Day1

Thoughts on 2011...!

2011-10-15T00:26:00.000-07:00

So many things have changed since the beginning of 2011... and as it's coming to an end... (1 month & a half is quick for me!) i can't help but feel the need to reminiscence what has happened and write bits about it. but since it's late, and my head is filled with scattered thoughts, let me just simplify these thoughts into a few-worded summaries... of thoughts.

AFRICA     M.A.     INTERNSHIP IN ZANZIBAR     GETTING LOST IN TZ     SPICY FOOD
     BEACHES     SUN     NEVER-BEEN-SO-TANNED     LOVIN' TZ      JOBS JOBS JOBS
CANADA    NO JOB     PRAYIN'     GOD CLOSES DOOR, OPENS WINDOWS       SAFARI COMPANY
         NO BUSINESS EXPERIENCE     CRAZY       NEW JOB!      TRAVELS       COOL BOSS
LOVIN' LIFE     PR      DEC TRIP    NEW OPPORTUNITIES    SAM <3     FARAWAY FRIENDS (HK)

FLYING TO TZ in 1 month & 1/2!

NEARBY FRIENDS (KM) KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH PPL BACK TO DEVOTIONS TMR

Collage of Winter 2010-2011

2011-01-15T19:49:00.000-08:00

To the top world suppliers of weapons & arms..

2010-09-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

In our world today where the economy and market is globalized, and security issues inevitably crossing international borders, it's difficult not to take the sales of weapons & arms into more careful consideration and to decipher its importance to us, as global citizens of the world.

According to a report to congress, last year's worldwide arms deal was a startling number of 57.5 billion dollars - though a drop of 8.5 in comparison to last year's deal. The top three suppliers, US, Russia and France along with other countries like Germany, Italy, China and Britain are responsible for the weapon sales to developing world - 45.1 billion dollars in 2009, and 48.8 billion in 2008 (NY times, September 12, 2010).

I find these data unsettling and the following excerpt even more disturbing:

''Relationships between arms suppliers and recipients continue to evolve in the 21st century in response to changing political, military and economic circumstances,'' Mr. Grimmett (specialist in International Security at Congressional Research Service) concluded. ''Where before the principal motivation for arms sales by foreign supplies might have been to support a foreign policy objective, today that motivation may be based as much as economic considerations.''

There are so many cases where arms deals have fueled unnecessary killings in already wartorn, developing countries, and even propelled a devastating genocide in Rwanda. And if these atrocities have been borne out of ''support [for] foreign policy objective'', I can't imagine what the result would be for the weapon deals that are based on economic considerations. While there are international organizations, policies to govern international trade, I'm not so sure whether moral codes will outweigh the profits these top suppliers hope to gain from their deals.

And while I understand that the market flows with the clientele's demands, and that had there not security threats, there would no demand for weapons. But these threats also derive from the thought of the missiles and nuclear plant in neighboring countries, and the only tactic is to buy more weapons and arms to defend your borders... isn't this the perfect example of a vicious cycle?

I'd like to believe that, whenever possible, peace settlements should always be prioritized before any country or government turn to destructive means in order to secure their grounds.

With that note... I think I should add Utopia to my reading list.

on improving my deteriorating memory

2010-08-28T00:34:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that my memory is starting to fail me. For instance, I would remember a conversation I had with a friend yesterday, but have trouble remembering who it was. Or, going to the fridge to get more milk, and then doubting myself, because the milk is already on the kitchen counter. Obvious sign of aging, no doubt. Scary thought, especially since I'm going back to school in a week. And my solution? I'm going to counter-attack this problem and start memorizing Bible verses, inspirational & useful quotes, and favorite poems. Starting with one of my all-time favorites--- Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no! it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although its height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though its rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Putting things back into context

2010-08-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

''Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.''

--Isaiah 58:8

I remember highlighting this verse in my old, worn-out Bible in High School, and quoting it in letters, cards to friends, and copying down in my notebooks as a self-reminder. But I don't recall if I ever read the verses before and after this passage that I like so much; I don't think I ever read this verse in its proper context.

Then, about a week ago, a friend of mine who was having an amazing, life-altering experience at Downtown Eastside gave me a list of ''Justice texts'' to read. And having kind of strayed away from regular devotions, I thought this would be a motivating, refreshing way to start again. So I went through the list, and I couldn't stop re-reading Isaiah 58:6-12--for its teaching, its richness, and the truth that I needed to reflect on. What kind of 'fast' or 'sacrifice' is pleasing to our God? What makes our 'light break forth like the dawn'?

I believe that everyone have different calling, but one of things we are all called to do is to see justice prevail, and in our society today, injustice still looms over the lives of those who are trapped in poverty, addictions or mental illness.

There are so many practical steps, but I think the first and foremost is to 'start caring'. To conduct research on the living conditions of these people, to dig deeper into social injustice. Then, I doubt that you won't be moved to do something after your discovery.

''Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.'
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking
wickedness.
if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to dwell in.''
---ISAIAH 58:6-12

It's nice to be able to put things back in the context, where they belong!

A Safari Slideshow

2010-08-15T00:15:00.000-07:00

Safari in Serengeti and Ngorongoro Park - Tanzania, East Africa

June 2010

The Crater

Jeep #2! ready for adventure!

Hungry Giraffes

Beautiful Safari Scenery

Baby Pumba!

This reminds me of a scene from Lion King

Sexy Prints!

Zebra herd (the first animal we spotted)

Mufasa in hiding

Beautiful Anonymous Bird

Mother & Baby Elephant

Nala?

Bad time to get a flat tire, Sam?

Just chillin' by the branches

Where we camped in Ngorongoro Park

Never seen the clouds so low

Magnificent view.

Wildebeests

Blue-ass Monkeys. Too bad I didn't get a pic of their behind

Safari Sam and I

wise words

2010-08-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

''Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. If you don't start with that, what are you going to end up with? Fall head over heels. I say find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart. I'm not hearing any heart. Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back. Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven't lived a life at all. You have to try. Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived.''

--William Parrish (meet joe black)

words by e.e. cummings

2010-08-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;
wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world

my blood approves,
and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don't cry--
the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids' flutter which says

we are for... each other; then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life's not a paragraph

And death i think is no parenthesis

Missing Africaland Already...

2010-07-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

TANZANIA, East Africa

on the way home from school, for the both of us.

from a distance...

shy kids in the neighbourhood

safari group

best safari jeep #2

Uhuru Peak Elementary school

Cradle of Love in Arusha

I will see u soon, Africa! Dec Trip a-planning...

For thoughts on LOVE and WAR...

2010-06-06T23:05:00.000-07:00

Visit a new blog I started up with Jen, my good (and probably one of my oldest) East Coast friend:

LOVE&WAR

www.atloveandwar.com

The question lingers...

2010-06-05T00:47:00.000-07:00

There were so many things I wanted to write about for the past few weeks. but I was lazy, and didn't want to seem inconsistent, so I avoided posting up a 'reply post' regarding my last post... I gave myself a hard homework, and ended it with this major, oftentimes unfathomable question: ''Why did God create people whom he knew were 'destined to perish'?

A particular key event led me to seriously consider this question. Though it had passed my mind before, but there's a distinctive different in 'just thinking about it' and actually sitting down and looking for a satisfactory answer.
I don't think the answer I got is quite satisfactory yet, but I believe it has bulldozed a huge chunk of doubt in me, and has affirmed my faith in the most part.

1) When I became more interested and concerned in humanitarian affairs, I also started to face a lot of hard questions. Reason being that humanitarian affairs had to do with humanity, and humanity-whether we like to admit it or not- is constantly facing a harsh and cruel reality. Take poverty for example, half of the world's population live in poverty - and that is less than $2.50 per day. Though some people, through unwise decisions and holes they dig themselves into, become poor and are unable to relief themselves out of a vicious financial downfall. But most of the those who fall under the poverty line are not poor by choice, but poor by default. In sub-Saharan Africa, Middle-East, parts of Asia and even Europe - people find themselves in financial ruins because of debt handed over to them by their parents, grandparents, community, or their government. As global citizens, teachers, students, economists, leaders, the appropriate questions would seemingly be: ''What can we do to resolve world poverty?'' or ''What are the steps we can take in order to eliminate extreme poverty from the face of this world?'' The Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations, while hopeful, still has a long way to go before we can witness the extinction of extreme poverty in this generation. And as Christ followers, the appropriate question we can raise before the God of all creation would then be: ''Why, being as Sovereign as You are, can you allow this to happen?''

The easy way out would be to throw our hands up in the air and say, 'Well, sometimes God just does inexplicable things.'' or ''He has His will with the way things are.'' or ''If we have an answer for everything God does, then what makes him God?'' But up until recently, I think I was lazy and maybe afraid to challenge God, to ask Him hard question, and to dig fervently for a solid answer. Sometimes I feel like I'm just scratching the surface with my faith, and when nothing resounds from the other side I simply shrug my shoulder and move on to easier questions.

These past few months, I've been attending a Bible Study with my Pastor, and whether he did this intentionally or not, he shook us with such intensity, that we could not help but awake from our 'lazy faith', and looked intently for answers to questions on suffering, evil, and God's sovereignty amidst all of this.

And what I have learned is this:

A. We have to first grasp who God is, and what His Purpose is for creation. God reigns over all, and He is complete and perfect in Himself. He does not lack in anything, and did not require anything more. He chose to create the world and us in it, in order to demonstrate His Glory, and for us to worship Him.

B. We have to recognize who we are, in comparison to the God of the universe. He did not create us because He needed us, or because he was lonely. But oftentimes, as it is with human nature, we tend to regard ourselves higher than we should. We deserve to live, we deserve to have this car, this house, this degree, this family, this health... the list goes on. And when things go wrong, when we lack in the things we think we deserve to obtain, we immediately turn to either the person next to us or society as a whole or God of the universe and demand to know why.. God has a purpose for us, and maybe he took things from us in order for us to play an unique role in his plan. We look at humanity sometimes as if it's invincible, and something great - but by doing so we fail to recognize that God is greater than us. When we use our perspective and shake our fists at God demanding to know why He allows bad things to happen to good people, it's a perfect depiction of Roman 9: 19-23:

19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—

It's so humbling and so hard to accept at first, but that's why whenever I have trouble swallowing this fact, I need to return to point A and reflect on who God is.

C. We must have faith and know that God has his perfect plan for us, as it says in Romans 8:28:
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, [1] for those who are called according to his purpose.

I don't think I am through with asking God 'why?', but I'm pretty sure that I'm at peace with God being sovereign over all..

This has been a long post and it is in dire need of thorough editing. but I'll leave it raw and maybe come back to it with PART II.

God is good!

sky is clearing up....!

2010-04-29T22:26:00.000-07:00

For the past few months I have been struggling with a lot of questions I thought to be hard, and valid ones to ask. Pre-destination... God's elect... What is Free Will.. or if God was all loving, why does he allow people to be born into war, drought, hunger, disease-stricken land, or what I thought to be hardest one of them all - why did God create people whom he knew were 'destined to perish'?

Just now, I came back from a Bible Study with my senior Pastor, and the sky seems to be finally clearing..

