Day Trip to Canada

yesterday steph and i trekked it up to canada for two purposes: food and getting my hair done. i'm happy to report that we accomplished our mission! and we got to hang out with chris, jenni and dave too!

for lunch we had dim sum at sun sui wah in richmond. i've been there 3 times now and have never been disappointed. they always have different types of dim sum dishes i've never tried before. ono-licious!

then i went to get my hair straightened at beyond the fringe, the hair salon i went to last september. i asked for the same person again b/c i don't trust many people with my hair. the whole process took 6 hours!!! i kept telling myself, "it's just like flying to hawaii, that's all". i'm also happy to report that i'm pleased with the results and i finished reading my book too!

after that, we went to dinner at asa sushi (2178 West 41st Ave). the place was awesome! they made some great sushi rolls and it was really cheap! we ordered like 12 sushi rolls for 5 people and it only came out to be around $12 Canadian and that's including tax and tip. and we were stuffed too! i learned that vancouver has a ton of cheap sushi places...i LOVE it!

b/c we were stuffed we decided to go walk by the "beach" (kitsilano, i think). yeah, i didn't know there were beaches in vancouver but i was pleasantly surprised. the beach was what i expected (dirty looking), but it had a great park area with a really nice view of downtown and the sunset. after that steph and i headed back. great day, great food, great friends, great fun!

  

Spiderman 2 & Some Summer Reading

yup yup! i got to see a sneak preview of Spiderman 2 tonight. (note: the kiss freeloaders program rocks! everyone should join it!) the movie itself was pretty good...a bunch of cheesy lines (intentionally) and lots of emotional character moments...the action was just alright though. i must clairfy, though, that i'm not a comic book fanatic like some of my friends...so i don't know how this movie rates in the world of superhero/comic book type of movies. in fact, i would like to talk to some of these friends after they watch the movie to ask them some questions that came up after seeing it.

my summer reading list:
- i read some of the 2:7 book, Growing Strong in God's Family, b/c i wanted to get a better feel of what the first few weeks were going to be like. i'm really excited b/c i'm getting a group of friends together to do the study with me this summer. it'll be fun to do a bible study with a mixed group of friends...i haven't done that in awhile.

- i'm also currently reading and studying the book of ecclesiastes while reading a book called, Is This All There is to Life? by Ray Stedman. i first read this book right when i began working at accenture and i remember it being good and applicable to the "working world", but i don't remember much else from it. now i'm reading it for the second time, and i'm finding it again very applicable to my current "non-work" situation. it's also helping me to understand ecclesiastes which was really confusing me!

- i'm also currently reading angels & demons the prequel to the da vinci code book. this book, like the da vinci book, is a very easy and fast paced read. i think this book is even better than the da vinci code book in terms of a mystery thriller. i'm also biased b/c it has to deal with a scientist that was trying to prove God existed vs the whole Jesus/Mary/Holy Grail storyline. i hope to finish reading it tomorrow as i sit for 5 hours...yes, FIVE hours...while i get my hair straightened again. yippee...trip to canada...and good food!

- i also finished reading the purpose driven life book today. i'm glad i gave this book another shot b/c it was actually a good book, and i enjoyed it even more b/c i read it with close friends. we'll be meeting this week to have our last discussion on it. after that, i need to write about things God has taught me thru the reading and other things i still need to ponder on. i haven't been journaling on this enough and i'm afraid i'm going to start forgetting.

so that was my current reading list for the day. haha, for a "non-reader" like me i'm kinda impressed by my active reading list! oh the wonders of having time to read!

BASIC Break

tonight was the final BASIC coffee house of the 2003-2004 school year, and the last BASIC meeting before taking a short summer break. i always have mixed feelings at the end of the school year, and this year was no exception.

my mixed bag of feelings:
- sad: obviously it's always a little sad ending the school year b/c you realize the graduating students are officially done and the year seemed to pass by so quickly. it was such a blessing to be able to serve with the senior student leaders this year.

- tired: although the year seemed to fly by, i also realize that "mentally" how a few weeks off are looking really good as i realize it will be good to have some time to rest without having to think about the upcoming activity/meeting.

- amazed: i'm always amazed at how many different ways God was at work in the students and how many different students, new and old, i was able have the pleasure of being a part of their lives and being able to witness God working in them. i'm at awe at how certain students have changed and grown (in many ways) from the beginning of the school year to now.

