entre les trous de la mémoire

O Gentle Savior

2010-05-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

"Let me at thy throne of mercy
find a sweet relief,
kneeling there in deep contrition;
help my unbelief.

Trusting only in thy merit,
would I seek thy face;
heal my wounded, broken spirit,
save me by thy grace.

Thou the spring of all my comfort,
more than life to me,
whom have I on earth beside thee?
Whom in heaven but thee?

Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by."

1920

2010-04-25T23:40:00.000-07:00

Listening to this song/watching the video has become a birthday tradition for me. I watch the video while listening to the song every single time, otherwise it feels like something's missing. It's a good song, one of my favorite songs of hers. I've always liked it.

Aside being sick, it's been a nice weekend. I've had friends time, family time(sorta), alone time, casual conversations and deep conversations. Very well balanced. Leaving my teenage years behind, what God has in store for me this new decade and onwards, I can't wait to see. And a big thank you to everyone in my life. Happy or sad, I'm truly grateful.

geometry

2010-04-14T02:01:00.000-07:00

Let's just say, this is a marvelous piece of advertising design, despite the product. One of the best cubist posters, I think. (Modiano, Robert Bereny, 1928)

L+V Day

2010-02-14T16:30:00.000-08:00

I've been going around telling people that the last time St. Valentine's Day and Chinese Lunar New Year landed on the same day was 56 years ago! And after today, the next time will be in 2048. So, it's a pretty big deal, at least in China it is. Apparently my parents were very indecisive about what to do on this special day. They wanted to have their own activities, but then it's also the day for family-get-together and stuff. So that amused me, and I wonder what they ended up doing.

The punchline is, whatever you do today, make it worthwhile and remember to show some gratitude and appreciation to the wonderful people in your life. I guess that's the attitude we should have every day. I'm truly thankful for Heavenly Father's endless mercy and love. I can not ask for more.

Well, happy holidays to my dear ones! This year is off to a good start.

(On a completely irrelevant and random note: my stats professor sent us the link to this comic website made for (and possibly by) maths people...)

"Oh My God, Charlie Darwin"

2010-02-04T18:28:00.000-08:00

This movie merely presents the life of a man who once lived. Nothing more.

moon walk

2010-01-26T12:24:00.000-08:00

Thanks to No Theft, yesterday I rediscovered this piece of gold in a removable hard drive that I no longer use, along with a couple of other older albums of Air. I miss the fusion era back when synthesizers and MIDI controllers were heavily used. It is delightful to hear the sound effects again, in a late 90s album. Plus it's got some very enjoyable bass lines.

Lately

2010-01-20T21:58:00.000-08:00

Life's been hectic since the very second I got back from the break. It was very difficult to readjust to the fast pace within one day and catch up on school. For the past couple of weeks, I've been changing the way I used to treat myself. I now go to bed before the clock strikes midnight every night and get up at 7 the latest. I get an hour reading and devotional time in the morning, and that starts my day right. I haven't had coffee since the beginning of the quarter. Strange how I don't need it any more. Also, no more long naps during the day has been very helpful. I'm still less motivated to go jogging, but I've been doing it at least twice a week. This new system is great. It's amazing how much more my productivity has gone up that I can steal an entire evening during the week to do some other stuff. However, this system has a drawback. It requires a lot alone time, which means I don't even get to spend time with my study buddies (because studying in groups isn't as efficient you know what I mean...). And I only see some of my friends on Sabbath day. I just need to figure out how to reduce some of my alone time within the new system. Maybe I can use my evening off to make human connections instead of playing chess against the machine and never win.

That's all. Just a brief summary of my life as of late. Hopefully I don't slip back to my old habits. And I need to catch up on blogging as well.

piled higher n deeper

2010-01-10T15:49:00.000-08:00

This site has killed my longing for grad school. If you don't plan to become a grad student, the site is good for some giggles. For its complete archive click here.

Airport and stuff

2009-12-16T00:30:00.000-08:00

I'm flying out tomorrow, to the other side of the globe. I really look forward to seeing my parents, but the 15 hour flight is not going to be so pleasant. And I have to go to the airport in the morning. Among all non-geographic locations, airport is my least favorite. I dislike the experience of getting to the airport, going through customs and security, and waiting for hours at the gate before you get on board. It's often a rather dreadful procedure. But that's not the only negative airport feeling I get. For me, it doesn't matter where I'm heading, whether a place I like or not. It's the feeling of "leaving" saddens me. I like places that I can grow attached to and airport doesn't do it for me. It is cold, impersonal and unfriendly in some ways. Though, I do love picking up people at the airport, it is always delightful.

This year I'm a little frustrated that the break is less than three weeks, yet the air fare is just as much. It's still worth it all. I will see my parents whom I haven't seen in a year. I will also get to babysit my little first cousin once removed. It's going to be precious.

time too, go on

2009-12-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty good with dates, and as I remember, it's been exactly a year since I met this sailor who survived a shipwreck. Throughout the year I have been adjusting to some changes and I finally come to the realization that time doesn't heal, nor does it kill. What you do with it is what matters. It gives you something you can always look back at, whether good or bad. And when you do look back, though it could be painful, you will know what to leave behind.

brief

2009-11-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

War, is the stage of life I'm at. And it has only just begun.

Salute those who bled and sacrificed for freedom, who fought the battles and now deserve peace.

Happy Veterans day!

panic and choke

2009-10-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

Gladwell's new book comes out in a week. Well, it is more of a collection of his selected articles published in The New Yorker magazine from the past decade. Though the contents aren't necessarily "new", I am expecting the book to be a well-put-together photo album of modern american culture and civilization, which by no means am I talking about only the positive aspects. It will be well worth the time to read some of Gladwell's old works and find out how his perspectives have changed over the years. He's a journalist after all. The book should have a fairly high gold content. I don't think I can wait till Oct. 20. I'm going to dig out some if not all the articles in The NYer's archive database to get a sneak peak of the selection.

Funny thing, one of the writings "The Ketchup Conundrum" was published in September 2004. I actually remember seeing it in The New Yorker at the time because I was in RI and the household had subscription.

"Mustard now comes in dozens of different varieties. Why has ketchup stayed the same?" Who would ever come up with that besides Gladwell? I sometimes wonder what this guy's brain is made of.

Drummer

2009-10-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

This album is on my queue.

Patrick Carney of The Black Keys put the group together and he himself plays the role of bassist. All the members are drummers. You can see it as a "side-project" they are doing to kill time aside from their own bands' stuff. But it's clear that they came together for a change, as well as a challenge.

Don't be stereotypical, drummers are usually just being humble. They are great composers too. If you know what I mean.

Feel Good Together - Drummer

Serious Encounters - Drummer

i hide myself within my flower

2009-10-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Rediscovered my Emily Dickinson collection today while organizing closets, sat down and read this:

"I hide myself within my flower

That wearing on your breast -

You - unsuspecting, wear me too -

And angels know the rest.

I hide myself within my flower

That, fading from your vase -

You - unsuspecting, feel for me -

Almost a loneliness."

