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| hello!! merry christmas!! we didn't have a white christmas this year in san diego, although i thought it was a real possibility for a little while last week when it was freezing down here. (just a caveat, i mean really cold when i say freezing, maybe not literally below 32F.. but who needs to be all scientific about it anyways?) weather aside, my family went to watch the nativity story on christmas eve. it's a movie about jesus's birth, starting from before mary became pregnant and leading up to the night jesus was born in bethlehem. i thought it was pretty interesting because it told the story of mary and joseph, and what it was like for them to find out that they were going to become the earthly parents of the son of God. can you imagine the overwhelming sense of responsibility they must of felt? the movie taught me a couple of great lessons (isn't it great when movies do that?): how God uses normal people to accomplish his will, and likewise, how he uses seemingly normal circumstances to do huge things (if we allow him to). while i had previously thought of mary and joseph as holy biblical people, really different from anyone i'd encounter today, the movie depicted them as "normal" people that happened to be very faithful. they lived normal lives (for their time) and had the same kinds of worries as their peers. in other words, they would be like one of us if they lived in the present day. what set them apart from many of us though, and why i think God chose them to father/mother his son, was their faith. when an angel appeared to mary to tell her she would become pregnant with God's son, she didn't laugh it off or try to rationalize the experience another way. instead, she accepted the message immediately, and went on to defend her position against her parents and others close to her, who (justifiably?) accused her of lying. i just wonder, how many of us would react as mary did if God were to reveal himself to us in a similar way? or would we shrug it off, attributing it to coincidence or discounting it because "it doesn't make sense"? in my own life, i wonder how many times i've prevented God from using me because i blocked myself off from the possibility. i am so grateful and encouraged that mary wasn't like that, and that she believed God when he spoke to her, without wavering or fear. another question is, if we were one of mary's friends, would we believe her story? she claimed she was impregnated by the Holy Spirit.. how would we react to her claim if she were our friend/sister/daughter? would we respond in the same way as her family and friends and outcast her? sometimes it's hard to think about God being supernatural, and working in ways that conflict with our understanding of the world. a lot of times when we are faced with this kind of conflict, we side with natural law - or our personal understanding of the world - because it's "scientific" and thus somehow more credible or logical. but as the story of mary shows, sometimes things are inexplicable by natural law. it takes great faith to stand by our God at times like this, when the world, including our family and friends, think we're crazy for doing so. but that's what mary and joseph both did, and the greatest thing ever came as a result. i only wish that i too can become a person that God can use, that would never choose the world over him. there is so much to be thankful for this holiday season - and the origin of it all is God's love for me (and you!) and the gift he gave us through the baby born to mary that night so many years ago. merry christmas everyone!! :) | | |
| yes, it's sad but true. or if not addicted to, at least (too) dependent on. lately, i've realized i can't be happy if i don't get enough sleep. i literally get sad! or more easily saddened if i feel tired. other side effects include irritability, short-temperedness, and general dissatisfaction. yup.. not a pretty combination. i am kind of envious of those people who can get by with 6 or 7 hours a night, regularly. it always astonishes me when i meet one of these types. (in fact, if you're such a person, you've probably already had this conversation with me!) apparently the dalai lama only sleeps 4 hours a night.. then again he probably also spends a couple hours a day meditating. this reminds me of the summer that jenn and i were really into yoga. we would "meditate" (aka lie still on the ground with our eyes closed, aka nap) for upwards of an hour, then totally not be able to sleep at night. i think it was a prisoner's dilemma type of situation where we were both just waiting for the other person to wake up, but that's another story for another day.. :) but back to sleep - the topic, that is. i think i occasionally fool myself into believing that i too am fine with 7 hours a night. and i am.. for the first day or two. then the unhappiness and irritability kick in, not to mention stress-eating (or is it because both that and the lack of sleep are triggered by a third factor.. stressful situations for instance?). if i'm lucky, i'll then return to a strictly regulated sleeping plan, 8 or 9 hours a night. which leads to another problem, which is that i then become obsessed with sleep and getting enough of it. i'll schedule my other activities around it, forgoing important (but not so important) areas to ensure i get my hours in. i'm crazy, i know :) but at least crazy and well-rested! :) but unfortunately the next 2 weeks are looking pretty bleak. i'm on a short case and it's not looking good, hours-wise.. i'm trying to stock up this weekend but i have a sinking feeling i'll be running low by tuesday. sigh. in other news, i started a flickr site! basically it'll be a place where i will upload and organize my pictures :) technology, so amazing these days.. jenn introduced me to it last weekend. it's a pretty cool site. you should start one too if you're looking for a place to post your pictures! let me know if you do so i can add you to my buddies list :) www.flickr.com/photos/jujucita if you just can't wait, here are some recent pics: 
hk farewell dinner at a really cute 'hole-in-the-wall' called song (thanks yy for organizing!) 