- thankful: today during the 3rd service worship set and again when the leaders got together to pray before the coffee house began, i was filled with such a warm feeling of gratitude for the awesome pleasure of witnessing and being blessed by God's faithfulness. even in those times when my faith lacked, He was faithful...He is ALWAYS faithful. and looking back on this year at BASIC was no different.

- excited: as i saw the students who came early to help setup for the coffee house i couldn't help but be excited about next year's student leader group. we hope to have many student leaders next year, and i'm excited to have the opportunity to serve with them and see how God will use them and grow them.

- anxious: as most people know, i'm a person that likes change or at least i always try to embrace it. with our new youth pastor and an opportunity for me to take on more leadership, i'm anxious and curious to see what God has planned for the next year school year. i'm hoping there will be change, but i'm also hoping the change will not be too painful, as change often is. but overall, i can't wait to see what's going to happen next, and i know that i need to keep reminding myself that i also need to be patient cause change doesn't always happen when i want it to and it often times happens when i don't expect it to.

- satisfied: last summer before the school year began, God gave cassie and i a message and a desire to "finish strong". the message had to do with ending the school year with as much energy, enthusiasm and effort as we began the year with b/c many times the year starts off strong and peters out to the end. but this year, i think we did pretty good at trying to accomplish this goal. this goal was definitely a reminder and motivator for me throughout the year to be more conscious of my "dip" in effort and excitement.

i hope to have sometime during this short break to be able to write more about the many events, memories and reflections i've been thinking about from this past school year. i'm not good at journaling, but i need to try to do this "year" summary to at least help my aging memory.

note: the coffee house itself went pretty well...i think. i want to talk to some of the students to get their feedback on it since it's the first one i remember doing with a q&a panel. the q&a panel discussed some pre-collected questions and themes. the topics were: dating, homosexuality & God in suffering. the panel members were great and shared really honestly...thx keone, jeff, david, chris, anna & maxine!

A Baby Baptism

i went to my friend's baby's baptism yesterday. it was my first time witnessing a catholic baptism or any catholic ceremony (at least that i can remember), and i found it to be very educational and enlightening. the priest that conducted the ceremony explained a lot of things, probably b/c he was warned that some of the friends attending were not catholic, and i thought he did a really great job.

things i learned and/or things that stood out to me:
- i don't know if all catholic priests are like this one, but i noticed he mentioned "personal relationship with Jesus Christ" several times which surprised me b/c i always thought that the catholic church didn't put much emphasis on the relationship with Jesus.

- i was impressed that he clearly stated that the baptism was NOT a declaration of the baby's faith, but more of the parents' and god-parents' faith. and that the baby would later need to make her own personal decision about her faith.

- the priest also went on to explain about the praying to the saints. he said that the saints were great people of faith in history that were now with God in heaven, and just like we would ask our friends to pray for us, we can also ask the saints to intercess on our behalf. this was very eye-opening to me and helped me to see the "saint" thing differently. i never knew much about why the catholic church put so much emphasis on saints, but this was one view that helped me to understand a little more. granted, i still think why not just ask Jesus, the son of God, to intercess with the Father for you.

after the ceremony, i thought about how this ceremony compared to a christian baby dedication service i also just recently attended, and i was pleasantly surprised that they were very similar. i still believe that a person should be baptized as a "personal" decision rather than a parents' decision, but overall i was encouraged to see my friend and her husband take this step in pledging to raise their child by God's word and will. i hope and pray for more opportunities to talk to her about the events of the day.

Slow Drain vs Me ==> I Won!

yes! i did it! i finally won the battle i was having with our bathroom sink for the past week, and i learned several things in the process.

things i learned about sinks with a slow drainage problem:
- to prevent clogged pipes, we should use this home remedy once a month in our drains: 1/4 cup baking soda followed by 1/4 cup vinegar followed by a pot of boiling water. this will prevent future wars...thx cassie
- drano sucks, liquid plumber foam snake pipe works like magic!!!
- the internet has everything one needs to know...i couldn't figure out how to remove the sink plug so i looked up our sink's brand online and found an instructional video on how to install the sink. i found out how to unscrew the lever mechanism under the sink to set the plug free and get it out of my way! this was key in winning the battle.
- never admit defeat!

wow, i can't believe how "handy" i'm becoming...first learning to cook baby bok choy, and now fixing clogged sinks! see, being unemployed has its advantages!

random note:
today i also bought a new cd burner for only $20, and it's almost 7x faster than my old one! i just burned a full cd in less than 3 minutes! i also purchased a wireless mouse...now i don't need to leave my bed to fast forward thru commercials when watching tv shows i recorded! i'm so happy! technology rocks!