- I Hide Myself Within My Flower (1859, 1864)

I could sing of Your Love forever

2009-09-18T23:15:00.000-07:00

I could sing of His Love forever. That's right!

I preached (kind of) for the very first time tonight. It didn't go as smoothly as I would like it to. Went blank and stumbled over my second language a couple of times. BUT, nonetheless, I did it. To me, it was a huge deal. Public speaking has been one of my biggest fears, and especially preaching, I'd never thought I would deliver a message someday. Now I have had my breakthrough, I know He will continue to give me the courage and strength that I need to reach higher goals. And it doesn't matter if I just take baby steps.

When I read "You have never disappointed me..." on the bus the other day, all at a sudden I felt an heavenly arm wrapping around me, and it was SUCH a great relief! I felt like I had never fully understood before. It was hard to not tear up at that moment. It was the best realization ever.

My character has been rapidly shaped recently. It's an interesting feeling. I feel like I'm becoming more real, more direct with people and as well as the way I communicate with God. Breaking out of an eggshell, is a fitting analogy to describe my current stage.

I've been trying real hard to burn the "list" I have kept. And I'm so amazed how unbelievably well this process is going. It's so hard to imagine that Jesus lives in us, like literally. God is able, and He has enabled me in so many unexpected good ways. I can't believe how determined I am when dealing with things now. I'm grateful for the people He's brought into my life, His way of using people is incredible. I can hardly wait for His next steps. Growing can be painful but beautiful at the same time. At the end, it will be all rewarding.

Je sais qu'avec Jésus je suis fort. C'est vrai. :)

free time...finally

2009-09-09T19:37:00.001-07:00

So, my internship contract ends in two days, which means starting from friday I'll be the "freest" person for at least two weeks, which means I'll be unemployed till whenever I find a suitable position somewhere.

But that's not my point. What I was trying to say was that I finally have some free time of my own, after almost a year, and I'm excited about it! I need a break and some good rest. I will after all have time to study for my first acturary exam, which I've been putting off for the last three months or so. I will also have time for cooking, guitaring and diving into some good reads. There are so many things I want to do during this break, and I can really use some motivations.

I have goals for the break, and to exaggerate a little, I want it to be a turning point of my life. Yes, it's that serious ;)

Ok, what I was REALLY trying to say was, I have time to hang out! Yeah, I know, when I'm finally free, everybody else is busy...shoot! But hey, just in case you have some free time or lucky enough to get a day off or something. Call me up!

life/me/you came and got me...impression of the day

2009-09-03T23:10:00.000-07:00

you've striked hard but never enough

you've hidden your heart yet exposed the tail

you've repined for treasures only the false ones

you've blown everything to sacrifice for something cherished

why be bitter; why resent

what have I given

the humble expect nothing

O Father, take my troubles away

for I know in your purpose I am worthy

no past

no future

the present, I long to live in

Inbox (1)

2009-08-28T23:25:00.000-07:00

Last night, I dug out an old message a friend sent me over a year ago after I turned 18, and I simply couldn't help holding back my tears. It meant so much and still means a lot to me. Things have changed. And it almost feels nostalgic.

Cherish the ones you love, and enjoy every single second you spend with them. I know it sounds like a cliche. But, really, don't take them for granted.

I love you friend. And please keep smiling.

my life according to cat stevens

2009-08-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Interesting stuff...

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 15 people you like and include me. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Re-post as "my life according to (band name)"

Pick your Artist:
Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens)

Are you a male or female:
Lady

Describe yourself:
On The Road To Find Out

How do you feel:
I'm So Sleepy

Describe where you currently live:
Wild World

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Heaven/Where True Love Goes

Your favorite form of transportation:
Peace Train

Your best friend is:
Jesus

You and your best friends are:
Father And Son

Your favorite color is:
Into White

What's the weather like:
Silent Sunlight

Favorite time of day:
Midday(Avoid City After Dark)

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
Roadsinger

What is life to you:
It's a Supa (Dupa) Life

Your relationships:
Whispers From A Spiritual Garden

Your last relationship:
How Can I Tell You

Your fear:
This Glass World

What is the best advice you can give:
One Day At A Time

If you could change your name, you would change it to:
Lilywhite

Thought for the Day:
I Think I See The Light

How I would like to die:
But I Might Die Tonight

My soul's present condition:
Miles From Nowhere

My motto:
Dream On (Until...)

Got peace?

2009-08-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

I pray for a peaceful mind. I want it more than anything. It's easy to get yourself lost in a world of chaos. The devil is a strategist who always finds ways to turn your focus to men, makes you think that you have to be like the rest of the world and look down on yourself for various reasons.

I would sometimes spend hours to sort out my thoughts, and each time I end up drowning in a state of blindness and confusion. This battle makes me shiver, it is happening and I long for the end and victory.

"Peace, be still." So easy to say, when the words don't mean anything. May it be my prayer for you too.

¿Misconstrued<->introspectioN?

2009-07-17T01:41:00.000-07:00

Have you happened to hear songs that you could relate to?

?why can't people say what they mean at the timE

"¿...And how can you tell I love you to somebody you love...?"

¿Is it possible to feel melancholy about how one thing can change everything and everything changes?

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are floating in space..."

why put up walls?

"Vanishing Act"

2009-07-06T00:12:00.000-07:00

For you folks who missed out on this fireworks show...

Lisztomania!

2009-06-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite bands Phoenix released their new album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix several weeks ago. This French group is pure good. I lo♥e this song and the old school feeling to the video. The lyrics don't make so much sense, but that only makes me like this song even more. Thomas has an amazing voice, and I love his style/look (especially his unkempt hair). Well, what can you say? You gotta love Perisians. Yeah, Tommy, this one is for you.

Liszt and Mozart? Shoot, apparently the album doesn't contain any classical elements, but seriously, it's stilll goooood.

Bummer

2009-06-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

I worked on furniture assembly for 3 days straight, and finally got it done yesterday. I was quite happy. However, last night at the park, I could feel that my body was starting a revolution against me, though the pain was bearable. Today I woke up and wasn't even able to walk. All my body parts hurt, and apparently my muscles got strained. So I wrapped myself in plasters and laid in bed for hours. This morning, I tried to clean up a little bit yet failed completely since I couldn't even lift up a box. This is absolutely no good because camp meeting starts this week, and school the next. Man, wish I was stronger.

Food, Inc.

2009-06-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

This documentray just came out, and I want to see it...

Travel Light

2009-06-07T16:34:00.001-07:00

Awww, yeah! Guess what? We are gonna have light rail trains in town :D Sound Transit is opening a link from downtwon Seattle to Tukwila in July/next month. And what's even better is that this link will extend directly to the Sea-Tac Int'l Airport by December. In the interim, though, a temporary bus shuttle will connect people from Tukwila to the airport. This will bring much convinience to travallers. And I figure, with my u-pass, I can ride for free. Oh, snap!

