I'm A Burien Hermit

yes, it's only my 3rd night house-sitting and i've already become a full-fledged burien hermit. i don't know what's wrong with me. i even timed it today on my scheduled "excursion" back to the greenwood house (i had to grab more clothes and bake a cake), a one way trip only takes about 35-40 minutes. and yet, i find myself constantly weighing my options when faced with the thought of venturing out of burien.

i ALMOST left tonight to go see a rainiers game, only to find out (right before i got on the hwy) that my friends changed their minds b/c of a sellout crowd. whew, what a relief! i didn't need to leave my comfy little town. there's just something about being by myself that i guess i do cherish from time to time.

don't get me wrong, i think i'm a fairly sociable person and have never had a desire to live by myself (b/c i like the thought of having people around), but i guess i do see time by myself as a rare thing and something i should treasure when given the opportunity. plus, it helps that i'm thoroughly enjoying the "accommodations". everyday i've taken to: sitting on the deck, reading and enjoying the sun and view, at night i've cooked some shrimp and a steak on the fancy grill, and had a relaxful evening watching my west wing episodes on the VERY nice tv. now you see why i've become a burien hermit?

  

note: i met with my friends this morning to discuss the completion of our purpose driven life study. although we didn't get to talk much about the later chapters, we all agreed that the things we read required much more thought and time. we agreed to meet in a month to check in on each other. my goal in a month is to be better at recording what God is teaching me and to think and pray about where God is leading me the next year with basic.

House-sitting in Burien

i'll be house-sitting in burien for the next week. yes, i know, burien is out in "boonie land", but i think it's kinda cool. i'm kinda thinking of it as my own little personal retreat.

this house has a great view of the puget sound with nice comfy recliner chairs to just sit and enjoy the view. or, if i want, there are also lawn chairs on a little deck so i can enjoy the sun AND view! and after i've enjoyed admiring God's creation, i can head downstairs to catch up on my west wing episodes on a 54 inch tv! Sweet! the only downside to staying here is that the computer is still on a dial-up connection. this will surely make me appreciate my broadband connection when i go back home.

hopefully, being away from my room/house and all of its distractions, i'll be able to finish updating my resume and spend more time praying and thinking about which direction to go in next. only time will tell...

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

Long Day Ending in Hip Hop

whew! what a super long day...my day started with mia's baby dedication ceremony, to brunch @ the nakano's, to 3rd service, to catching a matinee of Shrek 2, to trying to catch up on some reading, to a hip hop show!

some comments:
- heard a great message today at rainier avenue church about being "intergenerational" (Don't break the chain! & Do break the cycle! Psalm 78:1-8)
- Shrek 2 was just "ok"; not as funny as i had hoped and probably could have waited for it to go to video

today ended with me going with cassie to this hip hop show at the asian resource center. this is the second time i've gone with cassie to one of these events put on by wing luke asian museum, and it was kinda the same as the first but still fun! there were some djs, some break dancing, some spoken word, kiwi (bay area mc) performed, and blue scholars (local hip hop group; won best album this year from the seattle weekly).

now i wouldn't say i'm a big hip hop fan, but i do enjoy going to these shows b/c it's fun seeing and experiencing a part of this subculture (and hanging out with cassie). i also do enjoy the music and most of the spoken word and mc lyrics...when i can understand them..haha but i would have to say the best part of both shows was blue scholars. i'm not sure if it's the lyrics i like or the beat or just the vibe off of the crowd or maybe just cause the mc is cassie's friend....but they were the best part of both shows i've been too. oh yeah, and i finally bought their cd...they only had a few left from their first cd run! check them out!

Going Public!

ok..i'm finally going to do it...i'm going to release my blog into the world! or at least make it "known" to those that know me. it's kinda weird..i've had this blog for a year and a half and not a single soul has read it...at least not to my knowledge...tho it would be extremely hard to find if i didn't tell anyone about it. but i guess...what's the point of having a blog if it's not "known". and therefore, i've decided to "go public". ok...way too many "quotes" going on...it's late...i gotta go to bed...

ok...this blog will be made "known" tomorrow! yeah!

"Wonderous Oblivion" & The Amazing Race

Today was a GREAT day! Started off with going to a SIFF film with my roommate (i got the tix free by using my freeloader points...i love freeloaders). The movie actually turned out to be really awesome despite cassie and shiv telling me that it might be a sad movie cause many SIFF films are sad and depressing movies. and i'm happy to say that it was a very good AND happy movie...so happy that i almost cried twice from happiness. oh yeah, the movie was called "wonderous oblivion" and was about a boy, and his obsession with cricket and his friendship with a family that was not liked because of their race. go see it..it's a feel good movie with some good moral like story.

after the movie i finished collecting the items needed for THE AMAZING RACE! cassie and i have been totally looking forward to this BASIC activity all year! and it was finally here! and i have to say it lived up to the expectations. it was a really fun night driving all over the ID and seattle area. i think we had a good mix of challenges, clues and fun! God also provided just the right number of students, drivers, helpers AND He also prevented the rain from putting a damper on the night. SOOOO AMAZING how it NEVER rains on a BASIC activity...PRAISE GOD! He really knows how to have FUN!

some funny things that happened during the race:
- dennis and team getting "lost" by going the wrong way and ending up in west seattle
- simon and team learning what you need to microwave for 8 seconds
- seeing students run all over chinatown and dodging cars
- seeing my team going round and round on all the playground things
- chung and team racing to chinatown again only to realize that they needed to go back to the lid
- my team...somehow...finishing first AGAIN! (i didn't cheat!...really!! but my team did go from last place all the way to first place...anything can happen in the amazing race!)


my first place team


then afterwards, some of the students came to hang out at cassie's house and eat ice cream and talk...it was good...some funny and interesting conversations...good times!

k...that's it for now...oh yeah, and Fantasia did win American Idol...my 100 votes did count!

hmm...still not used to this daily posting thing...

ok, so i watched the american idol final tonight and all i gotta say is "Fantasia BETTER Win!" or else i'm boycotting american idol next year! i even tried voting, but all the lines are busy. this year the fox people are opening up 3 lines per contestant and are letting people vote for 4 hours! crazyness! i got thru 7 times for Fantasia. But it's just too busy.

i also watched my very first 24 hour episode tonight...it was the season finale. i thought i should give it a try cause so many people are so dedicated to the show. i had to see what it was all about. i don't know if i would say i'm "hooked"....it was good...but i'll see what happens when the new season starts.

i also decided not to go to the MI concert tonight..well, i didn't even hear about it until about 5p today...but i had already decided to work on my "project" for the seniors...plus i have to wake up super early tomorrow morning. i get to babysit mia again...yay!

ok...this post is super boring...so i'm going to stop...maybe as i do this more it'll get better? or not.

