlight from today is the workshop I went to by Steve Estes on dealing with anger in the church, especially as a church leader in the face of criticism and politics. No doubt church leaders will always have to deal graciously with such matters, no matter what church they are a part of, but the question for me is a question of calling...aren't some people just better skilled, better equipped to deal with these things? I would not consider myself one of those people...I am just way too sensitive. So after the workshop, Sophie and I went up to him to ask him this very question, to which he replied that it's usually the sensitive people who are the best pastors because they actually care about relationships. Good point. It wasn't exactly what Sophie nor I wanted to hear, but I think it did clarify something for me, in a round-about sort of way: Ok, so maybe every pastor has to face this stuff, and maybe it's better if they actually care about people, but maybe where the rubber meets the road is whether or not they have a passion for the ministry - NOT merely because there's a perceived need, but because there is a God-given passion for that particular ministry...a passion that will outweigh the difficulties and truly be tested with time.

This is not a passion that I have for children's ministry, nor American ministry of any kind, even though these are good and necessary things.

you have to be careful what you say around me!

"Eating cold pasta is like swimming in mud, naked."

-Yoshi

spy cam

So I bought this new digital camera...to be exact, "the smallest digital camera in the world!" which is verifiably also the worst. No zoom, no flash, no resolution. My brother ask me if I got it out of a cereal box. But for 20 bucks, who can complain? It's kinda fun and indiscreet, though more than half of the pics are crap.



So the fun began...Caught in the act! Spivey chewing on my earring and hair.


And then of course I took it down to DC for my little bro's engagement party. Didn't take any pics on the Chinatown bus, but that was a great experience in itself, complete with a very friendly and animated French lady as my companion, who had been in Philly for the day, auditioning for work as an actress. She also helped me find my way on the DC metro/bus system before we parted ways.

Mike (my bro) the bartender


Mommy


Dad and me


Gee Gee, my lovely sister-in-law to be

One of the highlights of the weekend for me was meeting Gee's family - especially her dad. I could tell the moment I saw him that he would be a really fun and great guy to talk to, though he somewhat keeps to himself. Once you can get him talking, though (if you can manage to get past the think Filipino accent), he's so funny. He told me that he had heard that I was a traveler, like himself. He just smiled teasingly and told me not to be bothered with any boyfriends because they would only hold me back - hahaha!! "When you are old," he said, "you will stay in one place, only when you need to." Interesting indeed.

You can ALMOST see us - Gee, Mike and 1/4 of me


Back in Philly - Hi Charis!


Caught again! Spivey talking to his friend in the mirror.


Aha, getting the guys to move the sofa out of room after dinner in an effort to *ahem* actually get a desk so that I might *ahem* get some work done in my room.


Hmmm...fat chance of getting any work done when someone says, 'Let's play mafia!' WHY IS THIS GAME SO ADDICTIVE? Even though you can't see anyone clearly in this pic, I like it because of the light streak on the wall.


And yet more mafia...Philip is getting too crafty for his own good, and DAVE CANNOT READ ME as much as he thinks he can. Wait a minute, didn't I say I would only play if I could be the moderator?? How do I keep getting sucked into the game??


So...I guess this spy cam might make me into more of an impressionistic photographer...

my guestbook (map)

Ok, so I know my readership isn't exactly off the charts, but I thought it would be fun to get a visual picture of where in the world (probably mostly in the Philadelphia area) people are sitting when they pass through my little blog (or you could mark where you'd rather be =). So please don't be shy! Click on the "view my guestmap" icon (on the sidebar to the right) and put your stamp on the map.

insomnia...

So much for getting a solid night's sleep...I guess even those tiny sample cups of the holidays' upcoming drinks were even a bit too much for my highly sensitive-to-caffeine body. Of course, I probably had 12 of them. Hebrew quiz tomorrow? Hmmmm. I could be more constructive with my waking hours, but I decide to venture to the kitchen instead, whereupon 3 other nocturnal Machenites soon converge. The trick is to talk in tones loud enough to be heard over the whirl of freezer fans, etc. but soft enough not to arouse the wrath of those sleeping just above the ceiling. This is not easy to do at an hour when everything seems insanely funny...especially when 2 unknown figures appear in the room next door, and so 3 of us have our heads crammed together, peering around the edges of the microwave, trying to figure out who they are, when we could just as easily walk around the corner to meet them. Why is it also at this hour when you are most likely to revert to childhood instincts?...like when a loud crash causes us to all dash behind the counter...?

Nope, still not sleepy...maybe I'll go back to the 'Brew...