tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39074822011-09-05T03:45:04.527-07:00Hey Yu!randomlings...yum7noreply@blogger.comBlogger1481100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-63121430073794788712009-12-26T16:54:00.000-08:002009-12-26T16:55:18.265-08:00what happened?so, i'm getting ROCKED this school year and haven't had time to update!to begin with, my room used to look something like:well, w/o quite the mess... this pictures was taken in the middle of packing this giant POD:which I FILLED. why is there so much junk needed to teach science? and this is after donating more than 1/2 the stuff in the room... but it was worth it. Look:all the yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-51796285868584412172009-08-20T13:51:00.000-07:002009-08-20T13:54:36.847-07:00summer is over!!ah, but what a wonderful time it's been...it was my first official full-time summer. that sounds weird, but this was the 1st summer w/o some major M trip or extended stay out-of-town or full-time volunteering or... anything. oddly, it's taken me 8 years to figure out how to fully "relax" w/o guilt or fear of restlessness, etc.that does not mean i wasn't busy busy... it's really yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-80504641537919301672009-05-11T21:22:00.000-07:002009-05-11T21:22:09.817-07:00ACK, it's MAAAY!but i'm not pressuring myself. i feel behind in so many other places in my life, i'm not going to pressure myself about my OWN blog! haha... =)well, LOTS going on...for school, since the last time i wrote, there was the annual Catalina trip with the 5th graders (w/ my accompanying cold-water hives), a large fundraising event for the science lab (crazy renovations are in store!)yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-31203557959261680822009-03-09T22:37:00.000-07:002009-03-10T16:27:35.357-07:00so it's the new year (i know, i'm waaay behind already!! good grief, it's mid-march!)first of all, i guess i should wrap up '08? this just seems ridiculous, but i'll stick to "tradition" and here's my list of 2008 *favorites*... w/ completely arbitrary categories:Books:- Fun find: No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by A.M. Smith (set in Botswana) - just delightful- Hilarity: sections of the yum7noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-75387735908675095782009-01-01T16:55:00.000-08:002009-01-01T17:00:13.940-08:00A lot of celebrating...the year boldly came to a close w/o my notice. actually, last night i think i fell asleep around 10:15pm? haha, am i an old lady already? yes, but i'm excusing my exhaustion w/ all the recent festivities...Thanksgiving:like so many years of my LA life, i spent this special holiday w/ my family away from home. This year, there were two additions - D and this special girlyum7noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-73026981185196567272008-11-22T14:07:00.000-08:002008-11-24T08:30:40.548-08:00i'm in portland right now for a science teachers' conference. and though it's nice to have a break from teaching, i'm realizing business trips are not as fun as i always thought they would be. in fact, i'd rather be teaching than sitting in workshops all day learning about teaching. at least i picked up some good lesson plans - they'll be fun for the kids, and i ate a BUNCH. my school gives ayum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-78125179850571224672008-10-31T15:23:00.000-07:002008-10-31T15:24:05.776-07:00Trick or Treat!another crazy month - will tell it to you in pictures...the fun:1. i went to my first ever rock concert!! and it was really cool that i saw Weezer b/c it's probably the only cd i know of any rock band. my brother's been a fan forEVER and passed along the blue cd many years ago. he had even given me a weezer t-shirt - so i was all decked out as a real fan. =) lots and lots of yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-57401267108987976382008-10-04T23:11:00.000-07:002008-10-05T00:38:40.576-07:00hard times...haha, not really - it's all in my head, but it has been a rough month in my head...in this, my 8th year of teaching, i still had anxiety nightmares during the first month of school. why? why? and then, as always, i got sick at the beg of the year. and i couldn't even stay home because of the crazy heat wave that hit LA this past week. i went to work just to be in an yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-24512097381651605592008-09-01T15:19:00.000-07:002008-10-05T00:37:28.465-07:00*sigh* the end of summer...i blinked and then August was gone. i don't remember much between Aug 2nd (when i landed back in the US) and now - vague memories of recovering from jetlag & reading a LOT. it's a good thing i take pictures b/c it turns out that i was busier than i remember...for one thing, the olympics happened. i didn't get to watch much, but the little i did see was great!a big yum7noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-31674254409056118832008-08-07T23:13:00.000-07:002008-08-07T23:18:17.852-07:00i'm back.the last day before we came home, we stopped in BJ for a few hrs before heading to the airport. it was quick but BEAUTIFUL!some of my teammates and i were being silly in front of the official Olympics counter FOUR years ago. i think it said 1473 days left (or some # like that) before the start of the opening ceremonies...and here's the exact same counter this year, SIX days before the yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-31135652120773236622008-08-01T03:08:00.000-07:002008-08-01T03:10:45.599-07:00Week 2:what a week!it started out a bit rough - all the volunteers got sick sometime this wked...and then i got "volunTold" to go pick up a grp of kids from an orphanage on Monday... the 7.5 hrs roundtrip was a bit boring, but it ended up kinda nice b/c my kids this week came from this grp in Luoyong.here they are on the bus on the way to camp! our bus driver got lost a few times so we were yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-91751718067426585592008-07-27T02:57:00.000-07:002008-07-27T02:57:08.310-07:00an interesting wked...a 3-self ch. (g0v't approved) the service had a pretty formal liturgy. my favorite part was when they sang hymns. oh, actually my doubly favorite part was when the children's choir went up and sang 2 songs - one was "You are so special and no one can replace you" and the other was "My home is in heaven."an incredibly beautiful building!the kids singing...as i said in my yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-84999640637835174092008-07-24T18:50:00.000-07:002008-07-25T01:42:47.414-07:00more fun, a sad goodbye, and a wonderful reunioni love this pic b/c this little boy, Tony, had lost his voice earlier in the week (i think from drinking too much chlorinated water at the pool), but here he is all the same, "screaming" his heart out during one of our games. =)this is B's acting debut...he was a crazy old man. i think the wig is a good look for him...these were B's boys... yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-35173436217540456382008-07-23T22:42:00.000-07:002008-07-24T18:23:06.106-07:00Hello from camp! these are my beautiful ladies... K (my roommate) and i joined teams since all of us girls live in the same room together... Victoria & Jane (our translators) are college students in BJ. Mary, Tracy, Emma, and Lily are our girls (aged 10-13).all the kids this week (35 of them) are from an orphanage in Tianjin and this particular orphanage is one of the best - they split the kidsyum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-58761155275771876972008-07-20T22:52:00.000-07:002008-07-20T22:54:32.273-07:00Made it to camp!there's a LOT of crazy construction all over BJ... we drove thru town on the way to the train station and it's amazing how different the city looks from just last summer, not to say from when i saw it the 1st time 4 yrs ago.this is the "real, authentic" China we got to experience for a good 6 hrs as we waited for our train. we were def the only foreigners there. then we got yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-78272816073171031792008-07-18T01:27:00.000-07:002008-07-18T01:29:37.501-07:00weary...but not anymoreweary is not a word that usually describes me, and it feels even lamer saying i'm weary during the summer when i'm technically not working, but that's how i felt for the last week or so.this was not encouraging at all in light of the fact that i filled my time w/ things i really enjoy: volunteering, ministry, and hanging out w/ & helping friends. unfortunately, i kinda yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-40446260333485564412008-05-12T19:15:00.000-07:002008-05-12T19:15:37.534-07:00a beautiful story...(from a sermon by Ray Cortese, Seven Rivers Church)in 1st c. jewish culture, a prospective engagement went like this:-parents of boy and girl decide this might be a good match-in front of the entire village, boy sits down and offers girl a cup of wine - if she takes the cup, it is her symbol that she accepts the proposal-he will become her husband and provider, but before the yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-49493458874384945802008-04-03T01:39:00.000-07:002008-04-03T02:11:19.713-07:00Busy March: Reunions, beginnings and endings, work, and play...Reunións:this is my friend cat - we went to jr high together and now she lives in CA too! sitting across from her at dinner, all i could think about was how i used to "boing" her curls everyday during 8th gr. English the very next day, D's high school friends had a layover on their way to NZ.dude, just b/c he's tall, he has to only yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-48107393370261371772008-02-22T18:07:00.000-08:002008-04-03T01:47:42.566-07:00oh phooey...now it's almost March!wow, what's happening to the time? why does life accelerate as you get older?but perhaps it's b/c i've been so busy? not that i wasn't before... little known fact about me: i used to have a mtg or dinner w/ someone different everyday! but now, i've added 2 new variables to that: D and exercising.woo-hoo for snowboarding! i'm not as bad as i feared, but i'm yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-4000588201618165932008-02-08T11:41:00.000-08:002008-02-22T18:13:10.360-08:00How is it already February?? ack, i feel like i haven't quite wrapped up 2007 so before i update about NOW, here are some random thoughts of yesteryear... -From mid-December, congrats to A&T for their 2nd beautiful daugther! the miracle of life is indeed amazing... & this little girlie is sooo cute! btw, it seems like everyone i know is pregnant - so beware, if you know me, you might be too!-I yum7noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-62111941526025135332008-01-13T16:24:00.000-08:002008-01-14T08:32:04.491-08:00Back and intact...so...how did i get to Thailand? well, i'll start there but it's not nearly as interesting as how i got BACK.LR is a beautiful, smart girl who graduated bioengineering in 2006, but she took a dare and became a flight attendant for a year. now, one of the benefits of having such a friend is her companion passes. they're standby tickets, but they're severely discounted and yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-19609032497891356432008-01-03T10:18:00.000-08:002008-01-03T10:20:53.860-08:00HI FROM THAILAND!!!!eeeeeeee - it's been SOO much fun!=) =)=)yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-72905611462562428292007-12-30T01:12:00.000-08:002007-12-29T23:19:43.031-08:00alrighty, it's been WAY too long since i last updated...and i forgot to bring my USB cable home to Texas so i can't upload any new picsbut i hope Christmas was very Merry!!mine included some relaxing, a wee bit of family drama, and a LOT of EATING...!!!will update more about the holidays next time...but for now, this is all old stuff: lessons learned in early to mid December:-having guest yum7noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-12893678923694349512007-11-25T22:50:00.000-08:002007-11-25T23:07:11.758-08:00RELAXation...this past wked was GREAT! i felt like i finally rested...finally. and my voice is now BACK! at church today, i was told that i no longer sound cancerous. hooray!the vacation started w/ a couple of days in Vegas!i was a total 3rd wheel on this trip...but hooray for VIP friends who get comp nights at the Wynn! wow, what a hotel! and boy, WHAT a BUFFET!these king crab legs were yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-17985044255103712812007-11-02T00:46:00.000-07:002007-11-02T00:47:52.856-07:00Blogging A.D.D.sry, so much has gone on that this post is going to be long and crazy random...first of all, it was a Happy Halloween.what a day - fun b/c the kids were so excited and we got to see the creativity of the staff, but energy-draining as well - WAAYY too much sugar action.thanks, Capt. Ko, for lending me your fatigues. Quite a costume - i had students saluting me all day, although I