Ok, it's been a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY long time since I last posted. But after reading a whole bunch of other people's blogs and xanga sites it sadly made me want to post something to mine.

What's been going on with me lately? Pretty much nothing... that is except for quitting my job and now being happily unemployed! I can't really explain exactly how I feel about being unemployed...but it's kinda like a never ending vacation and summer break...feeling like I should maybe be doing something productive (mostly out of habit), adding to society and GDP and all that...and then feeling like I deserve this break and know that I don't really have to do anything for awhile...and that i eventually will go back to work but there's no reason to think about that now.

ahh...life is good...but i can't really express this too much to other people since it'll either make them jealous and want to quit their job or it'll make them think that i'm just a lazy slob. either way they would be right, but we don't need them to know that. :)

ok..now let's see if this posting thing still works...

i know...it's been awhile...but here's my adventure today...

i got the magic straight perm (aka japanese ion perm) today!!!

if you haven't heard about this before, it's this straightening process that supposedly works better than anything created before...it's been done in asia for years, but it just started becoming legal and popular in the US over the past couple of years. anyways, i've been wanting to try it out cause i hear so much about it, but it's really expensive and i didn't know of anywhere that did it. but last week i found out that a friend got it done in vancouver and so i decided to finally try it!!(actually my hairstylist here in seattle just starting doing it, but she's doing her first one this month and also quoted me at $300)

so me and a couple friends (to provide me support) drove up to vancouver today to get it done at this place my friend got it done at. we get there and the people tell me that they didn't think it will work on my hair cause i have "black people's hair". so we leave and i think maybe i shouldn't get it done, then went and got a second opinion at a nearby place (looked super trendy) and they said "sure no problem, of course it will work". but they seemed way too eager. then i went for a third opinion at another place and this one was a winner...the person seemed sincere when i asked if it would work on my hair and they seemed really friendly.

so...after 5 hours (yes, 5 hours) of sitting in a chair reading magazines and having all kinds of stuff done to my hair (smelly goo, 3 hair washes, steaming, blowdrying, flat ironing two times)...and after spending $250 (canadian)...ta dah! it's actually pretty amazing and i'm very pleasantly surprised with the results and think it might actually last past my first hair wash (though i'm not gonna set my expectations very high) but first i need to wait at least 3 days before i can wash my hair for the first time, i can't even tie my hair back or put it up at all during this time either...gonna really have to get used to this hair down thing.

so yeah, i got it done...i'm happy with the results so far, but i got one more test the hair wash. and yeah, i do sound negative about it all, but if you had my hair and went thru the many trials of straighteners and relaxers and seen the lack of results from all of these products...you'd be skeptical too.

ok...i'll be back after the first hair wash to report back.

another year has gone by, but this time i actually celebrated this year's passing! i don't know when it was that it hit me, but i decided this year that..."dang it, 26 is NOT that old....and I'm going to celebrate this birthday and every birthday to come cause once i hit 30...it's all down hill from there!" ha ha, yeah, i know...pretty short-sighted, but either way...this year's birthday definitely ranked in the top 3 in my short (or long) life.

i celebrated this year by arranging a bowling and bbq party. if you know me, you know i love bowling....the thing is, not that many of my friends share my love of bowling....but that's where the birthday part comes in. i literally used my birthday this year to weild powers that only come once a year =o) because of my birthday i can make my friends do things they normally wouldn't do...like all come out to bowl a couple of games with me and to all come and hang out together despite the different "groups" that were there. it was a super fun night...i had a lot of fun...hopefully my friends did too.

so, do i feel any older? no, not really...i think that over the past few months, i've decided that although i am getting to that stage where work is work and this seems to be the pattern for the next 30 years.....i can still see myself as fairly young...or young at heart at least, and i think that age after 23 really becomes relative. it's not measured on number of years, but rather how much you have accomplished or experienced and how old you actually act. i don't like to focus on age so much because i don't think it's a true measure of how "old" someone really is.

on to other things....i'm really looking forward to labor day weekend. i'll be travelling to ar-kansas for a retreat that alison is putting togther. i hear it's like a whole different country over there and best of all i get to experience it with some great friends...and i get to see the chino family again! yay! i seriously can't wait....only 2 and half more weeks...

whew, these weekends are catching up to me. this last one was just so jammed pack with stuff....but i'm not complaining! i loved it all...just a bit pooped going into this potentially really long, hard week at work.

summary:
friday - went to see the tempest (shakespeare play) where one of my high school girls had a big role. i thought it was really well done and being that i've never heard of the tempest before...i learned a little something too. plus, i got to hang out with cassie!

sat - woke up at the break of dawn (4:30 AM!!!) to meet some CBCers so we could carpool down to a wedding in portland. it was sooo early and we got there with plenty of time to spare. the wedding was nice...funny how with each wedding i go to i think about my own wedding more and more. now i've got the date, the flowers and parts of the ceremony planned out in my head...still waiting on the groom tho =o) had to leave the wedding early to make it back for a pre-rally that night...the rally was small, but it was good to see some of the students again. we (some students and some leaders) ended up hanging out at cassie's place afterwards. it was a fun and relaxful night...played some games and got to see some people get really into charades!

