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| has anyone seen that american express commercial with tina faye? the one where she is running from place to place personally handling emergencies. in one scene, her daughter asked for "octopus time" while tina faye was at work. so she took a cab all the way home, picked up a blue octopus stuffed animal, put on her best silly face, and said,"bla-bla-bla-bla-bla-bla." 
when i saw the commercial last night, i cracked up so hard, so much so my stomach started to hurt. i looked up at my brother onlyto find him laughing at me. the harder i tried to stifle my laughters, the harder i laughed. i felt pretty stupid and in hindsight, the commercial wasn't even the funniest one i've seen, but for some reason, it was really, really funny at the moment. my random and silly humor 
so much has happened since i last updated, i don't think i can do itjustice in a single blog. so rather than trying to cover everything, here's a quick picture highlight: - seattle/portland/florence trip! dan and i visited peter and karen in beautiful seattle...   aside from the awesome cityscape, the nature was breathtaking!!! peter, karen, will, dan, and i hiked through mt. rainer.   at peter's and karen's suggestion, dan and i drove to olympic national forest. as we were driving to up to hurricane ridge, we spotted a deer on the side of the road. so dan slowed waaay down, rolled down the windows while i snapped a picture...   after several days in washington, we drove down to oregon... multnomah falls   after a brief, one night stay in portland (and of course, some duty free shopping), we drove down to a tiny town called florence. the guys being silly after spotting a tsunami evacuation sign:   the next morning, we took a buggy ride through the sand dunes!!! it was sooo much fun  a picture of us before the ride (and also before the sand got into our mouths, hair, clothes, etc.) 
but the very best part of this whole trip was the good company and awesome convos. peter and karen are the warmest and most hospitable hosts anyone could ever ask for... we are so blessed  - celebrating year #1... flowers from dan  (this picture is posted at your request, jaysin) - amber's and dan's bday in july   - lakers vs. suns game (so much fun, even though the lakers lost)   - stacy's & daniel's amazing wedding at harbor island
  sorry for the choppiness. these past several months have been very eventful. one of these days, i will sit down and actually take it all in... ... but for now, i need to get to bed! | | |
| car
it's fixed! and the best news? the guy who hit my parked car
actually called the insurance adjustor back after much delay, so
everything was paid for. God is good huh?! after being in the shop
for almost one month, my car was back in my hands at the beginning of
jan. when i was standing in line to return my rental car, the
enterprise guy asked this lady in front of me, "how are you doing,
ma'm?" she quickly said, "i'll be much better after i get my car
back." i chimed in, "yeah seriously." the guy standing next to me
said, "amen to that." strange how you can feel suddenly connected to
those whose shared your plight... even at a place like
enterprise-rent-a-car. haha
christmas
yeah, i know it's almost the end of january and i am just updating
about christmas. in three words: it was swell. i can't wait for next
christmas. got to see/hang out with friends and family... prime rib
night at amber's and jun's, office holiday party at the exec's mansion,
coffee with the girls, christmas potluck with the small group, meeting
dan's parents and family, christmas wii party at the Ie brothers',
enjoying hot pot with my family, etc. the holidays just doesn't get
better than that. to top everything off, i was a very happy recipient
of a thoughtful christmas gift from dan- lion king the musical! :) i
was sooo floored. aside from the fact i enjoy musicals, lion king is
one of my favorite disney movies.  
mommy's bday
mommy celebrated a milestone bday two weeks ago. my brothers and i
took her out for a scrumptious dinner... scallops, lobster, peking
duck, etc. then we went home to enjoy a delicious cheesecake that dan
bought for my mom. i think we all collectively gained 10 lbs that
night. but what good times. i am very thankful for my amazing family.
roommate's wedding
farrah got hitched this sat! i am sooo happy for her...
although selfishly sad that i am losing such an awesome roommate.
her testimony of how she and george got together was pretty amazing. as lea put it in her maid of honor speech, "God makes everything beautiful in His timing." some photos from the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and the wedding itself...
        (left- george admiring farrah, as she is walking down the aisle... such a cute picture); (middle - farrah is such a beautiful bride!); (right - presenting mr. & mrs. lin) small group & the happy couple...    my 25th
thank you all for your emails, phone calls, text msgs, birthday cards via snail mail... you've made it another memorable one. on friday, i was greeted by a gorgeous bouquet of orchids at work... jo, thank you for your thoughtfulness... all the way from london. after work on friday, dan took me out to a nice dinner at peohe's in coronado to celebrate a day early. the view was breath-taking (downtown skyline), the ambiance was romantic, and the food was delicious! raw ahi spring roll wrap as appetizer, mahi mahi for my entree (dan had stuffed crab tilapia), and a rich dark chocolate lava cake topped with a huge scoop of ice cream. mmm  