Revolutionary

2009-05-31T15:46:00.000-07:00

You may or may not have heard that Google annouced their forthcoming product Wave, which is still in it's early stage, on Thursday. Watch the offical preview (it's kind of long though), if you haven't already. You will be blown away as I was. I was wow-ing the whole time. It's revolutionary! It's going to change the world of comunication...

Google wave

Lovely Sabbath + hiking season is here/near

2009-05-31T01:11:00.000-07:00

Today I went on a hike with three other friends on Little Si after church. It'd been a year since I hiked. I probably wouldn't have gone if J-Chan wasn't "pushing" me that hard. It actually turned out to be a very good hike, way better than I expected. Because last year I struggled on the way up, and since I haven't been exercising as much as I would like to, I was afraid to go and thought I would be dead again. I'm glad I went, and felt really good about myself afterwards for being not so out of shape and even more capable than last year. So now I'm really pumped about the hikes that are yet to come this summer. And if I start taking advantage of the gym membership more, I might be able to do Mt Si again without taking breaks all the way up.

After the hike, we discovered this really cool chocolate shop called "Chocolate Factory" in North Bend Outlet, and had some delicious ice cream there. The weather was just perfect. I'm really happy about Seattle finally getting into the scene of summer. At night, we went to see the new Pixar movie "UP". I felt bad that J-Chan had to drive me around the whole day, and all the way from eastside to campus past midnight. The movie was sublime. I loved it a lot and was super impressed by Pixar's great work. It involved so many types of emotions. The story line was just amazing! I would totally like to see it again. And if you haven't seen it already, you should go.

This post is kind of pointless. But I guess I just can't hide my excitement for the warm weather and the end of the quarter.

Tons to do...

2009-05-28T02:26:00.000-07:00

I've got loads of things coming up. Two finals next week, for one of which I have to miss a special church service. Because this one math final is going to take place next sat afternoon. I was told that it can't be rescheduled, again, unfortunately. And the week after, I have another two finals. I need to pack, move out, move in and unpack pretty much the day after my last final on wed june 10. Then I can use a couple of days to gather some furniture pieces. It looks like I won't get a day off before Camp Meeting, and I have no idea how everything's going to work out; because I'm also trying to figure out a time to visit some old friends in Rhode Island; and that would have to be before summer quarter starts on june 22.

And yeah, what was I thinking when I registered for summer quarter? And with a full-load: three math classes and one microecon, seriously? Plus, I work/kill my brain cells daily...ohh shoot!

This upcoming month will be one of the busiest in my life. But it will be worth it all--I'm getting a place in my favorite neighborhood, and I'm really looking forward to my first summer in this city. It's going to be more than just nice.

One thing that's kinda sad though, my mom was planning to fly over here sometime soon during the summer, but thanks to the recent widespread H1N1 viruses, the trip is gonna be postponed. It would be interesting to do a research on what impacts H1N1 will have on U.S. economy, I bet nothing quite positive...

I really want to sit back and relax for a little bit right now, but I've got this crazy month ahead of me. By accidentally having my alarm on silence last sat, I slept for 17 hours...I realized how tired I was. Pathetically, I felt even more tired after I slept, and couldn't jolt out of the lethargy till around 9pm. It wasn't a good use of a beautiful Sabbath day. I should stop using the fact that I'm in school as an excuse for being busy all the time, everybody's got stuff to do.

I finished reading about 100 pages of astrobiology before I started this post, now I don't remember anything from them. And I need to go to sleep as soon as I'm done writing this, which will be in like two seconds...

...peace :)

Le West Tour @ PLU (finally posting some pics...)

2009-05-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

London Newcomers

2009-05-08T02:30:00.000-07:00

Bring up the electro :D
Check 'em out: The Golden Silvers

所谓“物是人非”...

2009-05-04T23:09:00.000-07:00

This one is for you, Miss Roma; stop saying that I don't have any blog entry in Chinese ;)

没有地方可以写，就先放在这里。本想写在日记里的，可惜因为太懒了，不愿动笔，还是打字快些。只是暂时放在这里，会删掉的，等到有其它合适的地方，或者某天我勤快了愿意贴到日记里面去。

好久没有写中文了，写起来真是费劲。记得13岁的时候写的小小说和散文，本来可以成为个早熟的作家的，说不定。啊，可恶的英语和渐渐美化的意识形态。更可恶的是，英文毕竟不是我的母语，于是还是会经常犯错误。但经常说话时找不到合适的中文单词而要用英文代替，母亲说我说中文的时候有时会语序颠倒，唉。什么时候变成这样了。很想念中文里曾熟悉的华丽词藻。

不是要说语言的问题，原谅我走题的习惯。前天晚上突发奇想，翻出了初中时候总是和另外两个好朋友听的一盘韩文碟，90年代末21世纪初的流行风格。当时很红的一个3人组合。其实最近总是在找回以前初中时候听的俗气的流行歌曲，以前在台上和两个好朋友唱过跳过的歌曲。感觉不是想听那些曲子，而是想找回经历那些过去的日子的感觉，即使是很愉快的歌曲都会让我泪流满面。时间过得太快，转眼就6年了。昨天到网上找那个组合成员的近况，然后看到她们现在的照片，伤感不已。当时的她们才二十一二，然后在MV里面是多么的有活力。其实现在也才只有二十七八。但看起来真是很不一样，很明显能看出来30逼近的影子。两个成员有整容，让我很难过。当时听她们的歌时，很想迅速长到她们他们那个年级，天真地想到时候可以化上妆认真打扮。一转眼，就已经到了差不多那个年纪。再想，一转眼，30就离我不远了。很多人听到90年出生的我觉得实在年轻，其实不然。不光是外表的变化，还有人本身从纯真到成熟复杂的变化，理性方面说是好事，没有人想一辈子当小孩子；然而我每每想到这点，就觉得什么缺失了，一种无价的东西飘走了，而让我很想哭。

我经常想“物是人非”这个词，还是不能领悟这个成语怎么能这么经典，让我们很感伤，但很喜欢。也许我本身就喜欢让我痛楚的回忆。退一步说，任何回忆都让我痛楚，因为是回忆，是过去，过去了就没有了。记得当时学政治哲学的时候，学到事物的发展都是前进性和曲折性的统一。现在终于可以理解一点了。而且知道为什么老朋友的一封email会让我痛哭不已。

写这些的时候，真的感觉老了...

Pulling on a line

2009-04-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

I've had this song stuck in my head all day...

Thoughts that are disconnected

2009-04-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

So many things are going on right now. And I'm tired and drained. But when things are over, I feel a part of me is gone. And the amazing thing is that, every single thing you do affects a living person, either yourself's or somebody else's. If you think about it, everything is once in a lifetime. Nothing happens the same way twice. I feel like I'm living in two parrallel worlds right now: one I belong to, one I can fit into. And thus I shift my identity back and forth. Not like some people, they blend the two together so well that they don't realize the difference. Or some others have only one from the beginning to the end. It dissipates energy when shifting around, and I guess that's why I'm drained. Somedays I feel like a Thomas Schell who uses a notepad and a pen to talk. I'm confused about my identity, and it doesn't help by reading the info on my id card. I need another one, the kind that says more than just your height and weight, but tells you who you really are. And it seems like what I want to do is way different from what I would like to do and what I can do. They form an equilateral traingle, and I'm standing on the orthocenter point trying to reach one of them. I'm turning 19 a week from now, I need to figure things out.

