Joy is more than a name, it's a calling

Priorities

2011-11-21T20:34:00.001-06:00

"Choose 5 things to prioritize in your life right now," my mom said to me.

You see, I love staying busy. When I see a blank square in my calendar, I feel like something isn't right and that I am not maximizing my time.

And now I have too much on my plate. Monday golf lessons, Fusion Wednesday nights, Friday youth group, and Sunday church + small group. Add in the occasional Alumni and Parent Admission Program for WashU (college fairs, interviews, etc). Then there are the activities I am considering/toying around with: DSP Atlanta Alumni Chapter, Fusion leadership, volunteering with Intervarsity, helping start a college/post grad ministry at church. Now I'm in over my head.

Help!

1. Job

2. Family

3. Exercise
4. Church youth group

God, help lead me to fill out the blank.

Creation

2011-10-18T21:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I made a few new dishes with the promise of pictures for other recipes I try this week. I was in a very paleo-snack mood, so I decided to try the kale chip recipe I've been seeing all over forums. In addition, I did not wake up in time to try the egg-in-tomato dish, so I tried it tonight. Both were fun to make, but didn't turn out exactly as I would have liked. The kale chips were a bit too salty (must add less salt next time!) and the eggs were too runny :(

Cooking these few days have given me some insight into God as Creator. I would sit down, think about what I was going to make, be really excited about the idea knowing full well that it may not come out exactly as I wanted. However, I was still willing to go through with my creation even if it turned out to be a failure.

Now I can't say I know exactly what God was thinking when He created us, but I think God had an idea of how He would like for us to turn out (righteous, good, etc) like how I wanted my eggs to turn out more well-done. Yet, we have minds of our own and do what we want, like my eggs choosing to not cook all the way. All the while, I still hope that my eggs would cook more over time, like God wanting to see us grow more like Christ.

Pull kale leaves off the stem. Drizzle with olive oil & sea salt. Make sure they don't overlap on the cookie tray. Bake for 15 min at 350 degrees.

The finished product: crispy, salty kale chips!

Hollow out a tomato, add pesto, crack an egg inside. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

It was a bit more liquid-y than I was expecting, but it was fun nonetheless.

Cooking Experiments

2011-10-17T22:56:00.003-05:00

I made it through last week's paleo on a budget challenge! Every morning, I had a onion & green pepper omelet. For three days' lunch and dinner, I had chicken, onion and green pepper stir fry. On the other two days I had beef and broccoli stir fry. On Saturday, I was blessed with the ability to eat at Sushi Itto before it opened because the owner wanted our opinion/feedback - so I got a free meal! Saturday night I had a sausage from our office's cookout on Friday. And Sunday I had two meals of omelets.

But this week, one of our "challenges" is to Taste and See God in something artistic. This could be exploring a new place, trying a new food, or watching a good movie, etc. So far, I've cooked two new things!

1. Spaghetti Squash. FUN! Popped this bad boy in the microwave for 20 min or 5 min per pound (flipping halfway through). Cut it open, de-gutted it, and scraped out the "spaghetti" with a fork. This was really exciting because I've never cooked any type of squash before, plus this was a very interesting squash. It is very watery, but has a subtle sweet taste similar to yams. I can't say it is as fun as eating normal spaghetti, but I do find it a very suitable substitute for spaghetti especially when I'm craving Jo Mama's Famous Spaghetti sauce.

2. Home made pesto. Used basil, pecans, garlic and olive oil. I have to admit, I do miss Washu's rendition of pesto... it must be the pine nuts and cheese. Mine tastes a bit... woodier? ALSO. We don't have a food processor, so I was slaving away at trying to mince the pesto as fine as possible, and then used the stone bowl smoosher thing, then finally discovered our blender. Man, without the blender, I think it would have been impossible to make pesto. But I do have to say, I really felt caveman-ish while using that stone bowl.

If I get up early enough, I'm going to bake an egg inside a tomato (w/ pesto) for breakfast! I should really take pics of these things..

Paleo on a Budget

2011-10-09T22:42:00.000-05:00

As you may know, my small group decided last week to post 10 things we're grateful for each day. That was great because I got to see how God was working in even the small things in my life & how blessed I am. At the end of the week, I really felt happier because I had all these things to be grateful for. If I wasn't forced to write 10 down, then I wouldn't have thought about what all I'm grateful for. I think I'm going to continue doing this because it really helped me to see how God was blessing me.

THIS WEEK we have some exciting challenges. The one that I am most nervous/excited for is the "Simplify Your Life" challenge where as a group, we are choosing to not eat out this week and only live off of $25 worth of groceries for the week. Originally, I thought we were going to do $2/day or $14/wk, so the jump to $25 is huge for me! The idea is that we would be able to better empathize with people living on less than $2 per day in third world countries. Then we take the money that we would have used to go out to eat and donate it to a cause.

For me, the real challenge is trying to figure out how to keep the Paleo Diet while limiting myself to $25. This makes me angry because I'm realizing that all the cheap food that I would've purchased while not on the diet (spaghetti, bread, rice, beans, corn syrup, etc) are all not as good for you. However, hopefully I can prove that it is possible to go paleo on a limited budget.

H-mart Total: $12.27

3 Huge chicken breasts = $5.20

Korean Yams = 1.98 lb @ $0.39/lb totals $0.77

3lb Bag of white onions = $1.79

2 Gala apples = $0.88

Bunch of 5 bananas = 2.17 lb @ $0.59/lb totals $1.28

18 pk of Large Eggs = $1.99

Tax = $0.36

Buford Highway Farmers Market Total: $4.84

Broccoli bunch = $1.99

NY Steak = $2.71

Tax = $0.14

Kroger Total: $7.00

Salad bags = $1.98

Green peppers = 3 @ $0.59 totals $1.77

Silk Coconut Milk = $2.94

Tax = $0.31

Grand Total: $24.11

Gratitude 7

2011-10-08T22:45:00.002-05:00

Thankful that I can sleep in and get some good sleep.
Thankful for brunch at Ria's Bluebird with Andrew.
Thankful that I am blessed with good health.
Thankful that despite having a bad face for sunglasses, I have the ability to see.
Thank God for ikea.
Thankful that our family was the only neighbors invited to the Indian Doctor's birthday party.
Thankful for the opportunity to fake gamble with my mom, and also see my dad in social action.
Thankful that I now know a personal injury attorney in case I ever need one.
Thankful for a great restful day.
Thankful for Hulu!

Gratitude 6

2011-10-08T22:44:00.004-05:00

For Friday

TGIF!
Thankful for an awesome/fun dream this morning about dating Josh Duhamel and he was trying to impress me by how manly he is :)
Thankful that my first client training went well.
Thankful for the opportunity to sit in on strategic planning meetings to see how the higher ups think and approach client relationships.
Thankful that I'm of good health and don't have cancer.
Thankful for the reusable Leukemia & Lymphoma Society bag I won so that I can carry my lunch stuff back home.
Thankful for living at home.
Thankful for the opportunity to be in Atlanta to watch my brother grow up (and to teach him how to drive!)
Thankful that when Jonathan Hsieh saw that the girl counselors weren't present and joked, "The girl counselors must not love you," that Victoria yelled, "But Joy loves us!" :) Made my night.
Thankful for slowly rebuilding my relationship with my dad.

Gratitude 5

2011-10-06T21:36:00.005-05:00

Thankful that I cut the onions last night so that I can make an omelette this morning.
Thankful that I have a great boss that I've been learning so much from.
Thankful that I feel more awake on the new diet.
Thankful that God took away unnecessary feelings.
Thankful that even though traffic was a beast, I had Jonathan Hsieh's hilarious pick up lines to entertain myself with.
Thankful that my brother is involved with a competitive robotics team at Westminster.
Thankful for the workouts in Fitness magazine subscription redeemed from My Coke Rewards points.
Thankful for loofahs because they make using body wash so much more efficient.
Thankful for Facebook because it helps me connect with people I haven't seen in a long time.
Thankful for my hard contacts still being in once piece and giving me the ability to have 20/20 vision during the day.

Gratitude 4

2011-10-05T23:51:00.000-05:00

Thankful that I had a very entertaining dream this morning.
Thankful that I saw someone else napping in their car during lunch!! :) Glad I'm not the only one...
Thankful that what was supposed to be a really busy day at work turned out better than expected.
Thankful for having met Joelinda at The 40 and possibly hanging out with her tonight at Fusion!
Thankful that I had a back up Client Distribution List saved on my desktop because I deleted the one in Outlook by accident.
Thankful for Gungor Radio station on Pandora Radio.
Thank God for how He got me this position at Nielsen - so divine.
Thankful for the message at Fusion tonight - really needed the push to go all out in helping someone know about Jesus.
Thankful for encouragement from Nesta after Fusion.
Thankful that even though I was bawling tonight (from cutting onions), I am actually very happy.

Gratitude 3

2011-10-04T23:11:00.001-05:00

Thankful for Max Lucado on the radio reminding me that it isn't about My story but that it is about His story.
Thankful that I don't have much work to do today since I am taking a sick day - feeling really weak and tired.
Thankful that I got some good rest.
Thankful that I joined Delta Sigma Pi professional business fraternity in college.
Thankful that I can still spend time with my mom.
Thankful that I'm feeling better.
Thankful that I got to check off Watching Wicked from my bucket list.
Thankful that I got to my dried clothes before my grandma folded them because I hate that it gets wrinkly.
Thankful that despite all my desires of being in a relationship, I'm not actually in one yet.
Thankful that in exactly three weeks I will be partying it up at WashU and catching up with friends.

Grati(two)de

2011-10-03T23:04:00.001-05:00

Thankful that mom helped me boil eggs for today.
Thankful that my presentation today got moved to tomorrow because I wasn't prepared to present it.
Thankful that in times of need, I accidentally left things in the right place. For example, leaving my peacoat in the trunk because it is so chilly today!
Thankful that I have a car that I can nap in during lunch time. Exhausted.
Thankful that my golf instructor has extra golf clubs I can use tonight since I accidentally left mine at home.
Thankful that a kind Samaritan returned my instructor's golf club that I borrowed and lost >.<
Thankful that I have a friend who knows how to cook with a limited budget.
Thankful for Scoutmob deals in Atlanta.
Thankful that my umbrella was found.
Thankful that I forgot about my sweet potatoes from this morning. Now I have lunch for tomorrow!

Also, this seems like it is going to be the Caveman month where I eat nothing but meat, fruits and vegetables and where I hit things with clubs.

Gratitude 1

2011-10-02T19:54:00.000-05:00

Hi friends! I have two really exciting updates.

1. "The 40" aka Georgia's Intervarsity Fall Conference. I'm friends with various staff workers in the Georgia region who invited me to help out as a prayer intercessor/minister. Since prayer ministry has been a huge part of my relationship with God, I wanted to help other students experience it too. This weekend, God really worked in huge ways.