sunday - woke up early...AGAIN! this time to sing for first service, but at least it gave me my first chance to check out the new youth worship service. it was good to see that the students really seemed to enjoy the service more and seemed to be paying attention for once. going to the first service also gave me a rare opportunity to go out for some dim sum.....mmmm...so good. but all things must come to an end and it was back to work for me...at least for most of the afternoon....but let's not think about it. then i was off to a going away party for melinda. saw a lot of old friends...had some laughs...some tears...some good memories. *sigh* so many people keep moving away....(hi-d left too on sat)....so sad...but i know that their moving on to new and exciting things and i know that this time of change will be a good opportunity to make some new friends...new beginnings...

yay! just had a great weekend...my terms great, that is....meaning lots of "friend" times. man, i even almost forgot i had to work on saturday. so, despite the horrible news i found out on friday about having to work on saturday...the weekend started out with a going away party for hi-d. it was a fun time...lots of people...good food...good company. on saturday...headed into work for 7 hours and even though i had to miss out on the going to the bite of seattle with my friend...the day passed quickly. that night i got to have dinner with one of my high school friends and she came with me to the coffeehouse my church was putting on. it was a fun and mellow event...got to see friends i hadn't seen in awhile and got to hang out in a new setting with my hs friend. she enjoyed it too...that's cool. then sunday was the best day...went to church...good message...got my car fixed up a bit by abe (what an awesome friend)...hung out with cassie and abe for a quick lunch....then headed with cassie to josh and val's wedding. the place was sooooo sweet! the bestest view in washington, a super nice place, ceremony and reception. it was fun to see friends and other church member's there too! the night even ended with some dancing...i guess i kinda do like dancing at weddings...provided of course that there are people willing to dance. after awhile of people standing around we finally all got onto the dance floor! it was fun and pretty cool to see some friends dance for the first time. ha ha...good times! but all weekends come to their end..and it's back to work again. hope next weekend is another blast...got another full weekend ahead of me!

just read this on another blog....super funny! man, ok...i gotta get to bed...way too late for me.
---------------------------------------------------

We've all been there but don't like to admit it.

We've all kicked back in our cubicles and suddenly felt something brewing down below.

As much as we try to convince ourselves otherwise, the WORK POOP is inevitable. For those who hate pooping at work, following is the Survival Guide for taking a dump at work.

CROP DUSTING
When farting, you walk really fast around the office so the smell is not in your area and everyone else gets a whiff but doesn't know where it came from. Be careful when you do this. Do not stop until the full fart has been expelled. Walk an extra 30 feet to make sure the smell has left your pants.

FLY BY
The act of scouting out a bathroom before pooping. Walk in and check for other poopers. If there are others in the bathroom, leave and come back again. Be careful not to become a FREQUENT FLYER. People may become suspicious if they catch you constantly going into the bathroom.

ESCAPEE
A fart that slips out while taking a leak at the urinal or forcing a poop in a stall. This is usually accompanied by a sudden wave of embarrassment. If you release an escapee, do not acknowledge it. Pretend it did not happen. If you are standing next to the farter in the urinal, pretend you did not hear it. No one likes an escapee. It is uncomfortable for all involved. Making a joke or laughing makes both parties feel uneasy.

JAILBREAK
When forcing a poop, several farts slip out at a machine gun pace. This is usually a side effect of diarrhea or a hangover. If this should happen, do not panic. Remain in the stall until everyone has left the bathroom to spare everyone the awkwardness of what just occurred.

COURTESY FLUSH
The act of flushing the toilet the instant the poop hits the water. This reduces the amount of air time the poop has to stink up the bathroom. This can help you avoid being caught doing the WALK OF SHAME.

WALK OF SHAME
Walking from the stall, to the sink, to the door after you have just stunk up the bathroom. This can be a very uncomfortable moment if someone walks in and busts you. As with farts, it is best to pretend that the smell does not exist. Can be avoided with the use of the COURTESY FLUSH.

OUT OF THE CLOSET POOPER
A colleague who poops at work and is damn proud of it. You will often see an Out Of The Closet Pooper enter the bathroom with a newspaper or magazine under their arm. Always look around the office for the Out Of The Closet Pooper before entering the bathroom.

THE POOPING FRIENDS NETWORK (P.F.N)
A group of co-workers who band together to ensure emergency pooping goes off without incident. This group can help you to monitor the whereabouts of Out Of The Closet Poopers, and identify SAFE HAVENS.

SAFE HAVENS
A seldom used bathroom somewhere in the building where you can least expect visitors. Try floors that are predominantly of the opposite sex. This will reduce the odds of a pooper of your sex entering the bathroom.

TURD BURGLAR
Someone who does not realize that you are in the stall and tries to force the door open. This is one of the most shocking and vulnerable moments that can occur when taking a poop at work. If this occurs, remain in the stall until the Turd Burglar leaves. This way you will avoid all uncomfortable eye contact.

CAMO-COUGHA
Phony cough that alerts all new entrants into the bathroom that you are in a stall. This can be used to cover-up a WATERMELON, or to alert potential Turd Burglars. Very effective when used in conjunction with an ASTAIRE.

ASTAIRE
A subtle toe-tap that is used to alert potential Turd Burglars that you are occupying a stall. This will remove all doubt that the stall is occupied. If you hear an Astaire, leave the bathroom immediately so the pooper can poop in peace.

WATERMELON
A poop that creates a loud splash when hitting the toilet water. This is also an embarrassing incident. If you feel a Watermelon coming on, create a diversion. See CAMO-COUGH.

HAVANAOMELET
A case of diarrhea that creates a series of loud splashes in the toilet water. Often accompanied by an Escapee. Try using a Camo-Cough with an Astaire.