Next post will be a detailed reflection!

Good night, and I will sleep peacefully tonight :)

Psalm 28

2010-04-28T23:02:00.000-07:00

''The Lord is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

My heart trusts in him, and I am

helped.

My heart leaps for joy

and I will give thanks to him in song.

THe Lord is the strength of his people,

a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

Save your people and bless our inheritance;

be their shepherd and carry them forever.

This last verse of Psalm 28 has always been one of my favorites, and just so comforting.

thoughts on re-reading book

2010-04-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

''Another committee, led by Adan Hussein, set up an orphanage in a bombed-out library in the centre of town. Adan's committee went around to the feeding centres in the city gathering up orphaned children who had little chance of survival without adult help. I asked Adan to go to Hawina to get Ali and other orphans. Unlike us, Adan had no guards. Many committee members were shot, beaten or robbed by gangs and militias. Still, Adan's group collected as many orphans as it could. By the end of October, his group was caring for over 350 children. I asked Adan why he did what he did. After a long pause, he answered, ''They are the seeds for tomorrow's Somalia. Tomorrow's Somalia will be better - it must be. We want them to care for each other, so we must care for them today.''

(p. 83)

An Imperfect Offering is one of the best books I've read so far, and I'm now currently re-reading this humanitarian masterpiece, and still the stories recorded in this book amazes me. So much can be said about the war devastation that is happening all over the world, the suffering of the people who are trapped in continuous hunger, unceasing warfare and the lack of respect for human life through horrendous acts like rape, and genocide -- but amidst places and situations like these, goodness, courage and hope still somehow prevails.

The excerpt above is one of my favorite and what I find to be one of the most heartbreaking passages. There are those whose life objective is to destroy and eliminate the lives of others, so that they themselves can have a better life. A better government, higher profit, bigger land, wider borders. But then there are those whose goal is to save the lives of others so that they can have the same things. Why is it that some have the hearts to save and repair and others are focused on the inhumane immediacy of killing - when both parties have seemingly the same future in mind? A better country cannot be based on bloodshed; unfortunately, those in power and with authority seems to believe that the only way to assert their authority and secure their profitable income is to push others down. A scary but true evidence of this is recorded in the same book, when the author is describing the food distribution in war-torn Somalia in 1992:

''The Red Cross and CARE were paying $10,000 a day to warlords for airport landing rights in Baidoa. Some food was being diverted to clans as a protection payment, and about another 20 percent was being stolen from warehouses or looted on the roads to the feeding centres.'' (p. 83)

This happened more than ten years ago, and is still happening now.

Why and how are good questions to ask, but importantly, WHAT is being done to change, and to raise awareness about people who are trapped in these unjustly governed nations?

Aid that saves

Gift that saves

The Peace Unknown

2010-04-23T19:04:00.001-07:00

There is chaos in the mall

People shoving past each other

Sales, line-ups, and busy mothers

There is chaos on the street

Time is rushing footsteps

Morning, afternoon coffee and deadlines to be met

There is chaos in the room

Photographs, painting, calendar on the wall

People smiling, music blasting, the voice of Diana Krall

There is chaos in the frontline

Bullets colliding, hearts are failing and

You’re thinking—what a God-forsaken land

There is chaos on the street

Fathers sobbing, their children bleeding

For what, for whom are we bleeding?

There is no chaos in this room

A child is struggling, or is he breathing?

A heartbeat, then silence, and leaves us to ponder:

Living, what a chaotic sight; and death, a wonder.

sleep deprivation

2010-04-21T23:41:00.001-07:00

again - my goal to sleep before 11pm has failed again!

couple of things keeping me up a.k.a habits i may need to cut back 1 hr prior to sleeping:

1) abs workout - energizing myself before sleeping is obviously a dumb idea..

2) scrabble game i got on my phone - mental workout before sleeping is obviously an even dumber idea..

3) listing things to do in my head for tomorrow - pls refer back to dumb thing #2

4) trying to blog this is only delaying my precious sleeping time

and it's thursday tomorrow?

is somebody speeding up the time? cause i sure can't keep track!

good night fellow bloggers.

Please help!

2010-04-15T22:41:00.000-07:00

Why are some people born in far more fortunate, healthier, wealthier environment than others?

So that they can help those who are not.

This is supposed to be common sense, but when have we grown up to be non-sensical and oblivious to what's happening around us?

Places that still need help.

You can HELP!!

MATTHEW 25: 35-40

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, [6] you did it to me.’

Things I don't ...

2010-04-13T22:33:00.000-07:00

As I get older, I find myself amidst an overwhelming list of things I don't understand..

I'd like to name a random few:

1. Glee

i like all sorts of tv series, musicals, broadways, even movies that pretend to be musicals, like Moulin Rouge. But a bunch of teenagers singing oldies everyday after school? maybe I'm getting older.

2. Long Nails

after coming back from Taiwan with a set of 'manicure' - jewels stubbornly glued to my fingernails (I couldn't get them off for the life of me .. two of my pinkies still suffer with the dazzling bling, a present from my dear cousin whose wedding I recently attended... I tried to grow out my nails. Thought it might look pretty, neat - especially after professionally cuticle care & trimming. oh dear, was I ever wrong. I was constantly being deprived of the basic daily tasks such as writing without poking my palms, typing or opening my coffee mug. plus, your fingernails store more germs than you can ever imagine, and I couldn't even bear to eat my muffin by taking the crumbs by hand. Girls, if you are in any way realistic, practical, clean and smart... cut your nails. Boys, if your girl is constantly seen with manicure - it is wise to note that either:

1) she is not a fan of house chores, or..

2) she is rich enough to afford a maid, or..

3) she magically & effortlessly cleans up after herself with long, dusty, germ-infested fingernails. hee hee.

3. Brand-names

$800 for a handbag = some people's life savings not too far around the globe

4. Cursing

It's like having bad breath. You might not know how much you stink, but everyone around you will notice.

5. Tweeter

*tweet! tweet!*

Oh, I think I will write about more positive things next time.

time for things to sink in..!

2010-03-06T22:59:00.000-08:00

Something delightfully funny brother Oggy shared the other day.

(Check out the lion fingers!!)

I wonder if these brothers will ever look back on these pictures once they've become shy teenagers only to find out about what horrifying prank they had pulled on themselves in the past.

And now on to more important things.... (or not, that picture is priceless in my p.o.v.)

YAY. i think i'm going back to school.

And after a few days of going back and forth with my goals in the next 3, 4, 5 years...

... it finally sinked in.

I'M GOING BACK TO SCHOOL!!!

I'm so glad and thankful for this opportunity...

1) For change of environment (office cubicles are only novelty for a week, lol. decorating it throughout the year is another thing, but I think i'm running out of space on my wall for pictures and newspaper articles. it's like a zoo in there.)

2) For academic improvement, for laying down the cornerstone for my [hopefully, what is to be] my future career goals...

3) For NOVELTY............EXCITEMENT.......... i need to be refreshed! it's about time for this change to take place. i was beginning to think that Vancouver was a boring place... (funny how this thought occurred during the Olympics, maybe? oh, but i thoroughly enjoyed the Figure Skating & Hockey game :) ... !)

Yes, it's back to school and I.....would like to think I'm ready.

Time to hit the books!

学生生活楽しみに！！

Things to Cross off my to-do list...

2010-03-03T22:14:00.001-08:00

1) Africa Experience

2) Volunteer Experience

3) Grad school

4) Learn Arabic & Swahili & Low German

5) Watch Shutter Island by myself

6) Buy a black Steinway grand piano to place in my brand new condo

7) Read the Bible in one of the languages mentioned above

And it is the list that never ends.. it is the list that never ends....

Memory problem

2010-02-14T01:43:00.000-08:00

How is it that I can't remember scenes from a movie I saw only 5 years ago, but I can replay scenes from Home Alone I, II and III (movies I saw more than 10 years ago) almost flawlessly seamless in my mind?

I just re-watched MUNICH by Steven S., with one of my all-time favorite actors Mr. Eric Bana.

And my after-movie wikipedia habit has paved the way for me to sleep at unreasonably late hours for the past few days....

The Israel-Palestinian history is just too rich for me to absorb in one day, but too interesting to stop googling.

Oh, and back to the memory problem - here is a list of old movies I have to watch again:

1) Troy

2) Life is Beautiful

3) Shawshank Redemption

4) The Hurt Locker (and this was what, only a few months ago?....)

5) The Little Mermaid (not because I can't remember - for I can memorize this movie word by word- but because... well, it's THE LITTLE MERMAID! 'Nough said.)

Oh, and I have to add 500 Days of Summer, even though I just watched it yesterday. What a witty, feel-good movie :)

Everyone needs to have one of these on their shelves.

Now to sleep! hopefully when I won't forget the movie I just saw.. then again, I hope I don't dream about it tonight either.

Yikes. On that note, peace on earth, God is good..

But not you, VANOC 2010. Sorry, but I think you're kind of lame. (while I am all for the Olympic Games spirit, I have much, much to say about how VANOC is carelessly spending its budget ... but I will keep this post short for now.)

The Pianist

2010-02-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

I find that as I get older, I like to re-watch my favorite movies - nostalgia probably being the main reason, but also because my memory is deteriorating with age... (yes, I admit it!)

I watched The Pianist when it first came out on DVD in 2003, and haven't watched it again since. I finally got the chance to see it again when Jo got this for me for my birthday.

Now, a good 6, 7 years has passed, and this movie is still incredibly moving and remains one of my all-time favorites.

And now, a good 70 years has passed since the devastating holocaust has passed, and the film portrayal of this horrifying event remains as true and disturbing as when it first happened.

It's always hard for me to explain what I feel when I'm watching these kind of film footage;knowing that while this is a reenaction of the actual events and grasping the fact that all of this degradation of humanity actually took place.

There are several scenes in this film that make me cringe in my seat, and I can't help but feel ashamed of what we as human beings are capable of doing to each other. The instance where a group of Nazi solders stormed into a building, into a room filled with a family gathered around a dinner table - and the soldiers ordering all of them to stand up - and when a wheelchair-bound man was unable to do so, they lifted the wheelchair and mercilessly threw him over the balcony. Or when a young boy who returned from the outside fences that imprisons the Polish-Jews from the rest of the city - he was crawling through a tiny hole in the fence, when a soldier from the outside discovered his escape and beat him to death as Szpilman, the pianist tries to pull him back in. When he finally managed to pull the boy back to the other side of the fence, the boy is already breathless and Szpilman struggles to walk away, staggering in his path, as he is trying to grasp what had just happened.

I'd like to think that most of us, if we were to witness similar scenes in real life, we would have more or less the same shocked, dumfounded reaction. So what of those who commit the crime, those whose very hands executed the unimaginable torture unto others? What of the Nazi soldiers, the groups who committed the Rwanda genocide? The terrorists who so easily triggers a bomb that wipes out the lives of dozens, even hundreds, right before their eyes?

I'd like to think that the difference between those who can live with these inhumane acts and those who can't is their differing view on the value of human life. While religious values, cultural upbringing and other factors play major roles in forming a person's morals and subsequent actions, I do believe that when we stop believing in the value of life, it's easier to succumb to the darker side of things, where greed, cruelty and other deplorable human traits are reared by our indifference to others' plight and sufferings.