Tomorrow, I'm going to start on an intern for which I went through countless interviews and tests these past weeks. And I now don't even want to look at my visual schedule, it hurts my eyes.

But after all, I can rest in His arms.

Let's get out of here, past the atmosphere...

2009-04-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

Time does fly...at the speed of a blink

2009-04-10T22:56:00.001-07:00

K. I've been waiting for half a year since last november for this one event-Ballard jazzfestival which takes place twice a year usually, one in november and one in april. Last time I didn't go for various reasons, can't recall the details, but I think it was in the midst of my midterms and also that more than 60% of the venues were 21+ admission. Anyways, good news is that it's finally here again, as it promised :)

Here's the brief schdule.
Wednesday, April 22 - Brotherhood of the Drum
Thursday, April 23 - Guitar Summit
Friday, April 24 - Ballard Jazz Walk (this one is massive...)
Saturday, April 25 - Mainstage Concert
Sunday, April 26 - Swedish Pancake Jazz Brunch

Pretty much the only one I really wanna go to is the jazz walk, the thing is it's on a friday night...so will see. This time I'll make it to at least one of them, no matter what. I've waited for 6 months, heck yeah have to go ;)

Spring break => Spring quarter

2009-03-30T00:30:00.000-07:00

Apparently for us officially enrolled UW students, school starts tomorrow (or today?). Though i heard that Western and Central start on Tuesday, I guess that just means UW is better...well, anyways, spring break is over. It felt short but, long. I wasn't quite following my original plans. Didn't do a lot reading, some but not a ton; didn't do any probability problems at all; didn't have 9+ hours of sleep every day. But I still enjoyed it, very much. Some highlights were: the Powell's in Portland, playing Phase 10 at Albert's sister's house for almost 4 hours, seeing two dear friends who I hadn't seen for a month and won't been seeing again probablly till June, and the retreat at Sunset Lake. All these made my spring break :)

This quarter, which is supposed to be spring quarter, is going to be pretty exciting. Taking math, microecon, classical guitar techniques (yikes!), astrobio (whatever that is) and gospel choir, quite of a variety. Plus, I'm changing my major and have decided to go for a double degree. Speaking of that astrobiology class, I don't know what that is. I kind of know that the class is going to talk about the origin of life on earth and the search of life in the universe. Shoot, I'm looking forward to what the professor has to say.

Turn left, turn right

2009-03-27T00:28:00.000-07:00

I sneaked into the music building today after getting back from the trip, and played this one song on piano. It felt strange to be on piano again, after years. My fingers didn't quite cooperate well but I did manage to recall the song that I used to like back in junior high.

I don't quite understand why Japanese Pop/J-Pop is a music genre. Because there could also be Korean-Pop, Chinese-Pop and etc. Well it's not a big deal after all. Just something random that popped up in my head.

Here is the song I was talking about earlier. It's a soundtrack from the movie "A Chance of Sunshine (Turn Left, Turn Right)" which was originally based on a comic book. I remember the movie came out in 2002 when I was twelve and this song was the only memory I had of the movie. It's not really a great song and the melody is kind of predictable. But I liked it a lot back then, and I guess I still like it because it has a nice flow and it brings back some childhood memories. After all, it's a typical Chinese pop song.

Powell's City of Books

2009-03-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

I'm heading down to Portland tomorrow with some friends and will be staying there till next wed. Exciting! I've been to OR before, but not Portland. Yeah, I don't know how that happened. I stayed in Bend, OR for like a week when I was still in high school. I'm not sure what's good in Portland (I heard it's pretty and like a small scaled Seattle?) and travelling with three guys is just something I've never done before. hmm...hopefully it will work out.

Ok, this is pretty much the only thing I'm stoked about: Yes, The Powell's!! I've been wanting to go visit that huge bookstore for a long time. They have an incredibly large collection of all used, new, rare and out-of-print books. So I'm assuming I can find every book I can think of there.

Here are some of the books I will be particularly looking for first:

Firmin by Savage
Handle With Care by Picoult
Climate Confusion by Spencer
some collections of Shelley and maybe Yeats?
collections of H. Melville
my very favorite Chinese classic --Dream of the Red Chamber. It's amazing. I've always wanted to see the english version of it but unfortunately haven't found one yet. Let's hope they have it, let's hope (they better do)... ;)

Maybe I should asked my friends to drop me off there and come back to pick me up after three days.

I don't care whatever else they have down in that city, I love Portland already for the Powell's :D
Can't wait!

A week of freedom

2009-03-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

I'm finally done, at least with all the tests and papers, after treating myself like a working machine for the past four weeks or so. And got sick once. I've been intentionally trying to numb up my brain nerves in order to get work done more efficiently than ever. I think I was getting very close to my limit the night before while doing math. So I drank a whole quart of milk for no good reason at 4am. As the GBCC week approaches, I'm getting rather busy with planning the activities and getting the items on the action lists. I've been paying too much attention to school related stuff and that I have abandoned my entity.

It will be good to take a break, slow things down and do something that requires no sacrifice of my brain cells. Even if it's only a week. It will make a difference. I need that week to recover from stress, think over some stuff and do some probability which I've been putting off. However with all these being said, I understand the responsibilities of a college and am not complaining but know that the journey is indispensable to me.

Tomorrow I can sleep in till as late as I want. Sabbath is near, and I will get to see some dear friends...tis' so sweet. I need to be constantly reminded that there's more to life.

And my roommate thinks I look quite alive... so guess that's a good sign :)

Future cell phone?

2009-03-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

Coffee brewer, shaver, GPS & projector, all in a cell phone? Yes, Pomegranate Phone has 'em all!

This would replace iPhone in no time if it wasn't fictional. lol.

But good job on the campaign, province of Nova Scotia!

Sasquatch '09 is around the corner...well in 2 months

2009-03-03T16:09:00.000-08:00

Many of my favs are coming to WA, but sadly they are scattered on different dates. And Quincy is just kind of far, so we will see... Anyways, this is still very exciting news!! I need to post this just so you guys know, and think you might be interested...c'mon, how can you not be interested? These are some amazing musicians ;)

The official lineup for this year's Sasquatch (May 23-25) was announced today, and it's a doozy. The big names: Jane's Addiction (as the requisite reunion band), Kings of Leon, Nine Inch Nails, Ben Harper (yes, again), Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Erykah Badu, The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes (natch), TV On The Radio (who will assuredly be much better at Sasquatch than their SNL appearance), Animal Collective, Santogold, Of Montreal, Explosions In The Sky, M. Ward, The Avett Brothers, Doves, Grizzly Bear, M83, and Girl Talk.

There are of course many local bands represented at the three-day fest, including Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, The Dutchess & The Duke, Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, The Pica Beats, and Vince Mira.

