4th Anniversary: Soccerinos

This year's fútbol anniversary party was organized by Naj, Jen, and a few others, and they did a fine job. The celebration was held at Yaggers Pub in downtown Vancouver, a fine location for group events. All credit to Naj for finding such an ideal place to host us.

Here is a group photo we took towards the end of the evening:

Towards the end of the evening, I was having a conversation with Jennifer, when Angus turned towards us and said "You guys make a very cute couple." Here's the proof:

It's amazing how even after our breakup, we still connect so well.

Easter Sunday: Oh Lord, Send Your Dear Little Angels

O Lord, send your dear little angels
in my last hour to bear my soul away
to Abraham's bosom.
Let my body rest in its snug bedchamber,
without any sorrow or pain,
until the Judgment Day!
Then wake me from death,
that my eyes may see you
in great joy, O Son of God,
my Saviour and Throne of Grace!
Lord Jesus Christ, grant me this -
I want to praise you evermore!

-----

J. S. Bach, 40 Chorale, Burial (Part II), St. John Passion

Holy Saturday: My Heart....Dissolve!

My heart - while the whole world
at Jesus' suffering also suffers;
the sun clothes itself in mourning,
the curtain is rent,
the rock crumbles,
the earth quakes,
the graves split open,
because they see the Creator grow cold in death -
what will you (my heart) do for your part?

Dissolve then, my heart,
in floods of tears
to honour the Most High!
Declare to the world
and to heaven the distress:
your Jesus is dead!

-----

J. S. Bach, 34 Arioso (Tenor), 35 Aria (Soprano), Burial (Part II), St. John Passion

Good Friday: It Is Accomplished!

It is accomplished!
What comfort for afflicted souls!
The night of mourning now marks the final hour.
The hero from Judah triumphs with power and
brings the battle to a close.
It is accomplished!

-----

J. S. Bach, 30 Aria (Alto), The Death of Jesus (Part II), St. John Passion

Maundy Thursday: Hasten, You Tormented Souls

Hasten, you tormented souls,
leave your dens of misery,
hasten (Where to?) to Golgatha!
Take the wings of faith
and fly (Where to?) to the hill of the cross!
That is where your powers will be revived.

-----

J. S. Bach, 24 Aria (Bass with Chorus), Condemnation and Crucifixion (Part II), St. John Passion

Passion 3: Consider How His Blood-Tinged Back

Consider how his
blood-tinged back
in all its parts
is just like the sky,
where, after the floodwaves
of ou sins' deluge have passed by,
the most exceedingly beautiful rainbow
stands as a sign of Gods' grace.

-----

J. S. Bach, 20 Aria (Tenor), Interrogation and Flagellation (Part II), St. John Passion

Passion 2: Ponder, My Soul

Ponder my soul,
with anxious delight,
with bitter joy,
and torn, anguished heart,
in Jesus' agonies
your highest good,
how from the thorns that pierce him
heavenly flowers bloom.
You can pick much sweet fruit
from his bitter wormwood,
so look on him without ceasing!

-----

J. S. Bach, 19 Arioso (Bass), Interrogation and Flagellation (Part II), St. John Passion

Passion 1: I Will Follow You Likewise

I will follow you likewise
with joyful steps
and will not let you go,
my Life, my Light.
Pave the way,
and do not stop
drawing me on,
shoving and imploring me to yourself.

-----

J. S. Bach, 9 Aria (Soprano), Peter's Denial (Part I), St. John Passion

Palm Sunday: Lord, Our Ruler

Lord, our ruler,
whose praise
is glorious in all lands,
show us by your Passion
that you, true Son of God,
at all times,
even in the greatest humiliation,
have been glorified.

-----

J. S. Bach, Chorus 1, Betrayal and Capture (Part I), St. John Passion

Jennifer's 33rd Birthday!