reflection on 2006
it was a year of sudden changes. some that stretched me to the
limit and put me back together. some that reaffirmed who i am and who
i am not. some that required honest heart to heart conversations with
close friends, mentors, and family. some that made me smile so big
that i felt like a kid with a huge scoop of ice-cream. i wonder if
life will always be that way?
for your reading enjoyment
rather than ending on such a serious note, here's a funny story.
so one fine sunday after church, nate, dan, and i shared a delicious
meal at a fish joint in irvine (an excellent suggestion of nate's, by
the way). after an hour and a half of catching up, eating, and such,
we said our goodbyes and proceeded to our cars. walking up to my white
pt cruiser (my ugly rental car), i pressed the unlock button on the
remote. nothing. clicked again. nothing. i looked up at dan and
said, "hm my car is not unlocking." various thoughts raced through my
head- maybe the battery in the remote is dead. maybe i should unlock
the car manually with the key... but would it set off the alarm? and
then would people will think we are car thieves? (i know, can you even
imagine dan and i stealing? even more preposterous, can you
imagine anyone wanting to steal a pt cruiser?!) i took a
chance and inserted the key in an attempt to unlock the car. as i was
doing that, i looked into the car and thought to myself, hey why is it
so messy in there?! double-take. "dan, i don't think that's my car."
i looked up only to see another white pt cruiser parked an aisle
down from where we were. "uh, my car is over there." dan busted up
laughing. i had hoped no one witnessed what just transpired, but alas,
there he was... nathan placed his car in reverse, rolled down his
windows, and all the while gripping his stomach in laughter. hahahaha
but to my defense, it was a rental car! i have never mistaken someone
else's car for my own.
*shrug* oh well. hoped that brightened up your day.
| | |
| the past several weeks have been overwhelming and humbling. not only did work not slow down as everyone thought, it went ADD on me. there were moments when i sat there at work at the 12th hour feeling thoroughly inadequate. days in which i run from meetings to meetings... checking the time and realizing at 3pm, i still have not eaten lunch. and to top this craziness off, i had to deal with my car... twice.
clocking out at 8pm one night, my car decided to stall on me. stuck in the middle of the downtown sd with my cellphone glued to my ear, the feeling of powerlessness washed over me. then last tuesday morning (a little more than two weeks after spending $520 to fix my car) i walked up to my car, ready to drive to work and did a double-take. someone hit my car! the left side was slightly dented and pretty scratched up. you've got to be kidding i thought to myself. then checking the windshield, i found a note written by an anonymous good samaritan: "i saw someone hit your car. he ran away. i got the license # it was CA ------- i don't remember the make. hope this helps!" since then, i have been busy making phone calls to the sd police department, my insurance company, and the bodyshop. while the cop was able to locate the guy who hit my car (and he has insurance too... imagine that), the guy decided not to respond to any of the insurance adjustor's calls. so most likely, i will need to get my car fixed under my insurance policy. but the good news is that i don't need to pay the $500 deductible, since it's been proven that i am not liable for the damages. the bad news? the repair will take at least 8 to 9 business days and i will need to pay for a rental car out of pocket.
i can't help but to shake the feeling that God is trying to teach me something... patience, stamina, perspective and most of all, humility to accept that i am powerless. it's at these low points that i see how God comes through for me. and i'm reminded that i have much to be thankful for.
i mean, really... what are the chances that someone happens to see the guy hit my car and had the clarity of mind (and kindness) to jot (not "jog" haha) down the license plate for me? or how i have a brother who willingly dropped everything, drove to downtown just to wait for tow (not "toll") truck with me... all the while calming me down and reminding me that a stalled car is not the worse thing in the world. or how i have a bf who patiently listens to me whine about work, provide the much needed words of encouragement, and checks up on me throughout the work day. or how i have an amazing group of women who prays for me each week, offers godly advice, and makes me laugh like no other. or how i have parents who demonstrate unconditional love and grace on a daily basis by overlooking my flaws and using every opportunity as lessons for personal growth. or how i have incredible friends who sends me emails or IMs sporadically to make sure i am doing alright after not hearing from me for weeks on end. or a roommate who never forgets to knock on my bedroom door each night to ask me about my day and oftentimes, stay up way past her bedtime just to hear me out. or a God who is faithful, in control, loving, and gracious... who renews me each morning and gives me glimpses of the bigger, eternal perspective.
i am blessed beyond measure.
a few pictures to share...
celebrated tina's 24th birthday at coffee break.
dan and i at extraordinary desserts.
december nights at balboa park (previously known as christmas at the prado).
 