UNCLE TED
A bathroom user who seems to linger around forever. Could spend extended lengths of time in front of the mirror or sitting on the pot.. An Uncle Ted makes it difficult to relax while on the crapper, as you should always wait to poop when the bathroom is empty. This benefits you as well as the other bathroom attendees.

boooo! still at work at 1am!!! and i'm still fighting this lame cold...bah! plus i gotta still get in at a reasonable time tomorrow to prep for the demo i'm giving. sheesh, i just know that i better be able to leave early tomorrow so that i can make it to the dinner with jo and her fam.

on a better note, i got an encouraging bible reference today...i just wish i had the passion and diligence to be more in the Word.

isaiah 48:17
this is what the Lord says -- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am
the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in
the way you should go.

man, i miss nights like tonight. jo is back in town visiting with her fam...we went to the m's game (which i still can't believe they lost) with the whole gang...and then some. then a few of us hung out at the house...catching up with jo and other classmate happenings...and then a long game of apples to apples. some fun times and memories we've had here at the house. *sigh* makes me really remember and appreciate how there are just some special friends that are really the "glue" of the group. when they leave things just never seem quite the same. but it's great how they can bring people together again.

the next couple of days will be fun hanging out with jo and her fam...good times. =o)

sheesh! summer's here and every part of me just wants to relax and do nothing. i hardly even go online anymore which is the reason i haven't posted anything to my blog in awhile. the weather has been super nice, but i think the thing that makes me want to just relax and do nothing is because i'm still working long hours. plus, i just had a bunch of vacation so i shouldn't really be complaining, but STILL...it sucks that i can't enjoy the summer weather cause of work. but at least the work load is starting to lighten...for now.

i'm always looking forward to the weekends...just getting to relax and do whatever i want. even basic and prime time are taking a break this month so it'll be nice to have some down time to myself or catching up with friends i haven't seen in awhile...or friends that will be leaving seattle soon. so sad. so many great friends are leaving...i try to just be happy for them, but when i really think about it i get pretty sad. but life is all about change and at least i know that these friends will always be great friends...despite the distance. i mean, you know... there are just a special type of friend that you know no matter how far away or how little you keep in touch, when you do see each other again, it'll still be good times....just with a little older and a little wiser friends =o)

man, what a great day! this 3-day weekend is really turning out to be the relaxful yet energizing vacation i've been needing. i've started to become that "jaded, bitter working person" that i so do not want to ever be, but this weekend is really doing wonders for me. it started off with a nice sleepover with my prime time girls. really it was just one group, but it was really fun....they're all really sweet girls and just fun to hang with. a little quiet at times, but really sweet. and it was also cool that my roomies and cassie all hung out with us for periods of time.

then the next day, i finally had a free saturday...it was weird, but very nice and very needed. for the first time in a long time i didn't have prime time or basic to prepare for or go to...i could spend the day just cleaning up, doing laundry and chilling at home. it was nice! funny how you take ordinary and somewhat lazy saturdays for granted, it makes you really appreciate uneventful days like that. and to end the nice day by myself...i got to pick up a friend from the airport and hang out with her and another friend that's been gone. and to top it off...we played apples to apples...such a fun game!

that brings me to today which has got to be one of the better days in the past few months or so. went to church and got to see a whole bunch of people i haven't seen in awhile and met some new friends too. the day was filled with a ton of great times...it started with a really great time of worshipping God, i got to hear an awesome semi-engagement story, heard a great wedding story, shared a lot of laughs, went to a mariner's game with more old firends, and hung out and bonded with some newer friends. all in all it was just a really awesome day....and i totally wanna just praise and thank God for building this awesome community of brothers and sisters and allowing me to be a part of all of it. wow!

all i gotta say is....JOEY & PACEY!!!

ha ha, what an ending to a show that i surprisingly have been hooked to and loved over the past 6 years...crazy! i'm so happy about the ending (sorry to all who are joey and dawson fans). but, really, everyone knows that childhood pals and sweethearts are just that....childhood memories. and to think that they can be both the past and the future is just crazy. alright, alright....i guess why i'm really set on the joey and pacey deal is because i secretly hope that someday i'll find a guy like pacey...someone who will love me despite the flaws and will want only for me to be happy. *sigh*

ok, enuff of this girley talk and teeny-bopper stuff....i gotta get to sleep....this new project at microsoft is kicking my butt. i hope things start falling into place and start getting good...or else this will be a long 7 months!

well...i've been enjoying my so-called "break"...it kinda feels like winter break or something for me because i'm in-between projects right now....so, i have regular hours...little to no responsibilities...it's great! but i've only got one more week of it before i start my new project at microsoft. and i have a feeling it's going to be another intense project. but oh well, hopefully it'll at least be a fun project...then the hours won't seem so long.

as for tonight...we had that basic coffeehouse. it was a really cool event cause it was almost totally organized by our student leaders. it was nice to not have to do much for it and to just watch. we had a pretty good turn out and pretty good program too. it was a great activity to have during easter weekend...really made me reflect on how much i have to be thankful for...and how awesome it is to be able to celebrate and remember what Jesus did for us.

i've also been very grateful this past week for the friendships God has blessed me with...i've had more of a chance to get to know some of the people i serve with, and i also got to know some of the people in my cg group better, and it was fun getting to talk and bake with my roomies. God has definitely been with me thru the many seasons of my life, and He is always providing me with new friends or just the right friends at the right time. thank you, Jesus!

whoo hoo! i'm finally done with my project! it feels like i just finished finals or something...yippee! also, i just did my lesson at BASIC tonight...and though it was spectacular, i think it went aight. my lesson was on "the cross"...the topic was suppsed to be Jesus' death and resurrection...i mean of all the topics to give me, it had to be this one...one that has so much to talk about, been done a billion times before, but yet have so much meaning and significance. i think the whole idea of it really scared me and put me at a total lack of confidence in myself. but God pulled me through it...and i do believe a couple of people were actually praying for me too, which always helps.

i was given the idea of using the cross as the center theme of my lesson and it worked great. oh yeah, and i gotta give mention to the book that helped me a ton too...it's called "The Jesus I Never Knew" by Philip Yancey. That too was funny how I came across it. i mean i've had this book ever since i got baptized, but never got around to reading it. and then today, for some reason i was looking thru my bookshelf and saw it. and it was perfect...it was a really good read, plus it gave me a lot of to share about. it was also God orchastrated how just this week i was shown the picture of the cross at ground zero and i was sent a devotional that all seemed to tie in together.

now that i think of it....it's just amazing!