Tonight we celebrated Jennifer, at the Harambe Restaurant on Commercial Drive. I believe that this Ethiopian restaurant just may be her favourite eating place (after Kingfisher in Seattle).

Jennifer:




















Jennifer and Yvette:















Sanjit and Benja:















Cub and Alfonso:

After dinner we went to her place to eat dessert and play games. For dessert, I'd ordered her favourite: Fresh Fruit Cake, from Anna's Cakehouse.

We also played her favourite board-game, Cranium. I fell asleep during the first 30 minutes of the game (I don't really like the game), but later on I woke up and joined. Contrary to what I thought, it was actually fun. I'm not good at laughing at myself, my shortcomings and my faults, and this game has a way of bringing those to light. I suppose playing it will help me get over myself.

Anyways, here's to Jennifer, a wonderful woman, a lovely woman, a great friend...a real gift.

Thank you Lord...I pray that you'd bless her!

Canada 3 - USA 2

Canada 3 - USA 2. What a game!

Period 1:
Goal Canada: Jonathan Toews (12:50)

Period 2:
Goal Canada: Coery Perry (7:13)
Goal USA: Ryan Kesler (12:44)

Period 3:
Goal USA: Zach Parise (19:35)

Overtime:
Goal Canada: Sidney Crosby (7:40)

As against the Slovaks, Canada came out strong in the first two periods, and then sat on their lead. And again, the opponents - this time the Americans - came back. But that final goal in overtime, my goodness ... my goodness, the city erupted with joy ... great joy ... great joy.

Breakfast before the game, at Provence.

We watched the game at Jen's, and afterwards, we walked around the city to take in the atmosphere. Hidden in the picture below are Jennifer, Vero, Sanjit, and Benja. And actually, my original intent in taking this picture was to capture a guy wearing a Scottish kilt, but as soon as I pointed the camera at him, the "subject" just grew!

Spontaneous street hockey games broke out on the streets in Yaletown as well as other parts of the city.















I was pretty much able to point my camera in any direction and capture something interesting, people...

...standing on business awnings, or sitting on light poles:




























...with painted faces:




























...sporting patriotic shirts, sweaters, hats, and gloves; and many of them carried the maple leaf flag:















...driving the streets of downtown, honking their horns, waving flags:















...with big smiles.















At Robson and Burrard the police directed traffic.

It took us 2 hours to walk about 30 blocks, from Jen's place in Yaletown, to a Thai restaurant on Robson just past Thurlow. After stopping for dinner, we went for some ice cream (chocolate and coconut)...

...and after that we made our way back to Jen's. In the meantime, it'd gotten dark, but the party was still on:

We finally got back to Jen's around 11, just in time to get a glimpse of the final night of fireworks in the city:

Canada's win against the USA also meant that we'd won 14 gold medals, the most ever by a host nation.

I'm a bit sad to see the Olympics go. I've witnessed a lot of great spectacles - most notably the last 4 World Cups, some Formula 1 races in the late 90's during the Jacques Villeneuve era, and of course, various fúbol events in my birthplace of Paraguay - where people's joyful expression are part and parcel of the draw, but this was special because it occurred in my adopted home, Canada.

It was a great day (and indeed, a great 2 weeks), to be Canadian.

More Gold!

A very interesting turn of the events in the Olympics, these last few days: Canada gained another 3 gold medals (and a bronze) today, bringing our total to 25: 13 gold, 7 silver, and 5 bronze.

Today's medals were earned by:
Gold - Men's Speed Skating Team Pursuit
Gold - Men's Snowboard Parallel Giant Slalom
Gold - Men's Curling
Bronze - 4-Man Bobsleigh

All our medals won today were won by men. Interesting, since over the past few days there's been talk of our women carrying the national team on their shoulders, on account of their many medals. I think this balances the equation somewhat.

Another interesting note is that we're currently tied with Norway and Germany for the most ever gold medals won by a host nation at the Winter Olympics: 13. If we win gold against the US in hockey tomorrow, we'll break that record and own the new one.