Careers, Jobs and Work...Oh My!

*sigh* every night this week i've spent some time going thru web sites trying to get an idea of kind of job i want to do next. i keep reading job description after job description, but nothing really grabs my attention. i've even tried to expand my search to include other areas outside of IT, but still NADA.

what direction does God want me to go in? does He even care which way i go? i'm beginning to come to the conclusion that God doesn't really care where i work, but just that i work. over the past 6 months or so, i've been thinking and discussing with others about ideas of what a "career" and a "job" really mean in God's eyes. some believe that a "career" is not a necessary goal while others believe that we should only spend our time doing jobs that are "worthwhile".

i kinda see work as "a means to an end". now don't get me wrong, definitely where ever i work i hope to magnify God's presence and i would never want to work anywhere with shady ethics or morals, but other than that, i see it primarily as a way to gather resources (i.e. money) to help in furthering God's kingdom. and while i know that we are called to minister and serve everyone around us, including in the workplace, i feel that God has called me to a special ministry that doesn't take place in the workplace. and so any "job" that will allow me to continue to serve Him in this ministry as best i can is a good job to have...right?

but i don't know, on the other hand, we DO spend so much of our day and week at work it makes me wonder if maybe there's something better or more fulfilling out there. maybe i should look at more jobs in the non-profit world or jobs working with youth... or maybe i should just get another job doing what i "know"...i really did enjoy the consulting "work", it was just the unstable work schedule, long hours and expectations to "climb the ladder" that i didn't enjoy. what to do, what to do?

well, technically i said i was going to start my job search in july. i guess i'll just push this aside until then! yeah...procrastination...that's the answer to everything!

What's Cooking?

today was all about food. everyone who knows me knows that i rarely cook or even bake...except for special occasions. and tonight my friend & i decided to cook dinner for our friend's birthday. so i decided to make somen salad, baby bok choy and a strawberry log cake. luckily for all, everything actually turned out great! and the miso salmon dish and poke my friends made were super too!

it was my very first time making baby bok choy. yes, i know it's not that difficult just some oil, garlic and oyster sauce (just learned that today...thx cassie) but yet, i've never made any kind of vegetable dish EVER! but for some strange reason...probably since i became part "chinese"...i absolutely love baby bok choy! and it was yummy!

it was also only my second time making the strawberry log cake. it's a real fancy looking, super dessert, but a bit trickier than your typical cake in a box mix. but i got thru all the directions without any mistakes. yay! kudos to alison for the recipe!

although my cooking/baking experience tonight was fairly positive, i have to say i don't know how "normal" people do it. i think it's just crazy to work a full day and then cook a meal for a family after. parents who do that are amazing!



on a side note:
i got the poi & kalua pig bowl from the aloha plate stand at the uwajimaya food court and was once again disappointed by that place. the poi was disgusting!

for a good laugh & break, check this out!

Creative Japanese?

Here's a short video sent to me by Ryan Ko. Thanks Ryan! I can always use a good laugh. Enjoy!

Back From DC

i'm back from my week long trip to washington dc! it was a fun trip and much needed to temporarily satisfy my "travel itch". even my 2.5 hour delay getting there and some super hot and humid/muggy conditions did not deter me from having a great time hanging out with melinda, cassie and may and seeing all of the amazing historical sites and memorials that our nation's capitol has to offer. and believe me, i saw it ALL!!!

visited:
- annapolis (maryland's capitol)
- smithsonian museums (air & space, natural history, archives)
- holocaust and international spy museums
- georgetown
- national cathedral & white house (outside only)
- capitol and senate buildings
- library of congress
- union station
- FDR, lincoln, korean war, vietnam war, WWII memorials
- arlington cemetery (kennedy graves, tomb of the unknown soldier, robert lee's house, challenger and colombia memorials)

highlights:
- discovering Old Bay seasoning which is "ono-licious" on crab *drool* gotta get some!
- trying to eat ice cream in a cone as fast as we can and loosing the "battle" on a super hot day (i.e. not able to lick fast enough and having it melt all over the place)
- getting the capitol tour "hook up" from melinda's sister who works for senator inouye's office
- visiting the holocaust (intense) and international spy (fun) museums
- getting to go to the air & space museum (my favorite smithsonian museum) every day!! (our hotel was only a block away from it...future reference: the holiday inn "capitol" is the best place to stay at in DC b/c it is centrally located)
- hanging out with melinda, billy (melinda's fiance), cassie and may
- riding the metro all over the place! i love all cities with fast & convenient mass transit systems
- being blown away by all of the history contained and preserved within DC!
- NO CICADAS! i didn't come across a single one except for the display at the natural history museum and some weird kid who had a ziploc bag full of them. praise God!