with my new roomie winnie at our halloween housewarming! (she was laura croft and i was a cowgirl, in case it's not obvious) 
the girls (and robin!) on halloween 
family pic at the trump golf course in palos verdes. you can't see from here but this is right on the ocean.. take my word for it: gorgeous! | | |
| hey again! yup another post - in a few days' time, astonishing! just wanted to belatedly post some pics from jenn's visit to hk! she and lawrence (her bf aka "lawdawg") came to visit for about a week a few weeks ago, following their short-term missions trip to taiwan (2nd year in a row!). it was really cool having them here and representing hk as the "resident local" (right...) :) even still, it was a great excuse to hit up the fun spots (e.g., hyatt dessert buffet) and try out some new things (e.g., tai o fishing village - not what you typically think of when you think hk). enjoy! jenn and me on star ferry. 3 min ferry ride to cross from hk island (where i live/work, in background) to kowloon (the other side of hk that apparently few venture to visit) 
jenn and me waiting for the tai o bus 
tai o fishing village. this is on the northern tip of lantau island (where the airport is located, but not a central part of hk). it took us about an hour by bus-driving-on-narrow-mountainous-one-way-passes to get here. it felt like we were in a different country. even though it's a "tourist" attraction you can see it's quite different from the metropolitan city we typically associate with hk 
back in hk city, the wong lee hong (or "hom" if you want to be cantonese) concert! this was an ac class event through work. a really fun time! i didn't know too much about him previously but i'm a fan now :P 
jenn and lawrence at the concert with their (complimentary - thanks sony-ericsson!) bubble clappers without which no asian pop concert is complete! 
cute shot of jenn from felix bar/restaurant at the top of the peninsula hotel in tst in kowloon (harbor and hk island in background) 
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| hi! it's been awhile since my last post (again) - apologies to all those eager fans out there.. :P anyways, this would be an appropriate time/place to announce that my transfer is officially coming to end next week! that's right.. 6 months have come and gone and i'll be returning home to cali next weekend. as far as i how i feel about this, i have mixed feelings.. it was unclear up until a couple weeks ago exactly when i'd be heading back home so any hesitancy might have to do with not having enough time to prepare myself for asia coming to an end. but, as the news settles in and i am preparing myself, i am getting quite excited. on top of that, i'm happy to be returning home - closer to family and friends. i think that's one thing i've realized these past couple of months especially.. the importance of having a support network. of course, sunny skies and west coast weather is always pretty irresistable. although i must say, a bit unfortunate that i'm leaving just as hk temperatures are approaching tolerable.. anyways, the plan for the next couple of weeks is returning home next weekend, training in cancun (!) the following week, and time off/settling back into LA the following week. so, i guess it'll also be a couple week break from work for a while. well-deserved.. or maybe not? either way, i'm looking forward to it :) hope you are doing well! some random pics from xij's visit to hk and bain's greater china retreat in hainan (home of the famous but not so great-tasting hainan chicken dish!) last week: xij and me at the peak (lookout point for amazing view of hk skyscrapers - also beautiful at night!) 
the night before with a few peeps i we met that night.. 
hk ac (+ henry) group shot in hainan 
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| hi again! i got into hk this morning after a long plane ride. it totally worked out though bc the flight left at 2am early sunday morning.. so i basically just slept for 12-15 hours, woke up and suddenly all of sunday is gone and it's now monday morning. weird.. but it's kind of sad though.. i'm still tired!
anyways, onto more interesting topics.. lily and sun's wedding!! (not to be confused with lily's and sun's wedding, which i had been using previously. actually "lily and sun's" assumes "lily and sun" as a unit.. cute huh?) it happened yesterday, starting from really early morning with wedding prep. it was my 2nd peer wedding, but 1st "really close friend" wedding which i think made a huge difference as far as how "real" it felt. i was part of the wedding party (!) which was really fun, although i hope lily and sun will forgive us for messing up on our part during the ceremony! (basically what happened was we all kind of sat down when the reverend, addressing the audience, said "please be seated" after lily walked down the aisle.. following that there was some bopping back and forth of the groomsmen and bridesmaids, and some nervous laughter from the audience..)
slight wedding party miscoordination aside though, it was such a beautiful ceremony and reception. lily was gorgeous in her dress, loose curls, and makeup.. but most of all this natural glow she has. i think it comes from her happiness, it just kind of emanates! as for the ceremony, it was at stanford memchu and actually lasted only about 30 minutes all told. i was kind of surprised by that but it definitely didn't feel rushed or anything. the lunch reception which followed was near campus at trader vic's restaurant. it was a pretty large crowd, and good mix of ages, bride vs. groom guests, family vs. friends, etc.
i felt really happy after the wedding.. not that i shouldn't expect to, but it was a lot more than i had thought! i think i was just really encouraged in seeing lily and sun's relationship, and how clear it is that God made them to be with each other. these past few days with them have really highlighted this - especially given how stressful a time it is (or could be, at least - they totally didn't let themselves get caught up in that), their interaction with each other and their attitudes toward others in general were real testaments to their love for each other and faith in God. sigh.. cuteness..! :)
haha my mush aside, some pics from the wedding.. (just realized i didn't get many of sun.. sorry!)
lily getting ready at memchu
lily with youn, pre-wedding
the newlyweds arriving at the reception!
cute pic in korean attire during reception
lily and me saying farewell.. (just for now!)
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