Put the Puppy in the Bucket!

To my readers: I'm so sorry that I couldn't get this posted earlier today. But my computer decided to have a "moment" or two. It was being very disobedient. But, don't you worry, here it is! Enjoy!

You're probably thinking "What?!" to my title. It really doesn't mean anything. This morning, I was listening to KROQ on my way to work, and they were interviewing this guy. They were talking about how Larry the Cable Guy came up with a phrase and turned it into a 13 million dollar empire by selling it on t-shirts, mugs, etc. So, on the morning show, they decided that they were going to try to come up with a phrase and make it popular! So, that's where the title comes from. Every time I think about it, I would laugh to myself. All of a sudden, I would just start chuckling. I don't know why, but it's such a funny phrase to me! I actually used it in an email today too. I just busted up writing that email and just now when I wrote it on the subject line. My co-worker even made a comment about how I like to laugh by myself. =)

Well, this weekend was so much fun! I had a great time watching four episodes of Band of Brothers with my new friend Elaine. I really like her and we have so much fun together. The first time I had her over, she wrote me the day after how I was to be her encourager and motivator to live out life. It was so sweet. We both felt that God has brought us together at the right time. Also, she makes the best, and I mean the best, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. We had leftovers and I hid it so my roommates won't find it and eat it. It's all mine! It's amazing! Now I just need ice cream and it will be perfect!

Then on Sunday, I hung out with Dana and Josh at Disneyland. We had so much fun. Josh was being "Ansel Adam" with the camera. We got on 3 rides during the 7 hours that we were there. We walked a lot! But the company was great and we laughed a lot! Those are the best times, you know. We saw a lot of girls wearing lingerie and really short shorts. We saw butt cracks and spewing of the boobs. Overall, it was a fun day.

Okay, now enough about me, let's get on with the prayer requests!

The Vencels: I feel we have so many praises! Si has a new job that he loves, things are going well at home so far without him here all the time, and both the kids are well at the same time for the first time in almost four months. My prayer requests would be for two events we are having at our home as part of our ministry. The first is on Friday night. It is called a PigFest and the purpose is to help members of our ministry learn to think through some cultural issues so that they will be better prepared to explain the faith to people they meet throughout their days (coworkers, etc.) So far, the signups are kind of low. Si had high hopes for this event! The second event is a women's fellowship I am planning to have at the house on Wednesday the 12th. We have had a lot of new couples join the ministry, so this will be a mixing of worlds--women who have been there for three years meeting with women who are brand new in the last few months. Pray that there will be an absence of cliques--and that there won't be any discipline problems with the children that come along.

Kim: Continue to pray for my job next year. They are revamping the entire special ed. program which means I can be placed at any of the 42 schools in the district. Please pray that I will feel confident wherever I am and that God will continue to use me in the lives of these hurting children.

Rahime: Here's an update: My friend has started working with me. She's great. We can keep praying that we find a few more students for her. I talked to Lauren, and she's doing well too. She got a job at a law office that basically fell into her lap. Praise God! Pray that it'll help build her confidence.

Kristie: Pray for Nate. He is studying for his Oral Exam, which he will take the first week of May. Pray that God will reward all his hard effort and that I would be a supportive wife through this final push. Thanks!

Gina: Things are starting to move along with the LBPD. Last week, they started their background check with neighbors, co-workers, friends and family. Pray for continue guidance with the whole process.

Grace: Pray for wisdom, guidance and strength.

Pray for for my friends, the Zahrndts. They just became foster parents to two teenage kids. One has really bad health problems and needs a lot of attention. They also have 3 kids of their own. They are such courageous people and felt that God has opened this opportunity up to them. Pray for their transition and guidance during this time.

If you have any updates or additions, please let me know! Have a great week!

What Should This Title Be?

Once again, I've fallen behind in asking for prayer requests! Sorry. So, if you could, please send your requests/updates in by Monday night so that I can post them by Tuesday morning!

Well, I've noticed that I hardly post anything about myself or my thoughts anymore. It's mostly prayer request reminders and prayer requests. I'm sorry and I will try to do better. :) But for now, I have to run. My friend Elaine is coming over and we are going to watch Band of Brothers! I'm so excited because she's a new friend and we're going to watch one of my all time favorite mini-series! Couldn't get better than this on a cold and rainy day!

One Down, One More To Go.

Thank you for all your prayers about the Open Doors job. They told me today that I can start tomorrow. Yippee! They are totally understanding about me pursuing another job too. It's a great situation! So, once again, thank you for your prayers!

Prayer Requests :)

First of all, I just want to say that I'm so proud that I have a group of friends that are willing to commit in prayer for one another. It is so powerful and I'm so grateful for each one of you. Secondly, it's so awesome to see how prayers are being answered and God's work in all the situations. I just want to say that I have amazing friends.

This week, I want to encourage you again to pick a time to fast. If you need instructions, please click on this past post.

So, here are the prayer requests for this week:

Kim: You can continue to pray for my job next year. They are revamping the entire special ed. program which means I can be placed at any of the 42 schools in the district. Please pray that I will feel confident wherever I am and that God will continue to use me in the lives of these hurting children.

Rahime: Here's an update: My friend has started working with me. She's great. We can keep praying that we find a few more students for her. I talked to Lauren, and she's doing well too. She got a job at a law office that basically fell into her lap. Praise God! Pray that it'll help build her confidence.

Brandy: Our nephew, M., came out of surgery on Friday. The next 10 days are critical for his recovery and the whole family's sanity. M. is VERY MAD that his feet are in casts. He also is being fed through his stomach tube rather than his mouth (to let it heal), and this also ticks him off! He is one MAD little boy. =) But he must not be in too much pain if he has the energy to complain about things. On Monday, he will have some stitches removed, and then on Friday they will fix one of the tubes in his ears (it filled with fluid and he can't hear out of it until they fix it). I think that is all I know for now...Keep praying for them!

Pray for Si, he's official first day at the new job is on Monday, so prayers for our transition would be much appreciated.

Abby: Praise God. Had her 3-months interview on Friday and it went really well!

Kristie: Pray for Nate. He is studying for his Oral Exam, which he will take the first week of May. Pray that God will reward all his hard effort and that I would be a supportive wife through this final push. Thanks!

Gina: Things are starting to move along with the LBPD. Last week, they started their background check with neighbors, co-workers, friends and family. Pray for continue guidance with the whole process.

Grace: Most of you know that I've been volunteering at Open Doors and last week, one of the lady told me they are trying to make it into a paid position for me. So, right now, they are just waiting to see if they have the money in the budget for it. It would be a temp job for right now. So, pray that they are able to find the money and hire me on for the time being. I'm also in the process, well, waiting to be exact, for a position that I've applied for weeks ago. I just found out that they aren't starting the hiring process till April. Just pray for me as I continue to wait and for strength. I'm just so tired of waiting!