Satan was really putting up a fight and continuously tried to thwart God's plans, and we knew it was because God was going to do something big. And He did. Last night, we invited students to receive healing by coming up to the prayer ministers. Going into it, I was very weary of how many people would actually come up to get prayer. Before coming to The 40, I prayed that God would at least give me the opportunity to pray for one person. Last night, I had the opportunity of praying for that one person, and after going back to see if anybody else wanted prayer, not only was there a line, but there was a pool of students standing there waiting to receive prayer. PRAISE GOD! I had the privilege of helping six students hear from God and be freed from what was holding them down.

This weekend has shown me how much I miss college ministry. While rooming with a fantastic woman of God that reminds me of my college roommate from last year, I learned that she moved to Atlanta and started work at a social media marketing firm the exact same day that I started work at Nielsen, and she helps with Emory's BASIC (African-American) chapter as a volunteer staff. That got some wheels turning in my head about the possibility of me being a volunteer staff as well. The idea is still premature and may or may not come to fruition next year or in the future. For now, I am committed to ACCCN's youth group and I know I won't have the time and energy to do that and help with Intervarsity and go to Fusion on Wednesdays. So we'll see where God brings me.

2. A few of us young adults around Atlanta were desiring community of people really seeking to follow Jesus and challenge each other, so we started a post-graduate small group that meets on Sundays. We currently began our group study of reading "Practicing The Way of Jesus: Life Together In The Kingdom of Love" which is a book that shows how to practically follow Jesus' teachings. I'm REALLY excited for this. Each week, we take on one or two of the experiments/challenges as a community.

This week we are experimenting with security:

Gratitude. Each day, we are writing down ten things that we are grateful for. (without repeating anything)
Time/money journal. We keep a detailed journal of where we are spending our time and money, and will share these with the rest of the group.

I will be posting my gratitude journal here each night (hopefully). I'm thankful that...

God really showed up at Georgia's Intervarsity fall conference "The 40" and showed His power as our Healer.
The car ride to and from The 40 was great in the sense that we got there fast and had good conversation.
I have the privilege of choosing what I want to eat each meal.
We started this post-graduate small group.
I had the opportunity to lead a GIG my senior year & that our Bible studies still speak to me today!
I can bundle up when it is cold.
God provides everything in my life abundantly.
The Kroger near my house is open until 1am.
I got to see old faces at The 40 and met many new people!
I have a job to go to tomorrow.

God is like Excel

2011-09-24T23:26:00.002-05:00

Thought of the last two months: God is like Microsoft Excel in that I thought I knew all about Excel in high school and college, but I've been learning that there's SO MUCH more to it. I'm continuously humbled by what little I know about Excel's capabilities and just how powerful it is.

Which segways into something AWESOME that happened to me tonight.

While cleaning up my room, I found a $20 Barnes and Noble gift card from my birthday. Since I've been learning so much about Excel at work, I wanted to get a copy of Excel for Dummies, so I drove to Barnes and Noble. I went to my local Barnes and Noble on Peachtree Rd, picked up the book, and got all the way to check out to find that my debit card wasn't in my wallet. NOOO. It could've been in my other bag, it could be in the car, or it could be left at the Peruvian restaurant I was just at. After apologizing to the cashier, I ran back to the car and found my debit card in the cupholder - hallelujah! I got back in line with three people in front of me. The first was this really down to earth girl with tousled brown hair and a huge smile, the second was her friend who had a grey beard and a baseball cap on. The man in front of me was a really tall balding business man.

As the girl was checking out, she pulled out a 40% coupon from her iPhone. The cashier exclaimed, "Wow, what a great deal! And you can use it over and over - it is a public coupon!" She let her friend use the coupon too, and the man behind her was saying, "You and I should be friends. What's your name?" With a huge smile, she said, "Patricia! It's nice to meet you." She proceeded to graciously wait for the third guy to check out, and let him use the coupon too. The whole time she was so friendly and loving toward this stranger. At the end, he said, "I really need to make this up to you! Thank you so much Patricia!" She replied, "Oh no, not at all! You can just return the favor and pay it forward," and she left. He turns around to me and asks, "Are you a Barnes and Noble Member? If not, you are tonight!" and swipes his card before the lady rings up my transaction to get the 10% discount. The cashier looks to me and says, "What divine timing! If you didn't have your card, you wouldn't have gotten this blessing!"

She was so right. If I hadn't found that gift card while cleaning my room, then I wouldn't have gone to Barnes and Noble tonight. If I hadn't gone to the Peruvian restaurant and left my debit card in the car, then I wouldn't have been in line behind those three individuals. Divine timing indeed.

I really admire Patricia. I'm not sure if she's a Christian or not, but she was so kind and loving to strangers that we were all immediately drawn to her. I want to be like her, a magnet that draws people to Christ. And look at the impact that she had! Her little action of sharing her coupon caused a chain reaction, a butterfly effect. Imagine what God can do through us!

I went to Barnes and Noble tonight so that I can learn more about Excel, but tonight, I also got to experience God's grace. Thank you God for being the master systems engineer that so intricately weaves our lives together.

Lies

2011-08-31T22:55:00.004-05:00

These past few days, my head has been filled with lies. Lies that I'm not good enough, desired enough, capable enough.

Then David talked about Samson & how he had the spirit of strength in him that he was strong enough to rip a lion's jaw in half. Like ripping a sheet of paper. Imagine what you can do by having the power of the Holy Spirit on you. And we need the Holy Spirit because Satan is roaming the earth like a lion, seeking people to devour and destroy.

One of those people was me. But Holy Spirit, I pray that you would anoint me with wisdom to discern those lies, rip them up, and hear truth.

I really do make you happy, God.

-----------------------------

On another Fusion note, worship also spoke out so loudly today.

Many of my friends are getting engaged & planning their weddings already. That's bizzare to think about, but I guess it's been making me think about romantic relationships a lot lately. Like, a LOT. And I've been trying to think of what kind of guy would be good for me - but whatever I come up with, I can never find in real life among the guys in my life. Nobody can meet my expectations.

Then worship came on:

He is faithful to the end

He is faithful to my heart

He is faithful to the end

He will come and marry me

(Jesus is Faithful to the End - Cory Asbury)

I can't find what I'm looking for because only Jesus can be that person for me. Not that he will literally come and marry me, but the idea that Jesus has bound himself in a covenant relationship with me (like marriage) & that He will always be faithful. And that our hearts can resonate with each other and seek God and his Kingdom. That there's no way He can't not meet my expectations. So reassuring & satisfying.

I realized that my ridiculous expectations weren't meant for humans, they were meant for God. Time to be more realistic with my expectations from people & myself.

Knocking down my Idol

2011-08-24T22:03:00.002-05:00

Fusion really convicted me of something tonight.

It started with us singing " as the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs for you." And that became the cry of everyone in the room.

Pastor Johnson began talking about how we look for things in our lives to satisfy us, whether it be porn, boys/girls, food, etc - but these things can never fully satisfy. What we really need is to be satisfied in God, and that we would be filled & satisfied with spiritual food.

Yes, I've heard this countless of times, but it really strung a chord in my heart tonight. Lately, I've become such a foodie with my facebook food blog and all, I've come to criticize everything that I order and eat. Food has become the thing that I live for, but my body has become increasingly less satisfied with what I'm eating.

Then it dawned on me that food has sadly become my idol. It took a higher priority than God. And I need to change that. So from now on, I forbid myself to eat out unless I've done my devos & Bible reading for that day. In addition, each time I go out to eat, it needs to bring glory to God in some way.

Chipping

2011-08-23T21:40:00.003-05:00

Had golf lesson 2 out of 6 yesterday! This time, we learned how to chip the ball from off the green (rough patches of grass) back onto the green. For this, we used either a 6 iron, P, or 7 iron, depending on the distance we needed to go.

1. Keep the ball on the inside of your right heel.

2. Line up the club so that the flat of the iron faces the hole.

3. Put your weight on your left leg and lean to the left.

4. Keep your left arm straight and lead the swing with your left wrist.

I think my golf skills have gotten worse since the last time. Maybe it is because I've been practicing putting in my brother's room where the carpet is perfectly flat. Now I don't know how to hit on grass or when it is hilly. Fail.

Another memo to self: do not go to the gym to work out your leg muscles right before going to golf. Because when you bend your knees, they will shake.

Chef Wang

2011-08-21T21:35:00.003-05:00

After a whole summer's worth of being an amateur food critic and posting my food blog album on facebook, I've realized that I can't properly be a food critic unless I know a little something about cooking.

Last week while buying groceries, I picked up the latest issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray (food magazine) with lots of pretty pictures of summertime dishes and recipes.

After much deliberation, my brother and I decided to attempt the End-of-Summer Chicken Milanese and Mushroom Straw and Hay Pasta. The End-of-Summer Chicken Milanese is essentially breaded chicken breast topped with corn, tomato and onion relish. The Mushroom Straw and Hay pasta gets it name from the green spinach fettuccine and yellow egg fettuccine that look like staw and hay. However, the real flavor in this dish comes from the marsala sauce and porcini & portabella mushrooms.

Let me tell you, we were a wreck in the kitchen! We kept dropping things on the floor, spilling things on ourselves, and messing up left and right. But in the end, we had a finished product! We cooked a little too much pasta for the amount of sauce we had, so the pasta wasn't as flavorful as we would have liked. However, that chicken dish was THE BOMB. Really impressed myself with that one haha.

Lessons learned in the kitchen:

Don't cut the stems of thyme too - just use the leaves.

I have a fear of portabella gills.

When breading chicken, don't just plop the chicken in the flour. Gently place it there, otherwise flour will blow everywhere.

Use more spinach than you think you'll need.

If you're feeding 4 people, don't cook 8 servings worth of pasta.

Putting

2011-08-16T22:05:00.002-05:00

I had golf lesson 1 out of 6 yesterday, and we learned how to putt!

1. The ball should be lined up to the inside of your left foot.
2. While standing, bend your knees and place eyes directly over the ball.

3. Grip the club palm to palm - I prefer right hand over left.

4. Tilt the top of the club to the left.

5. Keep elbows to your side.

6. Rock shoulders side to side to swing.

7. Finally, don't look to see if you hit the ball in - it'll affect your swing. Keep your eyes down, and listen to hear if your ball went into the hole.

The instructor was pretty good and said I was a natural putter. Cool :) Now I want to go mini-putt putting!

Chosen

2011-08-14T21:13:00.002-05:00

After two months of internal conflict, I've decided on a church. My primary church will be ACCCN, the Chinese church that I grew up in. But on Wednesdays, I'll still be going to Fusion.

After Shocco, our youth retreat, I was reminded of my love for the youth in our church and helping them grow in their relationship with God. Plus, they trust me and look up to me. Also, one of my original intentions for going to a multicultural church is that I could comfortably invite co-workers to church if they aren't Asian. Luckily, both my boss and my mentor at work are Christians, so our co-workers could go with them to their churches.