When we recognize that the life of the person standing beside us is just as significant as ours - they are or once was a son, daughter, brother, sister to someone - they are all appreciated, respected, needed and loved by someone. At the end of the day, isn't 'what we mean to each other' the defining trait of our humanity? I remember from one of my church pastor's sermon - the two things we can bring into eternity life with God is our relationship with Him, and our relationship with one another.

I really like how William Shakespeare's quote from Merchant of Venice is incorporated into the movie The Pianist. When confined in the ghetto with his family, Szpilman asks his brother what he was reading, his brother read this passage out loud:

“If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that”

And at the end of the day, it's this very commandment that makes sense of our lives:

''You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the great and first commandment.39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. '' Matthew 22:37-39

Author Unknown

2010-02-02T22:08:00.001-08:00

"I asked God for strength, that I might achieve. I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey ...I asked for health, that I might do greater things. I was given infirmity, that I might do better things ...I asked for riches, that I might be happy. I was given poverty, that I might be wise ...I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God ...I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things ...I got nothing that I asked for-but everything I had hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am, among all men, most richly blessed."

Lissy & Willy's Wedding - Victoria, July 2009

2010-01-07T12:10:00.000-08:00

Check out the lovely pix!

Pictures by Talented Mr. Andrew Holliday

http://andrewholliday.wordpress.com/2010/01/03/william-lissettes-wedding/

on Saving....

2010-01-05T22:25:00.000-08:00

NY resolution list continues...

Item x: BAN MEANINGLESS/UNNECESSARY SHOPPING

(my definition of 'meaningless/unnecessary shopping is:

i)not a necessity (e.g. a new pair of jeans if, God forbid, one day, all of my [pretty much the same-looking] jeans magically disappear from my closet; food, etc. * ha ha! I like the order of these two items... though I know there are those out there who would starve for a month to get their hands on a LV handbag)

ii)will not contribute in my education, academic/spiritual growth (purchases from

Chapter and Amazon for books are thus exempt from this list)

iii)will not benefit someone else (presents, gifts are also exempt! whoo for you, my important friends and loved ones)

... is that it? there's bound to be more but I am just too tired right now)

And this self-imposed rule is in effect until.... well, as long as I can hold it.

What say you? (tribute to Aragorn in LOR - The Return of the King)

I hope I can do this!

so far, so good!

And honestly, if we break down our shopping purchases into fundamental/trivial categories... what do we really need? most of our money go to no-good big-brand [bad-ass] companies who profit off forced/underpaid labour.

The last purchase I made was a birthday present, so that falls under definition iii)

I will go to sleep soundly... while reflecting on my massive, horrendous post-Christmas visa bill. Christmas shopping, you are cruel indeed, and most definitely unnecessary. Expect to be shunned in 2010)

Last post before 2009 comes to an end...

2009-12-31T14:25:00.000-08:00

.... and 2010 begins a whole a new chapter.

just realized that i've been reading a lot on depressing topics, most of it involving inhumane acts such as genocide, civilian shooting, ineffective policies on human rights..

But yesterday I started a book that is definitely one of the most uplifting, encouraging I've read in a while:

THREE CUPS OF TEA.

I'm only on pg. 44, but it's just an easy read, that I think I might just finish this by the end of the day. Or I could try to savour it, and distract myself with some other books.

(Shopping at Amazon.ca really paid off. I'm getting all these awesome books for such a good deal...!!)

A new one just arrived today - Crude World: The Violent Twilight of Oil. (I bet the content is just as cheerful as the title sounds.)

And I'm ready to immerse myself in Korphe village on the Karakoram Mountains in Pakistan again.

'When it is dark enough, you can see the stars'.

-Persian Proverb

HAPPY NEW YEAR...! cheers to a new beginning in TWO-THOUSAND AND TEN!

IT'S CONFIRMED!

2009-12-28T11:07:00.001-08:00

Month of December has proven itself to be a truly eventful one.... hectic application preparations aka headache magnets, fighting off holiday flus (to no avail), and hunting for cheap flights to Tanzania/applying IVHQ for volunteer trip to Tanzania.

And now finally, I'm in my final stage applying for grad schools, and I received my confirmation e-mail from IVHQ. Looks like I'll be making a stop in Africa in June 2010!

Aside from all the excitement, there is one thing for which I'm not exactly leaping for joy...

Vaccinations
You should talk to your local health doctor as to what vaccinations you will require. Some you may have had in the past.

Further information about vaccinations are provided in the info booklet but you should consider the following.

Immunizations – Legally Required
- Yellow Fever

Immunizations – Recommended
- Polio
- Hepatitis A
- Diphtheria/Tetanus
- Typhoid
- Malaria
- Hepatitis B
- Tuberculosis (when epidemic)
- Cholera (when epidemic)

But anyhow, I'll leave that to later. and try to spread out the shots or something.

For now, I'm in an excellent mood, with this particularly cheerful song stuck in my head:

just in case they're wondering
they've got us pinned terribly
they don't believe our love is real
cause they don't know how real love feels

you should know, its true, just now the part about my
love for you and how my hearts about to
bust into the thousand pieces so it
must be true and they'll believe us too soon

they may say some awful things
but there's not point in listening
your words are the only words
that I believe in afterwards

baby, its fact our love is true
the way black is black and blue is just blue
my love is true, its a matter of fact
and you love me too, its as simple as that

tis the season of .... holiday flu.

2009-12-26T19:41:00.000-08:00

Before my little pictorial review of my fond winter memories of 2009 - I have to say...

that i have to be more health-alert when it comes to my sleeping habits, diet, weekly exercise.

i spent the entire day just resting, not being able to move because of my headache and sore body. when i originally planned to be extra productive on my applications, and then having some fun at night in downtown vancouver, where the streetlights/Christmas lights shine an inviting, welcoming light... Here I am instead, wearing my bum clothes, [trying] to sleep, re-watched You've Got Mail (it's now a Christmas ritual, this epic romance flick), and playing with Yueyue, my hyper dog.... and now writing this blog. i guess my mind and body need a rest from all the Christmas festivities, food, and applications (im guessing this is whats causing the headache, no doubt).

but definitely, i need to improve my health. there's really nothing one can do when one is bedridden and homebound. hey, i guess that's going on my 2010 must-do list!

So without any further ado.... here are the eventful pictures of my winter 2009:

Miss May's surprise Party organized by moi. Successful party! :) countless mini-lies and fake phone calls to make this night possible.

Halloween 2009

let's see.. what do we got here. two ninjas, Dwight from the Office, an asian dude (he's actually white, this is why it's a costume)..

And Eddie C from Twilight, feasting on a geisha, apparently.

hey hey, this is where Olympic Speed Skating 2010 is taking place. too bad they're tearing the place down after the games.

St-Paul's hospital. This is such a hopeful building.

Decorated by volunteers.

Each stars represents a donation from an organization/company who are caring and generous enough to make health services accessible to the public.

Stars of hope... no doubt!

This amazing Tart - busy with blackberries and raspberries is just about the most delicious tart I have ever tasted... for a while... for $4.99. I justify my spending on just how expensive fruit, especially berries are nowadays, and so, I allowed myself to indulge for 3 days in a row in that one week.

The ''imagine banquet'' crew. Our church's youth group [Flux] organized and hosted a banquet for parents and families with disabled children. it was such an amazing night, and just to see our efforts realized with our awesome crew was an unforgettable experience. This is us saying 'CHEERS!' with yogurt drinks bought from T&T.

And yes...! SNOWSHOEING on Mt. Seymour :)

Joel, our patient and professional guide.

Oh, he's also over 6 feet tall, but in this picture it looks like we are the same height.

AND THAT ABOUT WRAPS IT UP!

now...... 6 days countdown before YEAR TWO-THOUSAND AND TEN!

Am i ready for a whole year of craziness and exciting challenges?

may-be. i will say yes for now. because according to Telus, the future is friendly.

on good/$$$ movies

2009-12-20T01:37:00.000-08:00

I just watched what is considered to be one of the greatest movies ever made in the 21st century.

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.

a great movie, and I'd definitely watch it again - that and Black Hawk Down back to back (oh, and I need to pick up The Thin Red Line).

after IMDB-ed the movie (a habit I got into after viewing any film), I discovered some disturbing facts...

The OMUHA beach scene alone costed $11 million.

This is also the first DreamWorks film to cross the $100 million mark.

These are scary numbers. A good film - nonetheless, scary, outrageous numbers...

This is western media for us: worldvision showing victims of post-war devastation/screwed-up colonization and at the same time showing commercials of blockbusters that cost............

go figure.

holiday season calls for.....

2009-12-19T20:55:00.000-08:00

....something red!

.....

(and Jesus, of course Jesus.)

I just spent the last 7 hours or so on the computer, trying to figure out my other options if I don't get accepted into SFU or UBC for MA... and I can't think straight.

My passion ...

My goal ...

My academic pursuits ...

My vision for the next year ...

Ultimately, all can be summed up with one great quote, so great that I feel almost guilty quoting it. But the heck with it, I'm going to quote it anyway:

''Be the change you want to see in the world.''

What if I hand in my letter of intent with this one single sentence:

''I want to be the change I want to see in the world.''

Ahahaha.

I think I'd get points for being creatively lazy.

--now back to work.

a good read

2009-12-18T21:28:00.000-08:00

This is Benedict (Dr. Orbinski's mentor)'s response to him when he thought that 'justice is an illusion' when he returned from Rwanda and Zaire in 1996, during the genocide:

''Not when you know what injustice is,'' Benedict replied immediately. ''The victim is someone quite concrete. Justice only fails when we fail to imagine that it is possible. But like so many things, it depends not only on imaginings but on what we do.''

What a good read, 'An Imperfect Offering' by James Orbinski.

I wish I was starting the book again from the beginning, instead of finishing it off, with less the 1/4 of the book left. I'm currently reading the chapter called ''The Politics of being Apolitical: Humanitarian Action in North Korea, Kosovo and the Sudan''. I'm still at the beginning of the chapter, where the author, the amazing Dr. Orbinski is struggling with just how cruel and obscene humans can be, and what atrocities we are capable of. This is such a powerful book, with personal accounts of what happened in Somalia, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Zaire/Congo.

On a side note, during my volunteer shift today, Bob, a patient I was visiting was telling me his life story (in the span of 45 minutes, it was pretty amazing. I wanted to sit longer but then his son's family dropped by, and my shift was over before I knew it.) and he mentioned how his family was caught in the war in Yugoslavia when he was 12, 13. Then without going into too much details, but enough to make my heart skip a beat and tears well up in my eyes, he told me how he had evacuated the former Yugoslavia with his brother and mother. They basically had to board a ship, which was getting fuller by the minute, to seek refuge in Egypt. Then when it was his turn to go, one of the guard onboard refused to take his mother. 12 year-old Bob then stay put and insisted that unless his mother gets onboard, he won't. Another guard who saw this, couldn't bear the sight of a family being separated, pulled his mother in and managed to get his entire family out of the war-torn country.