For for my friends, the Zahrndts. They just became foster parents to two teenage kids. One has really bad health problems and needs a lot of attention. They also have 3 kids of their own. They are such courageous people and felt that God has opened this opportunity up to them. Pray for their transition and guidance during this time.

Invisible Children: Pray for the Invisible Children Project. Pray for their upcoming project in the US, Global Night Commute on April 29th. This is a gathering where people can experience what thousands of children in Uganda experience each night: they leave their homes out of fear of abduction and walk miles into town to sleep. Pray that the people organizing this event and those who are participating.

**Once again, if you haven't seen the documentary, please find a screening and go to it. OR buy the DVD and host a house party. They have kits to help you host a house party on their website.**

Just A Friendly Reminder!

Please don't forget to send in your prayer requests/updates for next week! =)

One More Request

Abby: Continue to pray for her 3-month review that's coming up anytime now. She's never gone through any kind of evaluation like this before, so she's quite nervous.

Prayer Requests (3/21/06)

Hello friends! Here are the prayer requests for this week. I've taken some out because I'm just not sure if it still needs prayer or not. If you don't see yours on here, please let me know! Happy praying!

Mark 11:24

"Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."

C: Pray for M. He is having surgery on the 24th on his palate and then both feet. First, of course, for his safety during surgery and success of the procedures. But also for recovery, that he would not get any infections, that he would not be allergic to any of the painkillers. He will need to be restrained by the arms, plus have both feet in casts for a few weeks, so also prayer for C, that she will know how to stimulate his mind and keep him occupied when he basically cannot move. And also patience on the part of the rest of the family while she is focused on M.

The Vencels: Praise God for Si's new job! Pray for Brandy that she will get better soon!

Kim: Pray for my job next year. The special ed. department is reorganizing so I'm not completely sure where I will be yet. It's always hard to start at a new school. It's like beginning all over again.

Kristie: Pray for Nate. He is studying for his Oral Exam, which he will take the first week of May. Pray that God will reward all his hard effort and that I would be a supportive wife through this final push. Thanks!

Gina: Pray for a job for Paul. Waiting to see if he got into the Police Academy. Pray for a baby and God's timing.

Grace: Pray for employment. Need guidance, wisdom, strength and clarity. Praise God that I have the opportunity to go and volunteer at Open Doors. Praise God for new friendships.

Invisible Children: Pray for the Invisible Children Project. Pray for their upcoming project in the US, Global Night Commute on April 29th. This is a gathering where people can experience what thousands of children in Uganda experience each night: they leave their homes out of fear of abduction and walk miles into town to sleep. Pray that the people organizing this event and those who are participating.

**Once again, if you haven't seen the documentary, please find a screening and go to it. OR buy the DVD and host a house party. They have kits to help you host a house party on their website.**

This Week in Review.

So, I've been volunteering at Open Doors 2-3 times a week. They have put me on this semi-long term project. Recently, they've switched their whole database system. So, now, I'm going through their never-ending church list and making changes and additions into their new system.

While researching information online for different churches, I came across two that I just couldn't stop laughing about because of their name and location. The first one is this church called Scary Creek Church of God located at 340 Scary Road. The second one is named Scary Free Will Baptist Church.

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I know I'm late on asking this. Please let me know what your prayer requests are for this week. Let me know if there are any updates or I will just repost the same ones from the last two weeks. Repetition is always a good thing! =)

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Let's all congratulate Si with his new job! God is so good!

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Yesterday night (Saturday), I had the opportunity to go to Universal Studios for the day and went to a David Crowder/Third Day concert at night. During the concert, there was a promotion for a project called Invisible Children. If you haven't heard of this, PLEASE check out their website by clicking on their name above. Also, if you haven't seen the movie yet, you really should. On the site, you can find a list of places where you can see the movie. You can also purchase the DVD and the proceed will help this project.

New Prayer Request.

Received this last week. Forgot to put into the list. So, here it is. Thanks!

Johnny Do: The orphanage in which I stayed at last summer has been closed down by the indian government due to increased pressure from hindu millitants. The government seized all assets of Hopegivers Int./Emmanuel Ministries, and arrested two top ministry officials. The crime is persuading the orphans to become christians. It is not illegal to become christian or to convert others to christians, but permission in writing must first be granted from the government in order for it to be legal. All the doctors have been driven out, and the orphanages are without food, electricity, or water. We are awaiting a hearing from the government to determine whether or not bail will be allowed. Several churches have been burned down, and the over 200 orphanages are not able to care for the children. I have attached some letters for your convenience if you would like to help. Please pray for the situation. Thank you!

Prayer Time!

So, I had the post all ready and pushed the "Publish Post" button, only to find out that it wasn't going to publish and completely deleted what I had done. So, here I go again.

This week, I read this chapter in a book that talked about boldly confessing God's word and following that the author says that from the moment you wake up, we need to begin our day by speaking words of faith and victory. I shared this idea with my dear friend, Gina, and I've asked her to join me in doing this. So, if this is something that you would like to do, please join us. It's fairly easy. Here are the steps:

1. Purchase notecards or make some.

2. Find and write down scriptures on cards, particularly those that apply to your life situation. 3. Every morning, grab them before getting out of bed, and declare them aloud with faith and confidence.

4. If you want, share with us your experience(s).

5. If you find a verse or verses and would like to share them, please do by posting a comment.

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Below are the prayer requests for this week. I've divided them up into different days of the week. Pray for that particular request(s) throughout that day. Let us know if anything changed and/or if you have new request(s)! Happy Praying! =)

Monday

The Vencels: Si had interviewed two weeks ago for a marketing position at a local hospital. We've been waiting to hear, and last week we got a call asking him to come in for a second interview. Yippee!! That is a praise. And now the request: please pray that he excels in his interview on Monday morning at 9am (for some, it's TODAY!), and that the Lord's will prevails in regard to acquiring this job.

Tuesday

Grace: Pray for a job for me! I turned in my resume for the job that I really would like. Praise God for helping me write my cover letter! Now, I'm just waiting to hear back and waiting is the hardest part. Pray for patience. Pray that I will have clarity in the direction that God has for me. Praise God for the peace that I feel about my life!

Abby: Pray for her 3-month review that's coming up anytime now. She's never gone through any kind of evaluation like this before, so she's quite nervous. Pray that she will be motivated to start working out again.

Wednesday

Kristie: Prayer for wisdom regarding our current and future plans (job, home, etc...) and that I would continue to find contentment in what God has for me today.

Gina: Pray for a job for Paul. Waiting to see if he got into the Police Academy. Pray for a baby and God's timing.

Thursday

Rahime: For her friend, Ruth, for a smooth transition in tutoring with her. Praise God for finding her so quickly! Praise for Lauren's current stability and continue prayer for her growth and healing.

Kim: Pray for her kids at school. They go through so much and it is a miracle they are even able to learn with all that is on their minds.