And don't forget about the comedy stage! So far this year, the comedy lineup includes Zach Galifiankas, Demetri Martin, Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job, Todd Barry, Jon Benjamin, God's Pottery, and the People's Republic of Komedy.

Tickets go on sale February 28th at 10 a.m., when you can get them on the (relative) cheap: a three-day pass goes for $154.50 and single-day tickets go for $56.50 through Sunday, March 1st at midnight.

Full lineup by day and detailed ticket info after the jump.

Saturday, May 23th
Kings of Leon / Yeah Yeah Yeahs / The Decemberists / Animal Collective / Bon Iver / Devotchka / M. Ward / Doves / Sun Kil Moon / The Gaslight Anthem / King Khan & The Shrines / Ra Ra Riot / Shearwater / Passion Pit / Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band / Vince Mira / Blind Pilot / Owl City / Arthur & Yu / Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele / Death Vessel / Hockey

Sunday, May 24th
Jane’s Addiction / Nine Inch Nails / TV On The Radio / Peter Bjorn and John / of Montreal / The Avett Brothers / Calexico / M83 / The Airborne Toxic Event / The Walkmen / The Wrens / St. Vincent / The Dodos / John Vanderslice / The Submarines / Viva Voce / The Builders And The Butchers / AA Bondy / Fences / Point Juncture, WA / Jon Benjamin

Monday, May 25th
Ben Harper and Relentless7 / Erykah Badu / Silversun Pickups / Fleet Foxes / Gogol Bordello / Santigold / Grizzly Bear / Explosions In The Sky / Girl Talk / Blitzen Trapper / The Knux / Monotonix / Bishop Allen / Black Moth Super Rainbow / Beach House / Mugison / The Dutchess And The Duke / School Of Seven Bells / Horse Feathers / The Pica Beats / Loch Lomond / BLK JKS

Comedy lineup includes Zach Galifiankas, Demetri Martin, Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job, Todd Barry, Jon Benjamin, God's Pottery, People's Republic of Komedy, & more.

Tickets
Beginning February 28th (on sale weekend only):
A discounted 3 DAY FESTIVAL PASS is available for a very limited time / $154.50
Offer ends Sunday, March 1st at midnight.
Single tickets, per day / $56.50

Beginning March 2nd:
3 day pass / $199.50
Single tickets, per day / $66.50

Beginning May 11:
3 day pass / $229.50
Single tickets, per day / $76.50

V.I.P. package tickets with special amenities also available.
Full details on the festival website: sasquatchfestival.com
(Applicable service charges may apply)

Tickets go on sale Saturday February 28th at 10AM and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, sasquatchfestival.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone in Seattle (206) 628-0888, in Oregon (503) 224-4400, and in Eastern Washington (509) 735-0500

(courtesy Seattlest & SasquatchFestival.com)

Refreshing, both of them.

2009-02-23T01:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I woke up around noon. It was a decent sunday sleep-in. Rather than doing school work after getting up, I read. It felt really good, very fulfilling. Books used to be a huge chunk of my daily life, for some reason I have been putting off on books for a while, and I feel my identity has started losing its integrity. In order to avoid doing something, people always find excuses and make them sound legit. I'm very much like that. After I read today, I realized that it is not something hard to keep up at all if I just set aside an hour for books per day. Because I waste at least an hour everyday anyways. Indeed, I need to chase back my good old habit before it runs too far away from me.

Well...I went completely off topic. I wasn't going to write about reading at all. Here is what I originally planned to write:

Yesterday, I woke up late. Then I got to read a little bit. Around 6pm, I walked out of the parking garage and found out it was raining, not so bad, but it wasn't definitely just sprinkling. I never liked rain for various reasons. However, being unaware of what I was thinking. I stood in the rain for at least 10 minutes, totally spreaded my arms to embrace the raindrops. It felt surprisingly amazing! I was reminded of the song "Grace like rain", and received abundant joy. Troubles on my mind were washed away. From getting poured on intentionally for the first time, I tasted a tinge of freedom.

Rain is a great relief, snow never is.

Smile ==> :)

2009-02-15T00:32:00.000-08:00

I went to the Mindi Abair show that I mentioned in the last post. It was great! She did a wonderful job engaging the audience, and the ambiance was just enjoyable. I got to talk to her for a while after the show, and I heard the drummer got a master degree in music from USC. During the show, I video recorded a song called "Smile" which was featured on her newest release. It's not my favorite, but it's a happy song.

So, enjoy the video & have a great monday-off thanks to the Pres Day :D

Mindi Abair @ Jazz Alley

2009-02-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

I have to write this concert report thing for my Jazz history class. In order to make the report happen, I need to attend a live jazz concert this week. The nice thing about this assignment is that I have an legit excuse to skip a homework night, and get to enjoy a live jazz show. So yesterday I found out Mindi Abair is going to be playing at Jazz Alley in downtown Seattle from thursday to sunday!! I haven been listening to her since 2002. She's my favorite female saxophonist, and now after 7 years I get to see her live. This is amazing! I'm going to the thursday night show since I usually have the least amount of homework on thursday. Ah, this thursday night is gonna be smoothed out!

Give me a shout if you wanna join me :)

My new favorite

2009-01-30T03:34:00.000-08:00

Clare & The Reasons, has been winning my ears recently. Absolutely amazing group from NY. Their debut is called "The Movie", and the album indeed reminds me of an old movie from the 60th, or even earlier, mingled with some opera elements.

Tasty, and artsy!

Go check out their myspace page:http://www.myspace.com/claremuldaur, cuz if you don't, you are missing out ;)

and tell me what you think =)

98.9FM

2009-01-29T13:14:00.000-08:00

98.9 KWJZ was playing Booker T & MGs's "Green onion", and John Legend's "No other love" this morning.

I'm so confused @_@

ahhh...what is wrong with the Smooth Jazz industry?

First step to my "profession"

2009-01-26T01:19:00.000-08:00

I finally received this treasure in mail today. I had to calm myself down in order to open it because I was over-excited for this book. I have done so much research on picking a right book for preparing SoA Exam P/CAS Exam 1. And this one is going to be it! :) I hope to take the exam during my senior year. I'm thrilled to start the journey, though I'm informed it's going to be very tough :)

This is building the foundation of my future career, and thanks God for giving me the talent and passion to do it. I'm very excited and just thought I should share it with my favorite people :)

man, isn't ASA an amazing title?

The road don't love you

2009-01-18T23:54:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to keep a constant prayer life, I was more dedicated at the beginning and it lasted for a "good" amount of time. My goal is to spend at least half an hour to talk to God and do devotionals daily, before going to bed at night and after waking up in the morning. But at times, I get caught up by other things--either brain dead after studying too much at night or sprinting to class after waking up too late. I have regretted so many times for not being consistent, but still kept being caught up over and over again.

