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smell ya lataaaa ♥
20100526
你好 from Hong Kong :)
So I've been here for about 3 days now and I've really done nothing but eat and shop. /Go 'splorin' :D It's funny how much you seem to miss a place when you know you won't be coming back for a while...
That said, I'm really going to miss living at Sorrento and I'm going to miss Elements and the Kowloon MTR station T_T Sigh.
After visiting several friends in their apartments and experiencing the middle-class lifestyle as well as the disgustingly rich lifestyle, I've decided that apartments are in their own right, very endearing. So I will miss living in this apartment.
Anyway, I really want to go to Repulse Bay (lul) and tan on the beach, the sun is so fierce here. Kinda rivals California's. AND the water is semi-warm?! Definitely hitting up the beach a couple times when I get back to HK.
Tomorrow, we leave for Shanghai! :D It's been a while since I've been back but I'm definitely excited to see the World Expo 2010 and explore the city/SHOP :D
I also need to get a haircut. Any suggestions? I want to try something new but I'll probably end up with same old same old :P
Sigh I really need to work on my Chinese, it is quite dreadful for a Chinese person :(
Anyway, must pack for Shanghai :D
Goodbye!
That said, I'm really going to miss living at Sorrento and I'm going to miss Elements and the Kowloon MTR station T_T Sigh.
After visiting several friends in their apartments and experiencing the middle-class lifestyle as well as the disgustingly rich lifestyle, I've decided that apartments are in their own right, very endearing. So I will miss living in this apartment.
Anyway, I really want to go to Repulse Bay (lul) and tan on the beach, the sun is so fierce here. Kinda rivals California's. AND the water is semi-warm?! Definitely hitting up the beach a couple times when I get back to HK.
Tomorrow, we leave for Shanghai! :D It's been a while since I've been back but I'm definitely excited to see the World Expo 2010 and explore the city/SHOP :D
I also need to get a haircut. Any suggestions? I want to try something new but I'll probably end up with same old same old :P
Sigh I really need to work on my Chinese, it is quite dreadful for a Chinese person :(
Anyway, must pack for Shanghai :D
Goodbye!
20100512
I'M IN THE BAY TRICK
AND IT FEELS SO GOOOOD :)
Sigh, I really miss NorCal sometimes :( But I know I will also miss the city of angels :(( So bleh. But nothing beats being at home so yay!
UPCOMING EVENTS include prom (I look uber fat in my dress :(() SUMMCON! :D Harker grad, and CHINAAA :D
Sigh, so excited for this summer. Also time to lose fat :D Not necessarily weight but FAT :)
I'm excited to see the boyfriend tomorrow and the best friend on Friday :D
And I'm also very very thankful that finals went semi-well, I crammed in loads of stayinguplateeatingthaifoodat4AMandicecreamundermybed time with mah frands back at school, and that packing, moving, and traveling are over for the time being.
God is so great!! :)
VISITING HARKER TOMORROW :D
Sigh, I really miss NorCal sometimes :( But I know I will also miss the city of angels :(( So bleh. But nothing beats being at home so yay!
UPCOMING EVENTS include prom (I look uber fat in my dress :(() SUMMCON! :D Harker grad, and CHINAAA :D
Sigh, so excited for this summer. Also time to lose fat :D Not necessarily weight but FAT :)
I'm excited to see the boyfriend tomorrow and the best friend on Friday :D
And I'm also very very thankful that finals went semi-well, I crammed in loads of stayinguplateeatingthaifoodat4AMandicecreamundermybed time with mah frands back at school, and that packing, moving, and traveling are over for the time being.
God is so great!! :)
VISITING HARKER TOMORROW :D
20100503
Graduation
Helena and I are currently listening to that song by Vitamin C and it's making me super nostalgic for high school :( I really miss Harker and our class and all the times we had together in the last month, we changed so much as a class and I really miss it :/
But it also makes me angry bcus haha I'm thinking about how prom sucked and they didn't even really play this song and we didn't get to have our senior song and I know that when they play it at this years' prom it's just going to make me bitter :/
SIGH, APRIL/MAY 2009 come back to meeee
But it also makes me angry bcus haha I'm thinking about how prom sucked and they didn't even really play this song and we didn't get to have our senior song and I know that when they play it at this years' prom it's just going to make me bitter :/
SIGH, APRIL/MAY 2009 come back to meeee
20100426
Psalm 50:15
I AM TIRED.
NO MORE WORK PLEASE.
MY ROOM IS DISGUSTING.
HOW WILL I GET MY STUFF HOME?
good day to you all.
NO MORE WORK PLEASE.
MY ROOM IS DISGUSTING.
HOW WILL I GET MY STUFF HOME?
good day to you all.
20100421
Juicebox
When We Say
A few things I wish I didn't have to do in college: eat, shower, and sleep.
Of course those are all things I enjoy and would do if I wanted to but they should be optional.
A few things I wish I didn't have to do in college: eat, shower, and sleep.
Of course those are all things I enjoy and would do if I wanted to but they should be optional.
20100413
I'm so conscious about waking up my suitemate
who is a crazy light sleeper that I get nervous when I turn on the faucet in the mornings.
20100409
Feeling Strange
Today, I did several things. I attended a large number of classes and spent many hours being bored out of my brains and having to pee. I always have to pee during SOC142. Sign?
I caught up on Gossip Girl. O_O I can't for Monday! Aha although I'll probably watch it in a month...? I'm bad at this....
I baked some red velvet cupcakes with Alice (which are pretty good!) and brought them to Overflow an hour.five late! But that's okay because we had a good time doing it. I think everyone liked them too. I have much more respect now for those who bake like, every week, to serve us :) I should do it more often! Maybe not in Brian's kitchen though...
We did our best though to bless the apartment :) Teehee
We also cuddled on the futon exchanging secrets when his apartment-mate came in. AWK.
I also praised God with a representative portion of the USC Christian population at Tommy Trojan for a couple of hours. It was beautiful :)
But now I'm sleepy and feeling weird. And stuff. Too lazy to write anything interesting or insightful so there is a recap of my day.
KAY BYE
I caught up on Gossip Girl. O_O I can't for Monday! Aha although I'll probably watch it in a month...? I'm bad at this....
I baked some red velvet cupcakes with Alice (which are pretty good!) and brought them to Overflow an hour.five late! But that's okay because we had a good time doing it. I think everyone liked them too. I have much more respect now for those who bake like, every week, to serve us :) I should do it more often! Maybe not in Brian's kitchen though...
We did our best though to bless the apartment :) Teehee
We also cuddled on the futon exchanging secrets when his apartment-mate came in. AWK.
I also praised God with a representative portion of the USC Christian population at Tommy Trojan for a couple of hours. It was beautiful :)
But now I'm sleepy and feeling weird. And stuff. Too lazy to write anything interesting or insightful so there is a recap of my day.
KAY BYE
20100407
男女平等
That is the name of the section we're studying right now in which we're learning words and expressions for "discrimination" and "loaded carrying pole" and "to arrange a marriage (for the sake of the unborn child)" all in the same lesson! Ug it sucks.
I've been getting less than satisfactory on my Chinese quizzes just because I don't feel like studying. 4 weeks left! I have like, no motivation left.
BUT! I am very much looking forward to prom, summercon! and graduation :) and finally home! After all the crazy traveling that will ensue because of the above 3 events, which fall within ten days of each other and require flying back and forth 3 times. :(
Other than school stuff, one exciting piece of news is that Jon, Regina, Krista, and I took the bus to church on Easter taking Jon's public transport virginity and getting to Easter service before any of the cars and solving our transportation problems simultaneously. What a great day :)
God has really been coming through lately and I feel as though I'm in a passive and content state lately which is not so great because I'm just plain lazy. BUT! My relationship with God isn't passive so this is good!
Some events have occurred in the past week which have put my troubles at ease. I ate dinner with Richard yesterday and it helped put my mind to rest about a number of things. Life is good! AND tomorrow is going to be 78 degrees :)
Okay time to sleep on the sheets I just washed :) Yay for laundry-smelling things :)
I've been getting less than satisfactory on my Chinese quizzes just because I don't feel like studying. 4 weeks left! I have like, no motivation left.
BUT! I am very much looking forward to prom, summercon! and graduation :) and finally home! After all the crazy traveling that will ensue because of the above 3 events, which fall within ten days of each other and require flying back and forth 3 times. :(
Other than school stuff, one exciting piece of news is that Jon, Regina, Krista, and I took the bus to church on Easter taking Jon's public transport virginity and getting to Easter service before any of the cars and solving our transportation problems simultaneously. What a great day :)
God has really been coming through lately and I feel as though I'm in a passive and content state lately which is not so great because I'm just plain lazy. BUT! My relationship with God isn't passive so this is good!
Some events have occurred in the past week which have put my troubles at ease. I ate dinner with Richard yesterday and it helped put my mind to rest about a number of things. Life is good! AND tomorrow is going to be 78 degrees :)
Okay time to sleep on the sheets I just washed :) Yay for laundry-smelling things :)
20100328
You're the one who makes me sing!
Hello world!
Today is so beautiful :) But there are few places on campus near Parkside where I would like to sit outside and do homework so alas, I am inside my room slaving away (sort of...).
Anyway, today was quite a long day. Jon did not wake up for church and we ended up coming up with sorts of scenarios which all involved him being physically incapable of reaching his cellular device (for example, lying dead in the non-existent ditches that surround our school) but he was sleeping -_____- I have yet to meet someone more incoherent than Jon Wong when he wakes up--except maybe Katelyn.
Anyway, service was good so I'm really glad we got to catch the last 40 minutes. My friend from UCSD came so it was fun taking her to church :) My friend who is still a junior in high school also came so this weekend has just been filled with old friends!
Anyway, I'm feeling pretty good about life right now, somewhat. Of course, summer is a mere 5 weeks away (not counting finals) and I am so close to relaxing under the stars with my friends at Catalina...but I need to get my grades up!