Friday

C: Pray for M. He is having surgery on the 24th on his palate and then both feet. First, of course, for his safety during surgery and success of the procedures. But also for recovery, that he would not get any infections, that he would not be allergic to any of the painkillers. He will need to be restrained by the arms, plus have both feet in casts for a few weeks, so also prayer for C, that she will know how to stimulate his mind and keep him occupied when he basically cannot move. And also patience on the part of the rest of the family while she is focused on M.

**Let us know if:

1. You have any more requests. I'll post it on next week's list.

2. Anything happened!

3. You want to share your experience.**

Be Inspired!

Last Thursday, I forced myself to go to the gym at 3:30 PM. I like to go at that time because I can watch Oprah while I'm exercising. That's what I call multi-tasking. =) Anyway, I caught the last bit of her show in which she interviewed a father and his handicapped son, Dick & Rick Hoyt. This was an amazing interview. I almost starting balling on the Elliptical. But good thing, I kept myself together through it all. This story is just so inspirational. So, please click on the two links below which will direct you to a short interview of who they are and a music video of their journey. You can also click on their names above to get to their website.

*Tissues are advised, but not required.*
Dick & Rick Hoyt Video 1 (This requires Windows Media Player)
Dick & Rick Hoyt Video 2 (This one you will have a choice between Windows Media Player or Quick Time. On the WMP, you can right click and have it become full screen. You may also want to turn the volume up on this because it just makes it so much better.)

Be inspired!

I Got Rejected...

by a computer! Yeah, really, I did. It's quite funny. I can't stop laughing about it. So, yesterday night I decided that while I'm hunting for that perfect job, I should try to look for a job that I can just work at it for a few months. So, I decided that I would try to shoot for a teller position at a bank. Granted that I've never worked as a teller before, but I figure that after 2 years and 4 months of handling all the money that comes in at my last job and going to the bank on a weekly basis, that would give me some sort of qualification.

Well, I guess I'm not qualified as I took a survey for Bank of America. It's about 100 questions. You have the choose the answer that best describe you or you can select "not sure/does not apply." I answered each question honestly and chose the best answer. At the end, the result was that my responses did not match up to the qualities of a teller. It goes on stating that with corporate rules, I cannot apply for a teller position at BofA for the next nine months.

After receiving the results, I was just cracking up. I mean, here I am being rejected by a computer survey! Seriously! My roommate couldn't believe it either. She even worked at a bank and was fired because she couldn't balance her drawer at the end of the day. So, naturally she was shocked that I wasn't qualified either.

What is this world coming to? When did a computerize survey determine whether you are qualified or not? What ever happen to meeting someone face to face and giving you a chance?

But, please don't feel sorry for me. I'm quite okay with this. I know that I am capable. I think. Maybe I should find a computerize shrink.

Love ya! Hope this brightened up your day!

Prayer Updates.

Thank you for fasting and praying this week. If you have any updates, new prayer requests or anything for next week, please let me know! Otherwise, the same requests will be posted for next week. I am going to change the format of it next week. So, check back on Monday morning. I'm really hoping that this will become a regular thing. So, please don't be shy to post your request(s) any day and any time! It's a good way for us to pray for one another when we are so far away! =)

Yeah, I Did It.

I went out and bought Elizabethtown and Season 5 & 6 of Friends. Thank God for giftcards! So, my roommate, Jessica, is filling out her FAFSA. Remember those days? I'm updating my blog and we have Friends on. What a great life, huh?

I'm trying to decide whether or not I should go to the gym. Why is it so hard to get to the gym? I mean, I want to be healthy. I want to be skinny. Why is that not enough to motivate me to go to the gym? Any one out there have the same problem as I do?! Is it just me?

Keep Checking.

Please keep checking in for any new requests throughout the week. The new requests will be at the top and in green under "Woo Hoo! It's Time to Pray!

Please use this list throughout the week!

Thank you!

Woo Hoo! It's Time To Pray!

So, I wanted to write something compelling about prayer. But I thought that may ruin the mood. So, I'm just going to list the prayer requests that was sent to me. Remember to pray with faith that God is a POSSIBLE God. Now, I'm going to leave you with a verse and the requests. Enjoy!

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do now see."

Hebrews 11:1

Brandy: I have an addition/update. Si had interviewed a week and a half ago for a marketing position at a local hospital. We've been waiting to hear, and this morning we got a call asking him to come in for a second interview. Yippee!! That is a praise.And now the request: please pray that he excels in his interview on Monday morning at 9am, and that the Lord's will prevails in regard to aquiring this job.

Kristie: Prayer for wisdom regarding our current and future plans (job, home, etc...) and that I would continue to find contentment in what God has for me today.

Gina: Pray for a job for Paul and a baby for them.

Rahime: For her friend, Ruth, for a smooth transition in tutoring with her. Praise God for finding her so quickly!
Praise for Lauren's current stability and continue prayer for her growth and healing.

Brandy: Pray for a job for Si.

Kim: Pray for her kids at school. They go through so much and it is a miracle they are even able to learn with all that is on their minds.

Abby: Pray for her 3-month review that's coming up anytime now. She's never gone through any kind of evaluation like this before, so she's quite nervous. Pray that she will be motivated to start working out again.

C: Pray for M. He is having surgery on the 24th on his palate and then both feet. First, of course, for his safety during surgery and success of the procedures. But also for recovery, that he would not get any infections, that he would not be allergic to any of the painkillers. He will need to be restrained by the arms, plus have both feet in casts for a few weeks, so also prayer for C, that she will know how to stimulate his mind and keep him occupied when he basically cannot move. And also patience on the part of the rest of the family while she is focused on M.

Grace: Pray for a job for me! I will be sending in my resume this week for a job that I really would like. Pray that I will have clarity in the direction that God has for me. Praise God for the peace that I feel about my life!

**Let us know if:
1. You have any more requests. I'll post it on next week's list.
2. Anything happened!
3. You want to share your experience.**

Will You Join Me?

I'm going to throw this out there and hope that all of you will join me!

Yesterday, I received an email from a friend. She told me that her church is having a day of fasting for a new church building. This woman is such an incredible prayer warrior. So, she told me that during this fast, she will also be praying for me and my own employment journey. I don't know why, but I felt so privileged that she is willing to fast and pray for me! So, this got me thinking, "It would be so awesome for our group of friends to come together to fast and pray! I mean, why not? It's not going to harm anyone."

So, you're probably thinking, "How are we going to do that?" Well, this is what I came up with:

1. Pick a day and time next week to do this. I don't really want to limit to a certain day, but for those who need a date, I've picked Monday, 3/6.

2. Pick something to fast from. It doesn't have to be a whole day experience, it could be partial. For example, you may just want to give up one meal rather than all the meals. Or you may want to give up using the computer, watching tv, etc.

3. If you have any prayer request(s) and would like to share them with others, you can email them to me. Let me know if you have any praise(s) as well! We wouldn't want to forget those! I will post these request(s) and praise(s) on my blog by Monday morning. **If you would like to remain "anonymous," just let me know in the email.** Please don't feel pressure to do this.