I'm currently in this huge dilemma, which I severely need prayers for. I need guidance and directions from Above. I need the kind of courage I've never had before to make a decision. Being tangled up in such a situation makes me feel stupid. I've been starting to worry about my furture. Right now I have generous parents who take care of my tuitions, and all I need to concern about is my performance at school. I haven't stepped into this real crazy world yet. My roommate has to constantly remind me that the world isn't a fairy tale. I've gradually realized that being an adult is more difficult than solving math problems. I feel so sheltered and think that my naïvety might kill me some day in the furture. Having the intention/hope of potentially hurting nobody, has pushed me into this dilemma from which I now want to get out of badly. It is not healthy, at least on my part. I've been praying about it for a while. And I believe the Lord will answer my prayer, because He answers prayers :)

To have a relationship with Jesus Christ is bigger than life. Sometimes, I get so overwhelmed to be reminded of that. In all cases, shall I say, communication is needed to maintain a relationship. And the way to communicate with God is through prayers. I want to seek His Way. Satan keeps cutting off the connection between us and our Father. Alas, we seem to fall into his traps so easily and unconsicously sometimes. Prayers are vital. They are not an obligation, they bring enormous joy. I desire them more than anything else. I desire a constant prayer life, desperately.

The road is bumpy but as long as you don't put the break on, you shall progress.

Call for help: GODencounters

2009-01-12T12:57:00.000-08:00

Hey friends, it's 2 weeks till GODencounters conference at UW. And the UW club is currently tabling for this great event in front of HUB with Steph and the Fergusons. We want to make this event HUGE, and we have a large lecture hall reserved in Kane and paid a lot for it. PR seems to be the big chunk right now and we need to reach out to as many people as possible. Thus we need help from you as well! If you are free or may be around from noon to 3pm ish this two weeks, please swing by our booth and help us tabling for a little bit. If unfortunately this conflicts with your busy schedule, you can help us equally by spreading out the words, tell your friends about the event. We know it is going to be ENORMOUS!

Thanks for your help, and please keep GODencounters in your prayers!

Event Details:
24-Seven Ministry Center PRESENTS

GODencounters, a 3-part lecture series,

"RELENTLESS"

Featuring world-renowned speaker Dr. Matthew Gamble & the musical talents of Seattle bands TBA

January 23-24, 2009

Friday, 7:00PM and Saturday, 11:00AM & 2:00PM
Room 220, Kane Hall
University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105

FREE ADMISSION & FREE LUNCH ON SATURDAY

Parking at Central Plaza Parking Garage on the UW campus, accessible through Parking Gate 1, on the east side of 15th Ave NE at the intersection of 15th Ave NE & NE 41st St.

Also, there will be a winter party/social gathering following GODencounters in the HUB Games Area on campus. There will be bowling, pool. arcade games, and free pizza!

Have you had an encounter yet?

Macbook Wheel

2009-01-10T00:18:00.001-08:00

0_O Macbook Wheel? Is it true or is it merely a joke?

My new transportation

2009-01-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

I brought back this beauty all the way from China. I didn't ship it over, I carried it here ;) I miss biking around, and havent biked for almost two years. Now I get to ride around in Greenlake area for study breaks, or just on weekends. Bicycles are amazing and eco-friendly. The best feature of this one bike is that it is FOLDABLE :) aww...that's even better!

Hmmm...well cars are cool too, but I can't afford them right now. I'm sticking with this cutie for at least 3 years till I'm not a college kid anymore :) Anyone wanna join me cycling?

Loads of questions...like 75?

2009-01-06T20:49:00.001-08:00

Tagged by bruce. So here it is.

1.
First thing you wash in the shower?
my hair

2.
What color is your favorite hoodie?
light gray

3.
Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?
definitely, but idk when i'll get to see my mom again at the first place

4.
Do you plan outfits?
I do, but not everyday or every time I step out of my room

5.
How are you feeling RIGHT now?
mixed

6.
Whats the closest thing to you thats red?
a chinese flag

7.
Do you say aim or a-i-m?
a-i-m

8.
Tell me about the last dream you remember having?
you would be surprised, so i'm not telling it

9.
Did you meet anybody new today?
yes, a tons of people. it's the second day of school.

10.
What are you craving right now?
An add code for calc class

11.
Do you floss?
yes

12.
What comes to mind when I say cabbage?
uh, a vegatable? and my friend Hao, cuz cabbage is his nickname

13.
When was the last time you talked on aim?
I have an aim account but have never used it.

14.
Are you emotional?
absolutely, but I'm trying hard to be less emotional.

15.
Would you dance to the taco song?
maybe, if it has a nice beat lol

16.
Have you ever counted to 1,000?
I so have. I used to count a lot, when riding bikes.

17.
Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it?
i think i lick, cuz it goes fast if you bite it.

18.
Do you like your hair?
i LOVE my hair :)

19.
Do you like yourself?
for the most part i do

20.
Have you ever met a celebrity?
yes. tons of well-known athletes at the olympics this summer. haha including michael phelps

21.
Do you like cottage cheese?
yes

22.
What are you listening to right now?
Jimmy Needham

23.
How many countries have you visited?
6 excluding china and the states

24.
Are your parents strict?
they are pretty chill, but they could get strict about certain things

25.
Would you go sky diving?
i would if i get a chance.

26. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush?
yes, but it would be awkward

27.
Would you throw potatoes at him?
no

28.
Is there anything sparkly in the room you’re in?
i dont risk having sparkly items in my dorm room

29.
Have you ever been in a castle?
yes. In france, and a "castle" made of ice in harbin couple yrs back

30.
Do you rent movies often?
nope

31.
Who sits in behind you in your math class?
its a new class so i dont really know people, and i'm not even officially in the class, yet T_T

32.
Have you made a prank phone call?
yes, in junior high lol

33.
Do you own a gun?
no and i dont want one.

34.
Can you count backwards from 74?
yes

35.
Who are you going to be with tonight?
myself

36.
Brown or white eggs?
brown

37.
Do you own something from Hot Topic?
i had a t shirt but i cant find it anymore.

38.
Ever been on a train?
yes. back in china

39.
Ever been in love?
maybe? this is a hard one

40.
Do you have a cell-phone?
yes

41.
Are you too forgiving?
i say yes

42.
Do you use chap stick?
daily

43.
What is your best friend doing tomorrow?
am i supposed to know?

44.
Can you use chop sticks?
Heck yes! i'm asian :)

45.
Ever have cream puffs?
i love cream puffs! those are the best!

46.
Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect?
yes

47.
What was the last question you asked?
should i go to the bookstore after dinner?

48.
What was the last CD you bought?
"For Emma, Forever Ago" by Bon Iver

49.
Boys or girls?
boys

50.
What is your bus number for school/work?
i live on campus, but if im lazy i take 31, 75 & 68 to some of the buildings that are relatively far away

51.
Is your hair curly?
it's naturally STRAIGHT

52.
Last time you cried?
2 months ago

53.
Ever walked into a wall?
yes

54.
Do looks matter?
yes. but sometimes that's shallow.

55.
Have you ever bought anything from Pac Sun?
nope.

56.
Have you ever slapped someone?
myself, yes

57.
Favorite time of the year?
summer

58.
Favorite color?
every single color is beautiful, the top ones on my list are red, gold and black.

59.
Are you sarcastic?
sometimes, depends on who i'm with

60.
Do you have any tattoos?
nope, those aren't fun.

61.
The last person you held hands with?
my mom

62.
Do you sleep with the TV on?
no.

63.
What was the last picture you took?
one at a beach in Sanya

64.
Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people?
i dont use the word "hate" on people. but you cant really like every single person you meet

65.
Do you like your life right now?
i think

66.
How often do you talk on the phone?
everyday...

67.
What is your favorite animal?
i'm not sure, but maybe fish/goldfish?

68.
What was the most recent thing you bought?
"With people in mind" textbook for environmental management class

69.
Do you have good vision?
no so good. i have myopia/nearsight with -2.5 in right eye and -4 in left eye, and astigmatism of 100 degress in both eyes.
but i only wear glasses in class or in theater, and i'm against contacts.