And just finish a bunch of things I don't really want to do. Also, moving at the end of the year feels me up with some sort of apprehension and I do not like it :( I also have no idea what my plans are for the summer and I'm feeling a bit iffy on some decision I've made in the past couple of weeks but pray pray pray and everything will be okay! :)
Aside from that, I'm really excited for the end of this year and for Encounter and for the next few years at SC so yes :) Life all of a sudden feels so short...not necessarily a bad thing!
GOODBYE CHILDREN.
Today is so beautiful :) But there are few places on campus near Parkside where I would like to sit outside and do homework so alas, I am inside my room slaving away (sort of...).
Anyway, today was quite a long day. Jon did not wake up for church and we ended up coming up with sorts of scenarios which all involved him being physically incapable of reaching his cellular device (for example, lying dead in the non-existent ditches that surround our school) but he was sleeping -_____- I have yet to meet someone more incoherent than Jon Wong when he wakes up--except maybe Katelyn.
Anyway, service was good so I'm really glad we got to catch the last 40 minutes. My friend from UCSD came so it was fun taking her to church :) My friend who is still a junior in high school also came so this weekend has just been filled with old friends!
Anyway, I'm feeling pretty good about life right now, somewhat. Of course, summer is a mere 5 weeks away (not counting finals) and I am so close to relaxing under the stars with my friends at Catalina...but I need to get my grades up!
And just finish a bunch of things I don't really want to do. Also, moving at the end of the year feels me up with some sort of apprehension and I do not like it :( I also have no idea what my plans are for the summer and I'm feeling a bit iffy on some decision I've made in the past couple of weeks but pray pray pray and everything will be okay! :)
Aside from that, I'm really excited for the end of this year and for Encounter and for the next few years at SC so yes :) Life all of a sudden feels so short...not necessarily a bad thing!
GOODBYE CHILDREN.
20100323
My favorite way for God to remind me He's always there...
Is when He wakes me up in the morning without an alarm because believe me, that is a miracle.
Here's to an awfully long day of school :((
Here's to an awfully long day of school :((
20100322
Relient K is sooo wise...
WE ARE BACK AT SCHOOL AND IT SUCKSSS :( Although today wasn't TOO bad, classes went by pretty quickly (one was even cut in half :D) and my Chinese test wasn't too bad :D
Anyway, I was on the plane yesterday listening to Relient Ks song "Be My Escape," the one that eventually led to their exploding success and I actually listened to the words (not that I didn't before but you know what I mean...)
Pretty deep right?
Every wrong thing that happens in our lives, we deserve it! And we don't deserve all the things that go right...a pretty hard concept to wrap our minds around, but not really because all of a sudden, understanding God's mercy has never been so clear.
Yah I guess that kinda encapsulates everything we've been talking about at Reality LA (or like, a couple weeks ago) so yes. That is what I thought about on the plane. And then I shared it with Helena.
BTW THE JONAS BROTHERS GO TO REALITY LA.
Last night, I ate quail eggs with Mai and Cauchy and some delicious chocolate raspberry sticks. They're SUPER DUPER good so if you want some, COME TO MY ROOM AND I WILL SHARE WITH YOUU :))
OKAY G2G BYE GUYZ
Anyway, I was on the plane yesterday listening to Relient Ks song "Be My Escape," the one that eventually led to their exploding success and I actually listened to the words (not that I didn't before but you know what I mean...)
And this life sentence that I'm servingWoaaaah
I admit that I'm every bit deserving
But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair
Pretty deep right?
Every wrong thing that happens in our lives, we deserve it! And we don't deserve all the things that go right...a pretty hard concept to wrap our minds around, but not really because all of a sudden, understanding God's mercy has never been so clear.
Yah I guess that kinda encapsulates everything we've been talking about at Reality LA (or like, a couple weeks ago) so yes. That is what I thought about on the plane. And then I shared it with Helena.
BTW THE JONAS BROTHERS GO TO REALITY LA.
Last night, I ate quail eggs with Mai and Cauchy and some delicious chocolate raspberry sticks. They're SUPER DUPER good so if you want some, COME TO MY ROOM AND I WILL SHARE WITH YOUU :))
OKAY G2G BYE GUYZ
20100321
I am 18.
Guys save so much money!
1. Their haircuts are like, 20 dollars cheaper AT LEAST.
2. They use significantly less toilet paper than girls do.
3. They also use significantly less shampoo and conditioner.
Sighh
1. Their haircuts are like, 20 dollars cheaper AT LEAST.
2. They use significantly less toilet paper than girls do.
3. They also use significantly less shampoo and conditioner.
Sighh
20100309
15 Days of Love :)
Hey guys!
So the TCF girls in the Crazy Love book study are doing a little application called "15 Days of Love" during which each day is dedicated to a part of what love is defined as in 1 Corinthians (love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, etc...)
What really struck me about the chapter we had read for Crazy Love was what Frances asked us to do. He told us that if we had substituted our name in that verse, when would we start lying?
Steff-o is patient...
I can't even get past the first three words! Though slightly discouraging, it means that there is plenty of ground for improvement :) Today, we are on day three (love does not envy) and so far so good :) If anything, it's making me more conscious of the ways love is expressed.
Maybe one day I'll write about love languages :)
Anyway, this week has been fairly decent although lacking in sleep.
Thursday, omgosh we finally set off the alarm at SGM O_O IT WAS SO SCARY. WE RAN SO FAST. MY HEART WAS BEATING SO FAST. Hehe needless to say I guess we're not going on any rooftops anytime soon. Also because today was super cold!! Friday, Mai and I ventured to Ktown to buy ingredients we needed (wrong ones...) with which we would later use to bake green tea cookies at Rowlands! It was really fun and tasty even though we took extreme liberties with the recipe...
That night, we went to BCD OMGOSH I've been craving for MONTHS and we FINALLY FOUND IT after walking like 9283493 blocks, it was sooo worth ittt. Then we went to a concert called "The Three Romanticists." Well, they changed it to "The Romanticist" after one of the singers dropped out. Even though Rowland and I couldn't understand anything, we really enjoyed it :) K. Will especially ;) so adorable!
Saturday, we had Crazy Love and then we took the bus to the Teen Center where we fellowshipped with others from around the area who were interested in volunteering at there as well :) It was really fun! We also had Katelyn's goodbye party that day and it was very bittersweet. She, along with a couple girls shed some tears because she won't be with us for a few months but I know God has great plans for her in Japan :) The blessing bunnies turned out great and the Ramen bar was DELICIOUS.
TCF kids really know how to cook ;) Sigh, with everyone leaving, Jon says we better get on learning T_T
Sunday, we went to church and then had brunch and I did a lot of homework :) I originally wasn't going to reassign and thus stayed up rather late passing out baked goods to the kids who were sleeping at the CSCs downstairs. Then I realized I was also reassigning and went to bed rather late only to get up at 7 T_T BUTTCRACK OF DAWN!
Also, we had Stalcup's goodbye party Sunday night :( He's leaving us!! But I guess he's still close so it's not too bad. And he's leading Mark Study tonight! :)
Yesterday, I hosted a student for ExploreUSC and got a free shirt :) NOT ONLY THAT, I made a new friend and she said she really enjoyed her time here :)
Stephanie Guo: MY BUDDY SAID SHE WANTED TO GO TO USC BEACUSE OF ME IN AN EMAIL
Stephanie Guo: HAHA.
xkkx7: LOOOOL
xkkx7: ITS CUZ U WATCHED GG WITH HER
Yee it was really fun! :)
Anyway, I'm happy :) though a little bit stressed for my WRIT140 paper although for the first time, I have a complete rough draft more than 24 hours before it's due and it's at its maximum page capacity!! :)) Now just to incorporate more evidence and send away to Cauchy :)) Keke
Sidenote:
You know you go to church in Hollywood when your pastor preaches in skinnies, plaid, and has hella tats on his arms.
Siick :)
PASTOR TIM is incredibly intelligent, I'm so glad I go to Reality LA :)
OKAY BYE. SPRING BREAK IS SO CLOSE. HOIDSJLFKJGOAISDAS!!K:FSDK
So the TCF girls in the Crazy Love book study are doing a little application called "15 Days of Love" during which each day is dedicated to a part of what love is defined as in 1 Corinthians (love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, etc...)
What really struck me about the chapter we had read for Crazy Love was what Frances asked us to do. He told us that if we had substituted our name in that verse, when would we start lying?
Steff-o is patient...
I can't even get past the first three words! Though slightly discouraging, it means that there is plenty of ground for improvement :) Today, we are on day three (love does not envy) and so far so good :) If anything, it's making me more conscious of the ways love is expressed.
Maybe one day I'll write about love languages :)
Anyway, this week has been fairly decent although lacking in sleep.
Thursday, omgosh we finally set off the alarm at SGM O_O IT WAS SO SCARY. WE RAN SO FAST. MY HEART WAS BEATING SO FAST. Hehe needless to say I guess we're not going on any rooftops anytime soon. Also because today was super cold!! Friday, Mai and I ventured to Ktown to buy ingredients we needed (wrong ones...) with which we would later use to bake green tea cookies at Rowlands! It was really fun and tasty even though we took extreme liberties with the recipe...
That night, we went to BCD OMGOSH I've been craving for MONTHS and we FINALLY FOUND IT after walking like 9283493 blocks, it was sooo worth ittt. Then we went to a concert called "The Three Romanticists." Well, they changed it to "The Romanticist" after one of the singers dropped out. Even though Rowland and I couldn't understand anything, we really enjoyed it :) K. Will especially ;) so adorable!
Saturday, we had Crazy Love and then we took the bus to the Teen Center where we fellowshipped with others from around the area who were interested in volunteering at there as well :) It was really fun! We also had Katelyn's goodbye party that day and it was very bittersweet. She, along with a couple girls shed some tears because she won't be with us for a few months but I know God has great plans for her in Japan :) The blessing bunnies turned out great and the Ramen bar was DELICIOUS.