4. Enjoy the power of fasting and praying!

5. If you want, please let us know what you've experienced and learned.

I hope you will join me on this exciting journey. I'm not going to ask who did it and who didn't. And if you only want to pray and not fast, that's fine too! I won't judge you. I will still love you! =) So, will you join me?

This One Is For You, Brandy!

I've made it home safely. =)

On the Lighter Side of Things

First: Thank you for your encouragements on my last post! I will keep you updated as I take this journey.

Second: Here's another quote from one of my many favorite movies. Can you guess it? Have fun! Also, these are not the exact words, but close enough. Sorry for the language.
Girl 1: You know, boys don't like smart asses.
Girl 2: No, they just like asses.

Third: So, my roommate and I were talking yesterday night about "missionary" dating. Anyway, check out this SITE. This whole topic came up because one of my roommates met this guy and she doesn't know if he's a believer or not, but she really likes him. The site is quite hilarious. We laughed so hard. Let me know what you think!

Enjoy your day!

Risk or no risk?

How do you know what is God's will for your life? Lately, I've been trying to figure that out. I guess you get to that point when you are unemployed and looking for a job. But, really, HOW DO YOU KNOW?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Okay, here's my scenario: So, I've been offered a job by a friend at a construction company. She actually pursued me right before I left for Taiwan and waited till I returned. For the last week or two, I came to a point where I thought that this was the job that I'm going to take. The part that excites me the most about this job was the learning portion. I love learning new things especially when it's hands on and working with my friend would be a lot of fun. Construction isn't really my type, but I'm up for the challenge!

Anyway, up until the middle of last week, I was totally pursuing this job. I've met with the "boss" and he was really impressed with me. My friend sent me stuff that I needed to complete in order to be hired. Well, then, Wednesday came. Basically, another opportunity came up. Except this one I actually have to apply for it and wait and see if they will hire me. The job hasn't been posted yet, so I'm not sure when they will start taking applications and how long it will take for them to hire.

So, now I'm stuck. I stand between the security/comfortability of having a job and the risk of going for a job that I have absolutely no clue if I will even get!

I feel this "tug" at my heart to take the riskier road. I mean, life is full of risks, so why not? This "tug" I'm feeling is the same "tug" that I've felt when working for UP and felt that I needed to leave (which I ignored and ultimately God had to pull me out, literally). I've never been in this position before where I had to pick between the riskier road over security. God has always provided the "next step" in my life.

In the last couple of years, I've learned a lot from friends who has taken the riskier road and saw how God blessed them and continues to provide whether they succeeded or failed. God is so constant. That's the amazing part of it all. That is very comforting. But when you are in the position, it is so hard to realize that, you know? So, I just want to say "Well done" to those who took the riskier road. "Thank you" for your examples. You do not know how much it means to me right now. It brings me a lot of comfort.

So, at this point in my life, would you please pray for me? It's such a wild journey and your prayers will do wonders!

Once again, I appreciate you guys so much!

Books

Since I have a lot of time on my hands these days, I've been reading a whole lot! It's so nice to have the time to devote to things that challenges your mind. Well, not all these books are challenging, but they are sure fun and interesting. If you've read any of these books, I would love to hear from you and know what you thought of them!

1. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
2. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
3. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
4. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
5. The Prayer That Changes Everything by Stormie Omartian

The next book that I will be starting is:
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

If you have any recommendations, please let me know!

The Answer Is....

Well, I guess it's only fair to share this with you now. So, the movie is ELIZABETHTOWN! Has anyone seen it beside Kim and I? Well, it's a must see. It's really cute! But whether you like it or not, it's not up to me. So, no blames allowed.

So, what movie/movies have you seen lately that you would like to recommend? Let me know!

Happy Valentine's Day!

“The Lord your God is with you,

He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

I just love this verse and wanted to share it with you! It's not exactly a "Valentine's" verse. It's such a beautiful depiction of God.

Can You Guess?

I've actually taken the liberty to write down quotes from this movie, which has become my all time favorite. It's such a great movie. Lots of great quotes. Can you guess the movie?

Scene 1:
Girl: You think I care about that? I do understand. You're an artist, man. You're job is to break through barriers. Not accept blame & say: "Thank you, I'm a loser, I'll go away now. Phil's mean to mean..." So what? Waa, waa, waa (crying sound).
Boy: I don't cry.
Girl: So you've failed.
Boy: You don't understand.
Girl: Alright, you really failed, failed, failed, failed, failed, failed, failed... You want to be really great? Then have the courage to fail big & stick around. Make them wonder why you are still smiling. That's true greatness to me. But don't listen to me. I'm a (her name).
Boy: (Pause) Thank you.
Girl: You're welcome. Now would you quit trying to break up with me? You're always trying to break up with me & we're not even together.
Boy: I know. Wait. We're not?
Girl: Of course not. We're substitute people, remember?

Scene 2:
Girl: I'm going to miss your lips & everything that's attached to it.

Scene 3:
Girl: Some music needs air. Roll down your window.
(a few minutes later)
Girl: Make time to dance alone! One hand waving free!

Scene 4:
Boy: No true fiasco ever began as a quest for mere adequacy. A motto of the British Special Service Air Force is: "Those who risk, win." A single green vine shoot is able to grow through cement. The Pacific Northwestern Salmon beats itself bloody on its quest to travel hundreds of miles upstream against the current with a single purpose. Sex, of course. But also (pause)...Life.

Great movie. Great life quotes. Loved it, loved it, loved it!

Kris & Bex: Aren't you so proud of me or what?! =)

Yes. The blog still exists.

I just don't know what to write! Now that I'm back home, nothing interesting is going on! Sad! So, I'm leaving it up to my readers. So, if you would like to share what you are up to or something interesting, please do!

Stupid Computer, Jet Lag, and Life.

STUPID COMPUTER:
Yeah. I'm going to blame it on my computer why I haven't been blogging lately. Well, a very small part of it is due to the fact that I haven't been able to function because of jet lag. The other part is that when I finally had the strength and mind to blog, my computer froze on me! Stupid computer.

JET LAG:
Well, I've been back for 6 whole days now. I think I'm finally overcoming jet lag. Now I'm waking up at 5:30 AM instead of 4:00 AM. This is quite an accomplishment since I've been going to bed around 11:30 PM or 12:00 AM each day. By early evening, I'm pretty much useless, but I can't go to bed or else I'll wake up even earlier. It's quite frustrating. I feel like my job these couple of days has been to keep myself busy so that I'm not falling asleep! Oh well. I'll get over it eventually. Soon! Oh please be soon!

LIFE:
I'm really enjoying this "unemployed" life right now. I like the fact that my time isn't full with work and more work. I love the free time! I know, the time will come when I'm just sick of it, but for right now, I'm really thankful that I have it.