This past Friday, I talked to our youth director and told him I wanted to sign up to be a counselor at youth group. Right after I did, I wondered if my decision was the right one. And when I first walked into the sanctuary and saw a sea of young faces I didn't recognize, I freaked out. But once we broke up into small groups, I loved being a counselor for them again, and the rest of the night confirmed my decision.

However, ACCCN still lacks a young adults ministry, and that's been a big issue on my heart lately. Maybe I should start a young adults Bible study or Sunday school if I can find enough of us. Anyway, for the time being, Fusion will be the place where I can find that community and get the feeding that I need.

I'm pretty at peace with my decision, and pray that God may really bless it.

That was Beautiful.

2011-07-06T21:42:00.003-05:00

The most interesting things always happen at Fusion, the young adult's ministry of Victory World Church. Tonight, I got to witness something beautiful.

My Peru teammates and I were chatting when a tall guy comes over and motions for the whole crowd to come over. "I have something I want to announce to the whole group, so even if I know you or don't know you, please gather around."

We huddle together waiting to hear what he has to say. He takes this girl under his arm and says, "I would really like for you guys to pray for me. Six years ago on July 6th, I moved to Atlanta. And this girl has been my best friend since, and she really means a lot to me." He continues to shower her with praise, and I don't remember exactly what he says because at this point I'm going, "AWWWW."

"So I just want to ask you tonight, will you enter into a courtship with me?" This girl is so red and bashful, and her hand is covering her smile as she nods her head. "Great! So guys, I could really use your prayer because I don't want to be like one of those guys who disappears after they get into a relationship. You gotta keep me accountable." Then we all lay our hands on him as he prays for himself to be the spiritual leader and to be Christ-like.

Man, that. Was. Beautiful. I want a man like that!

Desperately Needing Peace

2011-07-04T21:41:00.002-05:00

Right now my heart is being tugged in two separate directions, and the pain of choosing is almost putting me at the brink of tears.

Originally, I was planning on leaving Atlanta Chinese Christian Church North (ACCCN), the church that I grew up in and served in. However, now that I'm back in Atlanta for good, I'm thinking of finding a church that can meet my spiritual needs better.

Victory World Church Pros (no cons)
- Multicultural: Gives a bigger picture of the Kingdom, and allows me to invite coworkers to church without feeling awkward if they aren't Asian
- Vision: They're super missional locally and globally, care about reconciling cultures, and are passionate and genuine
- Has a solid young adults ministry, Fusion
- Has really challenging messages and rejuvenating worship

ACCCN Cons
- Not multicultural
- Isn't challenging me or feeding me
- Doesn't have a solid young adults ministry
- Not as missional as I would like

ACCCN Pros
- I have previous relationships with people that I grew up with, and it is hard leaving these relationships behind
- After serving as a counselor for 9th grade girls at Shocco this past weekend, I'm realizing how much of a need there is for the youth to know more of who God is and what it means to be in relationship with him. My heart breaks for them!

This decision is so difficult because either way, I will have to sacrifice something. As a wise friend pointed out, both churches have benefits, but I have to give one up even if it's good for the people or good for me.

God, I pray that you would give me peace about this decision!!

Gas Groupon Parte Dos

2011-06-27T22:46:00.007-05:00

After seriously considering joining Victory World Church in Atlanta, I'm now checking out their small groups to really get plugged into community. Tonight, I checked out one of their co-ed small groups called The Movement. When I got there, the leaders surprised us telling us that we were going to go do Gas Groupon.

For those who missed my earlier post about God rocking my world, Gas Groupon is where a group of us pools our money together to buy a gas gift card for someone. My group had many disappointing rejections, but that's okay, it is part of a butterfly effect. However, at the end, God told us to look out for someone who has a handicap and will really stand out. There was the adult black woman who got out of her car and was limping.

"MA'AM! MA'AM!" We called out. No response. We run up to her and talk to her, and realize that she's reading our lips because she's deaf. Talk about a handicap!!

We asked her if we could pray for her, and she said that she wanted to be healed. So in Jesus' name, we prayed that her hearing would be restored and that the healing could either be instant or a process.

To be honest, I was questioning in my heart, "Can she really be healed? Will this really work?" Oh me of little faith!! God give me more faith! I want to believe. I want to look Impossible in the eye, and say, "You are no match for my God." Grant me more faith, please.

Flip

2011-06-23T20:50:00.003-05:00

Caught up with a fellow WashU Deltasig at Flip Burger in Buckhead tonight! Flip Burger is a gourmet burger joint known for its creativity and innovation. I got "The Local" which is grass-fed beef, farm lettuce, heirloom tomato, grilled vidalia onion, and local cheese. In addition, I got the Krispy Kreme milkshake, which is essentially liquid donut :)

If you are ever in Atlanta, you MUST MUST MUST come here! The prices are reasonable too.

Soul Mate

2011-06-22T23:01:00.004-05:00

Discovered my soul mate at work today. She works in the cubicle next to me, and she is a woman after my own heart - she's a major foodie! And she loves lists! Oh man, oh man. You know me and my bucket lists. Well, she sent me her list for favorite casual and fancy restaurants in Atlanta, and for Alpharetta!

For lunch today, we went to Fancy Pantry, a small deli with an amazing selection of salads, sandwiches, wraps, and desserts. I was an okay fan of salad/sandwich places until I saw their menu. Now I'm probably their #1 fan. Today, I ordered the thai chicken salad, which had avacados, tomatoes, egg, bacon, tortilla chips, and cheese over a bed of mixed greens with some peanut dressing. WIN.

Teaching Brother How to Drive

2011-06-21T21:29:00.003-05:00

I kissed my mom goodbye and told her I loved her as I left the house to teach my 15 year old brother how to drive. He got his learner's permit recently, so I've been given the responsibility to teach him how to drive. We found a huge empty parking lot in front of The Dump, a furniture store only open on the weekends. It was funny because there was a Nathan's Driving School car practicing there too.

My brother did surprisingly well. It was a much smoother drive than when I first learned how to drive.

Lesson 1:
- Check mirrors and seat position
- Buckle seat belt
- Test windshield wipers, turn on lights
- Learn how to break
- Drive forward, reverse
- Turn right and turn left with blinkers
- Park on the right and on the left

I knew this day was coming,and now that it is here, it is exactly what I expected. Looking at my baby brother behind a driving wheel is too surreal. Soon he will be free to roam when he gets a car, and he won't need me anymore. Sigh.

On a completely different note, my second day of work was really fun! I met another DeltaSig in the elevator who graduated from UGA. And for lunch, I went to SAGE with my buddy, the mentor I was paired up with at Nielsen. He's in the same position that I'm in, but he's been here for a year, so he would be able to answer a lot of my questions. Turns out, we have a lot in common, and he's a Christian! I'm super excited to get to know him better and feel really blessed to have him as my mentor.

Taste of the Real World

2011-06-20T21:53:00.002-05:00

I want to say that I got my first taste of the real world today since today was my first day of work! However, I got many tastes of the real world during summer internships when I was working and had to pay bills. So never mind that.

But today's tasting was pretty sweet! Woke up at 6:30am with ample amount of time to get ready to head out at 8am. Had kind of a slow start though since I woke up at a weird time in my sleep cycle. Finally met my boss, who is awesome! She was really welcoming and introduced me to everyone in the office. After teaching me all the basics (outlook, phone, breakroom location, supply closet, etc), we sat down and went over the schedule for the next 8 weeks. I LOVE EXPECTATIONS AND SCHEDULES. She's my type of gal. For real. She likes color coding and lists too!

For lunch, we went out to eat at The Cheesecake Factory and I ordered the lunch Da Vinci Pasta and got to know each other better. Tomorrow, I'm going to lunch with my mentor/buddy who has been in my position for the last year. So far so sweet :)

God at Quick Trip

2011-06-18T23:27:00.008-05:00

God and Victory World Church are rocking my world and turning my world upside down. First, Peru, and now, Atlanta!

After our Peru Team reunion today of eating Chinese food and watching X-men, we went to Quick Trip. Fusion, the church's young adults ministry, is doing something called Fusion on Tour. Instead of meeting for their weekly large group, they are going out into the city of Atlanta to share God's love.

Part of Fusion on Tour is something called the Gas Groupon, where as a group, we bless a random pump at the gas station by prepaying for a pump's gas. Originally, we were going to put $13 at pump #7 and #13 each, but the guy messed up and put $26 on #7. We saw a white van drive up to our pump and an Asian woman stepped out.

"Hi we're with Victory World Church and we just wanted to bless you by prepaying for your gas."

"What? Really?" The woman looked bewildered as tears welled up in her eyes. She only had $12 in her hands for gas.

"Yes, God really wanted to bless you tonight."

We found out that she's from Vietnam and her name is T. She thanked us and asked where our church was, and we gave her an address. She hugged us and said she'd come visit the church :) Then we parted ways.

Right when we thought we'd be calling it a night, another Asian man walks up to us. He's also from Vietnam, and he says he doesn't speak English very well, and tries telling us that he needed money to take the bus home. He pulled out a sheet of paper and told us that he was just in jail for the last 3 months in one area of Atlanta, and came out with no money to get back to his home in Marietta. He said he had been walking a long time, and he was hungry, and just wanted to get home to his apartment.

"Ok sir. We'd love to help. There's a McDonald's next door, can we take you to get something to eat? Also, it is too late for any of the buses to be running to Marietta tonight. Let us get you a taxi back home. Do you know the name of your apartment?"

He said he didn't know the address or the name of the apartment complex since his English isn't very good. We asked if he had any family there, and he said no, but he lived with his friend who hadn't been answering any of his calls and his kids are in Vietnam. He asked us again for money to take the bus back to Marietta. When we continued to offer him a meal and a taxi ride, he finally said, "Please, I just want to see my kids!"

"What are your kid's names?"
"Uh, Tom."
"Oh, just one?"
"Yes."

We knew that the man had been making up his story and it had been falling apart on him. Finally, we told him that we wanted to help, and we could take him to eat at McDonald's, but that's it. After that, he said, "No, I'll just walk." We prayed for him, and he left.

PHEW! What a night! I'm so so grateful that I found people who can challenge me like this post-graduation. And they did it so lovingly and graciously. Oh man. They never called him out on his lies, and didn't give him money straight up so that he could use it to feed bad habits. Instead, we just offered pure generosity and help.

Someone made the observation that the responses of these two people are so contrasting. That one welcomed and appreciated our offer and the other rejected our offer. This can be found in many parables that Jesus tells, and they usually point to the open one gets to know and be with God, and the hard hearted ends up gnashing their teeth for eternity. Mmm gotta love late night lessons at Quick Trip!

Pre-Peru Thoughts

2011-06-02T00:42:00.002-05:00

As you all know, I will be leaving tomorrow for a mission trip in Peru! My team will be putting on many dramas and programs for street kids in San Bartolo and Lima. It's been a while since I've done dramas, but drama team kind of defined my last year of high school. I'm excited to get back into it again, especially using it to communicate who Jesus is to us.