yeah, it's been awhile hasn't it? i've been real busy for the past couple of weeks...yes, with work mostly, but there's been a whole slew of people visiting. it all started with me missing my friends and roomies, so i decide to throw an Oscar's party. but, silly me...being the novice Oscar watcher, i told everyone to come at 6:30p instead of 5:30p when it really began. who knew they actually started announcing awards at 5:30p...i really thought the first hour or so would be filled with red carpet entrances...oh well. i even made up a pretty ballot too for our oscar's pool...but that didn't work out since almost half of the awards had been anounced by the time everyone got there. i guess there's always next year!

oh well, it was good fun anyways...and i got see a bunch of friends...a whole mix of them...some from college, some from hawaii, some from church...it was great. also, visiting that same weekend was jamie...the ol' gang got together for dinner on tues night with her fam...good thai restaurant in fremont...yum! it was good to see J and i even saw mel for the first time in months!

then last weekend, my high school friend..actually long time friend since i've known her since 5th grade came and visited. she now lives in penn and we hardly get to see her since she doesn't go back to hawaii much. anyways, the the 4 of us high school girls hung out the whole weekend. it was a really special weekend....it's been awhile since i've hung out with them like that...even though two of them live in washington we don't hang out that mcuh. we did the whole tourist thing, pike's, downtown, dinner and lots of food...and we even hung out in tacoma! yeah, there really are things to see in tacoma! i was surprised...never really hung out there much or had a desire to, but since one of my friends goes to school down there we headed down on sunday. we made it to the point defiance zoo just before closing which ended up being really awesome since that's when they feed all the animals so we got to see a lot of them in action! the puffins, beluga whales and sea otters where my favorites! i could watch them for hours! we also took a tour of the outdoor exhibits of the dale chihuly collection (famous artist, does awesome glass sculptures) at the tacoma art museum. definitely gotta go back to see that!

now, i'm just wrapping up this project i'm on...one more day and i'm done...free at last! had dinner with my aunty who was in town this week for work. we ate at buca di beppo...ate WAY too much! it was good...but my stomach sure wasn't happy with me! ugh! took it too far and just couldn't enjoy it...bleh!

ok, gotta start work on my lesson and bible study for this saturday...yup..procrastinating like the champion i am!

I just came back from seeing My Fair Lady, and i guess i see why it's a classic. it's probably where the whole pretty woman type of theme came about, but i have to say that it was a bit too long. (don't read on if you don't want to ruin the story line) i think it would've been fine to end it after the ball, but instead it went on for another 30-40 minutes about who-knows-what! either that or it's just cause it lacked the chemistry between professor higgins and eliza...i began to shift uncomfortably in my chair (5th Ave seats just aren't very comfortable) thinking...man, how much longer can this go on! and the ending...well, it just didn't cut it with me...but oh well...now i understand the whole "the rain in spain falls mainly on the plain" thing. never really understood where that phrase came from.

boy, this week was long...i ended up having to work until 9pm on friday...yes, FRIDAY NITE! that really sucked, but i guess it was worth it so that i didn't have to go into work today. today i finally had a chance to relax...i slept in until 10:30a, made myself a big breakfast of waffles w/strawberries and whip cream, eggs, sausage and coffee....mmmm, my favorite! then, i went to church for prime time, and it turned out that only one of my girls showed up. which was totally ok since i had planned to just have a lite meeting. so instead of staying at church, we went to seward park and had a nice stroll around it. the first bit of exercise i've had in a loooong time. it felt good and it was good just talkin' and chillin' with one of the high school girls. then youth council meeting, basic and finally home again.

you might think that this doesn't sound like a very relaxing day, and granted it wasn't totally relaxing, but working as much as i have the past few weeks...today was definitely a nice break from it all...even if it was busy. this reminds me of a truth my friend, cassie, shared with me tonight at basic. she said that she was talking to another friend about working a lot, and she mentioned that at least she wasn't wroking as much as me or some of the other leaders, and her friend wisely reminded her that just cause she's not working as much in comparison, doesn't mean that it's not that much. just b/c cassie has friends like me and others who tend to work longer hours, that doesn't mean that it's the norm..it just means that her "norm" is getting screwed up. i don't know if that made much sense....let me put it this way....i've been working such late hours that when i got to leave early on thrusday...i left work at 7pm and i thought that was early, but that AIN'T early...it just seems like it is relative to what i've been working...but leaving at 7pm is not and should not ever be the norm that i compare things to.

ahhh...i'm just rambling and not making much sense....i should go to bed....

and the hours keep racking up! i've worked 50 hours in the past 4 days...CRAZY! but it hasn't actually been that bad (maybe i'm getting used to it)...i think it's because i'm at least doing stuff that i like versus doing lame labor intensive stuff.

on another note, i did get to go see a musical tonight in issaquah. i won these tickets thru my company's united way campaign, and they were AWESOME seats! and the show was really great too! the musical was called The Ark. going into it, i wasn't expecting much even though all of the reviews were good...i mean, come on, the story is about Noah's ark....how much can you do on a ship with a handful of people and a ton of animals?! but much to my surprise, it was a super hilarious show filled with lots of great songs and actors...and it even incorporated some simple themes of faith and prayer. i would definitely recommend seeing it, especially if you like musicals!

side note: not only was the show great, but the tickets i won were for opening night AND we had tickets in the 5th row AND they were right smack in the center AND not only that, we had seats right next to the writer of the musical!! very cool =o)

coming up next, my fair lady this sunday night....again, i have low expectations despite what i hear about it...there's just something about it that doesn't seem very interesting...but we'll see....low expectations normally mean pleasent surprises! we should all set our expectations low...j/k!

oh yeah, i've just had a really busy and long weekend...cassie and i took some of the jr high and high school girls to the Girl of Grace conference. i was very impressed by the organization and quality of the conference, it was well thought thru in terms of topics, the flow, the timing and everything. i also thought the speakers and topics were well presented...the women of point of grace were the main speakers and they each shared about topics that they dealt with growing up: boys, family, friends and their spiritual life. although the topics were not different from any other youth message, the passion these ladies shared with and their personal testimonies added a lot to these normal topics.