I have a few options that I'm praying and consulting wise counselors about. I feel like I'm at a point in my life where there are many paths to take and I'm not sure which one to take. I'm glad that I have these options, but it can get quite frustrating. So, if you remember, please keep me in your prayers. Pray that God will give me clarity, wisdom and understanding. I would greatly appreciate it! I know they will make a difference!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Chinese New Year! This is the year of the dog. So, if you were born in the year of 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, this is your year! To learn more about Chinese Zodiac, check out this website.

My family started the celebration on Saturday, 1/28, New Year's Eve. We went over to my aunt's "MahJong/Party" apartment for dinner and of course, MahJong. On Sunday, lunch was at a Seafood Restaurant and dinner back to my aunt's place for leftovers and more MahJong. This time I played. I lost about $10 because I had no clue what I was doing. Finally, one of my cousins, decided he wouldn't take my money because I really didn't know how to play. That was very sweet of him. On Monday, the family spent the day at a Spa Resort. I ended up going to a museum with one of my girl cousins instead. At night, we had reserved a private room at a restaurant that had Karaoke. The food was endless, people were singing to their hearts content, and there was a table for Blackjack. It was a fun 3-day event.

This is just a simplified version of the 3-day event. We had so much fun with one another. We were loud and obnoxious that we thought someone would call the police on us. We had tons of food. And the best part of it was that we were all together as a family!

I was thinking that I would upload pictures of the celebration, but I didn't take any! I brought my camera to all of the events, but was so caught up with other things that I forgot to take pictures!

Well, I'm officially back in the States now. It feels so weird to be back after such a long trip. I feel a little disconnected. I had such a great time in Taiwan and the fact that I didn't have to worry about life for awhile was so nice. Now, that I'm back, it's going to take a few days to re-orient myself and start up what was put on pause for the last six weeks. We shall see what kind of "Unplanned Adventure" this will take me! Please pray for me. I would greatly appreciate it! =)

For now, I'm going to try to recover from jetlag and disorientation. =)

MahJong

To be quite honest, I'm not really sure what MahJong is all about, except that everyone in my family (except my parents and I) are addicts! I mean, my aunt bought a place across the street from where she lives just to host MahJong parties. She charges a flat fee to play and she provides the food & place.

For those who are wondering what MahJong is, I've found this website. Honestly, I'm not even quite sure what it's all about. Everytime I try to play and think I finally have it down, there will be new rules. And if I try to play with my aunt, they will get so frustrated because I'm REALLY SLOW. I get a headache just by watching them. They are super duper fast!

So, maybe I should buy this game and it could be the next game that we are addicted to? =) It will be a new trend.

Just a side note....MahJong is so popular in China that everywhere, and I mean everywhere, you go, there are room after room of people playing MahJong. Vendors play MahJong behind their stands, store owners play MahJong at the front of the store, families play MahJong in their living room. It's crazy!

So, hopefully this helped! I wonder if they will be addicted to Nertz or Settlers? =)

Gas Stations & Chinese New Year

Okay, so I've been back to Taiwan three times this year. And of course, now I talk about its specialties. Seriously, this trip has made me more aware of the culture than the trips before. So, here's a tidbit about the gas stations in Taiwan. It's all full service. You pull up, they pump your gas, pay and you're off. But the cool part of it all is comes with perks.

1. Every time you fill up, you get a complimentary car wash.
2. You can get free stuff when you have enough reward points. For instance, my parents will never have to buy laundry detergent, dish soap, tissues, bottle waters, etc... I mean, they're small every day essentials, but it helps to know that you don't have to pay for them. Everytime they run out of things, they just go the the gash station to redeem them.
3. On certain days, when you pay cash, you can $3.00 off.

Ummm...We don't get that kind of service in the States. We have to pay extra for all that. So, gas is a little bit more than the States, but everything that comes with it, it's kind of worth it. Well, kind of. I mean, even if its higher in price, the service is great! You can beat that, can you?

The funny part of the car wash is that it's complimentary throughout the year, but during Chinese New Year, you actually have to pay for it. It cost $0.90 for normal wash and $2.00 for the full on wash. Wouldn't it be better the other way around? Complimentary car wash during the New Year and paid car wash throughout the rest of the year?

Speaking of Chinese New Year. It's a big deal. All the grocery stores stays open 24 hours and everything is hiked up in price. On weekends, the grocery stores are packed with people buying things left and right. It's crazy!

I'm excited to see what this big ordeal is all about. Our weekend consist of eating, eating, eating and eating. Seriously, that's the plan. Since it's going to be at my aunt's house, there will also be full on Mah Jong along with the eating. So, at least there will be a little bit of calories burned. =)

Okay, that's it for now. Tonight my mom, my grandma's caretaker and I will be going to the night market. I'm so excited. I love night markets! I'll blog about that later!

A Few Pictures from Taiwan

WuLing Park










1. Mom and I at WuLing Park. It was cold! Brrrrrrrrrr!
2. View of mountains from road. Pretty, huh?
3. View from trail of mountains.
4. Left of trail: those are bushes and bushes of fresh tea leaves! Yum!

Bed and Breakfast between WuLing Park and Puli, where my brother lives.









1. View from our balcony. We were the only customer that night. We had the whole place to ourselves!
2. They had garden with lots of flowers and other vegetations. It took about 1 hour to walk the trail. It was beautiful.
3. Me posing like an Asian dork. I seriously don't understand why people do that. It looks so stupid and completely ruins the picture! (No remarks on the USC clothing please. Although they lost at the Rose Bowl, they still beat out the Irish!)

Puli. One of my favorite places in Taiwan.









1. Picture of May. My brother's dog. I actually like her. She likes me.
2. My brother and his girlfriend with May.
3. Puli from the mountain top. Isn't it pretty? I love it!
4. Family (minus 1) picture. Yup. That's them.

A Few Pictures from China & Hong Kong

I love this picture! These girls were staring at me like I was from outer space or something. Seriously. They just kept staring and whispering & laughing to one another. So, finally, I took the camera out and viola! They posed! They were so excited and when they saw it on the screen of the digital camera, I instantly became their best friend.

Out of all the taxis and buses, this was my favorite type of transportation. It's not comfortable at all. It's loud and it's small and due to my long legs, it's gets pretty cramped. But it's fun! My poor parents. It only cost around $0.50! It's about the same price for a nice taxis, but hey, it's all about the experience! Want to take a wild guess what this thing is called?


View from the back window of my favorite transportation. I'm thinking of getting one of these for myself. Do you think it'll become a trend in the States?

Market in China. Lovely isn't it? This is actually a pretty clean spot. Despite the fact that there are trash everywhere, the vegetables are to die for! I ate to my heart's content! It was so delicious!


Lady+ Sugar Canes= Sugar Cane Lady. Yup! That's all she sold. Pure sugar. We bought two long sticks for about the same amount to take my favorite transportation. We ended up giving her a tip for shaving and cutting it up for us.

People washing clothes at a nearby stream. Ducks going into stream for their morning bath.

Hong Kong at night. The picture doesn't do justice. It was a little foggy that night. But in person, it's spectacular!