yum7noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-22844739649597604342007-10-17T00:25:00.000-07:002007-10-17T00:33:28.873-07:00sleep deprivation, more weddings, and funi've been averaging ~6 hrs of sleep a night. i don't watch tv and i haven't even been involved in any books, so what have i been doing? i'm not sure. really. but i'm tired. and i was SO thankful for Columbus Day last week. i got to read my Time magazine in bed, rollerblade @ the beach, & meet up w/ friends.the only thing i was bummed about was that iyum7noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-85868606156579392642007-09-20T23:46:00.000-07:002007-09-20T23:53:48.326-07:00oh, how i love retreats!Besides being "Talk Like a Pirate Day," yesterday was also the first day that felt like fall. This is usually the time that i reluctantly start wearing pants again, but this year, my pants came out of the closet earlier than usual.This is mainly due to my black-and-blue legs. The biggest bruise came while helping to set up sound equipment @ irv's wedding, but the other yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-71613511486468233522007-09-14T01:30:00.000-07:002007-09-14T08:32:20.567-07:00picture diary of my busy busy life:i've turned into a professional wedding go-er. 3 in the last 2 wkeds! but boy, was i glad i didn't miss any of them. =)here's my lovely ex-roommate... cool picture, huh?but i had to leave that wedding early to get to:Sam & Debby's... a beautiful outdoor ceremony + reception. these girls are a handful of past & present small grp members.and finally, i went upyum7noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-63118640035869565892007-08-21T00:27:00.000-07:002007-08-21T01:38:06.399-07:00seriously random thoughts:* can i still be jet-lagged? but if i'm not, then what's wrong w/ me? i can't sleep through the night and even after i've been in bed for well over 8 hrs, i still feel horribly tired...* i helped run errands for my friend's (Christian) bachelor party. the guys planning it decided they were only going to do manly things...this is inside a humidor checking out the yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-19318863686776251302007-08-15T02:08:00.000-07:002007-08-15T02:09:39.527-07:00well, it's over...my time in China and my beloved Harry Potter world... and both were great! now i'm sorta mourning the loss of both.anyways, my 2nd week of camp was VERY different than the 1st. here's my "family:"Billy, Valery (my translator), me, and Bean - my 2 kids were like night and day: he's a 20-yr-old college student and she's a 12-yr-old special needs child w/ a terribly burned yum7noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-69767034422405910282007-08-05T18:01:00.000-07:002007-08-05T03:05:38.926-07:00End of my first week at camp...At the beg of this week, I was SO tired and thought, "Gosh, i'm too old for this!" But then i looked around and found so much encouragement in the # of families that are here... esp. the older parents w/ their teenage kids. How beautiful to serve together - it's exactly what i've always wanted to do w/ my future family.It's also amazing to be around so many people yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-67182207893161693362007-08-02T13:25:00.000-07:002007-08-01T22:26:22.365-07:00From China! these are some pics of camp and my little "family."Maria having a TON of fun on the slide at our mini-waterpark. She did NOT want to get up after her nap and even made us promise we wouldn't have to stay too long...but after getting wet, she went crazy and stayed an extra hour after everyone else! the first night, we did a ball drop in our assembly hall - hands up in the air waiting yum7noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-40127637597039300632007-07-26T18:10:00.000-07:002007-07-26T18:42:11.109-07:00can't vacationit is taking everything in me to not read HP...but i'm glad i've held off b/c i want long stretches of uninterrupted time to read it at my own pace. and it really is making me look forward to the week after i come home from China - maybe it'll stave off my typical post-missions-blues.originally, i wasn't sure if i was going to blog about my trip to Hawaii b/c i felt guilty taking yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-16410690174528077682007-07-18T23:59:00.000-07:002007-07-19T00:27:33.323-07:00jumble...yesterday, i had contact w/ harry potter in 3 different media: i watched OotP, i listened to the audio file of SS while rollerblading @ the beach, and i'm re-reading HBP in anticipation of #7.i wanna know i wanna know what's going to happen! BUT i'm dreading the end of this fantasy world so much that i'm gonna wait to read the last book. that means i'll have to frantically plug my earsyum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-67246527363150895442007-07-08T01:09:00.000-07:002007-07-08T09:18:47.128-07:00i'm so full...as i alluded to in my last update, i was kinda down for a while. probably one of the worst bouts i've ever had b/c i was struggling through some identity issues. it spiraled down to the point of me wondering about the meaning of life and...all i felt was emptiness.but i realized the other day that i no longer feel that way. instead i feel full. satiated. thank goodness the yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-37105563331229799082007-05-31T20:16:00.000-07:002007-05-31T21:00:49.796-07:003 performances this weekend:1. by a bride: an entrance in this~as Susan stepped off the Cinderella carriage and onto the aisle, everyone gasped and clapped. isn't it so pretty? i guess that's the perk of getting married at Disneyland - a real fairytale entrance...2. by me: the bridal party needed a stand-in female for the 1st dance and somehow i was volunteered. of course, i was more than yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-60594153022234786422007-05-22T14:04:00.000-07:002007-05-22T14:04:59.483-07:00lots of firsts...since i've updated, i've been busy w/ a random assortment of activities1) a 3-day field trip to Catalina (the week before it burned down!) with 45 fifth graderswe went to the non-civilized side of the island & did a bunch of water activities. i thought i'd be totally useless on this trip - no upper body strength, not a confident swimmer, never snorkeled before, etc... BUT, i yum7noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-21282419730094144692007-04-27T15:01:00.000-07:002007-04-27T15:01:50.880-07:00i've been meaning to update for quite