TCF kids really know how to cook ;) Sigh, with everyone leaving, Jon says we better get on learning T_T
Sunday, we went to church and then had brunch and I did a lot of homework :) I originally wasn't going to reassign and thus stayed up rather late passing out baked goods to the kids who were sleeping at the CSCs downstairs. Then I realized I was also reassigning and went to bed rather late only to get up at 7 T_T BUTTCRACK OF DAWN!
Also, we had Stalcup's goodbye party Sunday night :( He's leaving us!! But I guess he's still close so it's not too bad. And he's leading Mark Study tonight! :)
Yesterday, I hosted a student for ExploreUSC and got a free shirt :) NOT ONLY THAT, I made a new friend and she said she really enjoyed her time here :)
Stephanie Guo: MY BUDDY SAID SHE WANTED TO GO TO USC BEACUSE OF ME IN AN EMAIL
Stephanie Guo: HAHA.
xkkx7: LOOOOL
xkkx7: ITS CUZ U WATCHED GG WITH HER
Yee it was really fun! :)
Anyway, I'm happy :) though a little bit stressed for my WRIT140 paper although for the first time, I have a complete rough draft more than 24 hours before it's due and it's at its maximum page capacity!! :)) Now just to incorporate more evidence and send away to Cauchy :)) Keke
Sidenote:
You know you go to church in Hollywood when your pastor preaches in skinnies, plaid, and has hella tats on his arms.
Siick :)
PASTOR TIM is incredibly intelligent, I'm so glad I go to Reality LA :)
OKAY BYE. SPRING BREAK IS SO CLOSE. HOIDSJLFKJGOAISDAS!!K:FSDK
20100305
YAY AREA
HOW I MISS THOU!
Here are some things I must accomplish over SPRING BREAK:
(Helena is coming home with me so I have a guest! :)) next year, Hawaii...)
1. SAN FRANCISCO, I gotta show her the little culture we have. and SHOPPING :) get some clam chowder in a bread bowl, bark at sea lions, etc.
2. Get a dress!!
3. Hit up Valley Fair and Great Mall
4. See all the guys <3 and the BFFs.
5. TURN 18!!!!!! And have a bangin' birthday :D
6. Visit Stanford and Berk kids :)) PARTIES? :D
7. THE BEACH. Even though it's cold :(
8. Visit the ol' Alma Mater, visit some teachers, hang out with small children, etc.
9. Harker Baseball <3 :)
10. SLEEPOVERS.
11. EAT.
THE END! I will come back to write soon :)
Here are some things I must accomplish over SPRING BREAK:
(Helena is coming home with me so I have a guest! :)) next year, Hawaii...)
1. SAN FRANCISCO, I gotta show her the little culture we have. and SHOPPING :) get some clam chowder in a bread bowl, bark at sea lions, etc.
2. Get a dress!!
3. Hit up Valley Fair and Great Mall
4. See all the guys <3 and the BFFs.
5. TURN 18!!!!!! And have a bangin' birthday :D
6. Visit Stanford and Berk kids :)) PARTIES? :D
7. THE BEACH. Even though it's cold :(
8. Visit the ol' Alma Mater, visit some teachers, hang out with small children, etc.
9. Harker Baseball <3 :)
10. SLEEPOVERS.
11. EAT.
THE END! I will come back to write soon :)
20100302
THANK YOU
CRAPLOADS HAVE HAPPENED SINCE I LAST POSTED
But here is a list of what I am thankful for :)
1. God, thank you for everything I am about to write about...HAHA
2. God, thank you for TCF and Alice and all the freshmen who have really shown me your love through their actions...I can't seem to thank them enough because of what they do. I wanted to cry tears of joy when I saw them sitting in the baggage claim doing their homework T_T I don't know what I'd do if I had never met them!
3. God, thank you for my family and helping me feel at peace about everything that's happened in the last month or so. Thank you for helping me realize that everything, though inconvenient and annoying for ME, and no matter how much I whine about the injustices you have put upon me, I know that you are a loving and merciful God...and everything is in your hands. Thanks for helping me see that it's all worked out according to your plan :)
4. God, thank you for that anonymous missionary in China who touched my great-grandfather. I just learned that he was a Christian pastor! I've actually been to the church he used to pastor at...and it's right across the street from a communist police department. I now have hope that they can coexist peacefully and China can be transformed :)
5. I thank you for giving my aunt 9 years when they expected only a few weeks. And in those 9 years, she found you and for that, I am eternally grateful. She was also baptized by my other cousin's (opposite side of the family...) girlfriend's father. Funny how things work out, huh?
6. I'm happy that I was able to spend a bit of time this weekend with my extended family. Now that it's over, I think everyone is a bit more at ease, and I look forward to getting to know them even more. Winterbreak in Queensland? I think so :)
7. THANKS FOR MY WRIT140 GRADE :)
The Friday after I last posted...PRB went to Ktown for some delicious 3 dollars Korean BBQ! On Saturday, Mai and I watched a really scary Japanese movie called AIR DOLL, it was really thought-provoking and called to question what it really means to be human...but the climax really turned me off and now I'm deathly afraid of it :(
Sunday, church was sooo goood! Sigh pastor Tim is so smart and articulate and the message was very very interesting. Worship was great, of course :) So I woke up on Sunday and then went to sleep again and had a short dream about singing "Consuming Fire" and then at church, WE DID! Crazy huh? And also, Kathy was there O_O Which was really cool to to run into a very familiar face from home :D (I dreamt about her before I met her as well...) AND she came with a girl who I actually sat with on the plane to Urbana. O_O Crazy how things work out that way, right?
We had brunch at EVK which was ACTUALLY quite good :)
Mmm last week was just a lot of catch-up work, my SOCI142 midterm actually went pretty well, I think :) and the first half of my Chinese midterm tooo..we'll see how the second half goes tomorrow :D (I just finished COMM206 today too and I think it was quite okay..we'll see!) but yar, then packed up and went home :P
I also found a really nice notebook with Won at Borders the other day for less than 8 dollars and I am very happy about that :) I'm trying to update more, I promise!!
Next up, hopefully new year's resolutions :D
BYEBYE everybodyyy
But here is a list of what I am thankful for :)
1. God, thank you for everything I am about to write about...HAHA
2. God, thank you for TCF and Alice and all the freshmen who have really shown me your love through their actions...I can't seem to thank them enough because of what they do. I wanted to cry tears of joy when I saw them sitting in the baggage claim doing their homework T_T I don't know what I'd do if I had never met them!
3. God, thank you for my family and helping me feel at peace about everything that's happened in the last month or so. Thank you for helping me realize that everything, though inconvenient and annoying for ME, and no matter how much I whine about the injustices you have put upon me, I know that you are a loving and merciful God...and everything is in your hands. Thanks for helping me see that it's all worked out according to your plan :)
4. God, thank you for that anonymous missionary in China who touched my great-grandfather. I just learned that he was a Christian pastor! I've actually been to the church he used to pastor at...and it's right across the street from a communist police department. I now have hope that they can coexist peacefully and China can be transformed :)
5. I thank you for giving my aunt 9 years when they expected only a few weeks. And in those 9 years, she found you and for that, I am eternally grateful. She was also baptized by my other cousin's (opposite side of the family...) girlfriend's father. Funny how things work out, huh?
6. I'm happy that I was able to spend a bit of time this weekend with my extended family. Now that it's over, I think everyone is a bit more at ease, and I look forward to getting to know them even more. Winterbreak in Queensland? I think so :)
7. THANKS FOR MY WRIT140 GRADE :)
The Friday after I last posted...PRB went to Ktown for some delicious 3 dollars Korean BBQ! On Saturday, Mai and I watched a really scary Japanese movie called AIR DOLL, it was really thought-provoking and called to question what it really means to be human...but the climax really turned me off and now I'm deathly afraid of it :(
Sunday, church was sooo goood! Sigh pastor Tim is so smart and articulate and the message was very very interesting. Worship was great, of course :) So I woke up on Sunday and then went to sleep again and had a short dream about singing "Consuming Fire" and then at church, WE DID! Crazy huh? And also, Kathy was there O_O Which was really cool to to run into a very familiar face from home :D (I dreamt about her before I met her as well...) AND she came with a girl who I actually sat with on the plane to Urbana. O_O Crazy how things work out that way, right?
We had brunch at EVK which was ACTUALLY quite good :)
Mmm last week was just a lot of catch-up work, my SOCI142 midterm actually went pretty well, I think :) and the first half of my Chinese midterm tooo..we'll see how the second half goes tomorrow :D (I just finished COMM206 today too and I think it was quite okay..we'll see!) but yar, then packed up and went home :P
I also found a really nice notebook with Won at Borders the other day for less than 8 dollars and I am very happy about that :) I'm trying to update more, I promise!!
Next up, hopefully new year's resolutions :D
BYEBYE everybodyyy
20100215
Found Love Beyond All Reason
HELLO!
This weekend was one of the best weekends at SC :) I was really feelin' the love this Vday :D
On Friday, I spent the night talking to Won and hanging out with Helena. We did pilates! yayy :D I also cleaned my room for good luck on Chinese New Year (impressive right?? I even vacuumed :D)
Saturday morning, Regina, Solanda, Richard, Jon, Valerie, and I went to Love Life, a conference on love, sex, and marriage in a Christian context. They boys got us breakfast! SO adorable :) Thoughtfulness=A+. Also, we managed to leave SC 20 minutes before a fire alarm went off at 9AM. Sucks for everyone at Pside :) Haha thanks God!
Anyway, Love Life was a HUGE blessing, it answered a lot of questions yet led me to some too that I have yet to answer. But in general, a lot to digest. And I never really read the Songs of Solomon too carefully but did you know that the Bible addresses the merits of oral sex directly?!?! I didn't.
Is sex god or gross? Neither! It's a gift :) FOR WHEN YOU'RE MARRIED.
