Saturday, January 28, 2012


..every girl needs a pair of purple dancing shoes

and a silly excuse to play with my camera :D wheeeeeeee

also, really fun interview with church hatin' jeff bethke.  a lot of really honest convictions and he's so articulate!    like lisa, i'd ask him to marry me too if he weren't such a young'n.  (although a very mature young'n..)  k anyways.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

good morning!


i haven't done this in a LONG time, so thank you nga-man for letting me practice my breakfast making skills :D  sometimes i get a little sad knowing i can't hang out after work like normal people.  but once in awhile, someone comes along with the a schedule just like mine and then everything is right in the world again.

on the menu today, breakfast tortillas!
- fried corn tortilla
- refried beans
- fried egg
- sauteed garlic, mushroom and asparagus
- shredded mexican blend cheese
- cilantro
- fresh salsa

round table discussion
- here a vent, there a vent, everywhere a vent vent
- encouraging each other in our life and our work place
- easing pending blind date queasiness
- other sorts of girl kinda stuff  ^__^

it's gonna be a great day today.  as soon as i finish my second cup of coffee.  yay!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

act your age, not your shoe size


four good things.  FOUR, my friends!!

i'd mentioned several months ago about sharing my thoughts about being a woman.  this is one trait that i'm beginning to think is essential to us ladies.  and that is to be continually joyful.  not easy, i tell you.  i don't think i even need to go into detail about this.. haha

learning to be joyful, i'm finding, is not just a reflection of inward happiness but more importantly an indicator of maturity.  if i think about the causes of a loss of joy, things that come to mind are hopelessness of my state of life, bitterness towards other people, an empty refrigerator, general despair, loneliness, envy.. the tendency to mope is so easy i don't even need to try.  but to rise above it is like trying to pick up my bunny - not impossible but requires much struggle and kicking.

in doing so though, i think i can be whole lot more productive - whether it's giving up to god the things that are his or driving myself to trader joe's.  i always think of the analogy of first world problems versus third world problems.  even though i can't foresee the future, i have a feeling the things that i deal with at my young age of 26 are small and childish in comparison to the life ahead of me.  (not to completely diminish my crabby-patty feelings though, as i think god has many things to teach me and strengthen me where i am at present)  but realistically, my struggles now include me, my bunny and the occasional third party.  i don't have a significant other, no kids, no big responsibilities other than my own, no health issues, no familial obligations..  my thought is if i can't learn to act maturely now, how in the world will i survive life as a real adult??

as a side note, i think maturity is synonymous to having the kinda wisdom found in proverbs...

four things i'm glad for:
- i finally found myself a new watch!  no longer will people have to remind me that my watch as a giant crack through the face.
- taking wizard bokeh pics with my new lens
- finding my bunny nestled between my freshly laundered clothes.  he's so sweet <3
- coffee mornings with dear friend

Monday, January 23, 2012

New glasses

Welllll.... This is embarrassing. I found a pair of super hip glasses at Costco - land where dreams come true. They rock cuz they're hip and for being plastic frames, they fit surprisingly snug on my flat face with even flatter nose.

The problem is, I look ridiculously silly. But I love em cuz they're so different!  Deep sigh. Can't decide whether to keep them or exchange them for a pair of blah vanilla ice cream rims.


Monday, January 16, 2012

photos over logos


i'm grateful for a friend like clare =]


would you buy a laptop case like this?

Saturday, January 14, 2012

two-fold purposes and a good song

this was today's failure moment:

at about 7:20pm i pulled into the davis commons shopping center, dodging a trillion cars looking for parking spots in the small lot of minimum occupancy ratio compared to its retail offerings.  on the one hand it's entertaining to see cars stalk people returning to their vehicles (only to find that their car is parked on the opposite side of the line) or the bright red flash of cars switching on their turn blinkers to indicate to the rest of the spot preyers that they've called dibs on the guy pulling out (except that they've miscalculated and the guy really only just arrived).  no doubt it's a mad scramble in that small space during friday night dinner hour.  lucky for me, one spot laid completely open on the outer edge of the lot.  first spot closest to the entrance of the shopping center too!  bizarre that no one else was clamoring for this prime location.. so i casually moseyed my way over and parked my silver dinosaur, no sweat.  score!!