a while...i found that, in general, i tend to not want to write when i'm going through my downtimes. not that i've had a depressing month or anything but i did face some disappointments, including several people deciding NOT to go to China w/ me, major changes in my spring break plans, and stressful situations at work.on the upside, one terrific woman WILL yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-52675436205590025132007-03-22T23:27:00.000-07:002007-03-22T23:34:31.258-07:00weekends: are they relaxing or tiring?sometimes, i feel like i'm more exhausted after the weekend than before...when i'm not busy socializing,Sunday after church - lunch & a walk at beautiful Santa Monicaglo got treated to some delicious crab @ Redondo Beach after niners, mandy, and i all lost a beti've been spending some time volunteering:my freakishly strong small group member and i joined my yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-9798353875258535322007-03-09T15:40:00.000-08:002007-03-09T15:40:57.971-08:00i can't believe i'm still alive...the science fair was this week. what happened?well, i learned a lot for next year:- tell kids to label all project boards and props before bringing it to school- tell kids to drop off everything in one location so that i don't have to be in 2 places at once. this year, i was *running* back and forth - i didn't sit or breathe till early evening!- set up tables yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-43626369291412332252007-03-02T21:30:00.000-08:002007-03-02T21:48:34.117-08:00Reediculous:-i still have coughing fits from a virus that hit me 2 weeks ago! blah!-i'm walking around like an old lady b/c my lower back HURTS - and the only explanation? did i cough so much/hard that i threw out my back? i think that might be it... arg! (hopefully it'll get better SOON b/c i'm doing labor-intensive volunteering the next 2 Saturdays!)-while cleaning out my closet, i found a yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-71461074531582044532007-02-23T13:28:00.001-08:002007-02-23T13:36:42.078-08:00i'm sick...so i missed 2 days of school this week. i hate missing work - but i didn't feel too guilty since i spent the greater part of last weekend in bed. plus, my eyes were so bloodshot red that when i walked in on Wed morning, i looked pure evil and even teachers backed away scared...so they sent me home.i actually came back to work today more b/c i was bored than healthy. it's good for yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-68763203839995260022007-02-12T18:21:00.000-08:002007-02-12T11:52:20.354-08:00korean-nessin the last 6 yrs, i've learned to embrace my korean heritage. mostly, that's just means that i really, really enjoy the food in k-town and slipping in a korean word every now & then in my ramblings. =)but this past Sunday, my parish school held a service celebrating the Korean members of its congregation and student body. so there were bilingual hymns and prayers, a re-enactment ofyum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-11817631089392088222007-02-07T15:17:00.001-08:002007-02-07T15:17:26.969-08:00after the lull in updating, here are some things that have brightened my days:1. bowling! the bad part was that i now stink! barely breaking 100 isn't my idea of a good game...but hanging out w/ good friends and being able to laugh at our stances and low scores was fun.2. joining my church. yup, i became a member. does that up my level of commitment? probably not since i was pretty committedyum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1169148121998624812007-01-18T11:20:00.000-08:002007-01-18T11:22:02.016-08:00i love it... my coworker ran into my room excitedly asking for my binoculars b/c he was convinced he sighted a UFO. wow, he was pumped!sheepishly, he just returned the specs after finding out that his UFO was a silver "Happy Birthday" balloon. =)yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1169075430439072142007-01-18T08:35:00.000-08:002007-01-18T08:36:17.200-08:00beware of the disjointedness in this blog!i wonder: did the erratic weather yesterday mirror my mood or cause the swings?---2 ways to tell that i consider you a good friend:#1) i've washed dishes at your place#2) i've fallen asleep on your couchthose, of course, are NOT what i think of our friendship or why we're friends, just the effects of constant sleep deprivation and the expression of one ofyum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1168534676911690672007-01-11T08:36:00.000-08:002007-01-11T10:51:47.076-08:00one of my favorite parts of the day: being greeted each morning with a big hug by 4 cute, smiley 2nd grade girls. it's *almost* enough to turn me into a morning person... almost but not quite. the hours between 1-3am are still the sweetest.these are some pictures i forgot to upload earlier:how me and my partyin' friends spent new year's eve... i actually contributed a bit to my team's victory!yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1168025016287431812007-01-05T11:07:00.000-08:002007-01-05T11:23:36.300-08:00the winds of changeto counteract my recent insomnia, i've been going on 25-min walks every day (yes, a pitiful amt of exercise but a lot compared to my normal routine). today, i went on one during my break at work and wow, i *love* the wind! earlier this morning it wasn't so cool as it pushed my little corolla this way and that, but being out in k-town, it's exhilarating! it makes the heart yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1167842606009096202007-01-03T12:47:00.000-08:002007-01-03T18:01:43.670-08:00i was *mad* that i had to return to work this week (my shortest vacation ever!)... but you know what? seeing the kids again totally makes a world of difference. gosh, i missed them!