Aite also, we ate at this cute Korean shack thing for lunch which was interesting. Anyway, when we got back, I ate my leftovers and then we had Crazy Love with the TCF girls :) It was really fun to just be with my sisters and bond :D
After that, we went back to Lorena's and made the guys their Vday goodie bags :)) yom for baking!! We also watched Mulan and ordered Thai food :D
Happy Chinese New Year everyone!! :D
Sunday, the weather was starting to get REALLY HOT, like 80 degrees! Just how I like i! Reality's sermon was really good this week, but left us with a lot of cliffhangers. Brunch was enjoyable as always, and afterward, I got some work done before Helena, Rachael, and I walked to Ground Zero to buy some of their famous milkshakes :) GOOD IDEA STEFF-O!
Then we got ready for TCF Girls' Appreciation Night.
TCF Girl's Appreciation Night definitely succeeded in making me feel OVERWHELMED by love and service from the guys. I cried. Really, I did, and I felt my like my heart was getting so heavy with love it'd just drop right out of my chest. There's also something about cute boys in suits making food and dancing for you :D Keke. Anyway, the whole night, they served us on hand and foot with a delicious homemade 4-course meal, song and dance, a Biblical play on love, and a fun game. My favorite, though, was the movie. (Insert tears). They made this interview style movie for us with fun questions like "How would you describe TCF girls in one word?" "What do you love best about TCF?" Some guys were really fun and open about it, while others really opened their hearts and were very transparent. I have never been so touched or blessed in my life, I was not the only one tearing up either.
Check out the last bit of the video, it's pretty amazing :)
I'm going to watch this movie whenever I am sad.
After that, we went back to my room and we played Pass the Bomb and read magazines and just talked until 1AM before everyone went to sleep.
Monday was also VERY NICE weathered, Ben had Richard and I wake up SUPER EARLY like 11AM! For discipleship. But that was because he had found a car! And he drove us all the way to Arcadia (only Chinese places open on holidays) to have delicious Chinese food and PMT. :) A really good start to my day.
The rest of Monday and Tuesday were spent suffering from WRIT140 and COMM206 because I had hung out all weekend but I don't regret it at all :D
Oh yes, and Tuesday I had accountability with Alice at SGM and we sang all the praise songs we knew (limited...) and we could actually see stars! It was fun :D
MORE TO COME! Stay tuned because I know my life is SO fascinating :DD
I know you're an independent person but I thought you could depend on me. That's what a relationship is for :) Wo ai ni
This weekend was one of the best weekends at SC :) I was really feelin' the love this Vday :D
On Friday, I spent the night talking to Won and hanging out with Helena. We did pilates! yayy :D I also cleaned my room for good luck on Chinese New Year (impressive right?? I even vacuumed :D)
Saturday morning, Regina, Solanda, Richard, Jon, Valerie, and I went to Love Life, a conference on love, sex, and marriage in a Christian context. They boys got us breakfast! SO adorable :) Thoughtfulness=A+. Also, we managed to leave SC 20 minutes before a fire alarm went off at 9AM. Sucks for everyone at Pside :) Haha thanks God!
Anyway, Love Life was a HUGE blessing, it answered a lot of questions yet led me to some too that I have yet to answer. But in general, a lot to digest. And I never really read the Songs of Solomon too carefully but did you know that the Bible addresses the merits of oral sex directly?!?! I didn't.
Is sex god or gross? Neither! It's a gift :) FOR WHEN YOU'RE MARRIED.
Aite also, we ate at this cute Korean shack thing for lunch which was interesting. Anyway, when we got back, I ate my leftovers and then we had Crazy Love with the TCF girls :) It was really fun to just be with my sisters and bond :D
After that, we went back to Lorena's and made the guys their Vday goodie bags :)) yom for baking!! We also watched Mulan and ordered Thai food :D
Happy Chinese New Year everyone!! :D
Sunday, the weather was starting to get REALLY HOT, like 80 degrees! Just how I like i! Reality's sermon was really good this week, but left us with a lot of cliffhangers. Brunch was enjoyable as always, and afterward, I got some work done before Helena, Rachael, and I walked to Ground Zero to buy some of their famous milkshakes :) GOOD IDEA STEFF-O!
Then we got ready for TCF Girls' Appreciation Night.
TCF Girl's Appreciation Night definitely succeeded in making me feel OVERWHELMED by love and service from the guys. I cried. Really, I did, and I felt my like my heart was getting so heavy with love it'd just drop right out of my chest. There's also something about cute boys in suits making food and dancing for you :D Keke. Anyway, the whole night, they served us on hand and foot with a delicious homemade 4-course meal, song and dance, a Biblical play on love, and a fun game. My favorite, though, was the movie. (Insert tears). They made this interview style movie for us with fun questions like "How would you describe TCF girls in one word?" "What do you love best about TCF?" Some guys were really fun and open about it, while others really opened their hearts and were very transparent. I have never been so touched or blessed in my life, I was not the only one tearing up either.
Check out the last bit of the video, it's pretty amazing :)
I'm going to watch this movie whenever I am sad.
After that, we went back to my room and we played Pass the Bomb and read magazines and just talked until 1AM before everyone went to sleep.
Monday was also VERY NICE weathered, Ben had Richard and I wake up SUPER EARLY like 11AM! For discipleship. But that was because he had found a car! And he drove us all the way to Arcadia (only Chinese places open on holidays) to have delicious Chinese food and PMT. :) A really good start to my day.
The rest of Monday and Tuesday were spent suffering from WRIT140 and COMM206 because I had hung out all weekend but I don't regret it at all :D
Oh yes, and Tuesday I had accountability with Alice at SGM and we sang all the praise songs we knew (limited...) and we could actually see stars! It was fun :D
MORE TO COME! Stay tuned because I know my life is SO fascinating :DD
I know you're an independent person but I thought you could depend on me. That's what a relationship is for :) Wo ai ni
20100212
Catching Up
Hey guys,
So I'm about 1.5 months behind or something so I will do a general recap :) no details!
And I'm going to break it down right here:
1. Rest of Winter Break
2. First Month of School
3. TCF Happenings (JJ+Marks, Accountability, EPIK, Reality LA)
4. MISC. (Leggings, Banana Pancakes, Housing, USC Culinary Sekrits [not really])
Rest of Winter Break:
Spent it primarily with family, Deniz, and Won.
For Won's birthday, we went to this place on El Camino called Cherry Sushi and it was really good :) Then the really cute manager took a picture for us keke. We went to see Up in the Air after that because Won has this strange man crush on George Clooney and yes, that is what I did.
The next day I saw Naynay, Winny, and Albert and we had PMT for a few hours :P haha
When Harker started again I basically went everyday to see old '09 friends, Won, and old teachers. It was good to reconnect :) I miss high school :(
Deniz and I probably gained 60 pounds over break.
Ooh, David and I had dinner at Elephant Bar and then Barrett joined us for desert, which was dericious. Afterward, we met up with Seany and Deniz and we went to Stanford to visit the Mandells on the first night of their second semester, which was fun. It's interesting to see how different their dorm life is and etc. but in general, pretty quiet granted we were there at like 11PM on a Monday. And we forgot to go to the Palo Alto Creamery!! Shame.
Hmm one highlight of my Winter Break was probably traipsing through SF with the guys and Masha and finally seeing Avatar in IMAX-3D. We left South Bay and drove to SF and had a really nice Indian dinner after wandering around and chilling in hotel lobbies. Afterward, we went to the Metreon and in search of snack food. We ended up wandering around some famous sculptures and waterfall installments and this AWESOME PARK but the police man said it was closed and we couldn't go :( oh well. For another day.
That's all I can remember.
ON TO USC! :D
First month of school:
I started the first two weeks feeling pretty behind :(
Chinese has been going well although we have quizzes every day so it's pretty overwhelming and time consuming to be studying for these quizzes/oral presentations/doinghomework/tests every night :(
Writing 140 is unsufferable. It's 8AM and terribly boring and I failed my first paper BLEH! Kind of.
Soci is boring and the room is really cold and the teacher is meeehhh and yah no good. I hope the class is easy though...
Comm206 is alright. I hear it's graded rather harshly so that's no good.
I JUST WANT A GOOD GPA :(
TCF Happenings
I also had to deal with making some pretty hard decisions when it came down to SEVERAL EARTH SHATTERING EVENTS IN MY LIFE. Actually, just one. But before that, I really struggled with deciding whether or not to go to January Jumpstart or Harker's Winterball and I was really feeling the pressure but in the end, I went to Winterball and I haven't regretted it.
On the same note, Mark Study has been an incredible blessing and enlightening process to which I look forward to every week. Also new in my TCF life, I have an accountability partner!
Alice and I have met three times already and it's been amazing :) The first night, we had dinner at EVK for their Asian theme night which was meh, but good conversation :) The last two times, Alice came up with the brilliant idea of going to the roof of SGM and having a picnic there.
Last night, the door was not propped open and a little light was blinking. We were very ready to run if the alarm rang, but God was on our side and we were able to sit and eat and talk for a couple hours.
LA IS BEAUTIFUL. Aside for the recent bad weather and smog etc., it's been really nice to be able to put everything in perspective. It sounds silly but I feel closer to God, because I physically am. I can see my whole campus (which is gorgeous and not that big at all), all of South Central, I can probably see Skid Row if I really looked. I could probably see the Hollywood sign and the financial district. Maybe tiny fashion district and little Tokyo. And I can definitely see downtown. LA is really a great place to be and is full of opportunities. But it's also a place of hurting and heartbreak; a pretty comprehensive look at the rest of America, and the world too.
It's been good to sit on the rooftop and talk about the burdens of my heart and have someone to share them with. It's also comforting to know that there is a God who created everything I can see from the top of SGM, and more. It's also saddening to realize that so many people have less than me. But it is encouraging to know that I have not yet accomplished God has put me here to do.
I haven't been to the tops of anywhere else but Alice says SGM is pretty baller in comparison so check it out :P If you end up getting chased by the DPS, don't blame me.