the reason for this stop before fellowship tonight was two-fold.  one, i got home from work exhausted so i took a nap up until the time i needed to leave for davis.  waking up starving but with little time to spare, i made up my mind to stop at jamba juice for my favorite peenya kowlada and maybe a cheesy pretzel.  two, many of my coworkers have been coming to work sick so i wanted to reinforce my body with a dose of drinkable vitamins.

what i didn't expect after weaving through the mikuni and ben & jerry crowd was to find my hunger haven devoid of happy glowing lights.  whaaa?!?!?  disgruntled, i didn't even bother to see what the reason for closure was.  i think i just uttered the sound behhhh and made my way back through the crowds and back to my car.

defeat is the feeling of backing out of a most covetable parking spot that i'd only been able to experience less than 5 minutes of glory.  it was a very humbling moment..


streaming thoughts aloud..
and this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and the depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through jesus christ - to the glory and praise of god.
the more i think about this verse, the more juicy it seems.  it is evident in paul's ministry that everything he does is empowered by the holy spirit, for the sake of jesus christ, for the glory of god.  there is nothing "paul" about it.  therefore, to dissect the meaning of love (v.9) in our own human terms is futile.  debating whether it's a checks and balance ordeal or a chicken before the egg dilemma really just misses the point.

my friend john footnotes this biblical love in terms of that which is deeply rooted in the truth of scripture and is regulated by it - not of the sentimental froo-froo type.  in a sense, this is not very pretty..  ephesians 5 says live a life of love, just as christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering.  the gospels detail this horrifically beautiful sacrifice that, like my trip to jamba juice, was also two-fold.  one, by his blood we are saved from our sins and unified with christ, of whom without we would have no hope of life.  and two, that his humanity would be an example for us to follow - that others would see and know that he is good.

question 5d of tonight's study asks can you dislike someone and still love them?  thinking about the response to this question is so sobering.  paul always expresses himself with tears in his eyes and this moment, i think is no exception.  in his genial handwriting i feel like he's saying don't you see what christ has done?!?!  now you too, do the same!  mr. macarthur is right; in understanding the truth of the scripture, there is no question that the conviction to love abounds - to be great in number or amount.

ideally, the application of this knowledge is that all dislike and grudge and resentment and all that kinda stuff would go away.  HA  i guess that's why paul adds later on to continue to work out your salvation.. to keep pursuing obedience in the process of sanctification.

good good lesson.

when i was driving home, i thought this song really summarized the message of tonight.  also, just want to share the love of gungor with you all  ^__^

Saturday, January 7, 2012

i can, can you?

this was really funny to me..  in addition to the wealth of articles written about everything love, life and theology for young adults, boundless also runs a blog with shorter thought provoking exposés.  having followed this website since my freshman year in college, i sometimes feel like i've read just about everything there is to read about life as a young adult.  unfortunately these days i'm just a little bit less than ecstatic about every new article.  yes, even the relationship ones. 

browsing through my reader at work this afternoon, i found this short blog post very interesting..  written by the intern-turned editor/producer of boundless (and of single status), martha writes:
I hate to admit my insecurities, but today I'm going to do just that. What is it, you ask? Cooking.
You see, I think I like it, and I want to like it. But I don't do it very often.

Cooking for a household of one often involves boiling a pot of water and popping open a jar of pasta sauce. Or washing and slicing an apple, and spooning out a heap of peanut butter for dipping. On a good day, I'll microwave a bowl of soup and maybe have a salad, bread or fruit on the side. Simplicity rules the day.

So you can imagine my discomfort when a person, especially one of the opposite sex, asks me, "Do you like to cook?" I feel like I will either pass or fail his Future Spouse Check List with my answer.

To say, "Oh, yes, I found this yummy new cereal that tastes great with sliced fresh strawberries" is likely an automatic fail. To pass, I imagine the correct answer to be, "Yes! In fact, last night I grilled a fantastic steak and had the most delicious side of garlic mashed potatoes, finished with a dessert of triple-layer, double chocolate cake."

But what single woman has the time or the desire to cook like that on a regular basis? I know I don't.

Growing up, my mom did all of the cooking. I anticipate happily fulfilling that role in marriage, but at the same time, I'm not convinced I have the ability to do it well — certainly not without a lot more practice.

Can you relate? Maybe it's not food, but is there something else you fear you won't do well in marriage? Where does your fear stem from?
but is was the ensuing comments that generated even more interest..  comments from both single and married, women and men alike - many encouraging martha to step it up as cooking is something that is simple, necessary and perhaps fundamental to the procurement of a husband.  the poor girl.  good thing is, having heard her talk on the boundless show i know she's got a funny bone to her advantage and isn't likely to crawl into a hole of shame after reading some of these comments...

  starting with:

You're saying you don't have the time to cook now as a single woman? Wait till you have kids and are running a household! The time to practice and become good at cooking is now.