Am I a photographer or what? Well, this was my attempt to take a picture of the tall buildings at night on top of a moving double decker bus.

Do you ever wonder why....

Asians are such bad drivers (at least those from Taiwan)? Simply put... They can't drive! There are way too many cars, motorcycles, buses on the road, so you have to fight your way. This means:

1. Red light is basically like a stop sign.
2. If there are no oncoming traffic, you can use their lane.
3. Pedestrians DON'T have the right of way. The bigger the car, the better off you'll be. Trust me. A few times I thought I was going get run over...by a bike! The kind that you have to pedal!
4. Lanes = NO lanes or What lanes? There are lanes?
5. People on motorcycles are crazy! And when there are a ton of them together, it's even crazier! They look like swarm of ants.
6. There are places with cameras and radars that will actually catch you when you speed, but other than that, you basically do whatever you want.

One thing that I've realized that they actually know how to do is PARALLEL PARK IN TINY SPOTS! It's a must if you have a car. There are actually way too many cars and not enough parking. So when you find one, it's usually inbetween cars and bikes. Sometimes you don't even find one and you just park illegally. Sundays are the best days to park illegally because the cops are off duty.

Anyway, I think those are a few reasons why Asians can't drive when they get to a place that's actually has rules, laws and wide roads. With all these, they are at a loss and don't know what to do so they like to drive like a maniac, inbetween lanes, cut people off, etc. to make it feel like home.

I've also heard once on the radio that Asians can't drive because we have smaller eyes! Ummm...I've never really found that a problem.

Hope you enjoyed this little observation I've made. Now, you know why Asians have such a bad reputation! I hope I'm not one of them!

I'm Baaaaaaaack!

So, it's Thursday afternoon and I'm finally updating my blog. I actually tried to update my blog yesterday night with pictures and all, but the computer took forever! So for now, this is going to be picturless. =(

Although my trip to China and Hong Kong was very short, it was such an experience! We left last Wednesday (01/11) and returned Tuesday (01/17) around 2AM. During the short period of time, I've experienced:

1. Taking a shower by boiling water and then mixing the right amount of cold water.
2. Going to the bathroom squatting style 98% of the time. The other 2% was considered luxury at 2 star hotels. =)
3. Getting over the fact that no matter what, I'm tall and that people are going to stare at me!
4. Eating at the street market and trying not to be disgusted by the amount of trash underneath our table and around us with flies swarming around! Hey, what can I say? We ate about 3 plates of potstickers and shared a large bowl of noodles for under $1.00! Good thing we didn't get sick!
5. Getting use to the fact that there are no garbage cans and you CAN'T be fined for littering! So, I littered. It was the norm. If you didn't, people look at you strangely at why you're still holding your trash.
6. Watching Ace Ventura on the bus and the only one laughing because it was all in English with tiny, tiny Chinese subtitles.
7. Amazed at the amount of fresh vegetables and fruits they have. All for barely nothing! We ate a lot of them!
8. Having a grand dinner that solely had all the specialty from my dad side of the family. Each province had their own types of food with different tastes. So, we had stuffed tofu, stuffed bitter melon, pork linings with salty cabbage, and other good stuff. I know it may sound disgusting to you, but it was so good! But I have to say, no one make stuffed tofu like my grandma! She's the best!
9. Riding in 2 buses, a train, 2 double decker buses, a trolley, a boat, and airplane all in 8 hours!
10. Having good Dim Sum in Hong Kong. Yum!
11. Seeing Hong Kong at night. Loved it, loved it, loved it!
12. Being picked up my an guy from India while trying to go through customs. He waited for me on the other side wanting to know if I would like to travel with him in Hong Kong. I told him I was with my parents and he walked away. Yeah, creepy. He wasn't even cute!

Okay, those are some of my highlights from the trip. I will try to put some pictures up when the computer is running faster!

I would love to know what you are up to! So, please write me!

Love ya!

Two in One!

Wow. Two posts in one day! I've never accomplished that before. Since I will be leaving the country for a few days, I wanted to let the readers know that I will not have Internet access where I'm going. So, I will not be blogging for the next 6-7 days. I know, really sad. I will resume blogging hopefully by next Tuesday.

I'm also going to try to upload pictures of my trip. We'll see how that goes since everything on this computer is in Chinese, I'm always guessing what the pop up window says and hoping that I'm not deleting any important files! We shall see!

Yesterday night, my mom took a friend and I to a steak dinner. It was quite good. It was only $6.00/per person. It also came with a salad bar, soup bar, dessert bar and of course other Chinese food. It was great! Six bucks for steak! You can also get Steak and Crab or Salmon for about $10. It's great.

Today, my mom bought a Tuna sandwich and corn chowder for $1.86! I mean, that's a whole meal! You can't hardly buy anything good for that price in California! I'm just in amazement. I knew things were cheap, but today, for some odd reason, it really caught my attention how cheaps things are here. I couldn't stop laughing when I asked my mom if it was for real and she said it was. I just laughed and laughed.

One last example. You know how we have $0.99 and Dollar Tree stores? Okay, you think that's cheap. Well, they have a store that sells stuff for $0.03! They have some really nice stuff! I'm chuckling to myself right now writing this. It's dirt cheap. Well, I think dirt actually cost more that that. =)

Oh yeah, you can buy a place for about $15,000-$20,000. Yeah, that's a down payment for a house in the States. Of course, you have to realize it's Taiwan, but with everything costing so little, you just have to wonder about things!

Anyway, I'll leave you now to ponder about this. If you recently did your 2006 budget and are all depressed (I am. Especially since I don't have a job), just think about living in Taiwan and how well off you would be with what you have! That should make you happy! =)

Signing off. Will return Tuesday. Pray for us on our trip!

Thanks!

Ten Things God Never Says

1. Oops!
2. What have I done?
3. How did I let that happen?
4. I made a mistake.
5. It was an accident.
6. I don't know what to do.
7. I'm afraid of what will happen now.
8. I can do better than this.
9. What do you think I should do?
10. Why didn't I think of that?

The reason it is important to know these things that God never says is beause it means He never says them about you either. Everything god created is good. He says so Himself. That includes you and me.

From the book, Prayer that Changes Everything.

I Have Decided...

To stay in Taiwan a little bit longer than intended. I've changed my flight for the second time now. Hopefully that will be it. I've decided to stay through Chinese New Year (01/28). I haven't been able to be part of this festivity for about 21 years now, so it's time.

You might be wondering, "What does this mean?" Well, it means that I will have to leave the country to get my passport re-stamped since my 30 days will be expiring in a few days. My mom and I leave for China (whew, finally get to put that costly visa to use!) Thursday morning. We will not see the Great Wall or all the famous places, but will be visiting my grandpa's old home, where his brother and family still lives. Then we will be visiting a drug rehab center that has been asking my parents to visit for awhile now. Then the following Monday, we will be arriving in Hong Kong early in the morning and spending the day there and flying back to Taiwan late at night. All this so that I can stay a few extra weeks! It's going to be a whirlwind of a trip, but fun!