70.
Can you hula hoop?
dont think so...

71.
Could you ever forgive a cheater?
i'd like to know the answer myself.

72.
Do you have a job?
yes

73.
Can you handle the truth?
oh my word...

74.
What are you wearing?
blue sleeping dress

75.
Have you ever crawled through a window?
yes, a long long time ago

A mixed blessing

2009-01-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

I have a love-and-hate relationship with internet. And it's realized during the holiday break. I didn't have internet access since dec 19 because of vacating on a tropical island with the parents. I was emailing friends and my people on the 18th and the next day I completely lost the connection. I disliked that kind of isolation. When Christmas was about to come, I found out I was unable to send out my holiday wishes to friends. Couldn't find another way other than internet. I then realized how attached I was to the world of internet. It wasn't a good feeling. But on the other hand, it was such a precious and quality period of time spent with my parents without any distractions from the outside.

Flying back from such a laid back place, now I'm having a hard time adjusting to the sudden busy-ness of school and my old routine. But it will get better once I overcome being jetlagged.

I need to check my email box and surely it is flooded with mails and spams. hmm...I'm intimated.

Lastly, happy new year and merry Christmas belated my friends! =) You are so missed!

A Trap

2008-12-17T17:52:00.000-08:00

I hate making choices. And if there's a phobia towards it, I think I have that kind of phobia. Being an adult means making endless choices. Maybe I'm just not used to it, yet.

It hurts when you make a choice that yourself doesnt even know if it's right or wrong. Or, there isn't really a clear-cut between right and wrong. We can't forsee things.

Following your heart is difficult. Yet, I have failed.

Are we supposed to following our hearts after all? hmm...

Sometimes things just come up and there's hardly room for your "free will". It's all at a sudden. And there is no alternatives. That's when it sucks.

Please, forgive me, for making the choice which isn't fully my heart's desire...

101%?

2008-12-15T04:21:00.000-08:00

My friend sent me this. You might have seen it before.

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%?

What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:

If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

If: H-A-R-D-W-O- R- K 8+1+18+4+23+ 15+18+11 = 98%

And: K-N-O-W-L-E- D-G-E 11+14+15+23+ 12+5+4+7+ 5 = 96%

But: A-T-T-I-T-U- D-E 1+20+20+9+20+ 21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F- G-O-D 12+15+22+5+15+ 6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

This is pretty sweet =)

T_T

2008-12-01T18:58:00.001-08:00

This is just PURE sad:

I have my calculus final this Saturday from 1:30pm - 4:30pm. I emailed my professor to try to reschedule it to Friday or some other time other than Saturday. And it turned out the school was unable to do it. The thing is taking a test on Sabbath is the last thing that I would want to do. Matthew is coming this Sat. and our leadership group is going to go over the stuff for GODencounters. And we REALLY need to get the promo materials ready asap. So it would be a rare opportunity to talk with Matthew since he is going to be the preacher at the event, plus the event will be happening not long after winter quarter starts. Oh, another thing, GV concert in Marysville at night, I really want to go to that one. Unfortunately, I just have to miss all that because of a stupid scheduled math final, which I will be acing on anyways?

For the first time I don't like this secular college.

Holi-day

2008-11-27T22:37:00.000-08:00

I believe this was my first time spending the holiday alone. Wasn't so bad, actually:

Cooked brunch with several of my friends at one of theirs apt. I made a stack of choco. chip banana pancakes. Those were very delightful =)

Went to a bakery to get a cake for my roommate's family, they invited me to their house for Thanksgiving dinner. And I really appreciated their hospitality.

Came back to my room around 4pm-ish. Took a picture of window-reflection randomly (yep, the one above). Had a quality nap for three hours till 7pm.

Cooked a little. And that was my little Thanksgiving dinner with the self. (There was almost no one in the building, so I took the advantage of the kitchen as much as I could, and I even sang while cooking, that was cheerful.)

Ate an apple. Way to be healthy.

Tried to call couple of friends but failed. I should have figured that nearly nobody would be available on Thanksgiving night for a talk. But at least I got to chat a littlε with one friend online which made me more than just happy.

Started on a date with my guitar ;)

Did a reading on Psalm 100, and loved it!

Listened to some favorite music. And headed back to bed again.

It was a refreshing day to do some reflections, and I had a relaxing time communicating with God without distractions. I know my life is gonna get back to the same old hectic status after these couple of days, and just thinking that made me cherish the day even more.

"For the Christian, thanksgiving is not just a day but a way of life." and that is dead-on.

God is too good, I'm content and can't ask for more...

Rosie Thomas

2008-11-22T22:35:00.000-08:00

Friends! I know it's kind of early to talk about Christmas music, BUT you have to get fully prepared for it because time just going to flash by after Thanksgiving, at least that's been my experience. Anywho, I recently have been obsessed with this ONE new Christmas record called "A Very Rosie Christmas" by Rosie Thomas. I love it! Rosie Thomas is amazing, and what is even cooler about this indie/folk songwriter is that she's from our lovely Seattle! She released an incredible debut in 2002 called "When We Were Small" and that totally got me even though I heard it like 3 years later. I love pretty much every single song of hers. If you haven't heard of her, defly go check her out. I'm sure you will love her music. The song "Why it can't be Christmas all year" from the Christmas record is so good, and it sounds just so Christmas, the feeling of "cannot-be-any-other-holiday". It makes me a little sad at the same, don't know why.

"A Very Rosie Christmas" should be required listening this Christmas, go listen to it on Amazon or iTunes, I promise it will worth it =) Ohhh, actually I think the song "Why it can't be Christmas all year" is free on Amazon, and that is even better.

Well, other than that, I pray you all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving with the lovely fams!

*Hey, those of you who are not going home for the holiday, make sure you give me a call, 'cause I'll be around and we can hang out =)

Ballard Jazz Walk 08'

2008-11-18T01:33:00.000-08:00

So bascially this year's Ballard Jazz Walk is finally here, this Thursday Nov.20th. Starting from 7:00pm in 11 different venues featuring 15 artists both local and out-state. I really wanted to go, but highly likely I won't be able to make it. For three reasons: 1. I have to work; 2. It's during the week and transportation is an issue; 3. 60% venues are 21+ admission. This is really sad. Just picture how nice it would be to walk around in a jazz-y ambiance the whole night. And plus Geof Bradfield will be there, and I have always wanted to hear his "Urban Nomad" live since it came out not so long ago.