some pics:
:: national cathedral :: dinner with friends :: lincoln memorial::
           



this is a statue in the capitol containing 3 famous woman in US history with a place holder for the first female president. i was shocked by this amazing fact!

Whew, I Need A Vacation!

yes, i made it thru this past week. who knew being unemployed could be so busy? well, i finally finished the senior grad gift project i started awhile ago...i basically had to work like 8 hours a day on them this entire week in which i definitely exhibited signs of carpal tunnel syndrome. the good news, is that with lots of help, we almost got them all done on time (except for one that came really, really close). i must have been crazy to have thought that it would be an easy project. i'll post the steps on how to make these special gifts at a later date.

i also finished my last BASIC lesson of the the school year. the topic was on "giving". i actually started thinking about the lesson a lot earlier than i usually do, but in the end i was still scrambling to finish it on saturday. my problem was that i had a lot of ideas, but realized that my ideas had to do more with stewardship and less on giving. this made me rethink my approach/lesson which led to my lesson being long and not very creative. but i think i at least made the points i felt God had been teaching me recently, i just don't think i did it in the best format possible. hmmm...

whew...now on to my vacation to washington dc! i have to say that i am NOT looking forward to the cicadas (freak-ish bugs...i HATE bugs) and hot & humid weather (about 85 degree weather with 87% humidity! ewww!), but i AM looking forward to catching up with melinda and hanging out with cassie and may! ok, gotta go...i need to finish packing!

My Sweat Shop

yep, still at work on the "project". i even got some fresh recruits tonight to help in my sweat shop. thanks ryan and siska! your guys' help definitely made the goal more attainable! ok, back to the sweat shop...got my other helper coming over tomorrow...hopefully we can crank out the remaining gifts!

I'm A Procrastinator

ok, yes, the reason i haven't posted in the past couple of days is because i'm a BIG TIME procrastinator. despite being unemployed and having a "so-called" ton of time, i will be extremely busy this week because i procrastinate. i've been MIA on my blog for the past 2 days b/c i've been trying to finish the senior grad "project" i started over a month ago, and i even recruited help from mary and we only have about half of them done!

on top of that, i need to start preparing for the basic lesson i'm giving this saturday. and yes, i usually procrastinate on that too. i hate the stress i put on myself on friday and saturday before the lesson. BUT, i've learned that this is who i am, and even though i hate it and always vow to try to start earlier...it'll never happen. i've been a procrastinator for as long is i can remember and this is who i am.

note: i need to write about the PDL mtg, and i did take some time out tonight to go see the UW gospel choir concert which was really fun! anna, maxine, chantal and chuckie were great!

"Natural City" & SIFF

i saw my last SIFF movie of this year tonight. this time it was a korean movie called "Natural City". if you're into sci-fi, action movies with a lot of blood and a pretty good storyline, you'll probably like this movie a lot! it also got great ratings from the group of friends i went with. i'm not real big into sci-fi movies, but i thought the story was engaging, and the fight scenes were fun. i did not like the creepy doctor guy tho. *shudder* weird characters like him give me nightmares...but then again yoda and ET gave me nightmares too. so go figure...

this ends my first real full season at SIFF (i've been to a couple of other SIFF movies in the past, but those were more "chance" viewings), and i have to say that i enjoyed it a ton! but i guess it's always good when you are able to avoid all of the depressing and intensely sad movies that i've heard so much about. i can't wait until next year! thanks cassie, david ko, stone and shiv for your help in making this year's experience great!