My guess is the second guard was empathetic to the situation, and wondered what he himself would do if it was his family standing on the other side of the dock, and if he had to choose survival over family. And at the end of the day, isn't it just all that simple? Injustice, violence, rape, theft, genocide, state-imposed starvation, and all the undesirable terrors of the entire war package -- if the same crime, pain, suffering were to be inflicted on our own mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends, lovers... how would each and everyone of us act in the face of the same plight?

Human rights have a chance to be protected when we think clearly, calmly and empathetically.

quote

2009-11-08T23:49:00.000-08:00

''Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire.''

-quotation from the Talmud - Itzhak Stern from Schindler's List

thank u mr. postman!

2009-11-02T18:22:00.000-08:00

After taking two sick days last week, my first day back at work on Monday morning wasn't the greatest experience. Needless to say, work was a bit on the dreadful side, and I still didn't get most of the work done. And the fb msg my co-worker left on my wall describing my desk (''It looks like a tornado went through your cubicle!'' - emily) doesn't do it justice. More like Tornado and Tsunami combined.

BUT... something came in the mail to brighten up my day!

A letter from Tanzania from my sponsor child in Arusha... :)

And I've decided to postpone my trip to Tanzania to June 2010 - since rain season is usually from mid-March to the end of May. Exciting and nerve-racking at the same time... but definitely more excited :)

And while we're on the Africa page, and while the coming drought in Ethiopia is getting global attention again after the on in 1984 - here is some food for thought:

''According to Oxfam, just 0.14 per cent of overseas assistance is allocated to disaster risk management, an area of aid that identifies threats together with communities and works to mitigate them. This includes investment in infrastructure that would move food relief around a country rather than importing it and water conservation projects that would help sustain crops. Unfortunately, the tendency is to give after a crisis rather than taking steps to prevent it from happening.''

--Vancouver Sun, November 2, 2009 Monday, Article ''More aid must be devote to drought prevention'' by Craig and Marc Kielburger

Little Perks that make my day.... priceless. (For everything else, there's Mastercard.)

2009-10-31T14:11:00.000-07:00

I wholeheartedly support poor English menus in Asian restaurants... they make such good conversation starters!

(''uh... excuse me, can I get a crispy creep, extra creepy - uh, I mean, crispy, please?'')

And here is the result of finding that little perk in our menu. 2 thumbs up on the creepiness, Tani!

Thanksgiving dinner @ Karen's. ALL THE LOVELY LADIES....!

FLUX retreat @ Whistler Lodge - Sept '09

Grouse Grindthlete! Best time so far: 50:56

Just thought I'd pop in a quick update for FALL 2009! whoo! :)

More to come...

better, bigger things..

2009-10-29T17:50:00.000-07:00

The whole day, being sick at home - and I couldn't find the energy to do anything but....

--watch online streaming video.

Definitely an unproductive, bad, bad, bad way to spend my time at home. (my first excuse being I'm too tired to focus, and second, this may be the infamous H1N1 virus, and when one is plagued by a fatal virus as such as this, one deserves a break from daily routine/self-discipline. Lesson learned today: my excuses are lame.)

So what did I learn by facebooking, watching gossip girls, checking emails?

Nothing much - except that all of us are consumed by materialistic pursuits, attention (--facebook, but I'm shooting myself in the foot in this one), and U2 concert.

Then I decided to do better things while surfing on the net, and entered 'world poverty' in google search engine and here's what bounced back to me:

Global Priority	$U.S. Billions
Cosmetics in the United States	8
Ice cream in Europe	11
Perfumes in Europe and the United States	12
Pet foods in Europe and the United States	17
Business entertainment in Japan	35
Cigarettes in Europe	50
Alcoholic drinks in Europe	105
Narcotics drugs in the world	400
Military spending in the world	780

And compare that to what was estimated as additional costs to achieve universal access to basic social services in all developing countries:

Global Priority	$U.S. Billions
Basic education for all	6
Water and sanitation for all	9
Reproductive health for all women	12
Basic health and nutrition	13

''cowardly, not courageous.''

2009-10-28T22:48:00.000-07:00

“These attacks on innocent people are cowardly; they are not courageous, they are cowardly,” Mrs. Clinton said at a news conference with the Pakistani foreign minister, her voice raw with anger.

nytimes on Clinton's Arrival in Pakistan Met by Attacks

今週の悩みは

2009-10-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

最近、focusできない！！

I need my ピキーチケンと小鳥の『アドバイース』。

悩みがあります。

ERM.

2009-10-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

So today was my first volunteer training at St- Paul's Hospital in Downtown Vancouver.

What I'll be doing is CARDIAC PATIENT VISITING, where I'll be assisting patients before and after their heart surgeries. What I thought I'd be doing today is actually going into the cardiac wing of the hospital and doing patient visiting tasks already - but it turned out to be more of an information session, with 'to-dos' and 'not-to-dos'. I'll be starting my volunteering with another volunteer trainer, doing buddy shifts before I start my regular shifts on Fri nights.

But I'm so looking forward to it....!

＊＊＊＊＊

そして、今日はとてもエベントフールだった日だった。

Tomorrow is another day!

Collages of the Day

2009-09-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

Collages.... by my genius baby sister.

John Legend - Ordinary People

2009-09-20T19:17:00.001-07:00

What a nice song :)
introduced by my baby sista joBie!

[Verse 1]

Girl im in love with you
This ain't the honeymoon
Past the infatuation phase
Right in the thick of love
At times we get sick of love
It seems like we argue everyday

[Bridge]

I know i misbehaved
And you made your mistakes
And we both still got room left to grow
And though love sometimes hurts
I still put you first
And we'll make this thing work
But I think we should take it slow

[Chorus]

We're just ordinary people
We don't know which way to go
Cuz we're ordinary people
Maybe we should take it slow (Take it slow oh oh ohh)
This time we'll take it slow (Take it slow oh oh ohh)
This time we'll take it slow

[Verse 2]

This ain't a movie no
No fairy tale conclusion ya'll
It gets more confusing everyday
Sometimes it's heaven sent
Then we head back to hell again
We kiss and we make up on the way

[Bridge]

I hang up you call
We rise and we fall
And we feel like just walking away
As our love advances
We take second chances
Though it's not a fantasy
I Still want you to stay

[Chorus]

We're just ordinary people
We don't know which way to go
Cuz we're ordinary people
Maybe we should take it slow (Take it slow oh oh ohh)
This time we'll take it slow (Take it slow oh oh ohh)
This time we'll take it slow

[Verse 3]

Take it slow
Maybe we'll live and learn
Maybe we'll crash and burn
Maybe you'll stay, maybe you'll leave,
maybe you'll return
Maybe another fight
Maybe we won't survive
But maybe we'll grow
We never know baby youuuu and I

[Chorus]

We're just ordinary people
We don't know which way to go
Cuz we're ordinary people
Maybe we should take it slow (Heyyy)
We're just ordinary people
We don't know which way to go
Cuz we're ordinary people
Maybe we should take it slow (Take it slow oh oh ohh)
This time we'll take it slow (Take it slow oh oh ohh)
This time we'll take it slow

'Cause you're so beautiful - like a, TREE...'

2009-09-18T09:59:00.001-07:00

got a new guitar yesterday.....
and among the many songs i would like to learn...
Here is one of them.
Some parts of the lyrics might be a bit offensive, but the melody is neat, and it's just too darn funny :)

*PIki, doesn't this remind u of our 'dress' / improv song on the piano? we gotta come up with something else, and make a youtube video! lol.

So here it is... MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN THE ROOM.

Looking round room,
I can tell that you
Are the most beautiful girl in the...room.
In the whole wide room
Oooh.

And when you're on the street
Depending on the street
I bet you are definitely in the top three
Good looking girls on the street
Depending on the street
And when I saw you at my mate's place
I thought what...is...she...doing...
At my mate's place
How did Dave get a hottie like that to a party like this

Good one Dave!!!
Ohhhh you're a legend, Dave!
I asked Dave if he's going to make a move on you
He's not sure
I said "Dave do you mind if I do?"
He says he doesn't mind
but I can tell he kinda minds
but I'm gonna do it anyway
I see you standing all alone by the stereo

I dim the lights down very low, here we go
You're so beautiful
You could be a waitress
You're so beautiful
You could be an air hostess in the 60s
You're so beautiful
You could be a part...time...model

And then I seal the deal
I do my moves
I do my dance moves
It's twelve oh two
Just me and you
And seven other dudes
Around you on the dance floor
I draw you near
Let's get outta here

Let's get in a cab
I'll buy you a kebab!
Now I can't believe
That I'm sharing a kebab with the most beautiful girl I have ever seen
With a kebab
Ooooooohhh.

Why don't we leave?
Let's go to my houseand we can feel each other up on the couch
Oh no. I don't mind taking it slow-ho-ho, no-ho-ho, yeah.

Cause you're so beautiful
Like a, tree
Or a high-class prostitute
You're so beautiful
Mmm, you could be a part-time model

But you'd probably have to keep your normal job
A part-time model!
Spending part of your time, modelling,
and part of your time, next to meeeeeeeeee!
My place is usually tidier than this...

What Povery really means

2009-09-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

my books from amazon finally arrived today!

1) The Life You can Save by Peter Singer

2) A Long Way Gone - memoirs of a boy soldier by Ishmael Beah

3) Allah is not obliged by Ahmadou Kourouma

My first read is The Life You Can Save, and so far, every page is mind-gripping, appalling, and truly challenging.

one excerpt jumped out at me - and it's the definition of the word Poverty by the 60,000 poor women and men in 73 countries - it is summed up like this:

-You are short of food for all or part of the year, often eating only one meal per day, sometimes having to choose between stilling your child's hunger or your own, and sometimes being able to do neither.

-You can't save money. If a family member falls ill and you need money to see a doctor, or if the crop fails and you have nothing to eat, you have to borrow from a local moneylender and he will charge you so much interest as the debt continues to mount and you may never be free of it.

-You can't afford to send your children to school, or if they do start school, you have to take them out again if the harvest is poor.

-You live in an unstable house, made with mud or thatch that you need to rebuild every two or three years, or after severe weather.

-You have no nearby source of safe drinking water. You have to carry your water a long way, and even then, it can make you ill unless you boil it.

...

http://www.stwr.org/globalization/world-bank-poverty-figures-what-do-they-mean.html

メービ

2009-09-04T21:47:00.000-07:00

さしぶりちょっと気になる人とデートした！：）

「メービ。」

ピキのコメンート待ってるよ！！

define this.

2009-09-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

i just bought 4 books from amazon for roughly 50$. a truly great deal - but i reckon i should steer clear of this online haven for now - lest i do more impulsive shopping.

im·pul·sive / imˈpəlsiv/

• adj. 1.acting or done without forethought.

five (including the books bargain) Impulsive decisions I made today:
-voice lessons-guitar lessons-free kickboxing lesson-self-defense session
well, i could live with a little spontaneity.just give me more time.