These past few days, I've been reflecting a lot on my last overseas mission trip to Kenya. Man, that was such an experience trying to live in tents without showering for a week and not have clean water to brush our teeth with. Let me just say, we smelled pretty bad. However, that was such a great trip because I got to experience a different culture, and see God work intimately in our lives. My prayer is that I will be as open to Peru as I was with Kenya, so that this may be a great learning experience personally, culturally, and spiritually.

Today, I finally met the team after Fusion (Victory World Church's youth ministry). My teammates would see me, say my name and hug me! I felt so welcomed especially since I didn't know who they were haha. Some of them have been to Peru before on previous mission trips, and others are going on their first mission trip ever. Also, I think I am the youngest one on the trip. That means, I'll have lots of older wiser people to talk to :)

Okay, back to packing!

Done with Undergrad!

2011-05-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

I'M DONEEEEEE!! My first response was to shout, "I'm free!" However, I've been blessed with the most amazing transition semester where I'm only taking 12 credits with moderate to low course load. This allows me the freedom to really enjoy my relationships and remaining time with people. Because of this, I don't really feel a difference between life with classes and life without classes haha. I guess that's a good problem to have :)

My favorite year in college has definitely been senior year. Previously, I would've said it was freshman year, easily. The thrill of meeting new people and having a taste of freedom being away from parents make freshman year so amazing. However, senior year for me has been even better because I continue to meet new people, but I'm really able to see my existing relationships come to fruition. Even in this last week of staying up until 8am working on papers and watching the sunrise, I've been able to get to know people more intimately, especially my stressbusters :)

On another note, I started writing my goodbye letters, and it is legitimately one of the most depressing things I've done in my life. It feels like I'm having a part of my heart torn out of my chest knowing that I'll be leaving these people that have made such a profound impact on my life. Even though I'll probably visit a couple times next year, it just isn't the same as living life together and enjoying the small, everyday moments together. Why must you people be leaving me in two days?!

Bittersweet.

Peru Mission Trip: June 2 - June 12

2011-05-08T16:18:00.005-05:00

Dearest friends and family,

Can you believe how time flies? I will be graduating in less than a month! The Lord has brought me on a magnificent journey from hating school as a biomedical engineer at Washington University in St. Louis to being passionate about how my marketing and psychology studies can be used for God’s Kingdom. One of the biggest lessons that I learned this past year is that as a Christian business woman, my role in the Kingdom expands beyond writing checks to the church. How I interact with co-workers in the work place, how I treat our suppliers, and how I work with integrity all play a part in being a light in the workplace.

However, ever since my last mission trip to Kenya my junior year of high school, I have been itching to do another short term mission trip. Since I took six years of Spanish, I have a heart for Spanish speaking countries. In addition, these past two years, God has really placed the topic of human trafficking/modern day slavery on my heart, especially as a business major knowing that cheap labor is necessary to produce cheap products. Furthermore, I knew the only time that I had was before I started work with The Nielsen Company as an analyst in mid-June. Then, the perfect opportunity appeared!! My friend is going to Peru from June 2-June 12 with her church, Victory World Church, and will be working with an anti-slavery organization called Not For Sale, and I asked if I could go with her even though it was already so late in the process. But God opened up all the doors necessary for me to go on this trip. If he wants it to happen, He’ll make it happen! God is good, is he not? This experience will be extremely valuable in shaping me as a business woman, because I’ll be able meet people who have been affected personally by human trafficking and hear their stories.

I’m writing you this letter because I want you to partner with me. If you also have a heart for Latin America, helping free children from human traffickers, or sending out Christian professionals, then consider partnering with me through prayer and/or finances. First, prayer is the most powerful force, and I am looking for prayer warriors! I am looking for people to specifically choose [at least] one day of the trip to pray for me. If you are willing, please let me know which day you would like to pray for me (May 31-June 20). Second, prayer is most important, but I also respectfully request your financial support. I need to raise $2100 for this trip. If there’s anything that I learned in college, it is that our resources are not our own, but they are God’s, and He’s chosen us to be stewards of his resources. If you are willing and able to partner with me, please consider supporting me financially. Every little bit helps, even $2.47! I don’t know how this is going to happen, but God does the impossible, and I am faithful that He will provide.

Peru and Not For Sale:

In Peru, Not For Sale supports Lucy Borja, a modern day abolitionist who has fought for the rights of Peruvian street children throughout her life. Together we provide shelter, education, healthcare, and job training.

Children living on the streets in Peru are deprived of family care, protection, and opportunity. Many have been pushed from their homes due to domestic abuse or poverty. On the streets, these children lack basic rights such as access to education, healthcare, housing and food. They are stigmatized as drug addicts, thieves and prostitutes and are defenseless, subject to abuse, neglect, commercial sexual exploitation, and forced labor.

Our team will be ministering to the street children and showing the freeing love of Jesus Christ through skits, arts and crafts, and messages at Vacational Bible School (VBS). We desire to show them that though the world may be cruel, they are children of worth and are valuable and loved by God.

Prayer requests:

· He would use this opportunity to shape my future as a business person

· Team unity, especially since I am joining them last minute

· Traveling mercies

· God would provide fundraising ($2100)

· Health and safety

· Open heart and open mind

· Boldness to act on divine appointments

· God’s work already in that part of the world

2011-04-29T03:20:00.002-05:00

St. Louis Art Museum
French Toast Tower @ Crepes, Etc. for lunch
Won #1 team in Marketing Strategy class... last class EVER.
Held last GIG on the Prodigal Son :'(
DSP Banquet @ The Highlands in Forest Park

What a great day last day of classes.

I DON'T WANT COLLEGE TO ENDDDDDDDDDD. My friend told me, "If you think about it, we've lived 1/3 or 1/4 of our lives already." Man time is too short.

Mom Arrived

2011-04-27T21:12:00.000-05:00

My brother is in town for an international Robotics competition, so my mom tagged along. He's busy until Sunday with the competition, but my mom will be here to enjoy St. Louis.

Got dinner at California Pizza Kitchen today after shopping for my banquet/graduation dress. After tasting the Thai Chicken pizza, I realized that I've eaten so many green curry pizza's from Thai Pizza that Thai pizza will never be the same. I'm truly going to miss Thai Pizza on the loop :(

Running out of time

2011-04-24T23:20:00.001-05:00

Breaking lent never tasted better! Shroom 'n Swiss Red Robin Burger.

Today was a day of running out of time.

1. Went to Red Robin for lunch, but had a DSP meeting that I had to get back by 2:30pm for. The waiter was too slow, and we didn't leave until 2:30 :( As the biggest J (Meyer's Brigg) you will ever meet, this was very distressing.

2. Looking at my schedule for this week, I have wayyy too much to do and too little time to do it in. Especially since my mom is coming on Wednesday, I want to reserve time to spend with her, but there are so many events, meetings, and things to get done while she is here. I need more time!

3. This is the last week of classes. That means the semester is really winding down! Everyone is having their senior send offs this week: Asian Christian Fellowship, DSP, and Outpour. I WILL BE LEAVING SOON!

Time is running out.

This makes me extremely sad, and I want to cry every time I think about leaving the amazing people that I've met. But at the same time, I'm really happy with how I've spent my senior year. I hope I continue to use my time well.

Resurrection

2011-04-23T11:54:00.001-05:00

Had another great Sabbath today!

GIG outing to Crepes, etc. + Resurrection passage = most premium brunch
CSA Talent Show: Jordan and Tim serenade :) Fun, fun, fun, fun!
Aristocats concert: Lucia Breaking Free
Easter Vigil @ Cathedral Basilica
Debriefing with my suitemate <3

What I value most about my relationship with my suitemate Lindsey is being able to come home and debrief about my day with her. She's able to call out different areas of my life that I need to work on, but brings it up in a manner that doesn't make me feel like she's judging me. I'm so blessed to room with her this year!

Today we were talking about the implications of Jesus' death and resurrection on the Jewish culture of the Old Testament. If you know the answers to any of these questions, please enlighten me!

If the curtain in the temple split in two signifying that you no longer need a High Priest to talk to God, do Jews still need to talk to God through a High Priest type of person, or do they talk to God directly too even though they don't believe in the Gospel of Jesus?
If Jews don't believe in Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice that died to forgive our sins, do they still practice animal sacrifices to atone for sin? If not, how do you atone for sin?
A lot of Christianity revolves around the importance of an eternal life through Jesus after death. However, there is little mention of an afterlife in the Old Testament. What do Jews believe about the afterlife?

Passover Fail #2

2011-04-20T08:37:00.000-05:00

After yesterday's fail, I've been trying so hard to make sure that I don't eat bread. When getting a meal, the lunch lady asked me if I wanted bread with my meal, and I almost yelled, "NO!" haha. Then after our senior Ring Ceremony where we get our class rings, there was a reception with lots of deli sandwiches and bread, which I had to force myself to avoid. Success!

Afterward, I went to DSP where we were writing cards to the graduating seniors, and there were snacks galore! I saw the donut holes right in front of me, so I popped one into my mouth and realized, "NOOOOO, it's leavened bread!" Dang you desserts! Always sneaking up on me. Maybe I should just avoid desserts until Passover ends.

Tuesday Tea

2011-04-19T11:51:00.000-05:00

Since I have class until 4pm usually, I always miss Tuesday Tea at the DUC. However, we got out of class early today, so I went over to the DUC to get lunch and realized that there was tea. Right when I got there, the cafeteria workers brought out the desserts, which are definitely the best part of Tuesday Tea. I jumped up in excitement and beat the crowd to get a few pieces of pastry.

While drinking my tea, I asked my friends, "Guess what? I'm trying to observe Passover this year!"

"What does that entail?" They asked.

Right as I took a bite out of the mini-muffin, I said, "I can't eat leavened brea... NOOOOOOO!"

Fail. But just because I've failed this once doesn't mean I should completely give up my efforts, so I'm going to keep trying to observe Passover.

Passover

2011-04-18T23:26:00.000-05:00

In an effort to understand more of the Jewish background as a foundation of Christianity, I decided to observe Passover this year. This entails giving up eating chametz, also known as leavened bread or grains that are fermented. Furthermore, Ashkenazi Jews from Europe don't eat kitniyot, which encompasses corn, rice, grains, lentils, peas, and beans. Before Passover, there is a massive cleaning of the house in order to get rid of all the chametz in the house. Because back in the day, kitniyot used to be stored in the same bags as chametz, they were also forbidden in case they were contaminated by chametz.

All of this is done in memory of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. The story is that Moses and God brought plagues to convince the Pharaoh to free the Jews, who were slaves at the time. The last plague was that all the firstborns in Egypt would be killed by the Angel of Death. However, the Jews were told to cover their door frame in lamb's blood, and the Angel of Death would see the blood and pass over that household and spare the firstborn. After that, the Pharoah let them go, but they had very little time to exit Egypt... so little time that they weren't able to let bread rise or leaven (about 18 minutes).