Go Canada Go!

Dinner At La Bodega With Mom And Dad

Tonight was the first time in a while that I saw my parents. Mom and dad came over to my place around 5:30pm, and shortly afterward we went to La Bodega together for dinner.

I actually ordered for us all, and I ordered the same dishes I did last time when I went with Jen. I was a bit torn about ordering: mom and dad are not the easiest guests to please at a restaurant - there's always something that "would've been much much tastier and healthier at home", and on top of that, my current dietary restrictions because of Lent meant that I should've limited myself, but I didn't, at least not as far as meat is concerned. An exception, a compromise, seemed appropriate given the context, so that's what I made.

Tonight was also the night of the men's hockey semi-finals. During dinner the waitress twice approached our table to give us score updates (we were virtually the only ones at the restaurant, everyone was watching the game!). We played the Slovaks, and during dinner, the score was first 1-0 for the good guys, then 2-0, then 3-0.

After dinner we walked towards Robson Square, and along the way, we found out that the score was 3-1. By the time we got there, the score was 3-2. It was chilly and rainy, but that didn't deter thousands of people from filling the square, even the sidewalks and streets were full. We watched the last 3 minutes of the game on a giant screen, and man, these were intense minutes. We hung on to the score, the game, our lives (!), and Luongo made a fantastic save with less than 20 seconds left that could've changed the whole outcome of the game.

But prevail we did, 3-2, and now our boys are off to the final, and as predicted by many, it'll be against the mighty Americans, who've played very fine hockey throughout the tournament. That'll be a superb game, this Sunday.

Over the past 3 days Canada's Olympic team has also come alive somewhat, earning 10 medals, bringing our total to a respectable 21 (10 golds, 7 silver, and 4 bronze). In terms of the gold medal count, we're actually leading the Germans (9) and the Americans (8), but in the overall medal count we're lagging behind both the Americans (34) and the Germans (27).

Canada 7 - Russia 3

Ooooooooooh yeah. Man, we smoked the Russians today. What a game .. I was such a proud Canadian. The Russians were supposed to be the favourites to win the tournament - they have Ovechkin - but our team made them look like juniors, total domination, from beginning to end.

I have to revel in this, these types of wins do not come along everyday...

To watch the game I met up with Vero and Jennifer (although she didn't stay for long) at the Bread Garden on Broadway and Heather. We ate dinner there, and afterwards Vero and I made our way to New Westminster by skytrain to meet up with the rest of the TTR-addicts for a night of great board-game-fun.

Sanjit was a great host, he made a Kenyan tea that's to die for: 2/3 water, 1/3 milk, black tea, cinnamon, anise, and cardamom seeds.

So, the highlights of the day: hockey win over Russia, TTR with great friends, and Sanjit's Kenyan tea.

Canada 3 - USA 5

Today was the final game of the round robin in hockey. Our boys played the Americans, and we got smoked, 5-3.

This means our road to the gold medal game just got harder. We'll have to beat the Russians just to get to the gold-medal game. Ouch...

There is now one week left in the Olympics. The weather's been fantastic - uncharacteristically warm and sunny.

Saxony House: Take Two

A day in (mostly) pictures:

The day "began" around 3:30, when Sanjit and I met up with Marty who's in town to take pictures for the Winter Olympics. We met in front of the VAG, and man, the place was was packed with a sea of people, almost as far as the eyes could see.

We immediately made our way towards Stanley Park, stopping at a mediterranean resto again (see yesterday's post), to eat a falafel along the way. The weather's been amazing - warm and sunny - making the walk truly pleasant. Here's a couple of pictures of our approach to the Saxony House.

The wait outside was super long, it took us 1.5+ hours to get in. Here's a picture of the long lineup:

But unlike yesterday when the wait was arduous, today we made the best of it and had great fun. Thanks to Marty - Mr. Outgoing - we met some great people!