i guess i am also a little biased because it was put on by Point of Grace. why am i biased? because God used the music of Point of Grace to speak to me and call me to Him during the summer of 1997. it was during this summer that God opened my eyes and allowed me to see Him and to experience his love. i had a new roommate for the summer and through her influence, i began to take more of an interest in what Christianity was all about. i borrowed a Point of Grace cd from her, and began listening to it at work. i don't know how to explain it, but there was just something to their music that i found calming yet exciting...the lyrics and messages of their songs really spoke to me and helped reveal to me many different aspects of God that i never knew existed. so, yeah, i'm biased, but also extremely grateful for their songs which so clearly portrayed who Jesus is and who he could be to me. the conference was a great experience for me b/c i was blessed to see how they continue to serve the Lord and continue to share the simple truths about Jesus to young girls everywhere.

it's been awhile since i've added to my blog, and the reason i've been absent is because of the long hours i've been putting in on my project. i can't wait until i roll off and get some down time...yet, the apprehension of not knowing what i'll be doing next is starting to surface yet again. you'd think i'd get used to this feeling, but i don't...but i guess that's just a part of why i like my job; there's always something new on the horizon.

i'm almost there...thru the end of this VERY LONG week...it's been a tough one...i hope all this wear doesn't make me sick...i'm starting to feel a little stuffy...

started the 30 hour famine tonight and i've got a very full night ahead tomorrow...better hurry up and pack and then get some zzzz's...

soooo tired...

this week is going to be a killer one for me....i am so not looking forward to it....work is going to be extremely busy and we have the 30 hour famine on friday. i dunno if i'm gonna make it...i was all excited to have a saturday free, but i think i'll need it just to recoup from the week....man, weekends just aren't long enough...

on a happier note, i did a draft of my taxes...and i think i get a refund back this year! cha-ching$!

WHOO HOO!!! Vegas was awesome! A superbly fun weekend trip...I can't wait for the next one! me and my fam did a bunch of shopping, some gambling, lots of eating and more shopping!! it was great! my greatest purchase of the weekend was a new motherboard, processor and ram....*drool* fry's had their grand opening sale this past weekend in vegas and they had some great deals...soon i'll be flying on my new upgraded computer.....P4 2.5GHz w/ 512 DDR RAM!!! yippee!

my whole fam did pretty well in the gambling dept too...everyone kept hitting 4-of-a-kinds at every casino we visited! everyone but me that is....but it's ok cause i was doing pretty good at my favorite game...Let It Ride. something about this game that i just love, and no, it's not because i do well at it....it's just the thrill of winning big, and the safety of not messing up anyone else (like in blackjack). and the last night was the best ending to a sweet trip....i was on the let it ride table for like 3 hours going up and down. then, just before i decided to pack it up and head to bed, i finally hit one of the bigger hands...i got a full house! 11 to 1 odds, baby! so sweet...i know i had this dorky grin on after that...but i just couldn't help it. =oD and this was just after my fam tried to tell me that it was about time i headed up to the room...i'm glad i decided to stay for a couple hands more.

got back from vegas and went to see the producers with a bunch of friends. we went to dinner first at dragonfish...the food was pretty good, though i didn't think the service was all that great. it's kind of a family style place, but since we had a big party we all split up into smaller groups. then we went to the show....i've been waiting 3 months to see it! and i wasn't dissappointed at all....it was very funny...a parody on the entertainment industry...and on accountants! ha ha, i got a kick out of that one...i just kept picturing my old roomies singing the "unhappy" song!

oh well...all good things must come to an end...went back to work today...despite so many being off b/c of president's day....boo!

I Made It! Only one more day left...in a little over 14 hours i'll be on my way to las vegas....sin city! ha ha...but yeah, i'm way looking forward to this trip. i dunno if it's because i miss my family, miss the fun and lights 24hr a day, miss the adrenaline from gambling at all hours of the day, miss travelling, or what?! i think it's a whole combination of those things a long with the fact that when you're working long hours...you feel like you need a break BAD! i've worked 50+ hour weeks the past two weeks and i'm ready for some rest and relaxation! i know, it doesn't sound like much to some of you career folks, but for me...that's enuff! at least it's still semi-fun...i'm not the bitter working woman yet!

more to come when i return....do i win big?! or shop, shop, shop!?

man, i don't know where my weekends go! they just seem to fly by...

this is gonna be a super long week for me...got so many meetings and deadlines for work. thank goodness it's only a 4-day week for me and then i get to jet off to VEGAS!!! i can't wait! it's been so long since i've been there, and i'm looking forward to seeing my grandma. i've been worried about her since my grandpa's passing. i hope she's doing ok, and that the trip will be good for her. it will also be good to see how my mom and aunty are doing too! ha ha, funny how i'm actually looking forward to spending time with family...and in vegas of all places! *sigh* it does make me miss my grandpa though...

yeah...soooo....ask me how my lesson went tonight.....it sucked!! man, i can't believe how bad it was....but i guess i deserved it, huh? after i was done, i just wanted to crawl up into a hole and hide. i'm so glad there weren't many kids there to see me flounder, flail and FAIL!! and i don't mean to whine about it (b/c i really do deserve it for putting off planning my lesson until today), but i was seriously feeling good about my lesson this afternoon. i mean, i woke up early....studied the various sections of the NT that spoke of Jesus feeding the 5,000...came up with some pretty decent points...came up with a good applicaton point...and i even made a pretty cool powerpoint presentation, and i accomplished all of this before my bible study so i didn't even have to do any last minute scurrying. but, alas, what i did not do was put much thought into the way i would start, transition and the examples i would use. i also didn't print off the slides like i should've done to use as notes....but just a couple of hours before my lesson, i ran thru the slides with some of the other leaders and i felt i knew it pretty well. but... I DIDN'T. i ended up starting horribly, forgetting every point on each slide, i jumped around from topic to topic cause i couldn't remember what was on my slides, i brought up examples that i couldn't explain very well and i felt like i kept repeating the same thing over and over....i haven't felt this bad speaking in a long time!! i almost wanted to stop in the middle, apologize and excuse myself from the room...but instead, i waded thru the mess i had made and wrapped it up as fast as i could.