At the beginning of the semester, the TCF freshmen went to check out Epik and meet some of our brothers and sisters there. They had a testimony night and it was very comforting and inspiring to see their openness and transparency with each other. In the same vein, I can't express how grateful I have been for TCF. Last Saturday night, following Love & Influence, our car had gone to Ralph's to buy a little cake for Helena's 19th birthday. We then called two other cars worth of people and Alice from Southside to bring some candles. When we got to Parkside, the guys had brought a few upperclassmen and Alice had brought a whole army from Southside and it really made me want to cry because although Helena acted very embarrassed by the whole process of having been called into the hallway by two RAs and then being sung at in front of many many people, I think we really touched her heart. I think both her and I have really come to appreciate TCF and their loving on us. :)
A lot of stuff has been happening...
Last Friday-Saturday, TCF went to Love & Influence, yet another InterVarsity conference in Burbank. To be honest, it wasn't exactly life changing, although I found the application part very fun and the testimonies quite moving. Altogether, it was a good weekend to reflect on the practical ways to love on others with the love of God. It's good to feel God tangibly :)
I didn't sleep well at all, we had to sleep in a toy room in the Sunday School section and there were creepy dolls everywhere. We had stayed up till 1AM telling sekrits :) and I had tossed and turned for 4 hours, finally MAYBE sleeping at like 6, only to get up at 8. I had a dream about Parkside serving us Asian pancakes (the ones from Hong Kong? They're the best :))
Our mission that afternoon was to go out to the mall in Burbank and find a way to further God's kingdom with 5 dollars. Sound familiar? I was sent out with the same mission when I graduated high school and began school at USC with 100 dollars in hand. It was really difficult, we were in a group of 4, two of us from SC and one from UCR and another from a local school in LA. We ended up buying three cups of hot tea and talking to those Chinese masseuse people in the mall people tend to avoid. We had to speak in Chinese and learned that they had just immigrated and it's been hard getting by but they try to ever so often go to the local church and pray. It was immensely encouraging just seeing the hope and determination they had in coming to this country.
It was also very comforting to know that we had more skills than we had that could break things down (like language barriers). Nothing amazing, but we were able to share the burdens of these people and pray for their lives. Three people touched :)
Then we went to this church of Scientology shady store thing and it was hella freaky, no lie. They like tried to brainwash us or something but they left us alone after they saw that we were Christian (forgot about the Bibles we were holding...)
WEIRD WEIRD WEIRD jOIDFJ SO STRANGE. But for the first time, I was really aware of how it felt to be on the OTHER SIDE of a religion and learning more about a way of life I didn't quite want to be a part of.
Learning about what others did with their 5 dollars was immensely encouraging as well.
I also got to eat In n' Out, very satisfying :)
Two weeks ago, I began to go to Reality LA church instead of Evergreen and I've been LOVING IT. It's not far at all and it starts at 9AM instead of 1130AM. The worship is incredible, the messages are relevant and thought-provoking, prayer is important, and I can really feel God there with us. On a more shallow level, there are other college kids there! I don't care if they're from UCLA! It feels good to be with others in my age group and know that the messages are tailored to people of our generation and the things we are going through.
Last Sunday, we got into conversation with this HUGE MAN sitting behind me and we were casually chatting with him and his wife just about where we were from, what school we went to, and our SAT scores (??) haha yeah, turns out he went to SC too! He fist bumped us and we noticed a ring on his finger. That was not his class ring, it was his National Championship ring! He had played for the Trojans on our O-Line back in the 70's!! Super cool :) AND he's from the BAY! He went to Saratoga High. Funny how things work out like that :D
MISC.:
Just a few more important things that have occured in the past month:
I have now understood the appeal of wearing leggings as pants. I feel ashamed to do so, but do it often. It's just too comfortable. This feels like a sin.
A couple weeks ago, Sambo visited and we had a lot of adventures on the row, outside Trogro (TCF AND HARKER FUN :)), and in our room. It was pouring that weekend and for the first time in my life! I had some really delicious banana pancakes courtesy of Parkside :) And we listened to Jack Johnson's banana pancake soon "Can't you see that it's just raining..."
We had an excellent adventure hoisting her stuff over the fence because it was locked and the taxi was on the other side...5 minutes later, soaked to the bone :]
Also, I have discovered two important culinary experiences that have changed my life. 1. Chicken nugget Tuesdays @ EVK. I LOVE CHICKEN NUGGEST. I LOVE TUESDAYS (NOW). AUGHH!!
Also, LiteraTea! ADORABLE! I love tea stores and this store has the CUTEST deserts like mini-macaroons and they have bottles of Mexican Coke, Aloe, and delicious tea. I LOVE LITERATEA. AND THEY TAKE DINING DOLLARS YES. Been there twice in the past three days.
LASTLY, Housing has finally been settled, I'm rooming with SOLANDA on the second floor BOO and suiting with Mai, Dana, Ivy, and two three unnamed persons at the moment :)
God has been good. In terms of special interest housing (basically Parkside), all of the TCF-ers have gotten what they wanted. Looks like dorm ministry is a go! :)
That is all. Coming up this weekend...
1. Birthday celebrations?
2. LOVE LIFE (ANOTHER CONFERENCE TOMORROW) I think it's going to be good for me. Really good.
3. TCF woman's appreciation night <3 :) ruv TCF boys.
4. Sleepovers! (all of us are lonely due to Chinese new year and also the fact that all of our roommates have gone home for it.)
5. TWO PAPERS, ONE TEST (week 5) TWO MIDTERMS (week 6) AUGHHH
Good day! If you read all of that, you're amazing.
So I'm about 1.5 months behind or something so I will do a general recap :) no details!
And I'm going to break it down right here:
1. Rest of Winter Break
2. First Month of School
3. TCF Happenings (JJ+Marks, Accountability, EPIK, Reality LA)
4. MISC. (Leggings, Banana Pancakes, Housing, USC Culinary Sekrits [not really])
Rest of Winter Break:
Spent it primarily with family, Deniz, and Won.
For Won's birthday, we went to this place on El Camino called Cherry Sushi and it was really good :) Then the really cute manager took a picture for us keke. We went to see Up in the Air after that because Won has this strange man crush on George Clooney and yes, that is what I did.
The next day I saw Naynay, Winny, and Albert and we had PMT for a few hours :P haha
When Harker started again I basically went everyday to see old '09 friends, Won, and old teachers. It was good to reconnect :) I miss high school :(
Deniz and I probably gained 60 pounds over break.
Ooh, David and I had dinner at Elephant Bar and then Barrett joined us for desert, which was dericious. Afterward, we met up with Seany and Deniz and we went to Stanford to visit the Mandells on the first night of their second semester, which was fun. It's interesting to see how different their dorm life is and etc. but in general, pretty quiet granted we were there at like 11PM on a Monday. And we forgot to go to the Palo Alto Creamery!! Shame.
Hmm one highlight of my Winter Break was probably traipsing through SF with the guys and Masha and finally seeing Avatar in IMAX-3D. We left South Bay and drove to SF and had a really nice Indian dinner after wandering around and chilling in hotel lobbies. Afterward, we went to the Metreon and in search of snack food. We ended up wandering around some famous sculptures and waterfall installments and this AWESOME PARK but the police man said it was closed and we couldn't go :( oh well. For another day.
That's all I can remember.
ON TO USC! :D
First month of school:
I started the first two weeks feeling pretty behind :(
Chinese has been going well although we have quizzes every day so it's pretty overwhelming and time consuming to be studying for these quizzes/oral presentations/doinghomework/tests every night :(
Writing 140 is unsufferable. It's 8AM and terribly boring and I failed my first paper BLEH! Kind of.
Soci is boring and the room is really cold and the teacher is meeehhh and yah no good. I hope the class is easy though...
Comm206 is alright. I hear it's graded rather harshly so that's no good.
I JUST WANT A GOOD GPA :(
TCF Happenings
I also had to deal with making some pretty hard decisions when it came down to SEVERAL EARTH SHATTERING EVENTS IN MY LIFE. Actually, just one. But before that, I really struggled with deciding whether or not to go to January Jumpstart or Harker's Winterball and I was really feeling the pressure but in the end, I went to Winterball and I haven't regretted it.
On the same note, Mark Study has been an incredible blessing and enlightening process to which I look forward to every week. Also new in my TCF life, I have an accountability partner!
Alice and I have met three times already and it's been amazing :) The first night, we had dinner at EVK for their Asian theme night which was meh, but good conversation :) The last two times, Alice came up with the brilliant idea of going to the roof of SGM and having a picnic there.
Last night, the door was not propped open and a little light was blinking. We were very ready to run if the alarm rang, but God was on our side and we were able to sit and eat and talk for a couple hours.
LA IS BEAUTIFUL. Aside for the recent bad weather and smog etc., it's been really nice to be able to put everything in perspective. It sounds silly but I feel closer to God, because I physically am. I can see my whole campus (which is gorgeous and not that big at all), all of South Central, I can probably see Skid Row if I really looked. I could probably see the Hollywood sign and the financial district. Maybe tiny fashion district and little Tokyo. And I can definitely see downtown. LA is really a great place to be and is full of opportunities. But it's also a place of hurting and heartbreak; a pretty comprehensive look at the rest of America, and the world too.
It's been good to sit on the rooftop and talk about the burdens of my heart and have someone to share them with. It's also comforting to know that there is a God who created everything I can see from the top of SGM, and more. It's also saddening to realize that so many people have less than me. But it is encouraging to know that I have not yet accomplished God has put me here to do.
I haven't been to the tops of anywhere else but Alice says SGM is pretty baller in comparison so check it out :P If you end up getting chased by the DPS, don't blame me.