I'm really grateful for this time. I don't have anything to rush back to and I'm not in a hurry. I once heard a counselor say that it's best to take all your vacation at once because it takes awhile to actually get to the place where you feel rest. I now understand what that means. It's totally true!

Anyway, here's a short update on me. I'll try to log on tonight to have a longer update!

Thank you for reading my blog. I appreciate you!

What I've been learning.

I've been learning a lot lately about life. I've been having a lot of doubts, anxieties and uncertainties with the future. I've also been reading this great book called The Prayer that Changes Everything by Stormie Omartian. I'm going through it for the second time. It's a great devotional! Anyway, I want to share a short section of the chapter with you. Just to give you a little background, she's been explaining a period of her life where she went through two months of the most empty, paralyzing, depressing time. And one night...

I became so desparate to break through this painful malaise that I reached out to God yet again from the depth of my being and cried, "Lord, what is the matter with me? What is this about? am I doing something worng? Tell me what I should be doing differently. I can't seem to make myself do anything at all. Am I just burned out? Have I worked too hard for too long? I thought You had instructed me to do the things I'm doing, yet I feel incapable of working on any of them right now. Did I misunderstand Your leading? If so, what am I supposed to do? Please speak to me, Lord. Help me to understand. Take away this heaviness so I can breathe freely and think clearly again."

FinallyI felt a distinct impression upon my heart that I knew was the Lord. It was like the sun breaking through clouds after a tornado. Everything was calm and peaceful in direct contrast to the intensity of the moments before.

He said, "Simply worship Me."

I understood this was not to be a prelude to anything else, but an end entirely in itself. It was not to be for just that moment or until the next morning. I was to worship Him until He told me otherwise.

It's not as if I didn't know how to praise God in the midst of difficult situations or had never done that. I had learned this powerful principle many years before and had made praise and worship of God a priority in my life. I knew what to do. I knew how to do it. I knew why I was doing it. But this time, I was to do it as the ultimate end in itself. As if nothing else would ever follow.

God, are You preparing me for eternity?" I asked.

"That is always true," He spoke to my spirit again. "But this is not your time to die. I am preparing your heart to do the work I have for you to do, and I need your full attention. Don't come to Me with your lists right now, even though the things you need are imporant to Me and I desire that you look to Me for all your needs. There will be a time for that kind of prayer again soon, but right now you must trust that I know what you need. In this season, I want you to simply worship Me. Exalt My name and praise Me for all that I am. Let Me fill your heart with My thoughts and not your own."

God wanted to have such free riegn in my heart that I would allow Him to break it, pummel it, grind it into sand, and then make something new. That's because He wanted to do something new. Ultimately not just for me and my benefit, but for others as well.

And I was willing.

Boy, was I willing! When God has a hold of you, it's best to not resist. It's better to go with the program and see it through. Life will never be the same if you do. It will be always missing something great if you don't.

He desires so much more from us because He has so much more for us. And when we let Him, He will revela more of Himself to us. As much as we are able to contain.

Update on Me....

We did not go to China and see the Great Wall. My parents booked this tour for us to go for about a week, but then at the last minute they heard it was a scam and made the decision of not to go. I'm sad that I didn't get the chance to see the Great Wall, but that's okay. I am a little frustrated because I spent a whole lot of money on getting my Visa! Oh well.

This past week, we took a trip down to visit my brother and his girlfriend in Puli. Puli is located in the middle of Taiwan. On our way down, we made a few stops to visit different sites. On of them was Wuling Farm. It's not what you picture a farm to be. It's more like a State Park with trees bearing different fruits and land for other vegetations right in the middle of the mountains! There are trails to hike and waterfalls to see. We spent the first night there. It was amazing. Our hotel, which they call it "hostel" was so nice! We had a balcony viewing the mountains around us. It was so gorgeous.

The second stop was in a little town in the mountains. And yes, there are mountains in Taiwan. It was a cold and rainy, so it made everything look dirty! But we had a great hotel room. It was nestled on 4 acres of land. They put all sort of plants and vegetations to make it a beautiful garden. They put in a trail for people to take. So, once the rain stopped and the sun came out, we had a great time walking the trail and viewing the mountains. I loved it! God really knew what He was doing!

On our third day we headed down to Puli. Ahhhhhhh....I really love this city. It's not too big and not too over crowded like in Taipei. It was perfect. I had a lot of fun hanging out with my brother and his girlfriend. My parents left Sunday afternoon, but I stayed behind and left on Tuesday to come back to the over stuffed, big, dirty Taipei. Actually, my parents live in a city outside of Taipei called Tucheng. The first part of the name "Tu" actually means "ugly" to a degree. I would have to agree.

While in Puli, my brother's girlfriend, which I don't know her English name, took me all over town. We got massages after massages, our hair washed, ate lots of Chinese junk food, shopped, ate, watched tv, ate, went on a couple of hikes, ate, became friends with their dog (yes, I'm actually quite fond of her and I'm actually missing her a lot), learned to ride a motorbike (I have bruises and pictures to prove it), ate, shopped, talked, ate. Yup, that's pretty much how we spent our days. It was great!

Now I'm back in Tucheng. Not sure what my next adventure will be. But know that I miss you all and love you so much! I appreciate you taking your time to read about me!

I'm Alive!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone who's reading this blog. You know....ALL FIVE OF YOU. Thanks for being my blog friend. =)

I'm going to make this blog nice and short. I'll have a full update of my trip in a few days. But for now, here's a brief description of what I've been up to.

I'm in the second week of my trip to Taiwan. Last week, it was a lot of catching up with sleep and adjusting to the time change. I really start noticing that the older I get, the harder it is to adjust to things like these. Sad. =(

This week we traveled south down to Puli to visit my brother and his girlfriend. We will be celebrating the New Year here with my dad's special onion cake, homemade wontons, and lots and lots of yummy food made by my mom, dad and brother. I can't wait! We are only minutes away from our first big feast...lunch and then we will be preparing for dinner!

So, for now, I'm going to relax and enjoy the scenery of Puli. It's quite beautiful. I will also enjoy watching my butt grow as I down all the yummy food. =) I shall return in a few days with the full update of my trip. =)

It's Over!

I officially ended my employment today at University Praise. It's kind of weird to think that I won't be back there ever again. As I walked out, I just stood at the door way looking at the empty room. I didn't really feel sad or anything. I don't think that it's really going to hit me until I return from Taiwan and not having to go to work. That's when it will all hit me.

The most annoying thing out of all this is that those who made the decision to let me go are saying things and asking questions like:
"We're sorry that this happened."
"Do you have something lined up?"
"What are you going to do?"
"Oh please, don't forget about us."
"What? You won't be attending UP anymore?"