Why do you imagine that cooking such a steak or whipping up some mashed potatoes takes a whole lot of time?  (submitted by a dude - followed by a detailed recipe.. followed by several females supporting his two cents)

I'd encourage singles to practice these "i want to cook for a family someday" skills in a realistic way:
-Get some good basic skills under your belt.
-Don't make every meal Kraft Mac & Cheese, but it doesn't mean that you can't have Mac & Cheese.
-Cook for others. Practice on moms who have had new babies or new neighbors or your community group or your Bible Study or your friends.

But I did once hear a single guy say "Ladies, when you're going to a party, never bring something store bought. Men are watching!" 

Big, freezable portions are your friend. I've been single and living on my own for seven years and I've learned to cook delicious healthy meals for one without relying on jarred sauces. 

;) You just need a little confidence in yourself!

You say you are concerned that it'll be a big adjustment when you get married? You are right to be concerned. It'll be a huge adjustment & disappointment both for you and for the husband you led to believe you were eager to cook for.
 It would be wise to begin practicing sooner rather than later. It would be a good way to serve your husband & children in advance of receiving them.

When I got married I wished I was a better cook because we kept having the same boring dinners over and over, plus my husband is never shy on letting me know when the food could use some improvement. There were more than a few crying sessions at the dinner table that first year.


I'm single and practically I bring something home cooked to work every day. 

yikes.  tough crowd.  okay, so i really did just go through and selectively pick out the worst.  there's definitely a fair share of encouraging voices and understanding that these sort of roles aren't singular to the success of a marriage.  i also suspect that the guys i know don't necessarily find this to be a dealbreaker sort of topic.  but just for fun..  let's say you really wanted to go little-house-on-the prairie on me, i'd like to propose the same to the men.  

can you wield a chain saw?
can you build me the log cabin of my dreams? with nothing but a tomahawk?
can you bring home bear bacon?
can you wrestle a panther?
can you blow smoke rings with your pipe?  
can you take apart a lawn mower and put it back together?
can you grow a legitimate beard?
can you rebuild an auto transmission?
can you build a fire? without a zippo?
can you do pullups? with your pinky finger?

are you man enough?
i rest my case.


Friday, January 6, 2012

from the diary of a coffee addict

who was i kidding, thinking i could go on a coffee fast for a month?!

it all started out pretty harmless.  my mom gave me a pack of organic free-trade green tea that came in a really fancy canister package at the close of last year.  if you know me, i'm easily sold by pretty packaging.  you could even sell me a cow pie so long as it was wrapped up nice enough =/  anyways, antioxidant-rich coffee alternative in hand i thought making the switch would be easy peas-y.

how wrong i was.

after a considerable amount of ibuprofen i took to fend off the pounding midday headaches, the hours of silence my coworkers endured as i mentally checked myself into a rehab program at work, and my constant complaints of recurring chills and hot flashes.. my body mutinied and said enough is enough.

and now i give thanks to my moka pot cappuchino and my body responding gratefully to its usual dose of this drug that i love and hate and love a little bit more.

Monday, January 2, 2012

truth in [annoying] kid songs



hallelu
hallelu
hallelu
hallelujah
praise ye the lord



hallelu
hallelu
hallelu
hallelujah
praise ye the lord




praise ye the lord
hallelujah
praise ye the lord
hallelujah
praise ye the lord
hallelujah
praaiiise yeee the LORD




happy new year dear blog reading friends!

this last year came together quite nicely.. it still scares me when i remember the events of my car crushing incident.  i thank the lord for japanese car makers for designing a car with 5-star front end crash ratings.  and i also thank him for well.. everything between and beyond.  once again, i live at the mercy of christ :)  by his grace i'm now equipped with a mini tank, clean driving record and brand new insurance policy in hand. all of which are gigantour miracles in and of themselves.  clean driving record, reaLLy, rEALLy??!?  siiiiiiigh.  that he would consider me worthy of these things in beyond me.

so if you would all raise your mouse together with me,
to a new year praising the lord - in happiness or unhappiness, good health or sickness,  peace or unrest, thanksgiving or injustice, divine appointment or seeming loss of rabbit foot.