At the beginning of the semester, the TCF freshmen went to check out Epik and meet some of our brothers and sisters there. They had a testimony night and it was very comforting and inspiring to see their openness and transparency with each other. In the same vein, I can't express how grateful I have been for TCF. Last Saturday night, following Love & Influence, our car had gone to Ralph's to buy a little cake for Helena's 19th birthday. We then called two other cars worth of people and Alice from Southside to bring some candles. When we got to Parkside, the guys had brought a few upperclassmen and Alice had brought a whole army from Southside and it really made me want to cry because although Helena acted very embarrassed by the whole process of having been called into the hallway by two RAs and then being sung at in front of many many people, I think we really touched her heart. I think both her and I have really come to appreciate TCF and their loving on us. :)
A lot of stuff has been happening...
Last Friday-Saturday, TCF went to Love & Influence, yet another InterVarsity conference in Burbank. To be honest, it wasn't exactly life changing, although I found the application part very fun and the testimonies quite moving. Altogether, it was a good weekend to reflect on the practical ways to love on others with the love of God. It's good to feel God tangibly :)
I didn't sleep well at all, we had to sleep in a toy room in the Sunday School section and there were creepy dolls everywhere. We had stayed up till 1AM telling sekrits :) and I had tossed and turned for 4 hours, finally MAYBE sleeping at like 6, only to get up at 8. I had a dream about Parkside serving us Asian pancakes (the ones from Hong Kong? They're the best :))
Our mission that afternoon was to go out to the mall in Burbank and find a way to further God's kingdom with 5 dollars. Sound familiar? I was sent out with the same mission when I graduated high school and began school at USC with 100 dollars in hand. It was really difficult, we were in a group of 4, two of us from SC and one from UCR and another from a local school in LA. We ended up buying three cups of hot tea and talking to those Chinese masseuse people in the mall people tend to avoid. We had to speak in Chinese and learned that they had just immigrated and it's been hard getting by but they try to ever so often go to the local church and pray. It was immensely encouraging just seeing the hope and determination they had in coming to this country.
It was also very comforting to know that we had more skills than we had that could break things down (like language barriers). Nothing amazing, but we were able to share the burdens of these people and pray for their lives. Three people touched :)
Then we went to this church of Scientology shady store thing and it was hella freaky, no lie. They like tried to brainwash us or something but they left us alone after they saw that we were Christian (forgot about the Bibles we were holding...)
WEIRD WEIRD WEIRD jOIDFJ SO STRANGE. But for the first time, I was really aware of how it felt to be on the OTHER SIDE of a religion and learning more about a way of life I didn't quite want to be a part of.
Learning about what others did with their 5 dollars was immensely encouraging as well.
I also got to eat In n' Out, very satisfying :)
Two weeks ago, I began to go to Reality LA church instead of Evergreen and I've been LOVING IT. It's not far at all and it starts at 9AM instead of 1130AM. The worship is incredible, the messages are relevant and thought-provoking, prayer is important, and I can really feel God there with us. On a more shallow level, there are other college kids there! I don't care if they're from UCLA! It feels good to be with others in my age group and know that the messages are tailored to people of our generation and the things we are going through.
Last Sunday, we got into conversation with this HUGE MAN sitting behind me and we were casually chatting with him and his wife just about where we were from, what school we went to, and our SAT scores (??) haha yeah, turns out he went to SC too! He fist bumped us and we noticed a ring on his finger. That was not his class ring, it was his National Championship ring! He had played for the Trojans on our O-Line back in the 70's!! Super cool :) AND he's from the BAY! He went to Saratoga High. Funny how things work out like that :D
MISC.:
Just a few more important things that have occured in the past month:
I have now understood the appeal of wearing leggings as pants. I feel ashamed to do so, but do it often. It's just too comfortable. This feels like a sin.
A couple weeks ago, Sambo visited and we had a lot of adventures on the row, outside Trogro (TCF AND HARKER FUN :)), and in our room. It was pouring that weekend and for the first time in my life! I had some really delicious banana pancakes courtesy of Parkside :) And we listened to Jack Johnson's banana pancake soon "Can't you see that it's just raining..."
We had an excellent adventure hoisting her stuff over the fence because it was locked and the taxi was on the other side...5 minutes later, soaked to the bone :]
Also, I have discovered two important culinary experiences that have changed my life. 1. Chicken nugget Tuesdays @ EVK. I LOVE CHICKEN NUGGEST. I LOVE TUESDAYS (NOW). AUGHH!!
Also, LiteraTea! ADORABLE! I love tea stores and this store has the CUTEST deserts like mini-macaroons and they have bottles of Mexican Coke, Aloe, and delicious tea. I LOVE LITERATEA. AND THEY TAKE DINING DOLLARS YES. Been there twice in the past three days.
LASTLY, Housing has finally been settled, I'm rooming with SOLANDA on the second floor BOO and suiting with Mai, Dana, Ivy, and two three unnamed persons at the moment :)
God has been good. In terms of special interest housing (basically Parkside), all of the TCF-ers have gotten what they wanted. Looks like dorm ministry is a go! :)
That is all. Coming up this weekend...
1. Birthday celebrations?
2. LOVE LIFE (ANOTHER CONFERENCE TOMORROW) I think it's going to be good for me. Really good.
3. TCF woman's appreciation night <3 :) ruv TCF boys.
4. Sleepovers! (all of us are lonely due to Chinese new year and also the fact that all of our roommates have gone home for it.)
5. TWO PAPERS, ONE TEST (week 5) TWO MIDTERMS (week 6) AUGHHH
Good day! If you read all of that, you're amazing.
20100130
Urbana pt. 2
Finally! Haha so I'm finally getting around to posting about Day 3-5? Yes.
So here we go:
Day three:
Today was the day things started to change! :) We woke up (hardly) and barely missed breakfast! We took it to our Bible study room, however, we were late so we had to split up :( I think today was the day I happened to sit next to this really nice married couple (AWK.WARD.) and they happened to be from San Jose! They were very spiritually mature (being, like, 8 years older than me or something) and made me feel kind of meh (unintentionally of course!) but in general, it was a very growing experience :) Afterward, we went to the convention center and continued our study of John 1-4. The session really made me think about stewarding what we have, for God. It didn't matter how much we have-or how little we have-we should live by stewardship and not ownership. I really got a glimpse of what it was like to "hold [possessions] with an open hand." A valuable lesson indeed :)
After the morning session, TCF SPRINTED TO OUR DESIGNATED EATING LOCATION and went to the St. Louis Bread Company! Which is actually Panera Bread in disguise but it was good stuff :) (I have never been to Panera either!) Anyway, I had a really hard time choosing (my very first!) seminar and after spending the very long wait for our soup and bread bowls pouring over my tracks and seminars booklet, and I finally decided on "Decision Making and the Will of God"
...
So Solanda and I walked the many many blocks to Millenium center and and sat very close to the front with some other TCF-ers and listened to James Choung speak. Not only is he an amazing speaker, what he had to say was very intriguing and honest. He also authored a great book, "True Life," so check it out :) He sometimes visits Steve too so we're hoping to catch him around South Central :D It was very interesting just to consider how God might play into our everyday decisions and life decisions. Ultimately, though, just because He calls us to do something, it doesn't mean that it's going to be easy. What a simple, but hard, lesson to learn.
After that, Solanda and I hurried back to the America's Center (and got a picture with the Arch on the way :D) to attend "Ethical Dilemmas in the world of Christian Development." It was interesting-though not what we expected. To be honest, I had a hard time understanding what he was saying, partially because we were SUPER TIRED at this point, and also because it was just really heady stuff. But he did speak about what Evangelism meant, the core reason we were at Urbana, and also what poverty really meant. Poverty does not mean financial status. It means broken relationships. Furthermore, you can't help someone until you understand them.
The evening session, Shane Claireborne, who is a great speaker with great experience, spoke about really loving our neighbors. The evening session concluded with many other speakers and we finally went home.
Our family time was really a blessing to me, I really grew closer to my sisters and learned a lot about God and Godly relationships. We ended up talking until 4 or 5 AM and DUN DUN DUN
Day four:
We overslept!! It was a total disaster, although, in retrospect, totally worth it! Wednesday was a special day because they pushed back Bible study half an hour and then the whole day was a bit different because instead of seminars, we would just be having some quiet time, or time with our fellowships, or whatever we wanted.
So anyway, the session started at 11:00AM and someone called us at 10:45AM. Somehow, we managed to sleep over all 5 of our alarms and miss Bible study! Not only that, when we got to the center, we had no seats saved for us and Ben was very angry at us :( I do not like when people are angry at us. Despite being late, we walked joyfully to the Center because it was SNOWING! Being a typical Californian, falling snow was very exciting for me. The flake were so fat !! :) Anyway, our whole situation put me in a not so good mood for the rest of the day. I was somewhat disappointed in myself just because Tuesday was really a very growing day for me and it seemed as though Urbana was going in a positive direction. Sleeping in on Wednesday morning just didn't feel good at all (although a bit rested. I slept more during midterm season that Urbana!!)
One really cool thing that happened when we were sitting up in the nosebleeds was that that morning, they called for those who would commit their lives to Jesus, and the would get glow sticks. From our seats, we could really see the impact that Urbana had on the lives of these people. It was one of the most joyous feelings in the world, just to see who had just entered the Kingdom, how many more sisters and brothers I now had. :)
Anyway, we didn't eat lunch with TCF that day, we went off to some really good steak place and enjoyed ourselves. However, service was super slow and yet again, we were late to our meeting with TCF. BEN FACE -_______-. Anyway, even then, I think our family group made really significant contributions to the conversation about how to spark revival at USC. In general, I felt pretty good after that.
The day really turned out to be a blessing in disguise. After the meeting, us girls really got to explore Global Connexions and learn about the opportunities we had all over the world. We also went to the bookstore and bought lots of things :)) Tehehe A lot of good books to read. I have yet to read all of them but when I do, I will most definitely post a review! :D
I purchased:
"Becoming the Answer to our Prayers"-Shane Claiborne
"How to Inherit the Earth"-Bessenecker
The books were MAD cheap, less than 5 dollars, some of them. But we split them up and decided to swap throughout this semester.