My experience with Passover so far makes me think that a big focus of the feast is on the fact that the Jews had to exit Egypt quickly. I shared this observation with a friend of mine who is a Jew, and he asked what else I thought it should be about. "The passing over of the blood stained door frame! Hence the name Passover." He then said that that part of the story isn't hardly focused on in the Jewish Passover feast anymore. Interesting!

Thurtene Carnival

2011-04-17T23:12:00.000-05:00

Today I got to be a kid again. Each year, one of WashU's secret societies, Thurtene, hosts the nation's largest student run carnival with fun rides, carnival foods, and awesome greek facades with performances.

Lauren, Kenith and I first rode the fun dizzy rides before eating delicious funnel cake covered in a melted Snicker's ice cream bar. Then we went to watch the Beta/Chi-O performance about one nerd's quest to be cool and a book-hater's metamorphosis into a book worm. It was such a great show! The songs were witty, and the script included references from pop culture, classic novels, and WashU culture, which enabled audience members from all ages to enjoy the show.

In the play today, Beta/Chi-O were teaching the kids that reading is fun. When I was a kid, one of my favorite things was to lay in bed and read for hours and get lost in a book. I think that's why I like inductive Bible studies so much. When analyzing a passage, it means so much more when you insert yourself into the story as one of the characters and try to see things from their perspective. In GIG, we've been slowly following Jesus and this week we will follow him to the cross. We'll see how that goes!

Alumni Reunion Weekend

2011-04-16T23:55:00.000-05:00

Had a wonderful sabbath today.

1. Bonded with brothers in the biting cold and wind while setting up our funnel cake booth for Thurtene.

2. Ate free Pappy's while meeting amazing DSP alumni, such as this sweet man who graduated in 1949!

3. Supported friends and half my floor at Luau, while eating yummy coconut jello. Later in the evening we watched Lilo and Stitch while making leis.

4. Learned that the key to hitting a racquetball is to watch the ball. Doubles is actually really fun.

5. Helped market and sell homemade crab rangoons and scallion pancakes at the ACF booth for Night Market. Tonight reaffirmed that I really do love sales, but also taught me a lesson in humility and setting aside my pride.

Remaining Bucket Lists

2011-04-13T17:00:00.003-05:00

WashU Bucket List

Paint the underpass
Study in the law library/cafe
Thurtene carnival rides and watch a show
Get more involved in DSP
Go on a campus tour
Go to the Kemper Art Museum
Take a paper to the writing center

St. Louis Bucket List

Grant's Farm
Cohokia Mounds
St. Louis History Museum
Casino
Jewel Box in Forest Park
Float down a river
Scape Bistro
Niche
Cherokee Street

Lost and Found

2011-04-11T03:38:00.002-05:00

You really don't appreciate things until they're gone. Yesterday, I lost my student ID sometime between going to church at 5pm and midnight. Life with a student ID is smooth sailing. The moment that I lost it, I realized that I could hardly do anything: can't use meal points, can't go to the gym, can't get into dorms, can't print out homework, etc. The worst thing was that I've had the same ID since freshman year, until this month, when I've lost it twice. After searching every inch of my room and suite, and back-tracking my path from yesterday, I still could not find my ID. Then I get an email from the mailroom saying that my snapfish photos came in, but without my ID, I wouldn't be able to pick it up. So I decide to go buy a new ID from the Women's Building, but call WUPD just in case someone turned it in. "Hi, my name is Joy and I lost my student ID between 5pm and midnight yesterday and was wondering if anyone turned it in." "Yep, we have it."

YESSSSSSSS BEST NEWS EVER! That totally made my day. I might have even kissed my ID afterward...

The whole scenario reminded me of the lost sheep/coin/son parables, where the person finds their lost object and rejoices over it. Even though I was ecstatic to find my student ID, I would definitely rejoice more over someone deciding to follow Jesus. My prayer is that the lost be found.

Matt & Kim

2011-04-09T22:32:00.002-05:00

Matt & Kim, a band from Brooklyn, came to perform at WUstock today. They were a very entertaining couple that really knew how to hype up the audience, and trust me, the WashU crowd is hard to please. My favorite part was when they threw out deflated balloons and had the audience blow them up and tie a knot. On 1-2-3, everyone threw up the balloons to make one of the most beautiful spectacles on the Swamp I've seen in my four years.

What's better was that the weather was absolutely perfect for laying out and lounging in the grass. Spent a good couple hours reading and napping in the sun while listening to the various bands perform at WUstock.

Bloom

2011-04-07T01:52:00.004-05:00

The flowers bloomed today in front of the business school. Their sweet aroma greeted me as I walked out of the building back to the dorms. I love Spring.

Spring also seems to be the time when relationships really bloom. We've had all of fall semester to meet new people and get comfortable with each other. This semester is when we realize that the school year is nearly ending, and that we should make the most of our relationships with what time is left. I'm really fortunate to see a lot of my friendships blooming this year.

Birthday Cake

2011-04-06T01:33:00.002-05:00

Happy 21st Gary! Wow... I can't believe how quickly these kids are growing!

Also, Belinda made the most amazing brown sugar and cinnamon cake for Gary's birthday. I've decided, she's going to make my wedding cake in the future :)

Senior Toast

2011-04-05T17:56:00.002-05:00

Currently, I'm sitting in the library with an Asian glow, thanks to the champagne that WashU provided for our Senior Toast this afternoon. The chancellor announced our 2011 commencement speaker: Elie Wiesel, author of the Hollocaust novel Night and Nobel Peace Prize winner. What an honor!

On another note... 46 days until graduation. Say what?! Time is too short...

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

2011-04-04T21:03:00.001-05:00

For tonight's floor program, we got fresh doughnuts from Krispy Kreme! I ate two donuts: the chocolate cake donut, and the original glazed.

The chocolate cake donut is rather deceiving. It stood out from the rest of the donuts in the box because it was a different color and looked like it had a fun texture. Turns out, it had hardly any flavor, and it was dry and crumbly. Next, I got the original glazed donut, which looks the most plain and boring, but turned out to be the softest and sweetest donut I've eaten.

Goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover.

Harry Shum aka Mike Chang from Glee

2011-04-02T17:11:00.002-05:00

Harry Shum Jr. came to speak for WashU's Chinese Student Association speaker series about being an Asian in the entertainment industry, and afterwards he signed autographs. My life is complete! xD

He was a great speaker who was professional but entertaining at the same time. He talked about his struggles of being the odd one out when he was child from always moving around. It was encouraging to hear that he didn't start dancing until high school yet he got to be where he is today.

Highlight: "When I first started, my friend dared me to try out for the dance audition. Since I refused, he offered to pay me $10 to try out. I thought to myself, 'Ten dollars... that's 10 value meals!' And I tried out." HAHA

His story makes me wonder though. Harry went from being the odd one out that was always bullied to being the well-loved Mike Chang on Glee. When Jesus publicly healed unclean people so that they would be accepted back into society, was it similar to Harry's story? Perhaps not to the same extent as that of celebrities, but you catch my drift.

Sensasians

2011-04-01T23:40:00.001-05:00

Today was the premier of WashU's first Asian interest a capella group called Sensasians. This was their first concert, and they were fantastic! Not only did singing a variety of Korean, Chinese and Thai songs prove their lingual talent, but also singing in tune with choreography demonstrated all the hard work they poured into the group. I can see this group becoming very successful and prominent on campus in the future, and it is exciting to be at the beginning of it all!

I believe that this is a great illustration of how WashU provides opportunities for students to see their visions come alive. Most of the campus organizations are grassroot movements created by students with a passion for their ideas to create change that brings value to the community. If WashU is representative of the world, then it is encouraging to know that our generation has to ability to create and impact the world.

Turning Brown

2011-03-31T21:19:00.001-05:00

This week I haven't been getting tan, but I'm becoming more brown. I watched my first Bollywood movie, ate Indian food for dinner twice, and learned how to twirl my own Raas sticks! It's been a lot of fun being immersed in another country's culture and learning of their traditions.

Things I've been learning from the Bollywood movies:

Indians are similar to the Chinese in that we both value family and respecting elders, and saving face.
Indians LOVE dancing. I want to learn a Bollywood dance before I die.
A difference between our cultures is that Indians are very outwardly proud people, whereas Chinese people are self-depricating and have false humility, but are inwardly proud.

Cultural immersion is great because you get a glimpse of where people are coming from and why they think and act the way they do. That's why I love traveling. On our road trip to Texas, I got to meet my friend's families and learn about their past, which really revealed more of why they are the way they are. AND I now understand why Texans say everything is bigger in Texas :)

Random Camel

2011-03-30T17:56:00.000-05:00

Random guy + random camel = how WashU spends my tuition

I have to admit though, the camel hair was rather soft. Random fact: camel meat is tough and chewy. Would not recommend it.

Mark 10:25 - It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.

Post Secret

2011-03-29T22:22:00.000-05:00

For this month's Assembly Series, WashU brought in Frank Warren, founder of PostSecret. PostSecret is where people send in postcards with their secrets written on it.

#1 secret that he gets: I pee in the shower.
#2 secret: My deepest desire and fear is to find someone that I can share these secrets with.

Highlight of the event: The first open mic guy shared, "I have a secret. The woman that I'm currently in a relationship with is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. Will you marry me?" PROPOSAL!!! Ahhhhh what a great way to propose! xD

Spring

2011-03-28T17:21:00.002-05:00

And... the sun is back out. St. Louis weather, you perplex me.

I think I'm having PTSD... post-trip starving disorder. After being fed like royalty during Spring Break, I seem to always be hungry in St. Louis. Right now I'm having a massive craving for some Red Robin gourmet burgers, which I had for the first time two weeks ago. In addition, last night I had a dream that my brother and mom visited me in Houston, so I took them out to get bubble tea from Tapioca House.

Speaking of my mother and brother, they are coming at the end of April! My brother's high school robotics club made it to nationals, which will take place in St. Louis. They haven't been here since my freshman year! I can't wait for them to see the improvements on the 40 and for them to meet my friends :)

Surprise Success

2011-03-27T22:31:00.000-05:00

For one of the first times in ACF history, we managed to surprise the birthday girl! It is tradition for us to gather in someone's suite at midnight or so while the suite mates try to distract the birthday girl for a while. This has become expected, so it is difficult to make it a surprise. But this time, we gathered at 8pm and the birthday girl, Yang, was genuinely surprised! Hooray :)

Happy 21st Yang!

AAA/KSA/KISS Formal 2011

2011-03-26T23:42:00.000-05:00

This year has been quite the year for banquets for me! CSA/TSO formal, RA prom, ACF bro-sis, AAA/KSA/KISS formal, and DSP banquet, and Chancellor's Dinner coming up.