yeesh...i sure hope i learn my lesson from all of this...and i don't blame God for not helping me thru it...i think i was depending too much on my abilities and not enuff on him...in fact, the only good point is that i'm thankful it was a small group, only about 10 kids. definitely not a good end to my week...

eek! i'm up so early on a saturday morning! why do i always do this to myself...wait until the day of to start planning my lesson for youth group. it's really lame, but yet so familiar. i mean, i've done this my entire life with school projects, papers and tests. i seem to thrive on the last-minute rush and intense study and immersion into whatever it is that i need to get done. but really, that was fine and dandy for school...i really should try and break this habit...i mean it's really not giving my best and all to God! haha, funny how my lesson kinda has to do with just that, but in a positive reinforcement way. my lesson tonight is supposed to be on Jesus feeding the 5,000. and one thing i've learned from it is that we need to bring whatever we have to Jesus and trust that he will provide and use it for something much greater. so you see, even though it is rather late for me to be starting this lesson, i know that He can use whatever i do bring to Him...even if it is last minute. i know, not a really good way of thinking...and probably contradictory to some other teaching in the Bible....actually here it is: Mark 12:41-44 i had to go and find it...i can't have bad positive reinforcement ruling my life.

oh yeah, and i was the biggest flake this week! it came down to just 4 of us going to whistler and i decided that i didn't want to go anymore, i wanted to go to vegas instead. so i ended up having to tell my friend (who really wanted to go). the others didn't really care, but i know i was the biggest flake! i hate being a flake and i hate flakes! grrr...why do i always put myself in these situations. oh well, maybe i can make it up to him by planning a trip to whistler during some other weekend.

ok, must get some coffee going and start working on my lesson!

boy, it's been awhile since i've been here...i don't know if this blog is worth keeping up or not. but, alas...i need something to make me stay up even later than i should! anyways, i just wanted to write about how crappy things are going with my search and hope of going to whistler this winter season. i think i've been to whistler every winter for the past 4 or 5 years, and sadly it looks like it's just not going to happen this year =o( maybe it's just not meant to be, i mean i've never had such a difficult time finding a place to stay at. i think we've found like 4 or 5 perfectly fine places to stay and then it either doesn't work out because we took too long, or because now it's hard to find enough people to come. it's getting pretty late in the game now...i'm about ready to throw in the towel.

and actually, come to think of it...i have kinda given up hope cause i'm already thinking of what else i can do that weekend...maybe a quick trip to vegs to meet up with some of my fam or maybe a trip down south to socal to visit some friends there, or maybe a more closer and local ski trip. either way, i'm determined to go and do something that weekend...i mean, it's not often that i have an entire weekend free!

but we'll see what happens...i need to get some zzzs though before i catch that cold going around!

man, what a day! sometimes, my saturdays just seem so long...i forget why i'm doing it all. it always starts off with me trying to sleep in, but having to eventually get up to finish prepping...or sometimes start working on....the bible study for my prime time group. i end up working on it all morning and then end up rushing out the door like a maniac cause i'm running late. i usually arrive at church just in time and meet with my group...then there's the basic leader's meeting...trying to organize or talk to different people...basic...the afterwards catch up and hang out...driving kids home...and then finally returning home. in all that craze and busyness, i often wonder why...why do i devote my entire saturday or a good 8-10 hours of it to do all of this?

and then God somehow brings a little glimpse of why...why He has placed such a love and devotion to these kids on my heart. he gives me glimpses like a student finally opening up and sharing a little bit more to me after years of small talk, or an amazement of the variety and often crazy ways God draws his children to him, or actually receiving encouragement from students that seem to just care about themselves, or being amazed at how a relationship can make such an impact on a student's life, and the list could go on and on. but in the end, it's simply because i feel that though i may have fun doing some other things for myself on saturdays, it would just pale in comparision to being able to witness God at work in the lives of the youth...heck, i can even be right there witnesseing it first hand, and wonder how i am so blessed to be a part of His work...even if i am insignificant to it.

my only worry is that i hope i don't ever forget just why i am there....and that i don't end up doing it for my own glory or significance...
"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ" Galatians 1:10

geez, it's been a long time! well, i guess that's a good thing (sort of) b/c it means that i'm not staying up late online...but it could also mean that i haven't had anything of much to write about. it could also be b/c i've been working like 9-10hr days m-f and i don't feel like going on the computer when i get home....imagine that! yeah, my project is going ok...not the greatest, but i'm not totally hating it either...i think the fact that i know i'll be done with it by mid-march keeps me pretty sane. but i am getting to that "no-good" place of starting to talk like getting off of work at 6:30 or 7:00pm is "early" or a good thing! i really hate it when things start to feel "normal" just cause you've been accepting it for awhile....working more than 8hrs a day should NOT be normal....tolerated at times...but NOT normal! i must keep reminding myself this b/c work is NOT my life.

as for other things....i know it sounds really crazy, but i'm really liking this new show the bachelorette...like the bachelor, but instead of one guy and many women, it's one woman and many "pleasing to the eyes" guys. one of them in particular makes me very happy to watch =o) the show hooked me in the second he came on! i don't know if this show will go much farther for me if he gets "let go"....i really hope he makes it to the final 2! something about guys with josh hartnett looks, a great sense of humor, a romantic poet and a fireman all rolled into one that makes the show soooo worth watching!

btw...i decided to stay with the community group...it's a good study and discussion of the Word and it's nice to get to know some people i don't know so well.

man, the days just seem to fly by now! i think i'm getting a little too busy now....but it's still in that "pretty good" phase of things. you know, when you are still enjoying everything you're doing, and it's only when you look back or forward on your schedule that you realize you have a pretty full schedule. it's not overwhelming...yet.

so, work has definitely picked up...who'd a thought configuring a package software would require so much work....i still definitely like developing custom apps with java much better! (boy, that sure sounded like a lame techie thing to say....oh well, i can't help who i am) but it's pretty crazy how it's only the 2 week of our project and i'm already working from 8a-7p almost everyday...it normal starts with regular 40hr days and then builds until it's about 2/3 of the way done. at least it's fun working with the people on my team...this team has actually turned out to be pretty cool and fun.