'Enough'

2009-09-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

''Starvation occurs because people are forced to live in the hollow of plenty. [...] When it occurs it represents civilization's collective failure.'' --Roger Thurow & Scott Kilman - Enough

Hopefully the Millennium Development Goals (from United Nations Millennium Declaration) signed in September 2000 will somehow alleviate the current situation - 2015? the scary thing is, it's not that far away.

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Target 1A: Halve the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day
- Proportion of population below $1 per day (PPP values)
- Poverty gap ratio [incidence x depth of poverty]
- Share of poorest quintile in national consumption
Target 1B: Achieve Employment for Women, Men, and Young People
- GDP Growth per Employed Person
- Employment Rate
- Proportion of employed population below $1 per day (PPP values)
- Proportion of family-based workers in employed population
Target 1C: Halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
- Prevalence of underweight children under five years of age
- Proportion of population below minimum level of dietary energy consumption

so what to you, so what...

2009-08-31T17:51:00.000-07:00

i just finished reading James Maskalyk's Six Months in Sudan. from the beginning til the end, the book illustrates the hardships of the people in abyei, through the eyes of a msf (medecins sans frontieres) doctor.

i definitely don't have the writing skill to sum it up, so all i can really say is, read the book, read the stories of the people who live so far away yet whose flesh & blood are anything but akin to ours, and feel their pain and needs, or better yet, do something to help.

do something to help.

'for what is faith without deeds?'

''Tell me. What does it matter that fifteen minutes after this, the mother wrapped the body that once held her daughter and walked slowly down the hospital road, across the football field, and disappear with her bundle into the market?

She did.

So what to you, so what to us as humans. It's possible that because you were too far to feel its ripples, it doesn't matter at all.

[...]

... it's not about trying to reconcile two different worlds, it's about understanding that it's one.'

--James Maskalyk, Six months in Sudan

beautiful quote from beautiful people to beautiful people

2009-08-27T22:07:00.000-07:00

'For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.
Remember, If you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.'

-Sam Lavenson/Audrey Hepburn

thoughts on people on skytrain

2009-08-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

This is my second time witnessing this - and I just have to vent it out.

What is it with people pretending to be blind when there are an obviously pregnant woman standing, struggling to keep her balance on a rocky, crowded skytrain? This is my second time in a week standing beside a pregnant woman who has nowhere to sit.

And while I couldn't tell the people who are sitting down to give up their seat, I did what I thought was appropriate to do - I turned to the pregnant woman standing beside me, and without trying to keep my voice down, over the heads and ears of the people who are all comfortably sitting down, facing a lady whose very body image screams 'pregnant!' - I said -

'Are you doing ok? do you need to sit down?'

People on the skytrain need to stretch their necks, look up from time to time, or stop pretending to be blind or severely handicapped, grow up, and give the elderly and those who desperately need a seat - a seat.

thoughts

2009-08-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

I have so many things to do on my check-list before time runs out. And time is always running out.

First, I have to write my letter of intent in order for my application for grad schools.

Second, I have to plan out my schedule for the next six months so that I can apply for volunteering in Africa.

Third, to look up part-time job in order to save up for school & volunteering - if I get accepted.

Fourth, work out my savings plan, and to become a better steward of my money.

Fifth, to set time aside for hobbies I'm picking up - e.g. learning Arabic, Russian, Hindi, improving my Japanese & Korean, and maybe learn some kickboxing.

Sixth, to learn how to cook - well.

Seventh ....

The list could go on.

But what preoccupies my mind now is this - how to make a better sense of the world we live in.

Why do we work the way we do - probably to maintain or to improve a pleasant lifestyle - and just how in the world can we be content and live shamelessly with this simple goal of satisfying our immediate needs, materialistic desires, career goals, family plans - while most of the world's population is warped up in violence and hunger, disease-stricken and who knows what other hell people are forced to go through everyday.

To say these things is like a slap on the face. For too long I chose to live in the sluggish ignorance of all these things. Who cares if I can buy a brand-name t-shirt that costs $30 when a mosquito net can be bought for $10 can save an african child from falling into the deadly claw of Malaria? Who gives a damn when a brand name bag you just purchased can probably feed a war-stricken orphan for a few weeks, or even months?

I'm not too sure where I'm going with this. But what I'm convicted of is that I wish for change - change in myself, and if possible, then use what I have to improve the humanitarian crisis of the impoverished world we live in.

And yeah, there are poorer and more unfortunate souls in other countries struggling to live through one day, even as we are fearing for our own economic downfall.

Sometimes reality bites, but better to feel the pain and search for remedies than to let the wound to sit around and rot.

Just thoughts...

Now to number 1 on my checklist.

July 25, 2009 ... Congrats Lissette & William!

2009-07-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

Bridesmaid pix!!! :D

Encountering Mr. Fong!

2009-06-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

Khalil's autograph session in Parker Place, Richmond BC.

.... And I was next in line!

I so didn't waste my minute & a half :)

YAY!

(best couple picture ever, hehehe.)

Khalil concert 2009 TONIGHT @ 8pm!!!!!!!!

'The Hidden Track'

2009-02-16T15:44:00.001-08:00

Orange moon

There we sat among the thousand
fools just like us
But not so in love like us

There we spoke of all our feelings
And dreams were born like that
And we hope for love like that

Now your dreams have changed, we're far apart
I don't know when or where to start
leading you from my mind

I want to stand with you again
I hope to find you here again
in the eternal sunshine

I'll search for the orange moon
that lit up our love on the ocean
while i held your hand

Now watch all the waves from the stones
where we gazed to the golden sun

If i see the horizon
glow just the same as it did when we stood on the hill
I'll make the arrangements, just wait on that corner for me
If you drop me a line I'll be sure to make these arrangements

Lay your head upon my shoulder
I'll sing a tune or three
Sweet melodies for thee

Softly speak to say what i meant
Why do you leave
My heart is at your sleeve

Well I'd like to share three words again
practise these words with you again
if you think is possible
and maybe i can pull you close
whisper in your ear again that i want you in my life forever

I'll search for the orange moon
that lit up our love on the ocean
while i held your hand

Now watch all the waves from the stones
where we gazed to the golden sun

If i see the horizon
glow just the same as it did when we stood on the hill
I'll make the arrangements, just wait on that corner for me

You're like summer rain that cools me, it sooths me
You are the person that I pray for every day

Maybe we'll sit on those stairs once again
Maybe we won't turn down have to pretend
You will be here in my imaginings, they’re imaginings
I'll search for the orange moon
that lit up our love on the ocean
while i held your hand

Now watch all the waves from the stones
where we gazed to the golden sun

If i see the horizon
glow just the same as it did when we stood on the hill
I'll make the arrangements, just wait on that corner for me
If you drop me a line I'll be sure to make these arrangements
If you drop me a line I'll be sure to make these arrangements

Let's sing along....

2009-01-02T00:03:00.001-08:00

I'm just amazed at all the musical magic Mr. Khalil has to share....
LIVE IN VANCOUVER... 2009?

Happy New Year!!

Lead Me to the Cross - Hillsong United (All of the Above)

2008-12-08T21:50:00.001-08:00

Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemptions hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and trialed
You are
Te word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now you're risen

To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart

For the past two months....

2008-12-07T00:35:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've updated my blog, due to...

1) Laziness

2) Too much pictures/stories to post

3) Facebook... that's where most of my updates have been so far. But I have to admit that I'm starting to feel a bit iffy about Facebook... for reasons I'll list in another post.

And Blogspot isn't very stable either at the moment, apparently, since all the pictures I posted are just out of order; I wonder if it's because I've been ignoring it for so long...

Well! Here they are - in random order - my life here in Vancouver for the past few months.

Og's birthday party... with TWO bday cakes. Lucky boy... well, you only get to turn 20 once. =)

Jo, don't look so down. We'll get you 3 for yours!

Walks in DEER LAKE is one of the most enjoyable things in Burnaby.

New girlfriends!! There's nothing like girl chats.... about... well, boys. and other girly things you can possibly think of.

New church, and new group of friends... One of them is from South Africa, and a chef at one of the restaurants in Grouse Mountain. This is FONDUE NIGHT at his place. yumyumyum.

Work..... is pleasant, and a bit boring at times. But look! we decorated our work station! We have the prettiest Christmas decorations in the entire office. Go Dental Department!

Daddy and Wei feeding Yue cake. A rare gesture of generosity.... =)

And... well, isn't this picture self-explanatory?

The ABUNDANT LOVE in the LEE FAMILY!

I wish I could go on but....

I need some beauty sleep! =)

one of the funniest videos I've seen recently...

2008-11-17T20:56:00.001-08:00

THANKS TO OGGY! THE KUNG FU MASTER!

And piki, you will enjoy this!

How Deep Is Your Love...

2008-10-31T19:46:00.001-07:00

Now I know YOU will like this song, dear Auntie ~ =D
この歌はあたしのエッコンシキで放送するよ〜！

Recently, I've realized...I love listening to oldies.

What does this mean?

Passion of Our God

2008-10-26T22:20:00.001-07:00

We sang this for worship the other night at church, and I was singing along, the images I had was just our God in all His splendor and glory, without any association with, well, unholy or unclean things. But then when I youtubed this song, and saw the video, I realized that how just miraculously intertwined are these two things which are essentially the Good News itself: our sins and His Love = the Glory of it all.

And, I guess the best verse to sum it all up is this:

''For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.''

John 3:16

oh, and just in case some people can't deal with violent scenes... this video is very graphical.

The Glory of it All

by David Crowder Band

At the start
he was there, he was there
In the end,
he’ll be there, he’ll be there

And After all our hands have wrought
He forgives

Oh the Glory of it all is:
he came here
For the rescue of us all
that we may live
for the glory of it all
for the glory of it all

All is lost
find him there, find him there
After night
Dawn is there, Dawn is there

After all falls apart
he repairs he repairs

Oh the Glory of it all is:
he came here
for the rescue of us all
that we may live
for the glory of it all

oh he is here
for redemption from the fall
that we may live
for the glory of it all
oh the glory of it all
the glory of it all
oh the glory of it all

After night
comes the light
dawn is here
dawn is here
it’s a new day
it’s a new day
everything will change
things will never be the same
we will never be the same
we will never be the same
we will never be the same
we will never be the same

Oh, The glory of it all is
you came here
for the rescue of us all
that we may live
for the glory of it all

Oh you are here
with redemption for us all
that we may live
for the glory of it all
for the glory of it all
oh the glory of it all

My Japanese Visitor

2008-10-10T21:51:00.000-07:00

This post is long overdue... But here I go anyway!

So, for those of you who know me, you probably also know PIKI. A dear friend, auntie (long story), foxy chicken (even LONGER story and for reasons I can't even remember), and finally, an irreplaceable member of the Three Musketeers Team (Mock.... Yeah! Ing.... Yeah!)

And this dear friend of mine came for a short visit. And this would be the perfect moment to pop that corny line...

'If only time could stop...'

(Piki様！一緒に書いた詩思い出すね！）

Thanks to her short visit, I got to go around BC, as a tourist myself, and also finding myself in love with this city just a tad bit more~ hehe.

And what did we do besides sight seeing?

.......

How can we leave out CAKE from our busy schedule?

