so who's on the spotlite® today?

 
| today's special: melinda forhan |

it has been such a blessing having mel on my floor. my first day on B2 was pretty quiet and uncomfortable since i didn't know any of the girls nor was i certain if i would form lasting friendships with any of the other girls. melinda was the first to approach me, showing interest by asking about my field of study. it was awesome chilling with her during the first couple of days in orientation week and getting to know her better. twas a shame i chose ccf events over frosh and floor events which made things difficult for me to bridge that bond of friendship with B2 but regardless of barriers mel consistantly showed me her generousity and care throughout the year. had i relived my frosh year all over again, i would have definitely made an effort to spend more time with mel.

some highlights and little sentimental things i'll never forget:
- the first time i samg my french aria songs for melinda in my room.
- her talent for hair styling. i always counted on mel to do my hair. and she's the only one who could dress it up nice! my volumnous hair is such a hassle to deal with.
- when she bought me cold coffee to help me pull an all nighter.
- how much she loves chinese food! and how she's the first to dig in the mikey's eatery i bring home every wednesday night.
- jamming tunes on my guitar and singing while mel beautifully harmonizes.
- the cornrow QUEEN.
- how nice it is to watch her and her sweetie pie danny.
- the way she says "AB-SO-LuT-ELY" when she's tipsy.

thanks for making my first year in rez on B2 so much more enjoyable melinda! you will be missed.
spotlite shun by erics* ~ 10:33 PM

 
| today's special: benjamin covey |

who is benji?
- my favourite singer in the martens' studio
- my favourite baritone in the laurier voice faculty
- a kind, caring man who never sells short of anyone
- big, humble and bubbly guy
- an animated and very humourous dude
- always the first to compliment me in masterclass
- the baritone soloist for Carmina Burana
- someone who will be getting married next year! = D
(wish i could post a picture to show you how sweet ben is but ftp isn't working)

it is always a delight to watch ben sing. he has always been supportive and encouraging. my first day of school, i was ask to sing first in masterclass. i was in a room full of students i had not met nor seen before, all eyes are on me - so i choose to sing a 8 minute piece. after the fourth minute, i lost most of the crowd but only two sets of eyes were focused on me 24/7. victor martens and benjamin covey. i'll admit, i don't usually like to look at people when i sang. i tend to close my eyes or look at the back wall so i can focus but having ben there, i couldn't help but sing to him and acknowledge his attentive eyes. he later commented on my performance and it has practically been like that at every masterclass i perform.

oh, if only i could videotape ben singing and show you how entertaining it is to watch him sing. his eyes jump out and his eyebrows do a little dance. his lips purse the cutest little "O" and he does an ale-drinking sway when the songs he performs are upbeat. *laughing* ah....it's too good. i praise God for people like ben in my studio and i'm glad his studies at laurier aren't over yet. i still have one more year with him! yay!

not only is ben a fine musician and a great inspiration but he's such a humble man. you never hear him speak highly of himself. he carries this, "people come before me" attitude that puts me in awe of him. i remember that one time a bunch of us were walking home from a concert dress rehearsal and one girl was expressing her relationship troubles to us. my heart went to her, and i was almost home so i didnt' talk much to her about it. i left with her and ben talking outside. so i went home. changed. came back to grab some late night grub and they were still there talking. ben was comforting her with words and a warm embrace. it was really nice watching them and knowing that ben had such a heart of gold to help that girl with her problems.
spotlite shun by erics* ~ 10:41 AM