as for my night life...yeah, crazy, huh?....i work 10 hours a day and still have a night life. well, i guess you would call it a night life....but anyways, i'm in the process of checking out bsf and community groups. not sure which i want to join...they both have pros and cons to them...actually they both have good pros and the cons are just lame so i shouldn't even think about them. hmm...yeah...i know...not a life or death decision, but still i find myself pondering it a lot. oh well...i'm sure i'll make a decision by next week....it really is too much to go to bible study on monday and tuesday nights!!

what else do i have in the works? trying to get a group of friends to go up to whistler president's day weekend...i've gone every year for the past 4 years...it's kinda like a tradition for me...except the people that go are different. but i did find a really cheap place...that means even more of an incentive to go! i wonder what the snow fall has been this year...it's been pretty warm down here. guess i should go check it.

last night was pretty fun, i had dinner and drinks with some friends i haven't seen in awhile. we went to the taphouse grill which has 160 different beers on tap! i've never seen so many different types of beers, and since i don't really drink beer i wasn't too excited about it. but i did have a sip of every beer that one of my friends tried and i have to say, i was pretty impressed with some. the whole nitro thing is really good stuff...makes the beer less carbonated and gassy...more smooth. and there was even this one beer, yakima something-or-other, that even had a somewhat coffee-ish after taste...yummy. gotta try that one again =o)

saw the bachelorette premiere tonight, and i am really impressed with the guy selection! i think i'm gonna have to keep watching this show...something about firemen that just gotta make you smile =o)

tonight...gotta try to get to sleep early...not doing so well right now with the waking up really early and going to bed really late. it's weird working back in seattle again after working out-of-town for so long...i thought it would be so easy to come back...but it's actually harder than i thought...i have to figure out a whole new routine or figure out how to balance hanging out, working, ministry and spending time with God. unfortunately, guess which part is suffering the most. =o(

second day on my new project today and things are not looking that bad...i think i may even actually like this project. see i was all thinking that i've been so blessed with so many great projects that i was due for a bad one, i even met my new teammates and thought "ooh, not sure if i'm gonna get along with this gang"...but low and behold...they are actually decent people! praise God! i don't know why i keep getting blessed with great projects...but hey! i'm not one to complain.

on another note, i went to my first full basic leaders meeting tonight. i know, doesn't sound like all that much fun...but i actually enjoy attending these meetings and have missed all of them since i was working out of town. i don't know what it is...maybe i just like getting together with the other leaders to share and talk...maybe my "admin" side likes all the planning that goes on...maybe it's just cause i love what we do so much...or maybe it's a combo of all of these things and the fact that i'm just plain "weird". we had a great time of prayer too tonight...prayed for all them students that have been coming...we've totally been blessed this year with the opportunity to get to know so many new students...a totally diverse group of kids...truly a sampling of how great and huge God's love is.

my roomies all returned today...yay! i'm truly amazed at how things have worked out so far with the new roomies...sure, i haven't been here much during the past 4 months, but still...i think it's gonna be ok...maybe even great! =o) i'll check back in about 2 months after i've lived here for a steady time. but really, how could i not love roomies that support my homies collection and can buy and make "duk"?!

on another note, it was really awesome being at church this weekend...it really is my second home and i felt like i had been away from it for a really long time. it's like having a close extended family...i really missed the people there. at communion today, i was so moved by the thought that this second family and the love i feel here was all made possible thru Jesus...before meeting Jesus i never imagined that i would be in a place or have the life i am having now...the scary thing is that i know that things can't stay the same forever and eventually God may ask me to move somewhere else...that's gonna be a hard thing to do.

i'm back in seattle and feeling like crap...i dunno what happened i was fine up until dinner before leaving for the airport, then BAM! i got hit by this cold thing...i felt totally wasted by the time i arrived in seattle and i still had to make it thru my prime time meeting and basic.....but i survived...now i need to get some good zzzs.

i'm heading back to seattle tomorrow night....here's a run down of all the movies i saw during this holiday vacation:
Blue Crush, Men in Black 2, Lilo and Stitch (2nd time), The Two Towers (2nd time), Two Weeks Notice, Divine Secrets of the Ya-ya Sisterhood, Mr Deeds, Crossroads, Catch Me If You Can, Maid in Manhatten (2nd time), XXX, Life As A House, Ballistic, Pretty Woman, Drumline.

Yes, you can say that my family and i went a little movie crazy...but hey, that's what my family likes to do together!

went to the beach today...my last chance to try and get some sun on my gleaming white, kinda scary, japanese tourist looking skin...it was overcast when i set out, drizzling a little when i finally reached the beach...but after about 45 minutes of patiently waiting...the sun came out! hallelujah! it turned into a great day for the beach, had lunch brought to the beach, ate lunch with friends, then headed into the water. it was great...then to cap of the day at the beach we went to waiola's to get some yummy shave ice! best shave ice on the island...i always have to go there once before leaving.

got home and to my pleasant surprise...i do believe i got a slight shade darker. hee hee, good ole uv rays did their job! yippee!

happy new years!

it was a pretty tame new years this year...just spent time with the fam...this vacation has just been about spending time with the fam...learning more about each other. i hope this year will be more of the same. i kinda feel like i'm finally "all grown up" and i'm feeling like i was a lame, naive kid growing up...never really appreciating my family or my relatives. i mean, i never even took the time to learn who everyone was or even attempt at trying to remember them all...it was always just "aunty" or "uncle"...forget the names and relationships. but now, family is starting to mean more to me...too bad i had to wait until now to start taking more of an interest.

as for the rest of new years day...it started off with the traditional fried mochi with kinako that my dad always makes, then off to a 10 course chinese lunch that was super ono, then to our next stop at aunty kay's house where we sit around and talk for awhile until we feel we can stuff a little more food into our stomachs...after that took a brief pit stop/rest stop at home before heading out to another cousin's house for more food and dessert. man, i can't believe how much i ate today! but oh so good! and it was really fun seeing all the cousins again...most of us are out of college now so we're all kinda on equal levels now. it was a lot of fun!