Currently Reading Borrowed Finery: A Memoir By Paula Fox see related

update,update,update,update,update,snowday

well hello xanga, long time no see. an update? ok, since you asked so darn nice.

1. i'm a research assistant for the psychology department this semester. its a study on the gender/racial stereotypes of children. so basically i take down data and play with adorable children.
2. i signed my lease on my new place! it's beautiful/cheap/close. ihan and i are going to flip a coin as to who get the loft. and i'll admit it, i am giddy at the thought of this place.
3. I'm learning just how patient and gracious God is. my biggest aspiration in life is to show unflinching love to others. and i'll tell you right now that i fail at that 99.99% of the the time. i've always felt pride and selfshiness have always been my biggest issues. it's so hard for me to put myself out there. but i'm trying. i've been looking for a place to serve this whole year. i haven't found it yet, but i'd like to work with the homeless or elderly. i need to start actively looking instead of hoping something will fall in my lap.
4. i miss miss miss my family. when i was home my mom asked if i wanted to go on her morning walks with her. let me tell you, i underestimated her. for one, she finds hilly areas so we can run up and down them. secondly, her "walks" are easily over 3 miles. lastly, i definelty had to ask if i could sit down and rest through my gasps. but i miss them alot. i've been calling everyday since break. :( .my mom's been burning me alot lately over the phone too. if anyone wants to know where i got my sarcasm from, my mom is a safe bet.
5. i'm in a photo class this semester and i'm retaking up photography again. it's been since high school, but oh well. i got a brand new pentax k100d body with a 18-55mm lens and a 2gb memory card all for only $305. (i promise it did not fall of a truck)

it's beautiful and i'll post up picture that i'm taking around austin later hopefully.

we had some snow days a week or so ago and i meant to write some sort of xanga thingy, but i forgot. i remember now though and i facebook stole pictures to proof to you the winter wonderland i experienced. me and a bunch of different friend played our little hearts out.

charlene,teresa,lily and me with  snowman me and ihan made(i use the term snowman loosly)

group picture with some aacmers after we tried sledding with cafeteria trays

taylor dressing me for the winter. because our sg is better than your sg. word.(in case you're wondering the pink scarf isn't mine. christina saw me shivering and was mighty generous.) ok, i need to go to class now. later!

"We know we have made God in our image when He hates the same people we hate"

Currently Reading Why the Rest Hates the West: Understanding the Roots of Global Rage By Meic Pearse see related

1,2,3,...urbana,phone#,other

1.) i think that maybe the biggest thing i have learned is that i am complacent in my faith. i heard Princess Kasune Zulu, Ajith Fernado, speak and the one thing they had in common was that they were moved to do something bigger than themselves and they doggedly pursued it, whether it be AIDS ministry, international justice or student minstry they went. i'd rather not go into it right now, but ask me about it. we can have a good conversation.

listen listen listen dear ones..

some polaroids.

• t and j lin being adorable
• pei and tlin at the truckstop where we broke down for 10hrs.
• the guys we befriended from the city of brotherly love.

group pic:sam,j,simon,david,daniel,truk,t,pei,stephen,chris

the doubletree roomates and sam the protector. note :sam the "protector" is running away like a coward.

anyways i picked up some good books called "the aids crisis:what can we do " and "why the rest hate the west" they are pretty good. if you'd like to borrow them just ask.

2.) for those of you who have been asking my phone number is the same as always. when i got a new phone they couldn't transfer my phone book, so i lost most of my contact info. if you haven't gotten a call from me in a while..you know why. but yes, my number is the same. if you need it, email me.

3.) school starts in a week. i love home. i don't want to go back. ihan and me are making plans to live in the library. she calls me and  cries when she thinks about school and then i rub my brillaint GPA in her face. actually i don't because then she'd cry some more and  hit me for being a jerk.  i bruise easily so that's not a option. but seriously, i am looking forward to school in a way.  i've been thinkng about alot alot alot of stuff lately. but for some reason, i'm feeling less comfortable writing them on xanga these days. maybe i should go friends only or something. but anyways, i'll leave you with something i thought was humorous.

dad: did elaine tell you she wanted a lip ring?
me: no, what did you tell her?
dad: oh, i told her to get a nose ring instead. i think they're a little classier.
(my parents are obviously great. my dad once called my sisters tattoo "cute".)

ps. i found the venus flytrap. thanks linda. i know it only eats flys but, i swear that that thing tried to bite my  fingers right off.

Currently Listening A Charlie Brown Christmas By Vince Guaraldi, Peanuts (Related Recordings) see related

the bestest days ever. or a pretty good one.

  today, i rolled out of bed/living room couch and went to do some last minute shopping with charlene. i tried to be more simply about christmas this year so i  didn't really buy anything except for my family. so friends, unless i got you something that benefited the greater good of this world, expect homemade gifts. anyways after we finished that, we got charlene's polaroid camera working and took pictures at the park. and after secretly keeping in my envy, i tell my dad about that sweeet sweet camera and he digs out this beauty and gives it to me.

"i immediately left charlene this message: "not to brag or anything but.. my dad found his old polaroid camera and its pretty much better than yours. again i'm not bragging, just stating the facts. "

afterwards i head out to find my older sister, elaine, a venus flytrap. first off, she's ridiculous. secondly, i already got her the chia pet that she wanted. but after getting laughed at and stared at by a couple of store clerks, i call her and tell her the closest thing i can find to a venus fly trap is a venus cactus. she then tells me that "unless it eats flys i don't want it" well too bad for you elaine, the venus cactus looked pointy, but not capable of eating flys. you're getting a chia pet and a hug.

and lastly i went church for christmas practice and service. let me tell you, you botch one christmas service playing the trumpet and they don't ask you back. but when you're only college  player that plays bass they have no other options. i win. anyways it was nice coming back and seeing all the people i've missed. i  wished everyone was there though. i missed some faces i haven't seen in a while.  now have that warm feeling in my belly because clcc seriously feels like a big happy Jesus loving family.

still,  you might be thinking. yeah, that's a pretty good day gloria, but so what? but is it the bestest day ever? well i'll tell you. i have a warm feeling all over and tomorrow is christmas eve, then christmas is on monday, and then i'm headed off to urbana for a week on the 26th with the bestest (doubletree crew represent!) roomates ever. so, i am getting off this silly interweb and packing. (i had to buy a jacket because i didn't think a hoodie would cut it outside of texas. ) anyways merry christmas, happy hanukkah, and happy kwanza all you!  

Currently Listening 9 By Damien Rice see related

 um, everyone should talk to my dad least for an hour or two about his thoughts on science and research. he has the tendency to really make you really humble about what you think you know. he is a freaking library. and not a local library or anything like that. he's the library of congress or something. right now i'm trying to figure out why i "everyone should love physics". oh buddy.

 i'm sitting in my house. my mom is decorating the tree while i take a break. she bought moose ornaments from alaska. they are sitting with me on my laptop. she doesn't want to put icing and colored lights on the tree this year because she says it makes it look busy. she doesn't know that i have decorated the tree this way since i was six. i know it is busy and bright, but that's the way i decorated it when i was little. also, ever since i was little me and my sisters have put up the ornaments we've made in elementary school. my mom didn't know, so she put them up for us. i had to take them down and reput them back on. i don't know why i did that. i didn't want to change that tradition for some reason. i've been putting up the tree this way on purpose all these years. maybe i like remembering christmas the way it was when i was little. i'm going to have to sneak that icing on the tree. it's good to be home.