This year's banquet was held at the Hilton in St. Louis-Ballpark right next to the courthouse and arch. It was an extravagant venue with a great view, the food was decent (especially dessert), and the DJ was rockin'.

My original date for Relay, Kakes, unfortunately couldn't make it. But don't worry, we're going to have a make up date. Instead, I got to go with these two lovely people!

Business Traveler

2011-03-25T22:52:00.001-05:00

Today was a coming of age of sorts. Today, I flew from St. Louis to Cincinnati and back on the same day. It was strange wearing the same outfit there and back, and skipping checking in any bags and baggage claim. I think this officially marks the start of my professional career, well, almost. (I need a job first).

This was my first on-site interview, and it is with a company that I love and highly respect. After leaving Cincinnati, I actually felt a tinge of pain leaving behind the people I had just met today. Everyone was so hospitable and friendly, which made me fall even more in love with the company. I hear back in a couple of weeks, so please pray for me!

The picture is from dinner at Nada, a Mexican restaurant that I went to eat at with Kirk Lin and his boss, who is also a WashU alum. I ordered the vegetarian tacos with portabella mushrooms, which were SO GOOD. Afterwards, we went to Graeter's and I got the oh-so-delicious black raspberry chip ice cream :) Great food, great company, and overall great (day) trip.

Another year

2011-03-23T01:28:00.002-05:00

Happy 21st birthday Kevin!

Can't put me in a box

2011-03-21T22:14:00.002-05:00

Once a month, our RA staff devotes a night for staff development, and tonight was one of them. Taking some magazines, scissors and glue, we cut and pasted words and images from magazines that we thought described ourselves.

Side 1: We're on a mission, salt, Joy to your own little world, fun, hope, energy

Side 2: Out of the Box, Snapping a good camera, sneaky

Side 3: Tough, challenge, excellence, achieve, odd, image of a dragon (my chinese zodiac)

Side 4: Discover, love, give thanks, we grow joy, image of gifts

Lid: Real Simple, joy peace love, party, food 4 thought, proud supporter of recess, let's eat, learn to love, makes celebrations sweeter

After I had used up all the space on my box, I realized that I still had many words that I didn't use up, and even then, I had so many more words that I didn't find from the magazines. Then I thought, "Ha. You can't put me on a box, nor in a box!" :)

Galveston

2011-03-15T23:40:00.000-05:00

We've discovered that most of our trip revolves around food. At one point, Connie exclaimed, "I wish I could be not full." This morning, we woke up to Belgium waffles with strawberries, bananas, and powdered sugar. YUM.

We then departed for Galveston, which is the beach along the Gulf. Finally, I got some oysters on the half shell at Black Pearl along with some fish tacos. Afterwards, we headed to a friend's beach house and played ultimate frisbee on the beach before driving back to Houston.

We've been so spoiled this trip. Our other friend's parents treat us out for Peking duck and shrimp wraps for dinner!

My taste buds and stomach are completely and utterly satisfied. :)

Houston Chinatown

2011-03-14T23:12:00.003-05:00

Breakfast was amazing! We went to Classic Kitchen in Chinatown, which serves Taiwanese style breakfast foods. We ordered you tiao (fried dough), sweet soy milk, scallion pancakes, duck egg congee, pot stickers, and a rice wrap. All of this was just $6/person! Life is good.

Then we wandered around Chinatown while the boys got their hair cuts, and we stumbled across some Asian bakeries. Connie would see a bun and say, "This was the food of my childhood." She'd see another bread and say, "This was the food of my middle school years.... okay, so I basically just eat a lot." Haha, so cute.
We spent the rest of the afternoon back at the house resting, doing homework, playing games, and napping. After that, we were spoiled rotten by our hosts who cooked a BBQ dinner for us. We had strawberry salad, pasta salad, lasagna, sweet glazed ribs, and smoked beef brisket. For desert, we had strawberry and red velvet cupcakes, Boston cream pie, and Asian fruit cake. Life is so good!

After that, we were planning on getting bubble tea from Tapioca House, but it turned out to be closed, so a few of us decided to check out the Mexican grocery store called Fiesta. We found interesting produce and really awesome hats.

Today was a very restful day, which I am thankful for. All of ya'll who said you couldn't come on the road trip because you need to rest, you're missing out! You would've enjoyed today :) On another note, beach tomorrow!

Little Rock, AR>Houston, TX

2011-03-13T22:49:00.002-05:00

First thing in the morning, we head over to Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas, where we had the priviledge of supporting WashU's all-male a capella group the Stereotypes. They're also touring Texas, but they're going on the reverse route that we are, so we can only see them in Little Rock. It was fun because one of the soloists is from Little Rock and attends Mosaic. As always, the Stypes were amazing!

Afterwards, we checked out of the hotel and headed to River Market for lunch and ate at the Flying Fish. SO MUCH SEAFOOD! We ordered fried calamari, four catfish filets, and a basket of oysters and shrimp, which came with fries and hush puppies. All of this was just for $10/person. Very solid restaurant, I highly recommend it.

Then came the longest leg of the drive: an 8 hour drive from Little Rock to Houston. We shared our life stories and pondered the meaning of "Why did the chicken cross the road?" and figured there was a deeper meaning of the chicken crossing over into the afterlife. Little did we know, it would foreshadow our drive later, when our car saw a small curly haired dog run across the highway into our lane. We were in the fast lane with the wall on our left and another car on our right, so we couldn't do anything about it and ran over the dog. It was slightly traumatic, but now we ask, "Why did the dog cross the road?"

Finally after arriving in Houston, we grabbed pho for dinner at Tau Bay. The meatballs were very tendon-y, and the soup base was very different than that of Mai Lee's. It was pretty good, but I think I still prefer Mai Lee's.

Overall, it was a pretty exciting day, and I'm learning more about the people I'm road tripping with :)

STL>Memphis, TN>Little Rock, AR

2011-03-12T23:41:00.001-06:00

First stop! We ate lunch at the world renown Lambert's Cafe, home of the thrown rolls. This restaurant was PACKED and there were crowds of people (including us) waiting outside for our number to be called. Inside, the servers bring around fried okra, mac n cheese, and potatoes. Another server will come out and throw rolls to anybody who raises their hands for it. SO FUN! It is a must-go if you're driving down to Memphis from St. Louis.

Then we spent the afternoon in Memphis, TN watching the St. Patrick's Day parade on Beale Street. There was this really crazy old grandma who was unreserved in fighting the crowd to get beads. I really hope I don't turn out to be like her when I'm older. We also walked down to the river front and found a rail road track and took boy band pictures. Memphis is definitely very fun and lively, and I wish we had more time to explore the city.

We left Memphis and arrived at our hotel in Little Rock, AR, and went to check out the Big Dam Bridge, a pedestrian/bicycle bridge across a large dam that is illuminated by LED lights. The bridge was pretty, but was surrounded by dark, creepy large houses. Also, while driving there, Martin pointed out, "I've seen three churches in the last 10 seconds!" There seriously were so many churches in Arkansas.

Overall, great first day of the road trip. Now I'm exhausted, and so excited to sleep on the down pillows at our hotel. Good night!

Relay Challenge

2011-03-10T21:19:00.000-06:00

As you know from my Relay post, if I raised more than $150, then I would ask a guy out on a date. Jerelaiah was the highest donor, so he got to choose who and how I asked.

The plan: Ask Kakes to formal, but pretend to ask his suite mate instead. Kakes was in on the whole thing, but thinking that I would ask his suite mate the whole time. I walked in with a yellow rose, handed it to his suite mate, and said, "Will you... hold this flower for me?" Then I turn to Kakes and bust out the cake and ask, "Kakes, will you go to formal with me?" It was great! After much shock, Kakes said yes! :)

Thank you all for joining the fight against cancer with me in this manner!

Doors

2011-03-09T22:46:00.001-06:00

Lord, thank you so much for providing me with a few open doors for post-graduation. Though I know which door I want to go through, help me to trust you that you'll lead me down the right path by opening and closing these doors.

Relay for Life

2011-03-06T19:36:00.004-06:00

After walking around the track for 12 hours, we were able to witness the fruit of our efforts at Relay for Life - we raised $259,823.10! That's more than a quarter million for cancer research :)

Relay was such a success this year in my eyes.

1) Our ACF team raised $5500 total! THAT'S AMAZING! Especially taking into consideration the nature of our Asian culture, that asking others for money is looked down upon.

2) A good amount of our team stayed for the whole 12 hours!

3) The event was very symbolic. It was freaking cold with some rain and a little snow. Because of the weather and lack of sleep, we were better able to sympathize with the struggles of the cancer patients as we huddled for warmth and leaned on each other for support.

4) Great fellowship with friends :)

Thanks to all those who supported me!

Mardi Gras in Soulard

2011-03-05T14:50:00.002-06:00

Success! I can now check off going to the nation's #2 Mardi Gras celebration here in St. Louis's Soulard.

The streets were packed with people wearing purple, green and yellow beads and getting drunk. What a spectacle! After watching the parade and fighting the crowd for flying bead necklaces, we wandered the food booths to find good eats. I successfully got a $10 gyro wrap for $5, and an amazing BBQ beef brisket sandwich for $6. Twas a great morning.

Brothers

2011-03-03T23:50:00.000-06:00

This picture makes me so incredibly happy. On the right is my brother from last year's Bro-sis, and on the left is my bro from this year's Bro-sis.

This picture is the epitome of what God is doing through bro-sis. Last year when Pham was my bro, he was a seeker who was shown the love in our ACF community and said yes to following Jesus. Fast forward a year, and he is now co-leading a Bible study for non-Christians with me! How mind blowing is that? Tonight, my super amazing bro, Phil, joined our GIG and asked great questions. During our discussions, he made very keen observations about the passage, and this was his first time doing a Bible study! Ah, I'm so happy right now. Praise God for being with us in this GIG :)

After reading Luke 7: 36-50 with the sinful woman anointing Jesus, the challenge for this week was to identify someone who is a social outcast and to ask Jesus for strength to reach out and love this person. Holy Spirit, please give us the strength to love these people!

Why I Relay

2011-03-02T23:43:00.000-06:00

Relay for Life held a final team meeting tonight and gave away these beautiful water bottles :) At the end of the meeting, they concluded with a movie of why different students, faculty and community members participate in Relay for Life. It sent shivers through my body hearing how cancer has impacted so many friends and family members of WashU students.

Here's why I relay.

I relay because my grandpa died from lung cancer when I was in the 2nd grade. Our family went back to Taiwan because grandpa was on his death bed from putting holes in his lungs from smoking. As he lay there unresponsive, my dad and nurses would try to get him to open his eyes or speak back. Nothing. Finally, my dad brings me next to his bed and says in Chinese, "Grandpa, your precious grand daughter is here to see you." Slowly, my grandpa opens his eyes and turns his head towards me, showing that he loves me. A few days after, he passed away. I relay because I want other grandchildren to be able to see their grandparents longer than I did.