That night, we had what is called a solidarity meal. It gave us the chance to experience what it was like to not have enough to eat. We always took for granted that we always have enough to have the choice of whether or not we wanted more. This was really a humbling experience. Plus, I met some cool people from Canada! :D
The evening session was especially important for me because Sunder Krishnan spoke that night. His sermon was a powerful take on how prayer should be executed. Pray big and pray bold. The one phrase that really stuck from that night. He spoke about how the way we pray guarantees results, but real prayer is not fundamentally about getting answers. Intercession is God's gift to us, history belongs to the intercessors. Prayer has always been a really big growing point in my own spiritual life just because I grew up in the church not really valuing it. Prayer was also a big reason I joined TCF, because TCF really seemed to emphasize the connection and speaking to God.
Family time was once again, a large blessing :) But we remembered to sleep earlier (but not my much) that night :)
Day Five:
We made it to our last Bible study! Finally, we had finished our inductive study of John 1-4, and it felt good! The morning session was about how we are called to obedience-and not necessarily to success. A really scary thing if you think about it. The problem with us today is that we see problems, but not opportunities. We need to continue to be on fire and learn how to let go and change our ways if they impede the way to the Kingdom. So many important lessons to be learned! Definitely easier said than done.
Afterward, we went to this quaint little cheap restaurant that was surprisingly empty when we got there. We really beat the rush!
My first session on Thursday that I chose to go to was originally called "Birthing Faith Communities in Missions." I got there early and they had asked me to fill out a survey at the end of the session. When the seminar started, it had actually been changed to "Birthing Mission through Kingdom communities." Something quite different, right? But I had to stay because I had that survey to fill out -___-
To be honest, I was incredibly bored. But I did still learn something (praise God) and that was that in order to really reach out and bless people, I had to live among them as Jesus did for us (the general lesson of Urbana '09, but we had some real life examples). Mission doesn't passively occur (he had the strangest analogy, likening it to childbirth...) and we weren't made to do it alone. Anyway, this really solidified my conviction to serve in the freshman dorms next year.
After that seminar, I went to one that was led by an organization that really sparked my interest. OMF international is an organization that works primarily in East Asia. The people I talked to were very kind and the mission of OMF really interested me. Also, one of their leaders is actually part of my home church in the Bay so yes :) perhaps a part of my future plans :D
Anyway, it was called "Six Ways to Reach God's World." The seminar carefully outlined what exactly, what these six ways were. They then asked us to work with others in carefully crafting how we would go about this. I was the only one from TCF :( So I was feeling lonely. But one of the two leaders actually came over and talked to me and it turns out that she's also from the Bay Area so that was really exciting :)
Anyway, I left feeling pretty good about that last seminar.
The evening session was just really, indescribable. The music was great-as it had been all week. The sermons were great. What was really amazing, though, was the partaking of Communion among 16,000 of your brothers and sisters. I really have no other way to describe it, it was one of the most powerful images/events I have ever taken part in. The things I had learned had really hit home at that moment and my heart started to break for those who were hurting around the world. I couldn't stop crying, and neither could those around me. Afterward, worship was tangibly more joyful (if that was even possible) and the love around me, between strangers, was positively electric. We prayed aloud for revival on our campuses and around the world. I felt as though all barriers were lifted. We truly worshiped in the new year, I could feel that 2010 is going to be good :)
On the way home, we sang and praised God. The lobby of our hotel was full of drunk people and this drunk Asian guy was hitting on me. Haha. Anyway, we had good family time, again, and packed up for home.
Day Six:
HOMEBOUND! When I woke up, the majority of our family had already left. I got all my stuff and made my way to the guys' hotel and had breakfast with some of the guys. Then Cauchy and I got on the subway and went to the airport! It was cool to see all of the people who went to Urbana AND were from the Bay Area! Lot of CCIC kids :P Anyway, I started talking to this cool guy about our experiences at Urbana and it felt good to have this close communion with a complete stranger. The flight home, with one stop in Las Vegas, was very sleepy.
The flight attendant gave a shout-out to those who went to Urbana! Very cool.
Anyway, I went home and showered and slept.
A good end to an amazing journey!
Trojans in St. Louis! :)
I hope you all enjoyed reading this :D The details may be slightly inaccurate just because I waited almost a month to post the last half of our trip.
Anyway, I encourage you to all go to Urbana '12 :D
And I'm so excited for what God has in store for this year :) and for TCF!
Coming up:
Second semester, New Year's resolutions, just general happenings in the life of Steff-o.
Today, we're going to the opening of a Teen Center in South Central. We helped out at this particular organization during Frosh Con, and we really hope to become affiliated with their work. Hopefully we'll get to mentor high school students :) I'm so excited!!
It's a big risk, to open such a luxurious, safe space, in such an area, but I have faith that God will do amazing things with this vision.
Haha I remember running into World Impact (the organization ^) at Urbana and the lady was SUPER excited that we were from USC and really had no words, she just hugged us :)
Anyway, time for hw :(
So here we go:
Day three:
Today was the day things started to change! :) We woke up (hardly) and barely missed breakfast! We took it to our Bible study room, however, we were late so we had to split up :( I think today was the day I happened to sit next to this really nice married couple (AWK.WARD.) and they happened to be from San Jose! They were very spiritually mature (being, like, 8 years older than me or something) and made me feel kind of meh (unintentionally of course!) but in general, it was a very growing experience :) Afterward, we went to the convention center and continued our study of John 1-4. The session really made me think about stewarding what we have, for God. It didn't matter how much we have-or how little we have-we should live by stewardship and not ownership. I really got a glimpse of what it was like to "hold [possessions] with an open hand." A valuable lesson indeed :)
After the morning session, TCF SPRINTED TO OUR DESIGNATED EATING LOCATION and went to the St. Louis Bread Company! Which is actually Panera Bread in disguise but it was good stuff :) (I have never been to Panera either!) Anyway, I had a really hard time choosing (my very first!) seminar and after spending the very long wait for our soup and bread bowls pouring over my tracks and seminars booklet, and I finally decided on "Decision Making and the Will of God"
...
So Solanda and I walked the many many blocks to Millenium center and and sat very close to the front with some other TCF-ers and listened to James Choung speak. Not only is he an amazing speaker, what he had to say was very intriguing and honest. He also authored a great book, "True Life," so check it out :) He sometimes visits Steve too so we're hoping to catch him around South Central :D It was very interesting just to consider how God might play into our everyday decisions and life decisions. Ultimately, though, just because He calls us to do something, it doesn't mean that it's going to be easy. What a simple, but hard, lesson to learn.
After that, Solanda and I hurried back to the America's Center (and got a picture with the Arch on the way :D) to attend "Ethical Dilemmas in the world of Christian Development." It was interesting-though not what we expected. To be honest, I had a hard time understanding what he was saying, partially because we were SUPER TIRED at this point, and also because it was just really heady stuff. But he did speak about what Evangelism meant, the core reason we were at Urbana, and also what poverty really meant. Poverty does not mean financial status. It means broken relationships. Furthermore, you can't help someone until you understand them.
They don't care what you know until they know that you care.After those sessions, I was feeling pretty good about feeling spiritually more intelligent :P or some sort of feeling similar to that. We had dinner and really got to explore Global Connexions a bit.
The evening session, Shane Claireborne, who is a great speaker with great experience, spoke about really loving our neighbors. The evening session concluded with many other speakers and we finally went home.
Our family time was really a blessing to me, I really grew closer to my sisters and learned a lot about God and Godly relationships. We ended up talking until 4 or 5 AM and DUN DUN DUN
Day four:
We overslept!! It was a total disaster, although, in retrospect, totally worth it! Wednesday was a special day because they pushed back Bible study half an hour and then the whole day was a bit different because instead of seminars, we would just be having some quiet time, or time with our fellowships, or whatever we wanted.
So anyway, the session started at 11:00AM and someone called us at 10:45AM. Somehow, we managed to sleep over all 5 of our alarms and miss Bible study! Not only that, when we got to the center, we had no seats saved for us and Ben was very angry at us :( I do not like when people are angry at us. Despite being late, we walked joyfully to the Center because it was SNOWING! Being a typical Californian, falling snow was very exciting for me. The flake were so fat !! :) Anyway, our whole situation put me in a not so good mood for the rest of the day. I was somewhat disappointed in myself just because Tuesday was really a very growing day for me and it seemed as though Urbana was going in a positive direction. Sleeping in on Wednesday morning just didn't feel good at all (although a bit rested. I slept more during midterm season that Urbana!!)
One really cool thing that happened when we were sitting up in the nosebleeds was that that morning, they called for those who would commit their lives to Jesus, and the would get glow sticks. From our seats, we could really see the impact that Urbana had on the lives of these people. It was one of the most joyous feelings in the world, just to see who had just entered the Kingdom, how many more sisters and brothers I now had. :)
Anyway, we didn't eat lunch with TCF that day, we went off to some really good steak place and enjoyed ourselves. However, service was super slow and yet again, we were late to our meeting with TCF. BEN FACE -_______-. Anyway, even then, I think our family group made really significant contributions to the conversation about how to spark revival at USC. In general, I felt pretty good after that.
The day really turned out to be a blessing in disguise. After the meeting, us girls really got to explore Global Connexions and learn about the opportunities we had all over the world. We also went to the bookstore and bought lots of things :)) Tehehe A lot of good books to read. I have yet to read all of them but when I do, I will most definitely post a review! :D
I purchased:
"Becoming the Answer to our Prayers"-Shane Claiborne
"How to Inherit the Earth"-Bessenecker
The books were MAD cheap, less than 5 dollars, some of them. But we split them up and decided to swap throughout this semester.
That night, we had what is called a solidarity meal. It gave us the chance to experience what it was like to not have enough to eat. We always took for granted that we always have enough to have the choice of whether or not we wanted more. This was really a humbling experience. Plus, I met some cool people from Canada! :D
The evening session was especially important for me because Sunder Krishnan spoke that night. His sermon was a powerful take on how prayer should be executed. Pray big and pray bold. The one phrase that really stuck from that night. He spoke about how the way we pray guarantees results, but real prayer is not fundamentally about getting answers. Intercession is God's gift to us, history belongs to the intercessors. Prayer has always been a really big growing point in my own spiritual life just because I grew up in the church not really valuing it. Prayer was also a big reason I joined TCF, because TCF really seemed to emphasize the connection and speaking to God.