------i feel illiterate.not having read/finished LoTR & The Brothers Karamazov has always made me feel that way, but this year in particular, i've read fewer books than ever. i used to be someone people asked when yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1167383643842622682006-12-29T01:11:00.000-08:002006-12-29T01:14:03.853-08:00"The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight"Christmas has already come and gone, but this line from a carol has stayed with me.it's beautiful.Think about all the disappointment we face - in small things like movies, big things like career choices, and especially people... and then there's Christ who meets all expecations.Reading back on my journal, God has been pointing out to yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1166138311801725122006-12-15T14:10:00.000-08:002006-12-29T11:11:19.423-08:00Notable things this Week:Thing I'm most sorry about: Failing to mention in my previous post that my roommate's boyfriend made this year's xmas tree shopping much easier by doing all the lifting and such. (there, Mr. K, feel better now? heehee)Saddest thing: already breaking my diet "plan" a million times b/c of the sweets in our faculty lounge. arg...gaining 20 lbs since Jan sucks but trying toyum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1165955354679470632006-12-12T08:42:00.000-08:002006-12-12T12:33:31.110-08:00and just like that...it's christmasthis is an inherently stressful time of year for me b/c it involves something i'm not good at: shopping. i've found, though, that i'm a lot better at buying things for other people than i am at buying for myself (although, that's not saying much). at least it makes the crowded, aimless wandering around malls a bit more bearable.and w/ the 70+ degree weather inyum7noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1165300467664181782006-12-04T22:50:00.000-08:002006-12-05T08:03:46.066-08:00for some reason, i didn't think i'd like it that much...but i did. =)after a week of struggling w/ jetlag, i'm pretty much back to "normal."so...what did i do in Korea?i had a *lot* of fun. and i was treated sooo well by all my wonderful hosts!the highlights:- public restrooms in subway stations (that were immaculately clean!)- meeting all my goals (from 11/16 entry)... except the 3rd one - i yum7noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1163744427082621172006-11-16T22:12:00.000-08:002006-11-16T22:21:27.420-08:00leaving on a jet plane...time really does fly as you get older! and i can't believe my trip to Korea has crept up on me so quickly. someone asked me if i had any goals during my short week abroad, and the question caught me off-guard so much that i sat there dumbly w/o a response. it's been a long time since i've gone anywhere just for a vacation, esp. to a place i've never really visited and yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1161407500364094962006-10-23T22:24:00.000-07:002006-10-23T22:55:27.603-07:00hodge-podge thoughts:there's a new man in my life... he's married, has a kindergartener who attends my school, and likes country music but whatever. i'll accept what i can get. =) why do i call him my new man? well, -he feeds me (by bringing me the leftovers from the hot lunch program on campus)-he brings me flowers (technically, his daughter picked them for me but it was from his garden)-he yum7noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1161043927179158482006-10-16T17:10:00.000-07:002006-10-16T18:14:16.300-07:00another tiring but *wonderful* weekend...struggling through all my practice sessions years ago in high school, i never knew that my violin skills (or non-skills at this point) would get me included in some very special weddings...but boy, do i feel lucky to have been a part of 2 so far.any experience (professional development workshops, church worship services, etc) is more significant when i getyum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1160442571443075902006-10-09T16:37:00.000-07:002006-10-09T18:09:31.460-07:00miss me? =)i've been back in LA now for little over a month... that time has flown by w/ all sorts of busy-ness with hardly any time to breathe. but after the initial days of post-missions-blues, it's been a very good month back.some 1sts:- teaching science to elementary school kids - they're sooo cute!- working 10-12 hours every day to prep for all my classes- having kids express sadness when yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1154400859885440322006-08-02T02:10:00.000-07:002006-10-09T16:33:10.963-07:00There are so many, many things to tell you about my time in the Philippines...and i fear that if i don't get them down now, i'll forget to update... but i'm side-stepping the meaty topics for the random ones:Things i will NOT miss about PI:1) the BUGs and mosquito bites! at least i've been faithfully taking my malaria pills...2) the frightening Catholic idol statues everywhere this HUGE Mary had yum7noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1153410477753903422006-07-20T23:42:00.000-07:002006-07-20T10:28:03.323-07:00Greetings from the Philippines!a view from our camp at Puerto GaleraThere's so much to say but in this installment, i'll share some of the downs and ups of the being here...The lows:1) Transportation problems!- pollution. i always thought it was LAUSD busses w/ their thick cloud of black exhaust that was causing global warming. but no, it's really just the entire metro-manila transportation yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1152356748150108542006-07-08T04:01:00.000-07:002006-07-08T04:09:33.753-07:00prep for my tript-22 hours till departure!Since i won't have a formal orientation for my trip this summer, a couple girls and i decided to go on a retreat to spend some quality time w/God. we shared our recent reflections on life and had personal devos... it was water for my soul. speaking of which, we stayed at a hotel in the desert (near Palm Springs) with temperatures above 115, so we also yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1151737111575817282006-06-30T23:55:00.000-07:002006-07-01T00:00:37.373-07:00tiring but fulfilling week...so what've i been doing since i have all the time in the world now?? mainly, running around like a chicken w/ my head cut off! like the pic? (that, by the way, is a "chicken head" referred to in my May 9th post)most of my time has been spent helping pick things like:not mine, of course... but beautiful, huh? =) bridesmaiding is fun!On another afternoon, i moved:yum7noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1150999742518968952006-06-26T01:24:00.000-07:002006-06-26T19:45:24.250-07:00 my first day of summer vacationt-13 days till departure...outside: i just heard the most heart-stopping thunder (in LA of all places!) followed by such delicious-sounding rain.inside: i'm finally realizing what paul meant when he said rejoice always (philippians 4:4).when i've had troubles or worries, i didn't rejoice... but what i've been learning recently is that these "awakening troubles" yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1150253735810371162006-06-14T00:40:00.000-07:002006-06-14T00:43:43.750-07:00Summertime!despite