 
| today's special: andy chung |

before i introduce you to this character, let me explain my choice of pictures. (chung, i hope you don't mind me sharing this) but the image on the left: he looks at it on a daily basis. hah and you wonder why, eh? just thought i'd share with the world this (once) manly, broad-shouldered, buff chung. so that would likely be chung's choice had i asked him to pick a favourite. on the right: just a personal favourite. (softball season were good times. i miss it.) ok, so back to chung. gosh, he and i have been through so much, i don't even know where to start. allow me to be blunt when i say i would have never imagined us as the friends we are today after meeting him and knowing him in the first year he arrived to mcbc (our church). shall i give you a the down-low on the chung i once knew? well, i don't remember the exact day i met him, but i recall him phoning my home in the wee hours of the morning very frequently. "eh, eh....eriCAH, wat yu doin? kay, i'm comin ova to yor house now. i swear...i'll be right outside yor house in like, 2 secs." and this is coming from a guy i hardly knew. we barely spoke to each other at church, yet he had the guts to be forward with me and invite himself over past 2am. but i am no different than the other girls. chung was mistah *mack* as in daddY mack! haha, i can't help but laugh at the past. =d

so after a year later, things changed. God surely worked in that boy a great deal. our mission trip to nashville in the summer of 2002 changed everything for us, in our friendship and most importantly him as a person. We grew closer and had a mutual understanding of brotherhood in christ. i can be so honest with chung, i love it. initially our conclusion to the well-being of our relationship was due to our pessimism. one of the main reasons why we got along so well was because we could rant and rage about issues when we were together. sad but true. and our conversations would be nothing far from jokes and non-stop laughter. but it upset us how paganized of a relationship that was. what good is it to dwell on each other's anger and hate? after experiencing the awesome things God granted in nashville, we were able to touch base on a deeper level, a more spiritual level. it was awesome. i still remember that one night chung was suppose to drive me home after fellowship, and i barely made it to my front door. we talked for hours in his car, and it eventually lead to the plaza, where chung and i screamed prayers and questions to God in the middle of an abandoned parkinglot. the entire night was spent outside - almost showered at the park sprinkler across from mickey D's. haha. that was a rather spontaneous night.

i love that i don't have to worry about my relationship with chung cause it will always remain as it is. nothing more, nothing less. and it's always a plus when you know your parents like him and can trust him when i have him over. chung is one of the very few people that i genuinely trust and can never hate. i've told him this numberous times, but it's true. even if chung stabbed my back, (figuratively or literally) i would still love him. i could never hate the guy. i guess after experiencing the ultimate highs and lows with this particular individual you learn to just love him for who he is. i thought i would never be able to learn this lesson in people but praise god for chung because now i've understood what it means to genuinely love your brother.

*ah-chung-chung*
regardless of distance, time or situation, you'll always be a brother to me.
keep it real in ottawa and continue to make God proud.
*love you much*
spotlite shun by erics* ~ 1:31 PM

 
| today's special: cora cheung |

my definitions of cora
1. an incredible woman of God.
2. a business major in at western university.
3. my awesome sistah in Christ.
4. a hardworker.
5. someone i've witness growing in Christ's love.
6. my spiritual supporter.
7. a sensitive and caring individual.
8. quirky humoured and sometimes slow (and you can't help but love that about her).
9. a great younger and older sister to two boys.
10. miss HK style - but i think western has been changing that. haha. GAP FAD.
----> a beautiful person made by God that i admire. <----

*cora*
when times are good, when times are bad, you are my constant drive to look to the cross and i love you for that sistah. i still remember the first time i met you; timid, quiet, perhaps uncertained of your faith in God, but you showed interest in whatever i had to say. in a short period of time, you blossomed into this enthusiatic, and sometimes crazy girl who had such a burning desire to follow Jesus Christ. thanks for all the laughs, whether they were with me or at me, i still look back at the good ole mcbc days and giggle. i want to express my most sincere gratitude for your prayers and support. it's difficult to hold onto the string of friendship, mcbc grads once held so tightly but now that we have strayed our ways to further educate our minds in different areas i feel some strings have been cut. but not with you. words do not need to be exchanged on a daily basis in order for our strings to coalesce. i know we will remain friends for many years to come and i hope we continue our efforts to keep this spiritual relationship going. you are an exquisite individual and i am just as pleased as honoured to call you my friend.
*lylas*
spotlite shun by erics* ~ 1:51 PM