Please, help me reach my goal of fundraising $150 for this year's Relay for Life. Donate here

As an incentive, if I reach $150, I will do something I've never done before: ask a guy out on a date. The highest donor can choose who I ask and how I ask. Don't worry, after he says yes/no, I will explain that it is for Relay for Life, then go on the date :) As of now, I am halfway there!

My storm calmed

2011-02-28T15:58:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday in our Group Investigating God (GIG), we sent people off with the challenge to identify a storm in their lives and to trust that Jesus would take care of them and calm the storm.

Today, Jesus calmed my storm. Because of Bro-Sis week and banquet, I only had last night to finish my mounds of reading for today. Even after staying up til 6am trying to finish my reading, I still had some left. But God saved me and stretched time by canceling my first class so that I had an extra hour and a half to get my readings done! HALLELUJAH! God is good.

Bro-sis Banquet: Bro Revealed

2011-02-26T23:58:00.000-06:00

To top off the end of Brother Sister Appreciation week, the girls threw a banquet for the guys to show our appreciation for them. This was the first year that there was a theme: Southern.

Outfits: plaid, sundresses, boots
Food: soul food
Decorations: jars with straw, cotton flowers, etc
Entertainment: Shooting turkeys, cow tipping, chewing gum spittoon, etc

Man, it was such a happy celebration. The week of secrecy is over :( But the appreciating doesn't have to stop!

The picture above is with my amazing secret brother Phil. He spoiled me rotten with his thoughtful gifts and haikus. I can't wait to get to know him more! :)

Bro-sis Day 5

2011-02-25T23:50:00.002-06:00

Bro, thanks for the encouragement, the career fair went really well! By the way, I really loved today's Haiku - it's my type of humor.

Haikus can be fun,
But they don't always make sense.
Refrigerator.

Thank you so much for the WashU Camelbak Nalgene water bottle. I've wanted it since last year's bro-sis, but someone thought I was their secret sis and got me a bottle. But it turned out I wasn't the sister, so another sister got a random water bottle haha. There was a period of about a month where I had one of these water bottles, but I lost it :( So thank you! Now I have no reason to be dehydrated :)

Bro-sis Day 4

2011-02-24T20:00:00.002-06:00

Brother, you are simply amazing. Matt Choi came to deliver my present, which was wrapped in red tissue paper with a blue origami lotus flower as the bow. Today's haiku read, "A rainy Thursday. This small treat from Italy, Makes clouds go away." IT SURE DID! I don't know how you knew that my favorite pasta is Pasta Carbonera, but I ate it all up in front of Matt and made him pretty jealous :)

Also, today was the first day of my second-semester GIG! GIG= groups investigating God, which is a safe place where non-Christians can engage with the Bible and learn more about who this Jesus person is. We went over the Mark passage where Jesus calms the storm. The invitation was to identify storms in our lives where we are afraid, and to bring it to Jesus and trust that he will calm it and take care of us. I'm excited for next week!

Bro-sis Day 3

2011-02-23T23:50:00.002-06:00

I nearly died today when I saw my gift. First, I had to open the blue and yellow box, and a message read, "Fruit is sometimes nice, But cases are never fun. Power up with rice!" Then I had to lift up the pull tab, and there was a paper crane with a Bible verse, "Be strong, therefore, and let not your hands be weak and slack, for your work shall be rewarded" from 2 Chronicles 15:7. Then, I unwrapped my gift and found pineapple fried rice in a pineapple! Bro, you truly are amazing. It tasted delicious and looked so beautiful, and I don't know if you know, but pineapple fried rice is my favorite fried rice! In addition, I was planning on pulling an all nighter on my case, so when this was delivered at 11pm, I nearly died of happiness. Thank you so much!

Bro-sis Day 2

2011-02-22T23:04:00.006-06:00

BROTHER! Why are you so amazing? I LOVE today's gift! You were really creative in showing Park Mudd colors and the pirate flag :) The wrapping was red, white and black tissue paper, with a fork "flag" sticking out of it with the message, "Forget the snowman, Here is a smiley fruit man; all organic fruit." You even spelled out my name in mango... mad skills bro. Not only do I love mango, I REALLY like being organic. And the fruit man is so cute! I wonder if he looks like you... :)

Bro-sis Day 1

2011-02-21T19:26:00.005-06:00

Today is day one of one of the most epic ACF weeks of the year: Brother Sister Appreciation week.

Brother, you must have read my mind, because every time I thought of a gift I wanted, I got it! First, I wanted so badly to ride on the Horse and Buggy that was on campus for George Washington week. Right when I was thinking that, it pulled up behind me and the lady asked me if I wanted a ride to the DUC! Success! Then, I was wishing that I could get a stress buster session with Kevin Liang, the only other masseuse better than me. Lo and behold, when I walked into Bear's Den, he was ready to give me a massage! So thanks brother for reading my mind!

When I got back to the dorm, Nolan brought me my real present. (I wonder how you know Nolan). I opened the red and blue origami box, and inside was a custom-made fortune cookie that said:

"To my dear Sister,
Something for your Monday thirst
Remember, shake first."

Along with that was an aloe drink bottle that was wrapped in matching red tissue paper and light blue ribbon. Bro, I really like my present. The custom made fortune cookie was really creative and thoughtful, and you somehow knew that I have been dehydrated for a long time and needed a drink. Thanks!! I can't wait to see what else you have in store :)

Recurring Dreams

2011-02-14T11:05:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to write a post on all my recurring dreams, so here it is. Anybody able to interpret my dreams?

1. Location: amusement park. I will almost always walk past the spinning dumbo-like ride on my way towards the fastest and tallest roller coaster. And it is almost always right after a thunderstorm, so the ground and rides are still wet, and the sky is dark. Most times I never make it onto the ride, and other times I get on, but find out halfway through that my seat belt isn't working, so I have to hold on to dear life to make sure I don't fall out. (Had this dream last night)

2. Location: a giant mall. There are three locations that I usually end up in: the food court, the department store, and the elevator. With the food court, I know I want a certain type of food to eat, but I keep wandering around to look for it and can never find it, so I just settle for something else. In the department store, I almost always have to walk past the perfume area to get to the discounted backpack area. (For almost all of high school, I was obsessed with buying a new backpack.) Finally, the elevator is always the freakiest, because it is never a normal elevator. Once, it was a lounge-type of area with circular red velvet cloth. You sit in it, and it spins, and then you're on the right floor. Other types of elevators are ones that are on the 100th floor and drop really quickly to the first floor. Scary.

3. I really need to pee in my dream, so I rush to a bathroom, but can never find a good stall. The seats are missing, or there's no door/stalls, or the toilet is clogged. Therefore, I usually settle for the working toilet with no door that is far from everyone else, but the moment that I begin to pee, a massive crowd of people walk my way and stop in front of my stall and I can never move/escape without exposing everything.

4. While boogie boarding or collecting shells on the beach, I see that the waves are getting bigger and bigger. I run further up shore to higher land, and keep running until I am against a building. Then the wave becomes so large that it smashes me into the ground or into the building. Sometimes, I even make it into the beach condo, and the wave still crashes into the window and comes through. Can never seem to escape it.

5. I'm inside a building and a tornado is so close that I can see it. After a mad dash of trying to find shelter, the tornado rips through the building, but we're all okay.

Art Hill Fountains

2011-02-13T17:03:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite places to getaway and meditate is the water fountains on the bottom of Art Hill in Forest Park. Hearing the gushing of water from the fountains and watching the sun glisten on the ripples of the pond puts me in a state of trance where I can escape in my thoughts.

I feel like my relationship with God right now is like this water fountain, a hybrid between still water and a living spring of life. The water, God's life giving love, is continuously moving, but I'm just storing it up for myself and not letting it flow out of me. God, may you break down the dams that I have erected so that your love may gush out of me.

Double Consciousness

2011-02-12T23:06:00.001-06:00

Black Anthology's Double Consciousness show blew my mind. This was definitely the best written production I've seen at WashU.

Excerpt from the program: "Double Consciousness" references a term coined by W.E.B Du Bois which means the unique ability of African Americans to view themselves not only from their viewpoint but also from the viewpoint of others, namely white Americans. Likewise, the expectations of others cause individuals to morph behavior, personality, and mannerisms to fit others' image themselves, regardless of race or ethnicity. They, too, then battle with double-consciousness.

One storyline in particular hit a little close to home. Jordan, an African-American student who is so busy serving on four exec boards, sees his life crumble apart as he cannot fully dedicate himself to all his activities. His teammates lose their trust in him because he can never finish his part of a project because he's so busy running to all these different meetings. He comes home every night to his only friend, Jack Daniels. He becomes an alcoholic because he realizes that he cannot live up to the expectations that everyone has for him. He wants to be the perfect African-American man that has everything going for him, but falls short of that mask he wears. Though I am far from mirroring Jordan, there are definitely parts of my story that resemble his, especially feeling like I need to meet these lofty expectations of being the best, being perfect.

Favazza's

2011-02-11T03:25:00.001-06:00

To celebrate the DSP pledging ceremony, our family went to a nice Italian restaurant on the Hill called Favazza's.

The restaurant definitely has a family feel to it, with old and young alike. The pricing is moderate, and the taste definitely outweighs the price you pay. Our group of 32 was rather difficult to accommodate, but their friendly staff were happy to rearrange our seating to fit us all. The food came our really quickly, too.

My dish is the penne special with salmon, spinach, and red peppers in a buttery cream sauce. The flavors meshed really well together, especially the cooked red peppers, which I'm usually not a fan of. However, it was a bit too salty in certain bites. But overall, I highly recommend Favazza's if you haven't been before.

... and then I found a dollar

2011-02-10T20:30:00.002-06:00

Multiple lessons were learned today:

Psalms 127:2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat - for He grants sleep to those He loves.
Start assignments earlier.
If you see a dollar bill on a window sill in the DUC, think about whether it is a psych experiment for a second, then take it anyway :)

Ride in the back of a police car

2011-02-09T22:51:00.003-06:00

At approximately 3:40pm today, I rode in the back seat of a police car. It was surprisingly very much like sitting in the back of any other sedan, except that I was locked in and couldn't get out until the police woman opened the door.

Fortunately, it was not because I did anything wrong. It is that time of year where I need to send in my out-of-state extension form for my vehicle tag renewal. Part of the form is having an officer verify that my car is, indeed, in St. Louis.

During the two minutes drive from WUPD to Wohl garage, she was telling me about how the officers prank each other. I couldn't believe it! Anyway, it was a very interesting afternoon to say the least...

Francis Field

2011-02-08T23:00:00.000-06:00

This is the view of Francis Field that I see walking back from the business school everyday.

Fun fact: Francis Field was the home of the 1904 Olympics track and field.