the recent june gloom over LA and the fact that school is still in session, i've embraced summer early this year since i'll be gone for 6 weeks of july and august. other than eating McD's 49 cent ice cream cones 3 days in a row, rollerblading at the beach, and wearing skirts as often as possible, I've been enjoying:Dodger game (w/ GREAT seats!) - first live game in a long, yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1149730143289321482006-06-07T18:28:00.000-07:002006-06-14T00:44:11.770-07:00A day of ungracefulness Just a few minutes ago, I fell onto the floor…I went to go sit in my chair and completely missed! Ka-plop! My bum and my wrist hurt now. Oh when oh when will I cease being clumsy? At least it provides some amusement to me (and usually others). And today, I walked into a crowd of students and they completely stopped talking and stared. I wish I could say it was yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1148356347257893542006-05-25T17:20:00.000-07:002006-05-25T17:22:53.996-07:00activitiesi just pulled out my violin from deep within my closet...the first time since George's wedding in Jan '04! why? b/c i'm supposed to be playing in another wedding this Oct. oh - poor adrian and jenny. i sound awful! fortunately, it's only May and i have 4.5 months to prepare, but unfortunately (for anyone at the wedding), i'll be gone for almost this entire summer! no time to yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1147236254008033892006-05-09T20:38:00.000-07:002006-05-09T22:14:55.903-07:00i finished writing my support letter last night and i guess it put me in the writing mood. too bad i have nothing of substance to write about! haha...too bad for YOU, i mean. =)so here are some random lists for no reason at all -things i really wish i could put in my pocket & carry w/ me to pull out at any time:*a good book*a funny thought that can make me laugh out loud*a parking spot!!*yum7noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1145591658893258582006-05-01T21:00:00.000-07:002006-05-01T21:04:07.270-07:00*Sorry, this is so late* Spring break...(was a few weeks ago)I had a lovely vacation this year visiting NYC and going home to Houston. In fact, it was so nice that almost forgot what work feels like, and I've had such a hard time getting back into gear. argg...What did i do in the big apple? i ate & ate & ate! There are so many dessert places in that city, and w/ my ridiculous, unsatiable yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1143259465566786192006-03-24T19:45:00.000-08:002006-03-24T20:06:10.923-08:00S.O.S.That stands for Stupid, Obstinate, & Sick…A few months ago, I had some guest speakers come to my classroom. Those days required a little less prep on my part in the morning, so I figured that I could get to school ~15 min later than usual… but apparently, I need to brush up on my math skills. For some reason, I rationalized that it was okay to go to sleep about 1.5-2 hours later than normalyum7noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1141706775330806102006-03-06T20:44:00.000-08:002006-03-06T20:47:10.696-08:00I have whiplash… But it’s not from the car accident – or at least I wouldn’t be able to tell if it is b/c most of the damage came from the snowboarding trip I took this weekend! Last weekend, I bought a board, bindings, and boots. It was a spontaneous purchase, which is completely out-of-character for me, but there was a BIG sale…so what could I do? I did ask for the return policy and yum7noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1141439163248929942006-03-03T18:00:00.000-08:002006-03-03T18:50:50.763-08:00I didn’t update this, but my car got hit earlier this year. Luckily, it was while I was parked, but the damage was not small – at least the person who hit me was honest enough to come find me and give me all her info! I mention this now only b/c I find it incredibly odd how many times I can have car drama… I got hit *again* today!! The slippery rain prevented the lady behind me from stopping yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1141025571997249142006-02-26T23:31:00.000-08:002006-02-26T23:32:52.006-08:00YAYYYY! drew and cheryl won Dancing w/ the Stars! =) happy happy i am.yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1139885459213912292006-02-13T17:23:00.000-08:002006-02-13T23:39:21.990-08:00falling in love... w/ LAwith the amazing 70+ degree weather we've had this february, i've convinced a few friends to help me off my out-of-shape butt and into some spectacular places around the southland. (2 weekends ago) niners, me, & gloworm w/ a view of the freshly painted Hollywood sign. what an "adventure" -on what was practically a paved road, we somehow managed to get lost and then had to yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1139879568221626842006-02-13T16:49:00.000-08:002006-02-13T17:14:27.790-08:00playing around some more w/ the picture option...showing off... this is the pumpkin that Gloria and i carved for our small group contest this past Halloween... we're creative geniuses, yes? haha, actually, we're not. we just used this tracing thing, some carving tools, and a lot of patience. =)This is one of the other creations... i thought it was appropriate for the upcoming Singles Awareness yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1139878061385374382006-02-13T16:40:00.000-08:002006-02-13T16:47:41.396-08:00 a test... does this work? btw, this is Stanford in Nov.yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1138243526379566752006-01-25T18:45:00.000-08:002006-01-25T18:45:26.390-08:00i got this mosquito bite more than a month ago on my left ankle. i guess i scratched it too hard, but it wasn't until a few days ago that the scab finally fell off. of course, it left a nice scar that'll stay w/ me for a while. as i get older, i notice that the time it takes to heal from scars (both physical and emotional scars) gets longer and longer. does my heart, like my skin, not have theyum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1135058038947848482005-12-19T21:10:00.000-08:002005-12-19T21:53:58.956-08:00much needed rest...i think i suffered a mild heart attack last night after doing what Houstonians do best... eating a WHOLE LOT!! (this was named the fattest city in the US 4 out of the last 5 yrs)i'm back at home and got to spend a very enjoyable evening w/ my brother and his girlfriend. we went out for yummy steak fajitas (w/ butter sauce) and stopped by