Sunburn & Other Blessings

doh! guess what 80 degree weather in seattle means...sunburn! i thought i was good b/c i only let myself stay outside in the sun for an hour, but i guess not. i didn't even feel burned at all until i took a shower. something about warm water and sunburn...when i got out of the shower, my arms and legs were glowing red! and to top it off, i didn't do the even tanning thing, so only the tops of my arms and legs that were facing the sun got burnt. i'm going to have a pretty funny looking tan line running down my arms and legs!

oh well, i guess it's just one of the "downsides" to being happily unemployed...or actually i guess it's really a blessing since i wouldn't have gotten burned if i hadn't been blessed with the opportunity to enjoy the sun and some reading! this made me think of other "blessings" i've discovered to being unemployed.

other blessings ("downsides"...depending on perspective):
- you take on extremely time consuming and labor intensive senior grad gift projects b/c you think you have so much time on your hands now
- you have to wait 20 min for friends to show up for an early dinner b/c you forget how hard it can be to leave work on time
- you get to finally watch tv shows that you hear people talk about all the time, and then get addicted to them and end up watching more tv than you really want to
- you find yourself getting "addicted" to things like online games and blogging which you wouldn't usually get so attached to, but you suddenly are b/c you can stay up real late and sleep in every day

ok, so i came up with this list as a bit of a joke, but it is sadly true too. i know God has blessed me with this rare time off, but i also know that i'm not being the best steward of the time He has given me. i need to spend more time seeking God's direction for my life, and less time filling up the hours in my day. but what i've learned is that whether we are at work most of our waking hours or not at work at all, it doesn't make it any easier to seek God's leading or to hear His voice. i guess this only comes with being more disciplined in how i spend my time...there are no "easy" roads to following Jesus. good lesson and reminder for me.

"My Grandpa"

i went to see another SIFF film today with cassie and david. it was a Japanese movie titled "My Grandpa". i thought the movie was pretty good, except that it was a little slow moving. but i think that's just b/c it wasn't an american film or maybe it's b/c i'm just used to watching action or thriller type movies.

what i liked about the movie:
- it's fun to see how much japanese i remember...or don't remember
- it was set in japan which reminded me of my trip there this past february....that trip was the best vacation ever and i totally fell in love with japan and want to go back!
- it was about the relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter, and it brought back some warm memories of my grandpa that passed away a year and a half ago. the mannerisms of the grandpa in the movie were similar to my grandpa, and it made me remember the fun times i had with him growing up.

*sigh* i miss my grandpa! we often don't realize how big a part someone played in our life until they are gone, and we are overwhelmed by all of the memories we have of them. for instance, my grandpa is the person who made me fall in love with both baseball and bowling...and basically all sports. we spent lots of time when i was younger playing catch, watching baseball (football, tennis) on tv, and going to the bowling alley to watch him bowl.


me and my grandpa & grandma

When Are You Going To Canada?

after CG group tonight, i was asked again..."so when are you going to canada?" this seems to be a very common question these days. maybe it's cause my hair looks like it needs to be straightened again or maybe everyone is just anxious to go on a little vacation w/me haha either way, this question always leads me to start thinking about my schedule and when a trip up to vancouver could potentially happen.

and sadly, each time, i end up with no real answer. yes, i am still unemployed and should have all the time one would need, and yet i can't find the time to take a couple days to go away. isn't that sad? what is my time being filled with? i have been happily unemployed for a little over 2 months now, and i have never been bored AT ALL! i guess i just have a knack for filling up my time with a number of little/big projects and activities. plus, between coordinating schedules with friends and not wanting to miss out on any basic or prime time activities finding some time on a weekend to go anywhere is proving to be very difficult.

i am, however, very excited b/c last week i decided to tag along with cassie to washington dc! she has to go for work, and i've been trying to find a time to go and visit melinda. i can't wait to go! i haven't been to dc in awhile, but from what i remember...i loved it! the smithsonian, the monuments, the history, the metro...i'm so looking forward to this trip! oh yeah, and in case you're wondering how i could fit this in my schedule...the trip is only taking place during weekdays and not over a weekend...or maybe it's b/c i've got this "travel itch", and anytime it's been about 2-3 months without any air travel i get real "antsy". and when that happens, anything goes!