Once inside, we were welcomed by a music band playing typical Saxon folksongs. My parents would've felt right at home, I think, except for the beer that was flowing freely (but it certainly wasn't free, at $8! per glass), like a waterfall. Later on, Benja said "Now I understand why Germans drink so much beer, this music sounds best with beer." It sounds like he was implying that the music was so bad you need beer to enjoy it, but I don't think he meant that. :)


































There was a great patio outside, with a great view of downtown:

But the action was definitely inside.






















































We met Sandra, the beauty on the right. My gosh, I'm smitten: Italian background, from Brasil.















At around 10pm we left the SH, and headed back towards downtown. We'd heard that every night there is free entertainment, music, fireworks, and lasershows near the VAG, so we went there, and we weren't disappointed.

All in all, a great day. One thing that I have to say, albeit anecdotally, is that I felt incredibly distant from Jennifer today, probably the most distant I've felt in the last two years.

Al Watan, Saxony House

Dinner at Al Watan: I met up with James and had dinner at my favourite place. It was good to catch up with him, it'd been since before Christmas that I saw him last. I don't quite understand why I see so little of my Christian friends, I'm realizing that my bonds of affection are much stronger with my non-believing friends. This is an increasing source of disappointment to me.

Saxony House: after dinner, we met up with Jennifer and one of James' friends, Matt, and together we went down to the Saxony House Pavilion (Vancouver Rowing Club) to take in some of the Olympic atmosphere.

As with all other Games-related sites, there was a long lineup to get in: 2+ hours. We only stuck it out for about 45 minutes. We were cold (I didn't dress warm enough), hungry, and generally impatient.

So we gave up the quest to conquer Saxony, and went to eat instead. Jennifer, in particular, was hungry, so we walked along Denman until we found a place that had both, food and a television to follow the Olympics on. We settled on a mediterranean fast food-type place.

But our interest in the Saxony House was piqued enough to try getting in another time, perhaps tomorrow.

Addicted To The Olympics

I remember in July of 2003, waking up one morning at 5am, to hear the live broadcast of who would become the host city of the 2010 Olympics. I was thrilled then, to find out that Vancouver was selected.

Fast forward 7 years - and numerous articles, announcements, discussions, and arguments in between, both for and against the Olympics - here we are, 6 days into the Olympics, and I'm completely addicted. It seems that for me, in terms of a sporting event, the only sporting event that generates more enthusiasm and excitement, is the World Cup.

There's something about the Olympics, and particularly the Winter Olympics, that makes me just want to sit down and take them in. I'm not sure what it is, maybe it's the competitive aspect, maybe it's watching how the athletes who've spent the better part of the past 4 years preparing for this event react to their successes and failures, their joys and their sorrows, maybe it's the media hype that comes along with an event of such large proportions, or maybe it's all of these, I don't know, but whatever it is, the draw is there and it's real.

And it seems that I'm not the only one. The big whigs at work installed a large projector in the lunchroom, with the Olympic channel streaming all day long, and on breaks, the room's completely packed with people.

And Vancouver itself, seems to have been transformed into a city of fun. There are people everywhere, it's busy no matter where you go, there's vibrancy, there's life. The buses and the skytrains are full, and on the streets there are reminders of the Olympics everywhere: advertising signs, official event vehicles, stores, and of course, the fireworks that I can hear clearly from my bedroom window every night at 11pm. It's really quite refreshing, to be in such a dynamic city.

And patriotism - my goodness - there's red and white everywhere: buildings are adorned with the maple leaf flag, windows are draped in red and white, and people are also wearing their national pride on their sleeves: if not the ever-popular red mittens, then white "Canada" sweatshirts, or some other national symbol. Frankly, I had no idea we were so patriotic.

So far, though, the enthusiasm in our hearts has been more prevalent than the results on the score sheets, because as of now we only have 7 medals. Hopefully this will change.