one of my favorite dessert places. yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1132358085562028622005-11-18T15:54:00.000-08:002005-11-18T15:54:45.570-08:00i passed my National Boards!! (just barely...but i still passed!) =) woo-hoo!yum7noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1129694388623373922005-10-18T20:57:00.000-07:002005-10-18T21:01:04.233-07:00blog diarrhea I got the randomest urge to vacuum today. I usually hate vacuuming – one of my most dreaded chores… so I was surprised at myself. Then I realized that the urge had come perhaps 5 minutes after I had dropped some food on the ground and then eaten it. Somewhere in my subconscious, I guess I found myself mildly disgusting and was trying to rectify the situation. No wonder I get yum7noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1124605996845162272005-08-25T22:45:00.000-07:002005-08-25T22:48:59.006-07:00wow, can it really have been almost 3 weeks since i've been back in LA?? i *still* don't feel all the way adjusted yet. but can i just share??? i had a most life-changing experience on my trip. (to my supporters: sorry it took so long! my final update letter has been mailed and you should get it very soon!)i think i'll share random droplets here and there tho... this edition is about the lovely yum7noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1120558314303218882005-07-05T03:06:00.000-07:002005-07-05T03:11:54.306-07:00Helloooo out there! i'm writing from the beautiful University of Science & Technology in Hong Kong... what an exciting few days it has been getting to know my teammates... i've gone thru some ups and downs emotionally b/c of homesickness but God has provided so much comfort thru my new friends. i'm *pumped* to go to Beijing and meet my new students! signing off for now...yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1119260296843464852005-06-20T02:31:00.000-07:002005-06-20T02:38:16.846-07:00my last few posts were sooooo long. so here's a short one: my jaunt up to the bay area was extremely nice. just what the doctor ordered... and i think i can face my last week and one day of school w/ the right attitude and amount of needed energy (kids get very unwieldy as the summer draws nearer...).can you believe i'm leaving in 10 days? whoa!!that's all! short, as promised. =)yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1118640385711420222005-06-12T22:16:00.000-07:002005-06-12T22:32:38.210-07:00oh, this is a very long entry about poker...so i played in a poker tourney yesterday. it was one that was set up by a small group member to fundraise for our service activities. Since some of the proceeds were coming my way as financial support for my missions trip, i thought the least i could do was take part, donate my $20 buy-in, and have fun. =)The set up was really organized - there were 4 yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1117772472779260462005-06-02T20:02:00.000-07:002005-06-02T21:24:21.373-07:00So i've been finding out the last several weeks that caring about something broken is really hard. i'm not referring to people - b/c we're all broken and yes, really really loving people is quite difficult but at least people aren't mindless institutions run by cuckoos. i'm going to sound like a ranting lunatic, but i speak the truth. =)if you haven't guessed, i'm talking about my school. my yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1115705425019234522005-05-09T23:10:00.000-07:002005-05-09T23:11:25.813-07:00i'm really really done w/ my boards now! this past saturday, i took the assessment portion of the ceritifcation process and felt soooo relieved when it was over - even if i didn't do too well. The most upsetting part, though, was that i almost wasn't allowed to take it! As I was signing in, the guy at the front desk asked to see my passport. I was a little riled up b/c i had scoured the yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1115182341585556252005-05-03T21:52:00.000-07:002005-05-03T21:53:19.426-07:00my heart skipped a beat when i flipped through my snail mail today and saw a self-addressed envelope. It was my very first returned support letter! (from the person I knew would return it first - Mr. Human Calculator). It just made it really real that I AM going this summer! It amplified the spark of excitment I felt when I took my grandmother to the airport last week for her visit to Korea. She yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1114158992555452602005-04-22T01:35:00.000-07:002005-04-22T01:36:32.556-07:00You know you really need to workout when... you're the designated cook at a Korean bbq restaurant and your arm is sore the next day.Yes, it's pathetic...i've done 4 exercisy things since the daylight savings change in Dec:2 snowboarding excursions2 swing dancing evenings.yup, that's all. my heart is prolly going to stop pumping soon because of my lack of exercise... i feel so hypocritical yum7noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1112835722769847032005-04-06T17:36:00.000-07:002005-04-06T18:02:02.770-07:00So on the eve of my birthday, i just found out some great news! I got accepted to a 5-week long missions trip to China this summer. wow. it still hasn't hit me that this is real...will i really be all the way around the world in 3 months? All i can think about right now is the next hour and not going anywhere near my bed. Gosh, i thought mailing off the National Boards box would let me yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1111906125754025082005-03-26T21:12:00.000-08:002005-03-26T23:01:46.213-08:00i'm back! after a LONG hiatus, i'm back to "normal" life...well, almost.i just ended the strangest spring break i've ever had. i spent everyday in my pj's in front of my computer...and I even pulled an all-nighter on Thursday. I felt like i was re-living the studious college life i never had. when i finally overnight express my BOX on Tuesday, i'll be a happy, happy girl!my BOX refers to my yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1107243261703411292005-01-31T23:40:00.000-08:002005-01-31T23:34:21.703-08:00i'm still up b/c i took a nap today. i took a nap b/c i was tired. i was tired b/c i went *snowboarding* this weekend! =)
i think i'm anti-athletic. i'm basically not good at any sports. i didn't grow up playing anything and therefore, i lack coordination...esp. when it comes to something with a ball. but regardless, i still enjoy trying, and i'm so glad that i can laugh at myself.
some yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1106629734523155972005-01-24T20:22:00.000-08:002005-01-24T21:08:54.523-08:00it has been a while...
and what can i say but that 2005 has indeed been a happy 24 days so far. =)
wow, considering my last several months when there was no such thing as a 24-day stretch of peacefulness, it's been amazing. That experience has definitely taught me to appreciate the mundane, routine, quite ordinary days.
my only tears so far have fallen during a movie. life is good when you yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1103265695029914072004-12-16T22:17:00.000-08:002004-12-16T22:41:35.030-08:00get away negative updates! here's one that's more happy.
the highlight of my day were the laughs i got during lunch. i usually let a bunch of kids sit in my room and kinda hang out away from the more "rough crowds" found in the outdoor cafeteria area. we have a lot of gangsta' kids and my more nerdy students don't fit in and get picked on. some of them like to play on the computers or just yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1103075718453520302004-12-14T17:16:00.000-08:002004-12-14T17:55:18.453-08:00it's over... (hopefully)
not the year. not yet at least. but i'm hoping the pain. i don't know what kind of crazy ride i got on in late august but it's been a rough trip and i think (i hope) i'm pulling up to the exit gate.
2 weekends ago, my grandfather fell ill and his health slid uncontrollably quickly. apparently, he had had a surgery earlier that month for his swallow reflex. it yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1101274451055723712004-11-23T20:32:00.000-08:002004-11-23T21:34:11.056-08:00so yes, another entry about cars. no one writes about something this often unless they're crazy about it... maybe i'm just crazy.
after my 2nd accident, i went home to Texas. although the trip was planned a few weeks prior, i thought with grateful appreciation how serendipitously timed the mini-vacation was. i needed to get away from all the mess of the last few weeks and definitely not driveyum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1099985166533219062004-11-08T22:44:00.000-08:002004-11-08T23:26:06.533-08:00so... can you believe it? i can't...
i got into another car accident this weekend. WHAT? but luckily this time was nothing like last so no worries about all that craziness. I was driving to church in my rental and as i was exiting the freeway on one of those 270 degree cloverleaf turns, my car slid on a puddle and i crashed into the divider. no one else was involved, the damage is minimal yum7noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1099464185231351562004-11-02T21:18:00.000-08:002004-11-02T22:44:10.896-08:00"what's next?"
i picked up my rental car today. I went boring and cheap and got a Toyota corolla... but I did add a little flair when i chose the blue one. I've never driven a blue car before and i must admit, there's a bit of "thrill" to the newness. =) My rental is the newer model of the corolla and i feel slightly jealous that i missed getting this model by a year. my poor 2002 model is a yum7noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1098245763289387732004-10-19T20:50:00.000-07:002004-10-19T21:16:03.290-07:00things that have made me happy recently:
-the cleansing, peaceful feeling that comes with the sound of pouring rain
-the rain cleaning off my car a little
-staying at the Fairmont for a science teachers' conference in San Jose this past weekend and getting to play in the pool by myself (no one else was there b/c it was too cold)
-seeing some old friends
-Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindyum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1097649803019646132004-10-12T23:15:00.000-07:002004-10-12T23:45:19.273-07:00a blessing in disguise?
hmm... all my life i've complained about my terrible cramps each month. some people can't sympathize because they're boys and some can't because they just don't get them. but cramps are not pleasant... i get the ones that start in front - like someone is taking a pickaxe and poking hard in random places on my abdomen - and also the ones in my lower back that feel like a yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1096006466717221882004-09-23T22:18:00.000-07:002004-09-23T23:14:26.716-07:00I found it scary at first but i think i'm beginning to like it again - how suddenly life can change...even in just one conversation. I used to embrace change, anticipate it, almost yearn for it. In some ways, that's how i ended up in LA (a new city, a new job, a new life)...but I guess I've changed over the years. What about me now envies stability? Why do i crave comfortability? Am i yum7noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1092733968785703412004-08-17T01:33:00.000-07:002004-08-17T02:12:48.786-07:00Books I've read in the past few months:
Push by Sapphire - excellent. An illiterate girl's journal about her painful past, present, and hopeful future.
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger - fluffy topic but well written. About a girl's experience as an assistant to a high-powered, extremely villanous fashion editor.
The 5 People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom - don't quite yum7noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3907482.post-1092731142191076232004-08-17T00:43:00.000-07:002004-08-17T01:25:42.190-07:00some news, some old
I'm writing this on my brand new desktop! it's not a super nice computer or anything but i understand the excitement that some guys feel about their new gadget toys. I finally have more than 1 gig of empty space for memory! my laptop was kind of hating it. But i'm worried about a potential anime binge...i just saved 79 episodes into this computer. hmm...
Besides anime, yum7noreply@blogger.com0