This is in GANACHE, again... (my regular spot, now!)

And ... meeting up with friends include... really, really old friends!

Neighbour Flanders were part of our friends circle 8, 9 years ago?! And it was a joy meeting up together again, after such a long time. Talking about old times is one of my favourite things to do now. Nostalgia, what an obvious sign of aging.

This is us, at a lounge/bar place near GANACHE, with yummy 'tasting' menus and an atmosphere so relaxing and chic at the same time that we just took the longest time to finish 3 small plates of delicious food.

Here is one of the 3 delicacies we ordered that day...

BREAD and CHEESE.

Oh, it really does taste better than it sounds.... Can you tell from the picture?

And UBC garden!

The weather was hands-down amazing that day - actually, for 3 days Piki was here, the rain was just somehow chased away... by....

晴れ女？

And how could we not squeeze in BUBBLE TEA on our last night?

Remember the Pudding Milk Tea at 宝島？

Until next time...... when we go to PARIS!

L'annee prochaine, peut-etre?

Save up now, s'il vous plait!

'YOU GAVE YOUR LIFE AWAY'

2008-10-06T21:54:00.001-07:00

This is another wonderful song that is stuck in my head...

I need to find this on CD...

Christian CDs shopping.... who's up for it?
(I miss the one near Atwater station, what was that called?)

You spoke and worlds were formed
You breathed and life was born
You knew that one day You would come
So far from Heaven's throne
Clothed in human form
You showed the world the Father's love

CHORUS:
You gave, You gave Your life away
You gave, You gave Your life away
You gave, You gave Your life away for me
Your grace has broken every chain
My sins are gone, my debt's been paid
You gave, You gave Your life away
For me, for me, for me

You lived a sinless life
Yet You were crucified
You bought our freedom on the cross
Forsaken for our sin, You died and rose again
Jesus, You are the Lamb of God

How glorious is Your love
If I could sing forever, it's not enough
How glorious is Your love
If I could sing forever, it's not enough
It's not enough, 'cause

Forsaken for our sin, You died and rose again
Jesus, You are the Lamb of God

'From the Inside Out'

2008-10-04T20:02:00.001-07:00

I heard this song at the camp I went last weekend - and just couldn't sing for the first couple of lines :

''A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace...''

I'm so thankful I went to that camp!!

Here are the lyrics:

A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart, in my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Chorus 2x
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out Lord, my soul cries out

It's good to be back HOME!

2008-09-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

There's nowhere like home!!

In total, I think I have five hometowns: Tian Mu (Tapei), Dorval (Montreal), Shinchon (Seoul), Burnaby (BC), and finally Dazaifu (Fukuoka).

All these places I've spent some of my best years, and if home is really where the heart is then there is no doubt that these cities will remain as they are in my memories, my heart!

Just a few days ago, I met up with my co-worker/teacher's brother from Dazaifu.

We spent a few hours chatting in Starbucks, just chatting away about what we had in common: our 地元/hometown!

One day I will stop writing and whining about how much I miss Dazaifu, but I know I will always have somewhere to call 'home' and can gladly shout: 『ただいま！！』

New friend from home: Su-kun!

The whole afternoon was cloudy and looked as though it'd start pouring down rain like crazy, but on our way to English Bay, the Sun surprised us and made me fall in love with Vancouver all over again.

And one of the good things about being at home is that I can finally brush up on my Chess skills again!

CHECK.......

... out the Self-Taught chess champion and the Chess Camp Geek of the Year!

Mr. Gloop seriously contemplating his next move.

And the result?

CHECK......

...out the TIE.

Our kings met face to face (well, kind of)- and well, Og finally gave in knowing that he can't beat his scary older sister... >=)

Finally, a second good thing about being back home is...

Playing dress-up with Jo, my teenage (when did this happen??) sister.

I wore my mom's Qi-Pao and caused a tear at the side of the dress.

It was either I was getting fat or she was really tiny.

Soon, you'll get to wear that Qi Pao, too, Jo!

And I'll roll on the ground, laughing, when you crack that dress open!

HAHA.

5 years later.... it won't be that long, nor as slow as we think, eh?

Thoughts on 300

2008-09-20T23:06:00.000-07:00

I saw 300 a couple of days ago with my dad and brother, and...

I really liked it.

I have to admit, I never turn down an epic film, and usually enjoyed watching most of them - and this recent one has just made it to the top of my list, alongside with Gladiator (Oh, and of course, the LOR trilogy).

Historical epic for me is a blast - even with all the gory violence - I take it pretty well (with girly gasps and the view blocking with the aid of a pillow), I think.. But when it comes to war movies set in modern times, I'm always mortified by the shooting/fighting scenes, because it's just too close to the present reality.

But... getting back to the point.... 300!

What an awesome movie.

(Another thing worth mentioning is that it was shot in a studio in Montreal..! Yes, I'm a proud Montrealer and changing my residency to B.C. doesn't change a darn thing)

One of the most memorable scenes for me was when Xerxes was persuading the deformed 'Hunchback' soldier from Sparta to join the Persian ''dark'' force, luring him in with status and sexual lust, things out of the reach for him as an outcast.

''Unlike the cruel Leonidas, who demanded that you stand, I require only that you kneel.''

This line jumped out at me and I just had to make a personal interpretation out of this, a bit biblically.

My take on this is that Xerxes kind of represents the World and all its power, desire and material goods that it has to offer. It 'only' requires us to kneel - to yield, to give in and eventually crumble to pieces at Its feet as we find ourselves incapable of perceiving anything beyond that, spiritually blinded. But if we choose to 'struggle' and 'stand' (in spite of our 'hunchbacks', caused by burdens that we have to carry), in spite of the pain and suffering we must go through to get to that glorious posture, we will please our King and win the battle in His name.

Well, I guess movies are like this. The second it's out, projected unto the screen to millions and millions of spectators, it is bound to produce just as many different interpretations. And this is just what I got out of the movie.

Of course, it's just part of the reason why I enjoyed this movie so much...

My vocabulary is too poor to describe all the spectacular fighting scenes that goes on in 300.

...The next movies I'll be looking forward to are 'Battle at Red Cliff' and 'Tekken'.

Takao Ando 安藤忠雄

2008-09-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

When I was in Taiwan in March, I was eating breakfast while flipping through the morning paper and came across a whole section on a famous Japanese architect---Andou Takao. What kept me reading was a picture of a church that he had built in Osaka, called the Church of Light. And I'm sure no better name could've been chosen for this church. Its main theme is based on shade and light, with concrete taking on the first role, and a window shaped in the form of the cross as the latter.

... I'm horrible at architectural description.

Here are some visual aids:

(This is his other church in Hokkaido - thx to Hiukei for pointing that out!)

What an amazing sight...!

To friends who are making traveling plans to Japan.... visit Osaka and go to this church!!

十七ーnow

2008-09-16T14:49:00.001-07:00

最近昔のこと思い出すよね。
十七歳ぐらい時かな？
いろいろあって、成長して、コウカイもして、願いことも叶ったり、シッパイしたり．．．

素直にいられない時は、やっぱり一番残念だった。

昔、昔、多分嬉しかった時、感動した時、満足した時も、次の願いことの期待のせいで、ゆっくり感じられなかった。最高の思いは結局最後に分かった。

．．．かな？

今日は、明日のためじゃなくて、今のために笑顔にいたい。
今は、次の瞬間のためじゃなくて、たった一つのイマのために．．．

もっと、
『揮霍』したい。

놀자!

2008-09-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

Gym was always my least favourite subject in school - and with Figure Skating as my only favourite sport for the last 20 something years - I'm not the most active person. Walking is probably my only other exercise I persisted on doing, knowing that all the cakes I consume will probably go up to my cheeks...

...But!!

I think things have changed since Japan. Biking to work has not only been healthy but enjoyable for the past two years, and playing with my kids during lunch break certainly earns me a good pat in the back for being so energetic even in the hottest and most humid weather I have ever experienced.

So I made an important decision before coming back to Vancouver...

SPORTY SPICE TRANSFORMATION!!

(Piki, Flanders - remember our Spice Girl phase? I think we sang songs meant for our ears only during dishwashing after Isaiah - and wasn't 'STOP' a popular one [with moves]?)

So I'm going to take up more sports.

And so far, I've been playing basketball (oftentimes not shown any mercy from Og - defeated most of the times - but getting there) at least 3 times a week, speedwalking every morning, and just recently played golf and tennis with my dad.

Oh, and also BOXING....

我太小看Wii了。

My arms were sore all over the following day.

And ... TENNIS!

My shoulders are aching as I'm typing now... But I really enjoyed playing it, and will bug my dad to be my personal coach.

(Og! I challenge you to a duel! [Mr. Burns' style])

My Daddy aka Tennis King of the World

And...

Recently I've been REALLY enjoying my time in Vancouver, taking things slow... and basically being a fresh tourist here, in one of the best cities in Canada.

EXPLORING JAPANESE FOOD - ASA SUSHI....

(we had the hardest time guessing the owner/waitress' ethnicity!!)

Thanks for the great sushi! and I still need to pay you back... >.<

EXPERIMENTING WEIRD FOOD AT HOME.

Haha... This is my dashingly handsome brother, making a wonderful dish of #)($'")('%#0)`@* with a lovely apron on.

ENJOYING THE BEAUTIFUL SCENERIES IN STANLEY PARK!!

The photographer really knows his timing, eh....

THAT'S RIGHT!! More biking!

(I love biking....)

We rented bikes for two hours and it was GREAT.

If you look closely at the rocks, you'll notice some rocks that are piled up, with the tip of the rock on one another.

I remember us joking about going down there and poke at the 'standing rocks' for fun... I stopped laughing when the weird guy with the funny hat (the ROCK-PILER) passed us by and gave us a long, stern stare.

And guess what dessert we had......

..... It reminds me of RED MANGO.

모고십어!!

Let the fun times continue......

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near." (Philippians 4:4-5)

Ephesus

2008-09-12T23:52:00.000-07:00

''To the Church in Ephesus:

''Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.'' (Revelations 2:4-5)

''To the Church in Laodicea:　

''Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'' (Revelations 3:19-22)

＊＊＊＊

I think that the ''First Love'' mentioned in the passage to the Church of Ephesus contains such a powerful message, and it's amazing how differently these words appear to me at different stages of my life.

I remember first highlighting this in my Bible probably at least 7-8 years ago and trying to understand how this passage meant to me and how I could apply it to my life. And I remember thinking back on my spiritual ups and downs, and identifying the spiritual peak as my ''First Love'' encounters with God.

But now as I read it again, I think that the ''First Love'' must mean this.

Our First Love should have and have always been with God - and since we are sinful from birth, this bond has been broken and find ourselves disconnected with His Love. The sole purpose of our life is to cling unto the search of our ''First Love'', to get back to the ''height we have fallen'' from.

I guess it must mean this to me at this stage of my life, since I am not exactly at my spiritual peak and have, frankly, forgotten about my goal in this life.

Ephesus, is a church that I have built in my heart for a while now and I think God is rebuking me in His own special ways...