lea & king invited farrah and george, me and dan to a homecooked, gourmet dinner. bruchetta as appetizer... salmon, scallops, mashed potatoes as the main entree... lava cake for dessert and white wine to top it all off! mmm...
  
//edit: i am a fob. haha i know it's jot and tow (or at least i think i know it), but darn it, sometimes when i am writing or speaking too fast, i fob out  . thanks don and chooah!// | | |
| autumnautumn is my favorite season of the year: roads lined with fire red and bright orange trees. mornings with cool crisp air. hot coco. stores with their holiday window decorations. extra hot, non-fat, gingerbread lattes. perfect weather to lie in bed under the covers for an extra ten minutes. scarfs. start of the nba season. people beginning to prepare for thanksgiving and christmas. nice, slow songs that seem to accompany the season so perfectly. smell of cinnamon and fresh pine.
work has been so hectic that i didn't really realize the change of season until i saw some of the neighbor kids shrieking with joy while their mom was setting up a huge inflatable pumpkin on their front yard. i couldn't help but to smile at the scene. kids have the natural ability to recognize and cherish the simple things in life. i am always in awe of that. they have their priorities at the right place.
lately, i realized: i need to learn to balance work and life a little better. yup, working on it. i will catch up on emails very shortly and i will make a much better effort with keeping up with friends.
another lazy update...
phil's BBQ! yes, people have repeated commented on how i take pictures of dan eating. maybe it's my conscious effort of trying to help him gain his weight back.
 
after phil's, dan and i spent the day at the san diego wild animal park. just the way i like to enjoy God's amazing creatures... on opposite side of the fence from them. haha yeah, i like animals... in zoos that is, i just don't really care for petting zoos.
 
the sheer number of species is mind-boggling. seriously.
 
interesting facts we learned when we were there:
- lions sleep on average 15-20 hours a day.
- asian rhinos have one horn whereas african rhinos have two.
- the sd wild animal park and sd zoo are not for profit organizations and receive no state or city funding (every penny of your admissions, money spent on souvenirs and concessions goes to support the organizations).
- african elephants have bigger ears than their indian counterparts. elephants use their ears to cool themselves down, because they do not have sweat glands.
- elephants throw dirt on themselves (behavior called dusting) to protect themselves from the sun.
- giraffes have the same number of vertebrates (7 altogether) in their neck as humans do, their vertebrates are just significantly longer than human's. they also have impeccable eyesight and therefore many animals travel with them, as they are able to detect first signs of danger.
- man is still the greatest threat to animal survival.
- sd wild animal park boasts of a very high success rate in helping threatened and endangered species reproduce.
 
if you have time, go check out the san diego wild animal park. | | |
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a lazy photo update...