Family time was once again, a large blessing :) But we remembered to sleep earlier (but not my much) that night :)
Day Five:
We made it to our last Bible study! Finally, we had finished our inductive study of John 1-4, and it felt good! The morning session was about how we are called to obedience-and not necessarily to success. A really scary thing if you think about it. The problem with us today is that we see problems, but not opportunities. We need to continue to be on fire and learn how to let go and change our ways if they impede the way to the Kingdom. So many important lessons to be learned! Definitely easier said than done.
Afterward, we went to this quaint little cheap restaurant that was surprisingly empty when we got there. We really beat the rush!
My first session on Thursday that I chose to go to was originally called "Birthing Faith Communities in Missions." I got there early and they had asked me to fill out a survey at the end of the session. When the seminar started, it had actually been changed to "Birthing Mission through Kingdom communities." Something quite different, right? But I had to stay because I had that survey to fill out -___-
To be honest, I was incredibly bored. But I did still learn something (praise God) and that was that in order to really reach out and bless people, I had to live among them as Jesus did for us (the general lesson of Urbana '09, but we had some real life examples). Mission doesn't passively occur (he had the strangest analogy, likening it to childbirth...) and we weren't made to do it alone. Anyway, this really solidified my conviction to serve in the freshman dorms next year.
After that seminar, I went to one that was led by an organization that really sparked my interest. OMF international is an organization that works primarily in East Asia. The people I talked to were very kind and the mission of OMF really interested me. Also, one of their leaders is actually part of my home church in the Bay so yes :) perhaps a part of my future plans :D
Anyway, it was called "Six Ways to Reach God's World." The seminar carefully outlined what exactly, what these six ways were. They then asked us to work with others in carefully crafting how we would go about this. I was the only one from TCF :( So I was feeling lonely. But one of the two leaders actually came over and talked to me and it turns out that she's also from the Bay Area so that was really exciting :)
Anyway, I left feeling pretty good about that last seminar.
The evening session was just really, indescribable. The music was great-as it had been all week. The sermons were great. What was really amazing, though, was the partaking of Communion among 16,000 of your brothers and sisters. I really have no other way to describe it, it was one of the most powerful images/events I have ever taken part in. The things I had learned had really hit home at that moment and my heart started to break for those who were hurting around the world. I couldn't stop crying, and neither could those around me. Afterward, worship was tangibly more joyful (if that was even possible) and the love around me, between strangers, was positively electric. We prayed aloud for revival on our campuses and around the world. I felt as though all barriers were lifted. We truly worshiped in the new year, I could feel that 2010 is going to be good :)
On the way home, we sang and praised God. The lobby of our hotel was full of drunk people and this drunk Asian guy was hitting on me. Haha. Anyway, we had good family time, again, and packed up for home.
Day Six:
HOMEBOUND! When I woke up, the majority of our family had already left. I got all my stuff and made my way to the guys' hotel and had breakfast with some of the guys. Then Cauchy and I got on the subway and went to the airport! It was cool to see all of the people who went to Urbana AND were from the Bay Area! Lot of CCIC kids :P Anyway, I started talking to this cool guy about our experiences at Urbana and it felt good to have this close communion with a complete stranger. The flight home, with one stop in Las Vegas, was very sleepy.
The flight attendant gave a shout-out to those who went to Urbana! Very cool.
Anyway, I went home and showered and slept.
A good end to an amazing journey!
Trojans in St. Louis! :)
I hope you all enjoyed reading this :D The details may be slightly inaccurate just because I waited almost a month to post the last half of our trip.
Anyway, I encourage you to all go to Urbana '12 :D
And I'm so excited for what God has in store for this year :) and for TCF!
Coming up:
Second semester, New Year's resolutions, just general happenings in the life of Steff-o.
Today, we're going to the opening of a Teen Center in South Central. We helped out at this particular organization during Frosh Con, and we really hope to become affiliated with their work. Hopefully we'll get to mentor high school students :) I'm so excited!!
It's a big risk, to open such a luxurious, safe space, in such an area, but I have faith that God will do amazing things with this vision.
Haha I remember running into World Impact (the organization ^) at Urbana and the lady was SUPER excited that we were from USC and really had no words, she just hugged us :)
Anyway, time for hw :(
20100103
Hakuna Mungu Kama Wewe
URBANA '09! was a life changing experience and I recommend all christian college students who are currently freshmen...or in high school I guess, to go to Urbana '12.
To avoid too much summary, read this article! :
Urbana '09: The Tradition Continues
As for my personal experience, I'll try to explain the best I can what I got out of the past 5 days in St. Louis, Missouri :)
Day one:
Was a traveling day! It did not start out well, I ran to barely catch my flight (thankfully, Cauchy saved me a seat) and I was painfully reminded that I am very, very out of shape. Then, thinking we barely had time to make our transfer flight out of Chicago, Cauchy and I ran from one terminal to another only to be informed that our flight was delayed an hour. Upon arriving an hour later than scheduled, registration took an additional hour for me because I'm not old enough to sign my own waiver -____- Also saw some fellow 4hoc-ers :) Nice to see familiar faces from home! When we finally made it to the welcome session, we had already missed half of it. Afterward, TCF ate in family groups at this really good Italian restaurant. Despite the troubles some of us faced, TCF had arrived in St. Louis safe and cold :)
Day two:
The day began too early as we made a long trek downstairs (with 17,000 kids living in few hotels and living on the 26th floor, it takes a while.) and ate our breakfast sitting on the floor of the lobby. Then we made our way to morning bible study at 830 AM! And began our inductive study of John 1-4, the theme verses of this years Urbana. After an hour and a half of concentration, we made the cold and seemingly long trek to morning session where we continued to study the Word, worship, and watch performances etc. We concluded at 12 and followed Ben's brilliant idea of going to the furthest possible restaurant to avoid long lines. After deciding upon arrival that his restaurant was unsatisfactory, we trekked 6 more blocks to Union Station (which wasn't even on direct map of our Urbana handbook...) and by the time lines were done and the food was on the table, seminar #1 @ 2PM had already started :( However, us freshmen enjoyed the food and the time together and the walk back in the nippy air as we journeyed back to nap for an hour. Upon waking, we found that in order to actually get a seat at a seminar, we had to arrive EARLY. We spent a somewhat disappointing, yet fulfilling in a different way, hour and a half in quiet time together on the couches instead.
We explored Global Connexions and waited an hour to get dinner (quite difficult with so many people) and finally settled for evening session.
Sidenote: I walked out of my hotel room to get some ice and stuff and lo and behold! Janise Chan sitting on the floor. Which was both awkward and pleasantly surprising :). She had forgotten her key and out of all the hotels, and all the floors, and all the rooms, she as staying at the one across the hall from me!
At the end of the day, we had family time, yet I felt a bit dissatisfied. Maybe I came in expecting too much, like maybe God was just going to turn my life around the second I stepped foot in Lambert Airport.
I was feeling disappointed in myself for nodding off in Bible study and missing two sessions (easily the most influential aspects of Urbana) and not getting the most out of the conference. I was beginning to question why God had urged me to come, why I had spent so much money and effort and time to travel to the middle of America, to gain nothing (yet). In general, the only life changing decision I had made so far was to never, ever, move out of sunny California.
But a text from Won encouraged me to be patient:
"It's okay! I'm sure God knows what He's doing."
yet I fell asleep with a heavy heart.
Day three:
Will be continued! Tired of writing now...
20100101
Update :)
Home from Urbana 09 :D But I will write about that later :D
CHECKPOINT:
TO DO List over Winter Break:
1. Finalize Spring Semester schedule (Add a two-unit)
2. Figure out housing for sophomore year
3. Figure out summer plans
4. Find a job near/on campus
5. Shop! :)
6. Christmas in the Park/Ice Skating with the boyfriend :) birthday?
7. Farmer's Market
8. San Francisco :D check!
9. Find a new phone :) check!
10. Visit the ol' alma mater
11. Alumni Holiday Partay!
12. Emerald Bowl, USC v. BC!! check!
13. Have an amazing, life-changing experience at Urbana '09 :) check!
14. Not get sick. Particularly after Urbana '09
15. See the guys :)
16. See the girls :)
17. Purikura check!
18. Bake lots of tasty things
19. Eat at: Johnny Rockets check! , Blue Rock Shoot check!, In n' Out, and Noah's Bagels check! with Minty ;)
20. Eat a fancy dinner at Santana Row
21. See snow check!
22. Go to a museum
23. Monterey Bay Aquarium!
24. Froyo!check!
25. Annual lunch at Fontana's with the madre :) check!
CHECKPOINT:
TO DO List over Winter Break:
1. Finalize Spring Semester schedule (Add a two-unit)
2. Figure out housing for sophomore year
3. Figure out summer plans
4. Find a job near/on campus
5. Shop! :)
6. Christmas in the Park/Ice Skating with the boyfriend :) birthday?
7. Farmer's Market
8. San Francisco :D check!
9. Find a new phone :) check!
10. Visit the ol' alma mater
11. Alumni Holiday Partay!
12. Emerald Bowl, USC v. BC!! check!
13. Have an amazing, life-changing experience at Urbana '09 :) check!
14. Not get sick. Particularly after Urbana '09
15. See the guys :)
16. See the girls :)
17. Purikura check!
18. Bake lots of tasty things
19. Eat at: Johnny Rockets check! , Blue Rock Shoot check!, In n' Out, and Noah's Bagels check! with Minty ;)
20. Eat a fancy dinner at Santana Row
21. See snow check!
22. Go to a museum
23. Monterey Bay Aquarium!
24. Froyo!check!
25. Annual lunch at Fontana's with the madre :) check!
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