この時機がぴったりだね。

そろそろ．．．！

ピキ〜このポストを読んだら私のことー祈ってもらってもいい〜？

3Q!

王菲 and nostalgia

2008-09-11T18:29:00.001-07:00

Piki! do you remember our FAYE PHASE? ...
一緒に歌いたいよ！！
マジで会いたい〜〜〜〜〜！！
十月は遅いだね。

笑忘書 - 王菲
曲︰C.Y.KONG
詞︰林夕
編︰C.Y.KONG

沒　沒有蠟燭　就不用勉強慶祝
沒　沒想到答案　就不要尋找題目
沒　沒有退路　那我也不要散步
沒　沒人去仰慕　那我就繼續忙碌

＊來　來　思前想後
差一點忘記了怎麼投訴
來　來　從此以後
不要犯同一個錯誤

＃〔讓我親手〕將　這樣的感觸
寫一封情書　送給我自己　感動的要哭
很久沒哭　不失為天大的幸福

＋〔就好好〕將　這一份禮物
這一封情書　給自己祝福　可以不在乎
才能對別人在乎

有　一點幫助　就可以對誰傾訴
有　一個人保護　就不用自我保護
有　一點滿足　就準備如何結束
有　一點點領悟　就可以往後回顧

啦　從開始哭著嫉妒
變成了笑著羨慕
時間是怎麼樣爬過了我皮膚
只有我自己最清楚

Quick update with pix! 夏天的尾聲～

2008-09-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

My very own TITLE at the office! ^0* ~

Touring Downtown Vancouver...

VANCOUVER ART GALLERY

My pretty Japanese friend, Yoko!

Sushi Roll ... and how does it taste in Canada?

My new friends - first off, 小羅志祥！

Kev﹣弟！

山口智子〜〜！

これからのケーキ仲間だ！

Piki, do you like my new hair? :p

On being Lazy but still a Regular Blogger...

2008-08-25T14:24:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've gotten quite lazy with words.

I've been letting all my pictures tell the stories...

And I'm going to let this go on because....

忙しいだから！！＞.<

But I do miss writing elaborate passages, and I will pick it up again soon when I have the time and the energy to. There are just way too many things to recap on.

But first, here are more pictures:

@ Korean Restaurant about 4, 5 blocks away from our house.

DE-LI-CIOUS.

Og experimenting just how far his tongue can stretch...

And here is Jo, reluctant to be his lab mice

The next two pictures are self-explanatory.

旁白：I'm the cutest dog ever.

... EVER!!

And.... I'm becoming such a lazy writer, and a much, much more greedy sleeper.

おやすみ！

GReeeeN　愛唄

2008-08-24T14:03:00.001-07:00

I heard this song from my students in Japan when we all went for KARAOKE.

懐かしい〜〜！！！！

カナダにいっても、やっぱり日本の歌きったら、こういう気持ちになるんだよね。

愛唄　GReeeeN　歌詞
「ねえ、大好きな君へ」笑わないで聞いてくれ
「欸、要獻給最愛的你」別笑我聽我說
「愛してる」だなんてクサいけどね
「我愛妳」這句話雖然很老套
だけどこの言葉以外伝える事が出来ない
可是我只想告訴你心意
ほらね!また馬鹿にして笑ったよね
唉唉還是笑我傻
君の選んだ人生(ミチ)は僕(ココ)で良かったのか?
你所選擇的人生裡有我比較好嗎？
なんて分からないけど、、、
雖然我不是很清楚...
ただ泣いて笑って過ごす日々に
在只是哭泣微笑度過的歲月裡
隣に立って居れることで
能夠陪在你的身邊
僕が生きる意味になって
就是我生存的意義
君に捧ぐこの愛の唄
要獻給妳這首愛歌

「ねえ、あの日の僕ら何の話をしてた?」
「欸那天我們說了什麼呢？」
初めて逢った日によそよそしく
第一次見面的那一天很生疏
あれから色々あって時にはケンカもして
在那之後發生很多事有時還會吵架
解りあうための時間過ごしたね
也歷經了誤會冰釋的時候
この広い僕ら空の下出逢って恋をしていつまでも
我們在這寬廣的天空下相識相戀直到永遠
ただ泣いて笑って過ごす日々に
在只是哭泣微笑度過的歲月裡
隣に立って居れることで
能夠陪在你身邊

君と生きる意味になって
成為與妳共存的意義
君に捧ぐこの愛の唄
要獻給妳這首愛歌
いつも迷惑をかけてゴメンネ
總是找妳麻煩真對不起
密度濃い時間を過ごしたね
度過濃情蜜意的時刻
僕ら2人日々を刻み
我們倆隨著時間累積
作り上げてきた想いつのり
越來越多的感情
ヘタクソな唄を君に贈ろう
做出拙劣的歌送給妳吧
めちゃくちゃ好きだと神に誓おう!
向上天發誓愛死妳了！
これからも君の手を握ってるよ
今後也要握住妳的手唷
僕の声が続く限り隣でずっと愛を唄うよ
只要我還有聲音就會一直在你身邊永遠歌頌愛情喔
歳をとって声がかれてきたらずっと手を握るよ
隨著年歲增長如果聲音嘶啞了
ずっと　手を握るよ
就會永遠握著妳的手喔
ただアリガトウじゃ伝えきれない
只是謝謝還無法完全表達我的心意
「泣き」「笑い」「悲しみ」「喜び」を共に分かち合い生きて行こう!
我們要哭泣歡笑與悲傷喜悅共享而活下去喔
いくつもの夜を越えて
越過了無數的黑夜
僕は君と「愛」を唄おう
我和妳傳唱愛情吧

バンークーバ：二週間目

2008-08-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

The three Lee Sisters, guess who's the oldest??

Who doesn't love MELTING MARSHMALLOWS?

BBQ party!

This is me in Canada, looking Japanese and surrounded by Japanese.

やった！日本語忘れないよ〜〜！

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

こっちに帰って来て、やっぱりいろんなことを慣れなければならけど、毎日のんびりで、楽しくすごしま〜す！

四年ぶりの家族の時間が急に増えてきて、やっとお母さんの手作り料理を勉強できる〜〜かな？へへ、ピキちゃん、十月に私の運転だけじゃなくて、ルックのCHEF D'OEUVRESも楽しんでね！

そして、日本の全部が懐かしいです！！数えないくらい...（ー.ー）

ちなみに、バービーキュで、福岡出身人と会った！！！

ヨーシ、来週から学校が始まるぞ〜〜頑張るぞ〜〜！

(Time to study for my DRIVING LICENSE!)

p.s. 菅さん！遅くになったごめんね！

ル　＊　クップルのみんなとケーキ達が懐かしい〜〜〜〜〜！

ここで、豆乳プリンがいないよ。＞.<

I miss you and all the cakes! ^0^v

方大同 - 忘了美麗 (Live at tHE WALL, Taipei) MV

2008-08-15T18:38:00.001-07:00

昨天我看見你在下班之後
拖著他的手　(但不是你現在的男朋友)
我明白你已擁有一個所愛你的人
他也是我多年的好朋友
你記得嗎
那年是你教我　若愛是對　是錯
千萬不要傷害一個所愛你的人
別怪我　也只是碰巧而已
知道我沒有資格評論你
但作為你一個多年的朋友
我有些事要請求你
請你別讓我對愛從今失去肯定
別粗心　別大意　別玩弄感情
千萬別讓我對愛有這樣的懷疑
別來不及　別太可惜
忘了美麗　那愛的承諾
我想我需要衡量這件事情
(怎麼想　怎麼看　怎麼辦　應該如何反應)
讓我怎麼想　怎麼看　怎麼辦　如何反應
其實我不該說什麼
這不關我的事　這是你和他和他的事
我應不應該勸你
我應不應該背著你說給我那個兄弟聽
你對他犯的錯
別怪我　也只是碰巧而已
我真的沒有心去連累你
但作為你一個多年的朋友
我有些事要請求你
請你別讓我對愛從今失去肯定
別粗心　別大意　別玩弄感情
千萬別讓我對愛有這樣的懷疑
別來不及　別太可惜
忘了美麗　那愛的承諾
有時候人會做些不該做的事
人總是會有後悔的時候
有的時候我會模糊
那個時候你會帶路
我也瞭解你也許還不能決定你的未來
所以我希望你不要見外
請你別讓我對愛從今失去肯定
別粗心　別大意　別玩弄感情
千萬別讓我對愛有這樣的懷疑
別來不及　別太可惜
忘了美麗　那愛的承諾
請你別讓我對愛從今失去肯定
別粗心　別大意　別玩弄感情
千萬別讓我對愛有這樣的懷疑
別來不及　別太可惜
忘了美麗　那愛的承諾

Mr. Khalil!!!

2008-08-15T18:15:00.007-07:00

やっぱりいいね！！
完璧ぐらいな声で．．．！

Who's going to accompany me to Mr. Fong's concert in 2009?

Hello and Bonjour!

2008-08-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

So it's been a little bit more than a week since I've been back home, in B.C.
And I've gotten lazy in updating me blog.
So let me sum these 10 days up with pictures...

But before that, let me share the picture of my place in the biggest mess its ever been in:

My little ''BIG'' brother in the pretty pink shirt I bought him:

My lovely parents, spoiling me since I've been back (:

My crazy little sister, with her even more crazy big sister, enjoying CHUA BING!

Our youngest family member

My other little brother?

Hehehehehehe.

『．．．要像徐志摩那麼癡．．．』

2008-07-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

最近頑固的YouTube不知為什麼跟我作對，方大哥的MUSIC VIDEO怎麼PO 都沒有用。

好吧，勤勞的朋友們，有空去聽一下Khalil的Live！！

This is one of the most romantic songs I've ever heard.

方大哥！你下一場的演唱會我一定不缺席！

Who's coming with me???

詩人的情人（click here to watch!)

纏綿是首詩　很容易迷失　
北風的朦朧不減李商隱的精緻
感情是首詩　要懂愛才能知　
我希望像李宗盛一針挑中你心事
別像宋代李清照悽悽慘慘戚戚

我顯為你背誦　每一首情詩　
我願意做你的老師
示範著執子之手如何解釋　
不願為深奧的感情　變白痴
我倆的情事　是一首情詩　
要像徐志摩那麼癡
要像對押韻的堅持　
要成為文學的歷史　
讓我們要多美麗有多美麗

很少人看詩　很少人得知　
擁抱時怎創作接近詩意的手勢
很少人懂詩　很少人情癡　
莎士比亞的十四行詩快沒人認識
可我對你吟頌亦不如煙的往事

我顯為你背誦　每一首情詩　
我願意做你的老師
示範著執子之手如何解釋　
不願為深奧的感情　變白痴
我倆的情事　是一首情詩　
要像徐志摩那麼癡
要像對押韻的堅持　
要載入文學的歷史　
要這段情感動他人名噪一時

讓這一首解構擁抱的詩　
感染這誤解愛情的城市
多少艱澀的美感快消失
可我們是少數的奢侈
我送你情詩就靠著　靈犀一指
走遍世界也能步步成詩　
給寫成故事

我顯為你背誦　每一首情詩　
我願意做你的老師
示範著執子之手如何解釋　
不願為深奧的感情　變白痴
我倆的情事　是一首情詩　
要像徐志摩那麼癡
要像對押韻的堅持　
要載入文學的歷史
閨房的文字只為多情傳世

十天後．．．もう、豆豆先生と呼ばれないないだね！

2008-07-22T06:15:00.000-07:00

Last week, my friends and I planned a DAY OUT in Tosu, a nearby town in the neighboring perfecture, Saga. What we had in mind was a carefree afternoon filled with shopping and COLD STONE ice cream... but talk about being spontaneous!