Steps-O-Fun Results

the morning after doing the "Steps-o-Fun", my calves are the part of me that hurts the most. and i think my butt hurts too, but the soreness in my calves overshadow any other part of me. so i guess the steps worked..."no pain, no gain" right?

here's how you too can enjoy these "Steps-o-Fun":
Get onto Lake City Way Northbound
Turn RIGHT on 125th
Turn LEFT on 37th
Turn RIGHT on 135th
Go to the end of the road and park on the side
The steps are tucked away behind the end of road barrier

Steps-O-Fun!

ok, so i have this friend who kept bugging me all the time to do these "steps" with her. she said she found them off of lake city way and that she just loves going to do them b/c it's a good workout for your butt and legs. but everytime she would ask me, i'd be busy or it'd be too hot.... or maybe i was just too lazy.

but today, i finally did the steps with her! and man...those steps were INSANE! when we arrived there she asked me how many times was i gonna try to go up and down. she suggested doing 3-5 roundtrips and i was like "ok, sure...i guess you're the expert". so we start at the top of these cement stairs...there are two flights and then a long pathway...so i think...ok...what's the catch...then at the end of the pathway...you see many many more flights down. yikes!

so we walk down and when i get to the bottom i start thinking...there are a lot of steps and they're pretty steep. so we start walking up...yes, "walking". halfway up, i find myself breathing pretty hard and when i get to the top i'm totally out of breath. oh man! but i continued at my own pace...only walking...and did 4 roundtrips...and i was wasted! my legs felt so unstable and wobbly, and it each time i neared the top i felt like my lungs were going to explode!

after her workout, she told me...just wait until tomorrow! you'll really feel it then! *i can't wait* driving home was already more difficult b/c everytime i got to a red light i would have to hold the brake pedal down, and my leg would literally start shaking from exhaustion. i had to eventually start using my hand brake at stop lights so that i could rest my leg. i am SOOOO going to pay for this tomorrow! my butt and legs better appreciate this!

oh yeah, and for those of you who want to check out these "fun" steps out...i'll find the address so that you can join in on the F-U-N!

Purpose Driven Life - Part 1

i finally got to meet up with my new small group to discuss the first two weeks of the "purpose drive life" book i started reading. i was asked by my friends if i would join them in reading this book because their church was going to start going thru it, and they wanted to get a small group together to discuss it. i decided to join them b/c i have to admit that i never made it thru the whole book when cbc went thru it. i started the book with cbc, but due to my travel schedule for work and lack of time i only made it thru the first week and a half.

now that i'm unemployed and also trying to figure out "what's next" in my life, i figured it might be God's timing for me to go thru this book now. and i'm happy to report that after 2 weeks, i'm still keeping up with the reading...but i don't read it daily like you're supposed to. but at least i'm keeping up! gotta start somewhere.

so we met tonight for the first time and basically just went thru chapter by chapter and shared what things God was showing and teaching us. this might not have been such a good approach, but it we got thru it since our small group is just 3 people. i think that going thru this with a small group is a really great idea b/c eventhough the reading makes me think...sharing with others and hearing what they are going thru helps everyone to think more critically about the different topics...and it helps us to "process" the reading better.

we had some good discussions about our upbringing and different ethnicities and how that impacts who we are today, but also how God planned all of it to create us to be unique children of God. i was especially impacted by day 9 - "what makes God smile" b/c God was showing me that obedience alone does not bring God pleasure if it is not accompanied by the "right" attitude. often times, i do end up "obeying" what God is calling me to do, but i do it with a really bad attitude. this is not what God desires and it probably makes him just as sad as when i don't follow Him. i realized that i really need to make sure that i check that my "attitude" and "actions" match.

I Love Monkeys!

today i went to the woodland park zoo with a bunch of cbc peeps (got in free too...thanks bao!). fun times exploring the various animal exhibits and trying to "speak" to the animals. this was only my second time to this zoo, and the first time didn't really count since it was back when i was at uw and we (crazy hawaii friends) only stayed for a short while since we went in the freezing cold of winter!

after spending nearly 4 hours walking all over the zoo, i would have to say that the monkeys were my favorite!! all types of monkeys/gorillas/orangutans...they're just so fun to watch and they just make me laugh by the things they do and their silly faces and funny noises.

best monkey types:
- smallest monkeys in the world that scratched and sniffed each others butts
- big ol' king louie orangutan sitting in his hammock
- "poser" orangutan that just loved posing for our pics
- mama and baby gorilla that we got to see nursing

other animals i enjoyed:
- the bats were cool b/c we got to see them up close...fuzzy little things that would be cute if they didn't have those freakishly large wings.
- the armadillos were fun because they walked/ran really funny and they kept going round in circles
- big black malaysian bear was funny and cute cause it looked like a humongous black dog with floppy ears


king louie & "poser" orangutan & black "dog-like" bear