Lent: Ash Wednesday Begins Journey Towards Easter

This morning at 8am I attended a special Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Mary's RC church, in Burnaby. Afterwards and for the rest of the day, I walked around with a cross-shaped ash mark on my forehead: "....for dust you are, and to dust you shall return (Genesis 3:19b).

Very interesting reactions at work: most westerners and chinese said "you have something on your forehead", while Filipinos all recognized the mark, "Oh right, it's Ash Wednesday today."

So, for the next 6 weeks, as a form of self-discipline (I Corinthians 9:24-27), no:
- coffee
- wine
- chocolate (hot or cold cocoa drink ok), or
- red meat (beef, lamb, pork)

Connections Between Film, Faith, And Love

This morning our church had a special Valentine's service that focused on the theme of love, especially as the theme is explored in film. Aaron was the speaker, and I think he did a good job, giving examples of where movies portrayed deep, profound love in a winsome way. Reviewing various movies - most of them with Hugh Grant: Love Actually, About a Boy, Notting Hill, and Magnolia - Aaron made the following points about the nature of love:

1- Great love requires great sacrifice => often we don't love as we should.

2- Our tendency is towards disconnection => but sacrificial love can transform us. We don't want to be vulnerable with one another: "we spend a lot of energy pretending things are ok when they are not, and we are afraid of real relationships, and yet, our heart cries out for them."

3- Love requires great vulnerability => vulnerability implies being real with those around us rather than protecting our reputation or image.

After making these points, he, turned to Scripture and "filled out" some crucial missing links. The text he looked at was I John 4:7-12, which says the following: "7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."

God's love is not immature, depending on feelings, whims, or emotions. God's love is radical: He loved before we even loved him. In fact, he loves us irregardless of whether we love him in return. Two amazing things about God's love:
1- Verse 10: God loved us, even while we ignored him.
2- Verse 9: God's love for us came at a great cost to him: it cost him his Son.

What does "atoning sacrifice for our sins" mean? What is sin? Why sacrifice?

Sin: describes our internal posture towards God => declaring independence from God. This declaration on our part (we've all done it) results in ruptured relationships with God and one another.

Sacrifice, Atonement: God dealing with our brokenness, our disconnection with him and one another. God loves us and doesn't want to leave us broken, but he can't ignore our disconnection (sin) because he's also a just God. In order to deal with the injustice of ruptured relationships we've caused, he sent his Son to die for us, in our stead.

Questions: Does this ring true? Does it sound right?
Self-Sacrifice: God loved us so much that he gave his only Son, Jesus Christ.
Disconnection: God dealt with our disconnection by sacrificing his Son.
Vulnerability: For us to reconnect with the Father, we must admit our weakness (sin) and return (repent) to the Father.

He ended by encouraging us to pray this prayer, about making Peace with the Father: "Father, thank you that you love me. I have not always loved as I should, I'm sorry, forgive me. Thank you that Jesus died for me. I want you to be in charge of my life now. Amen."

Afterwards, Sanjit, Jen and I went for Vietnamese coffee, and on our way there, Jen asked the question that gets right to the heart of the matter, it's such a good question. She said: "Love does require sacrifice, but how does sending Jesus cost God something? It cost Jesus something, but how does it cost God something?"

The answer, of course, is that God is three persons, one God, three persons that make up the "Godhead": God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit are all persons that make up the One God, so when the Father sent his Son, he's sending one of the persons of the Trinity, he's sending himself (in the person of Jesus). This sending, is already an act of great sacrifice (because it shows God's love and care for us), not to mention the isolation and suffering that Jesus endured on our behalf.

It was very good to think through this question. a little It's the best possible question she could've asked. But it's not an easy answer to grasp. It's truly only the Holy Spirit that help sus consent, better yet, it's only the Holy Spirit that can enlighten our hearts and minds with this wonderful truth.