On Monday morning, I got a txt msg from one of my friends, telling me to get ready and pack an extra set of clothing, and be sure to ''wear shorts''.

Beach? Onsen?

My Spontaneous Friend had something else in mind.

We visited the famous LIMESTONE CAVE in Kitakyushu.

It was probably the most thrilling experience I've had in Japan second to the roller coaster ride I was dragged onto in USJ.

And the funniest coincidence was, when I was ''half-crawling'' in the cave, trying not to fall into the knee-deep water, I met some familiar faces.

「アッ。豆豆先生！』

My hands were busy clinging on the stone walls surrounding me, and my legs were tangled up, half-frozen in the cold water. I only had time to turn back and flash a nervous smile, and clumsily wave at my two students, looking as scared as I was. I think they were scared for my sake.

「ルシア先生！！豆豆！！』

It was nice to hear my name echoing in the cave and being addressed as the BEAN BEAN Teacher.

This is my friend HIROKO and I, using these bamboo sticks as our canes (being as old and feeble as we are, indeed, we needed extra-assistance on our way up)...

小倉城！

既にお姫様になってしまった。For a moment only, I basked in the royal glory, sitting in this ''Princess Carriage'' from the Edo Period.

I call this picture:『公主優先』

小鳥，不好意思～我先走一步嘍～！

今日、送別会〜！

我在日本的兩位乾媽。

下次回來日本就住她們家，有口福嘍～！

我可愛的老師/同事們。

私にとって、先生でもあって、ありがとうございました。

まだまだよ。

接下來的十天，我有預感都會很精采。

我的肚子也要好好的stretch一下，加油貝～！

當了一天Full-Time愛玩的高中生

2008-07-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

I never faced this kind of dilemma before.

I really miss CANADA, and am definitely excited to go back, but what am I to do without my amazing job and all the even more amazing people I've met here in JAPAN?

If only I could pack all of them in my luggage home.

I guess I'll just bring back as many good memories as I can.

Until then... I'm going to enjoy EVERY SINGLE MOMENT spent here in my hometown [in Japan].

Last picture with one of my Jr. High classes.

Today, a DAY OUT with my 卒業生s, my favourite students from my favourite class.

我應該是世界上最偏心的老師吧。

跟學生們一起唱歌的時覺悟到：

我﹣老﹣了。

當我興奮的拿起mike要唱宇多田光的First Love時，我發現當下沒有一個人對這首歌有任何印象。

『聞いたことないの？』

『．．．』

對歐，這首歌是我十五歲的時候瘋狂流行過。

仔細想想，也快有十年了。

．．．．．

十年？！？！

『そうかあ．．．』

我也只好硬著頭皮把這首老掉牙的歌唱完。

''You are always gonna be my love... いつか....''

Next...

BOWLING!

在櫃台付錢時，我被店員算成高中生。

雖然誠實的我馬上糾正他，心裡還是暗中高興了一下。

AND! I actually scored the HIGHEST point....

...among the GIRLS team. Hehehehehe.

But it's quite an improvement from my previous ALL-GUTTERS-RECORD.

Augustus, aside from CHESS matches we will be holding regularly at home, I suggest that we should brush up our BOWLING skills, too. And of course, in order to beat you, I must re-watch the series in which my husband-to-be stars in.

GOLDEN BOWL!!

''Ohhh.... yeah.''

Walking from the mall to JOYFULL, a Japanese family restaurant at a VERY reasonable price.

向日葵〜〜！

最近、この花が好きになりました。

マチャミちゃんが撮れもらちゃった。Thank you!!

This is my kawaii student, マチャミ - the tomboy of our class.

She could stuff 80 ebi-sen in her mouth.

Just thought I'd mention it. So far, no one could beat her record.

花火！！！！

これが、日本で最後のかな？

皆、ありがとう！

哇，最近的眼淚很多。

I might get dehydrated...

あと．．．十一日か。

Coming Soon....

2008-07-19T17:45:00.001-07:00

Who's going to watch this with me?

諸葛亮，諸葛亮，諸葛亮．．．．．！

やっぱり泣いてしまった！

2008-07-16T05:56:00.000-07:00

So.... did everyone behave, and paid extra attention during the last class?

The answer is... NO.

But we still had fun, like we always do.

大家一起作鬼臉～↑↑↑

In the Farewell Messages Booklet I received from this school, a lot of students gave me a very important advice:

『お金をいっぱい貯めて、またカナダから日本に来てください！』

(trans. ''Save a lot of money, and come to Japan again!'')

はい、はい！分かりましたよ！

Following a crazy and fun day at elementary, I had a wonderful time with my good friend Sa-chan.

And keep 'em rolling....

飲み会、送別会、飲んで、食べて、笑って、泣いて、笑って。

「''GOOD''byes」

2008-07-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

Goodbyes...!

Recently, I've had my share of 「最後の．．．」s.

Countdown: 20 days. And with all the farewell parties, speeches, packing, last goodbyes... time is going to pass by so fast. And maybe with all the busyness and the hectic schedule I have to cope with for the next two weeks and half will somehow lessen the sadness!!

My日本のママ

Know how I know we belong in the same 'family'?

We both share the same trait....

SWEET TOOTH!

My Last Lunch with the 二年生s in Jr. High.

Guess who is my favourite student?

(他私底下的綽號是Teddy Bear. 他的導師很好笑。知道我會到班上一起用餐，特別把我安排在My Teddy Bear的那一桌，也刻意把我的椅子擺在他的左手邊。哈哈...!)

So many goodbyes...

でも、また会うよね！！

予定は、来年の三月に．．．

이별

2008-07-09T04:56:00.000-07:00

Summer in Fukuoka is H-O-T...

But despite the heat, my students still have after school club activities - EVERYDAY.

I join from time to time, but I usually just jump in any club I want, and make them take funny pictures with me.

''Let's play catchball!...''

And I said yes. Maybe it was the heat talking. I got myself a baseball game to attend to tomorrow afternoon.

I need SUNSCREEN 50SPF +++++

Lunchtime!

Just a few days left... I'm going to miss these lunchtable chats...

And yesterday, I had the morning at Jr. High, and spent the rest of the afternoon at an elementary. This is what usually happens at a GRADE II ELEMENTARY LUNCH TABLE.

STUFF THAT BREAD!!

(He is SO adorable.)

And no, TA-chan... don't scream with your mouth full....

]

At a farewell party organized by some of my teachers at Jr. High... at my FAVOURITE IZAKAYA!

And this is what I will miss like crazy when I get back to Canada. Bumping into my kids on my way home, and taking crazy pictures like the one below.

りょうちゃん！我們扮的鬼臉也太有默契了。另外一位故意裝酷，其實他才是鬼臉高手。

あと．．．少しだけ。

泣くそう、泣くそう。今日は我慢したけど、金曜日は多分止まらないと思う、涙が。

わ〜〜

Happy Wrinkles が増える気がする

2008-07-07T01:26:00.000-07:00

新しいF4 発見！

VS...

The ''other'' F4.

Our conclusion is, (as thoroughly discussed over coffee in the Shinjuku Starbucks) we beat the boys since we've got a much more varied group - guess who's not Korean here...

So this how students pass time at the famous and repudiated FB (文化服装学院）school in Tokyo.

玩上癮的四個人。照這張的小鳥本人玩的最瘋也最入戲，你說是不是啊？（照片也寄給我吧！）

Ａnticipating Lunchtime... Lining up for food is a custom here in Tokyo.

At 鼎泰豐 in Tokyo with new friends.

下次見面是明年吧．．．

安太太，加油！我先等你的好消息！

楽しい週末をありがとう！

また顔に皺が出てきたね、小鳥のおかげで。ま、「HAPPY WRINKLES」だから、いいんじゃない？

I love Dazaifu!

2008-06-28T03:14:00.001-07:00

I did it!

I finally decided to drop everything and become a professional confectioner...

... For one Saturday.

以下是我在我最愛的蛋糕店 ''LE COUPLE'' 裡打工記錄：

Me and my good friend and teacher, Hatsune, stuffing ourselves with sweets during BREAKTIME. Note how much bigger my piece is... The Chef wanted to make sure that I gain at least one kilo after today, and gave me the biggest portion of almost everything we had today.

This is the Chef, Suga-san and his lovely wife, my favourite people in Dazaifu.

本当にごちそうさまでした！

Hatsune teaching me how to make Chiffon Cake. If only I had all the gigantic high-tech machines with me, would I be able to reproduce the Masterpiece she baked.

The Chef decorating the delicious Tiramisus.

工作的時候很認真也很嚴格，不過私底下非常好玩，也很愛講冷笑話。

My favourite staff!! I'll miss them so much!

Today, I woke up at 7, and got ready just in time around 8, only to find out that it's pouring outside... So without my speedy bike, I had to walk in the rain and arrived a tad bit late for ''work''. =)

When I first entered the store through the back door, not as a customer, but a staff this time, I was welcomed by the Chef and his assistant, Hatsune.

Being the forgetful/clumsy person that I am, I forgot to bring an apron. When the Chef turned up a few minutes later with the staff uniform to lend me, I was kind of glad that I did.

The first task given to me was to cut oranges. Trust me, it's a lot more complicated than it sounds! The pieces were prepared for cake decorations, so unlike the ugly ones I usually cut for myself, they had to be almost equal in shape, and that was probably the hardest thing today. I think Hatsune noticed my clumsiness and patiently taught me several times, and then she and the Chef stared at me nervously as I [even more nervously] began to cut the oranges.

I did not take any pictures of the poor, uneven oranges.

Yet, the Chef still used them (without making any comments, of course) for the Chocolate and Orange mousse cake, and the decorations he taught me to do kind of covered the horrendous oranges.

And in Dazaifu, being the small and charming town that it is, it isn't very hard to bump into people you know three, four times a day.

The third customer we had today was a group of mothers and one of my elementary students.

As soon as they entered the shop, I saw Yu-kun.

Irrashaimase!

He walked to the counter, and stared at the cakes and not at the person with the familiar voice he thought he heard.

Then, a few minutes later, when I finished wrapping cakes for the other customers, I turned back and found Yu-kun staring back at me with his eyes (and mouth) extremely widened.

The same thing happened with one of my Jr High school students.

Do I look that different?

Or should I say... professional...?

Wahahahahahaha.

What a great day....

Full of heavenly sweets, delicious lunch (Chef 拿手的義大利麵＋店裡出名的Pudding au Caramel), and amazing company.

今日は、本当に本当にありがとうございました！

（＾０＾）

I love Dazaifu (...for those of you who didn't already know that)!