Another fun fact: It will likely be the site of Relay for Life 2011, and you should support me! click here to support me

Camera iphone app

2011-02-07T23:19:00.000-06:00

You see this retro square photo? Thanks to the amazing Hipstamatic iPhone app, I can take polaroid-like photos again! With this app, you can switch "lenses" that change the color of the photo, and "film" that affects the texture of the border. Very cool FREE app :)

Technology is ridiculous these days.

Super Bowl Commercials 2011

2011-02-06T11:32:00.008-06:00

Click on the name of the commercial in blue to watch on youtube.

Favorite commercials:

Doritos - House Sitting If I had a superpower, it would be the ability of solving anyone's problems with a hug. If that doesn't work, then I'd want the ability of bringing anything back to life with Doritos :)
Bridgestone - Carma Too cute! Save my life, and I'll save yours. Peace.
Volkswagen - The Force It is really interesting to see the marketers twist the story so that the audience would fall in love with child Darth Vader as he tries to use the force.

Most awkward:

Doritos - The Best Part Talk about invading personal space! And I thought I was awkward...

Best Parodies

Original: 1984 Apple's Macintosh Classic. One of the best commercials in history.
Current: Motorola Xoom Honestly, I don't think this one does as good of a job breaking out of the mundane norm because the white is so bright, and because the climax is not as dramatic.
Original: Coca-Cola Mean Joe Green Another classic frequently alluded to
Current: House - Churro Hilarious! House is so much meaner than Mean Joe Green. Very well done.

Guest Post #1: Jerelaiah on LNYF

2011-02-05T23:45:00.000-06:00

::Drumroll:: Today we have our first guest post from Jerelaiah on this thoughts on LNYF. Enjoy :)

LNYF 2011.

Best Lunar New Year Festival yet.

Not just because of the dances, which reached new levels this year. We coordinated Lion to be more fun, interactive, and to have more choreography. They even have names now; courtesy of Wendy, the red/black is Cinnamon, white/gold is Sugar, and the little one is Pepper. Sending Pepper out into the audience was a stroke of genius. We got the crowd off to a good start and as the opening act to the show, I think it helped set the tone for the rest of the evening. Have fun, enjoy what you're about to see. It was the best Lion dance I've seen/done in the 4 years I've been here.

Fusion, Chinese Fan were particularly impressive to me. But none of the other acts came off as contrived or unnecessary. Even the skit, traditionally a part that makes the audience cringe in its cheesiness and over-the-top ridiculousness, was excellent. Enough humor, seriousness, and a conclusion that made sense in that it wasn't really a conclusion to the main plot at all but rather focused on the overall theme of Reflection. And the audience ate it all up; they laughed, cheered, ooohed and aahhed in a way that was far more involved than in years past.

We often shared space with Tinikling, practicing in the rooms large enough to accommodate their giant bamboos sticks and our tall lion costumes. I had the pleasure of shooting one of their practices. The fun they had (and we had in our own practices) was indicative of the atmosphere of LNYF. These were unique experiences we were having, unique cultural traditions we were learning together. College is all about those special experiences we can't get anywhere else.

Like Senior Dance. Between the booty drops, body rolls and general ridiculousness, I never had so much fun with people I barely knew before these past couple weeks. Lion Dance was my focus, my main mission. Senior Dance was my party after having accomplished said mission.

Joy was a great partner. We practiced, we drilled our steps. And we still messed up some in the Saturday show (I mean, we only started learning the dance 6 days before the show...). But we still killed it. I've experienced a lot with Joy, from our Freshmen Drama-mime to sticking 5 people in a car from STL to LA to a penguin parade at the zoo; this crazy senior dance we did together will last a long time in the memory bank. I'm not a great dancer. All the footwork and coordination one can gain through sports doesn't really translate well, but still, we were indisputably awesome because of how much fun we had as a group of seniors.

In any case, LNYF was a blast. It's been less than two days since our epic show. I miss the hell out of it already.

LNYF Senior Dance

2011-02-04T23:58:00.000-06:00

Understanding that I only have one semester left, I am trying to make the most of my time here at WashU. This involves doing things that I haven't done before, including dancing in our annual Lunar New Year Festival. So... I signed up for senior dance, which is a silly and fun choreographed dance to current pop songs (... and Spice Girls). It was fun dancing alongside my classmates, especially since I don't see them that often.

My one regret of college is not doing this sooner. I wish someone told me freshman year that I shouldn't wait until senior year to try new things and make the most out of what WashU has to offer. But hey, at least I'm doing it now and enjoying it.

Corny lesson of the day/semester/year: Milk WashU for all it is worth. If life gives you lemons, squeeze out every last drop. Live each year like it is your last.

Guest post from Jerelaiah coming soon...

Lunar New Year

2011-02-03T14:55:00.000-06:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

Night Lights

2011-02-02T11:58:00.000-06:00

These late nights practicing senior dance for LNYF has left me without words, so I apologize for the less-than-inspirational blog post. This is a view of the lamp light through the icy branches, and the view of campus at night.

Btw, the snowflakes were pretty legit today.

Snow Day

2011-02-01T15:11:00.002-06:00

Due to inclement weather, all of campus is shut down except the police department and dining services. The road conditions are getting worse and the university has asked students to stay inside when possible. Hopefully the electricity doesn't go out...

Ice Storm

2011-01-31T17:47:00.002-06:00

A huge winter storm is working its way through St. Louis today, starting with freezing rain covering the city in a layer of ice. Classes were canceled for the first time since 1983. Tomorrow is rumored to bring 11 inches of snow. I hope classes are canceled tomorrow too!

Fireworks

2011-01-30T23:30:00.001-06:00

"You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
Cause baby you're a firework"
- Katy Perry

In the first time in 30 years, WashU had a fireworks show, this time to launch the WashU Lunar New Year Festival. Some friends and I got a pretty decent view from inside the top floor of the library as we avoided the cold. Here's the picture from inside.

At the moment, I'm really digging Katy Perry's Firework song. In a way, it's upping the ante from "This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine." God, please ignite my light.

Sculpture Park and Magic House

2011-01-28T23:43:00.000-06:00

The fun thing about being a second semester senior "riding off into the sunset" (as my professor says) is that I am only taking 12 credit hours and have Fridays off! Today we went on an epic day trip around the city of Kirkwood, MO. First, we wandered Laumeier Sculpture park trying to interpret the meaning of the art pieces as ridiculously as possible. Next, we drove over to the Magic House and played amongst the children as we explored science in fun ways. Finally we hit up Red Mango for the most delicious frozen yogurt in St. Louis, and got some Chick-fil-a from West County Mall. T'was a good day to say the least :)

Burning sky

2011-01-27T18:39:00.002-06:00

The sunset was unbelievably red tonight that it looked like it was burning. This photo does not do justice to show the beauty and glory of the sunset.

Energy

2011-01-26T20:33:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend, my baby (car) ran out of battery twice. When trying to turn on the ignition, the poor thing was crying out to me saying "Ughhhh I'm dyyyyinnnggg." Yep, just like that. We were able to jump start it, a new skill that I've picked up this week. The auto repair man said it wasn't the alternator, but just a very old battery. The battery has been replaced, so it is full of energy and running great now.

Is there a saying out there that a car is like its owner? Well, there should be. Over the course of this week, I've been feeling particularly low on energy and haven't been able to function to the best of my ability. It affects my cognitive functioning, preventing me from being able to process my thoughts in conversation and in strategy (spades, etc). My guess is it is a combination of lack of sleep and an unbalanced diet. I need to replace my battery... this routine is not healthy for me and it isn't glorifying God.

Perm

2011-01-25T21:33:00.001-06:00

Diana and Kevin had a bet that if she gained 7 lbs, then she could perm his hair. The messed up scale in his bathroom said she gained 7, but it turns out it was just 2 lb haha. Anyway, he "lost" the bet, so we permed his hair using a salon kit.

Lesson of the day: Accountability can be fun :)

Uber Fail

2011-01-24T23:41:00.004-06:00

Using the leftover cheese platter from tonight's floor programing, I cooked my first homemade mac-n-cheese. The recipe called for olive oil, flour, milk and cheese, but I don't think I made the sauce properly. The texture of the sauce is very clumpy and grainy with a strong flavor of olive oil. Instead of heating the olive oil and flour on medium heat, I put it on high, and instead of slowly mixing in the milk, I dumped it all in. That's probably why the texture of the sauce was so repulsive. Uber fail...

Lesson of the day: Don't rush processes that need time.

Soil

2011-01-23T14:35:00.001-06:00

Our community service event for DSP rush was filling these plastic bins with soil for future seedlings at the greenhouses in Forest Park. It was really random, but really fun.

This reminded me of the parable of the sower in Mark 4, where the sower plants seeds that grow differently depending on the type of soil that it lands in. I have to remember that my duty is to sow seeds and hope for the best, but ultimately God decides what type of soil is in a person's heart at the time.

Settlers of Catan

2011-01-22T23:22:00.000-06:00

In the last week or so, my friends and I have played Settlers of Catan every night. My favorite past time is playing board games, especially Settlers. What I love about this game is not just the strategic planning needed, but also the negotiating of resources.

The better you are at politicking, the better you fare. If you ruthlessly seek revenge and make moves to spite the other players, the less people like you and are more likely to gain up on you. On the other hand, the more gracious you seem to others, the more generous they will be to you in your negotiations. So in a way, winning is all about how you play the game.

Guide

2011-01-21T23:28:00.001-06:00

Michele came to visit! We lived together the summer after my freshman year. I love this girl for many reasons. 1) She helped me get through a low point in my life. 2) She proves that nothing is impossible.

At large group tonight, the speaker spoke on how God is like a mute guide on our journey in life. He brings us places, but may or may not explain where we're there. He'll also tell us just enough so that we can take another step. "Revelation is the gift of obedience." I must obey what God tells me to do, and he will reveal more afterward. I need to obey God in starting this GIG, and trust that he will help me along the way.

Snow Fall

2011-01-20T15:22:00.000-06:00

SNOWWW! A beautiful 11 inches of snow fell last night and covered our campus in a thick blanket of powdery goodness.

Mingling

2011-01-19T20:41:00.000-06:00

New rushees walked around aimlessly while trying not to look awkward in a sea of new faces. I love it. We had our first rush event for DSP this afternoon called Meet the Chapter. I wonder how much being in the working world is like being at today's Meet the Chapter. If you think about it, both scenarios have strangers wandering around trying to introduce themselves and make connections with each other. Therefore, DSP is training us to become better business people by having this rush event! Brilliant.

First Day of the Last Semester

2011-01-18T18:47:00.000-06:00

Classes started today! What I've learned as a seasoned student is that God blesses me with good grades the most when I put furthering His Kingdom before getting good grades. The more I turn down people in order to study, the worse grades I make. And its the semesters when I'm in over my head that God swoops down and showers me with grace. He stretches time for me so that I can finish things in time, and he helps draw out my memory during exams. So what does that mean for me this semester? Prioritize relationships.