I'm passing out the information to those of you who are interested and are 21+ and are also free on thursday night. Defly go check it out, and please bring back cool experiences to share with me. I guess after thursday I will be counting down to Ballard Jazz Festival 2009 April 22nd to 26th. My 19th birthday is during that week, very exciting!

Wow, I'm really planning ahead...

A breakthrough

2008-11-15T23:00:00.001-08:00

This is crazy; me and Steph actually led out music service last night at vespers, for the very first time. It felt TOO GOOD, and I'm so doing it again! I never thought I would even want to try out at any point. First of all, I'm not good at playing guitar, at all; second, definately not in public/in front of everyone; last but certainly not the least, I'm the type of person who doesn't try/do things out of the comfort zone, my friend Nick pointed that out and encouraged me to work on it. I consider it as being a personality flaw of mine. I'm always lack of courage and timid in certain situations, BUT I think I've been improving much recently. Being able to lead song service means a lot to me, more than just a breakthrough, and I was very surprised that everyone liked it and thought it was really good. God blesses each of us with different talent, and I'm very thankful for the admin skill that I can have. Before I thought that I should just be cool with that talent, and musical related talents only belong to the musicians, so music can't be my thing. However, I discovered that God has given more than I thought, WAY more. Like that I can lead music service, when nobody else is available to do it. This is just an example, but what I really want to conclude here is that God will bless you with a certain talent that you never had before when others need it for good, and it is all up to whether you receive it or not.

I just want to encourage you like my friend has encouraged me: you never know until you try.

Simple, but truth.

Tears for joy

2008-11-09T02:45:00.000-08:00

I don't know how am I going to write this blog, and I don't even know where to start. Because there's too much I have on mind to write about and it's literally overflowing and I can't put it together.

I got baptized last night, and that was the best decision in my whole entire life. I had been talking to a friend about this since May, and just wasn't sure when I should do it. Yesterday during Sabbath service, I felt God was asking me and I just couldn't hold my tears back. Tears of joy. I was too excited and couldn't even think the whole day yesterday espeacially at my baptism. So I didn't get to say everything I wanted to say there, because there was TOO much to say about accepting God's covenant. It is incredible how much I've grown in Him since the first time I heard His Name. I can never know enough. I have had so many ups and downs during the journey. But he's never given up on me. I just go speechless when I look back. He picks me up when I stumble and walks with me when I'm encouraged. And I know I can walk even further and further and as far as I want with Jesus, and I can't wait for that. He's been great to me, and it hits me hard everytime I think about His unconditional love for me. The Lifehouse "Everything" skit is such a good visual demonstration, and it tears me up. I feel like the more I get closer to God the more I realize how sinful I am, and I just want to surrend all to Him, wholly. I know that Satan is going to drag me down trying even harder than before, and the journey is long, the road is hard. But I'm not afraid because I've realized the truth. Jesus's always here with me and He's bigger than everything. Life starts and ends, and it is that depressing. However, it can't be just that life is meaningless. Because there's gotta be something to it that makes it meaningful and wonderful. And that "something" can only be Jesus the Christ. I love the Savior endearingly with all my heart and am so in awe of Him. I want to live for Him and it's such a privilege to know that I can, as being a new creation in Jesus.

Thanks all my friends and my family in Christ. You guys are amazing! I have to quote one of my fav verses here again Jeremiah 29:11-12. God's plan is always flawless. He placed me in the right place and right time to meet you guys, and it is just been amazing since then. I'm so blessed. Beyond words. I feel like I live in a dream and don't want to wake up from it. And, I don't have to. What a fortune! It is just too good to be true. This is what I told Tommy yesterday after the celebration.

I want to share the good news with my parents too, who I will be seeing in a month. They are two great people and the ones I love tons and want to be with for ever in heaven. I desperately want them to know Jesus. If you can, please pray for them and for me as well that God will use me as His speaker talking to them. And I highly appreciate it.

Thanks so very much Lord, is never enough to say... we love you and please come soon!

1 Peter 2:9
Peace.

Memories apart

2008-11-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

I was reading something, and a couple of sentences stood out and retrieved my sad memories. Now I'm feeling sad all at a sudden. I'm going to take a nap to block those memories from leaking out of my head.

I've been trying to avoid the readings that have the potential of reminding me of my sad and pitiful stories, but it's inevitable since only epic writings bring emotions.

This is pathetic.

Love is waiting

2008-11-03T00:42:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention this song by Brooke Fraser in the last post. It goes well along with it. One thing I like this song is the visual lyrics it provides. Delicate.

Love is waiting - Brooke Fraser

In the autumn on the ground, between the traffic and the ordinaty sounds
I am thinking signs and seasons while a north wind blows through
I watch as lovers pass me by
Walking stories, whos and hows and whys
Musing lazily on love
Pondering you

I'll be waiting for you baby
I'll be holding back the darkest night
Love is waiting til we are ready, til it's right
Love is waiting

It's my caution not the cold
There's no other hand that I would rather hold
The climate changes, I'm singing for the strangers about you
Don't keep time, slow the pace
Honey hold on if you can
The bets are getting surer now that you're my man

I could write a million songs about the way you say my name
I could live a lifetime with you and then do it all again
And like I can't force the sun to rise or hasten summer's start
Neither should I rush my way into your heart

Take it as you want it.

An update on my roomie

2008-11-02T23:10:00.000-08:00

So I have this wonderful roommate this year, apparently we requested each other to be in the same room. She's the type of girl that Aces in every hard math class and computer class pretty much. Extremely smart. Very rare. I consider her to be a nerd. And, the update is that she's in a relationship now, with another equally nerdy guy. It might sound just as normal to you because you probly hear things like this all the time. But I feel it is such a bizarre and surprising happening, not mentioning the insights. I'm very happy for her after all. One point I got out of this is that no matter what kind of person you are what type of personality you have, there is always a right someone of opposite sex for you. God will bring you that person, before that takes place, don't be anxious but just wait patiently and enjoy your singlehood at the same time. However if you have already received that blessing, appreciate it as much as you can, and grow together with him/her, be the acoountibility.

Do not rush, no pushing your way thru, since this is very especially serious.

Be sure to follow God's perfect plan in every way and be rejoiced in doing so. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Guess I have a public blog?

2008-11-02T01:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, you guessed it, from the title. The thing is I've had several blogs before, but I slacked off on all them because of whatever reason. So I closed all of them early this year and had decided to stick only with the private one. I had this weird mind-set of blogs being an online diary thing, and thus should they be private. I don't think like that anymore though, and instead, there are actually things you can write about in a public permitted blog after reading couple of my friends'. They are really good. Like Steph's blog "Shared secrets". Interesting.

And thanks for tommy asking me about the whole blog thing, that was a motivation there =) Potential words/sentences are worth being looking forward to. We will see how this blog is going to go along with my life.

I'm kickin' it!