Okay. Ummmm...the whole time I'm just thinking:
"You must be kidding me, right? What in the world are you thinking about when you ask me these questions? Do you think that I would actually tell you anything? Are you really sorry? Ummm, yeah, I will forget about you. No, I won't be attending UP anymore. Moving on to something better. Why are you still talking to me? Go away."

Of course I don't actually say that. I smile and nod and look interested. I don't mind it if people I actually care for ask me those questions, but others, just forget about it. UP was a great experience for me, but now I must move on. Know too much inside stuff and don't want to support it as an outsider. It sounds awful for me to abandon this place that I've poured countless hours, energy and excuses for. But that is precisely why I need to move on. For just a while, I need to be at a place where I can just worship and not be held accountable to anything. I'm really looking forward to that! Now, I just need to find a place. I'll worry about that when I return from Taiwan.

I've also been trying to look for job opportunities. Of course, the ones that I'm actually interested in probably won't ever contact me and the ones that I'm not interested in but could probably do it, I don't want to apply for it. Am I just being too picky? Nothing really pops out at me at this point. Please, I ask that you will pray for me through this whole process. I would really appreciate that.

Thank you.

Three Times in One Week!

Ummmmm....yeah....I went to see Narnia tonight. It just keeps getting better everytime I watch it. I better pace myself or else I'm going to end up hating it and never want to watch it like Titanic. But yes, as for now, I still love it.

Twice in ONE day!

Once again, I went to see Chronicles of Narnia. I told you. Once I fall in love with a movie, I will go see it as many time as I can even if it means that I have to eat Top Ramen so that I can save up money to go to the theater. I will do it. I love good movies!

The second time around was just as good as the first time. What a great movie. I might go again on Thursday. I'll let you know if I still like it after that. =)

Here a little movie trivia for you.

"How many times did I go see Titanic and Lord of the Rings (the first one)? How many times do you think I will go see Narnia in theaters?"

Please post your answer. Whoever is the closest or right on target will get a prize! =)

Love ya!

Chronicles of Narnia

Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous movie! Well done! A must see! Well, I loved it and hopefully you will too. For those of you who knows me, well...I'm known to see movies that I absolutely love quite a few times at the theater. Well done movies must be seen on big screen, not small! So, I get a feeling that I will be visiting the theater a few times for this. =)

So, we went to see this movie at Downtown Disney. Biola had this "Red Carpet" event, so we went to it. Well, let me just say, it didn't go as planned. We got our tickets via mail for the 9:30pm showing and with it came a letter saying that this is a "formal" event and to come 1/2 hour before hand to line up.

This is what happened when we got to the theater: We had to wait in line to get actual tickets into the theater with the tickets we've received in the mail. We arrive an hour before the showing thinking that we had a lot of time, but no, the line was a mile long. We didn't go in until 10pm. The movie didn't start till 10:30pm and we didn't get out until 1pm. Overall, the process sucked, but the movie was great!

So, I would love to hear what you thought of the movie. Please comment. Please also note that you don't have to be a member of this site to comment. =)

Sense of Calmness.

Today was a whole new day for me. I woke up with a sense of calmness and peace in me. This is very unusual. I'm praying that it will stay like this from now on and that it's not only a one day thing. It's a very weird day and wonderful day. Didn't even feel like crying once or even anger, frustrations, wanting to swear, etc. It's amazing.

Today, I saw a good friend from college for lunch. She was so encouraging and offered me a place to stay while looking for a job. To me, this was very encouraging and showed me that God is taking care of me. Then I had two job offers. Which none really pays what I'm getting now and it's not really what I want to be doing, but if I'm really desperate, I know they are there. Second sign of how God is so great. I really feel that God is taking care of me. This played a big factor into my good day. Third, I had to get a document notarized, so I called up the law firm where I use to work and they had it done for me for free! I love my connections!

Overall, today was just a fabulous day.

I hope that you all know how much I love you!

Amazed...once again.

I've been talking to my parents a lot these days. Mostly is my mom doing the talking and me just listening to her. This is the case of most of our phone conversations. It's kind of sad, but there's something about talking to my mother on the phone. It doesn't make me want to share. I'm not sure why, but it just doesn't feel right. Anyway, the past week, she's been calling me every day to just check up on me and giving me words of encouragement. I just want to say that I'm grateful for my parents. It made me realize that I could have worse parents, but I don't. So, I am truly grateful.

For those who read my blog, all two of you =), please know that I'm praying for you! My mom shared this verse with me and it caught my attention: "After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before." (Job 42:10). I've read this verse before and each time I read it, I feel convicted that I'm not praying enough for others. It's always me, me, me! And when bad things happen to you, you tend to feel like you deserve praying for you only. Well, at least that's how I am. I want to have faith like Job and the intentions to pray often for others.

I've also been reading the book "The Prayer That Changes Everything: The Hidden Power of Praising God." This book is great! It touches every possible circumstance that can happen to you and teaches you the reasons and the "how to" of praising God in the midst of those events. It has helped me get through this whole job situation in a much positive attitude. (I'm still going through moments, but I've realized that when I start praising Him, I feel a sense of peace right away. It's been such an awesome experience!) I love what the author says in one of the chapters, "Whatever your deepest fears are right now, bring every one of them to God. Thank Him that He is greater than any of them. Enter His 'gates with thanksgiving' and His 'courts with praise' (Ps. 100:4), and thank Him that in His presence all fear is gone. "

That has been a source of comfort to me these past few days. God is greater than any of our fears. Geesh! That is truly amazing. Hard to even comprehend. When we are in the midst of our troubles, we think that there couldn't be anything worse, but to know that He is greater than all of that, brings a relief to my heart. Of course, this is all easy said than done. So, I've been really intentional about praising Him. It's so easy for me to focus on all the wrong thing rather than good.

Sorry for preaching. But I had to share it and hopefully it can bring comfort and encouragement to one of you. I love you guys! Thanks for letting me share!

Not So Amazed.

Well, my blog title doesn't really match up with how I feel at this point. But that's okay. One of these days, I'll be back to normal. It's kind of funny why I'm even sharing all of this on a blog, a public live journal. Perhaps to amuse you?

If anyone out there know the true meaning of family, please tell me. Because right now I'm very confused on how that term is being used. This has nothing to do with my blood-related family or even my close friends. But when people tell you that you are part of their "family", what does that mean? Please tell me!

Yesterday, I came home and found a bouquet of pink flowers in my room. It's from my roomie, Jessica. With it came a card. Let me just tell you, I will forever keep this card. Jessica is such a great writer that she can make anything so beautiful. I was very touched by the card. I am also very thankful for my roommates. Before moving in, I had no idea that they existed and here we are having the best time of our lives being roommates. We always comment to one another how thankful we are that we found each other. We even allow cussing in the household!!!!! We've already gone through so many things with one another. We are able to talk to one another about anything and everything! That, is an example of what I call "family".

Okay, I think I've said enough for now. =) Thank you for reading this. I'm pretty sure that for the next couple of days I'll be posting a lot because it's a pretty relieving thing!

Love ya!