02.28.11

For some reason it's not working, but today was a nice sunny day with a cool breeze and I enjoyed it. I ate too much for dinner and my stomach feels like it's going to pop. No kidding.

Busy week ahead, but I'm being reminded to trust in Him with everything.

02.27.11

I needed the weekend to just rest and be with these special people :)

02.26.11

My mom's early birthday celebration! We don't have big celebrations but like to have a homemade dinner at home with ourselves.

We had some salmon and stirfry and lots of love :)

I woke up this morning feeling so so loved, it was overwhelmingly good!

I really needed this time of rest and I'm glad I was able to spend time with my mom and dad. We missed ya, Josh!

02.25.11

As you can see, lack of photo-taking skills runs in the family (mom took this picture). Yes, I got my looks from my dad haha. No one in my family is very photogenic, as you can tell, but we try. It was really sweet because he called me two or three times asking why I wasn't home yet and it was because he was cooking dinner for my arrival! :)

I went to 85 Degrees with Hana for the first time and it was madness in there! I bought taro bread, yum!

Waiting for Cat to come now so we can go to a cafe in LA which should be fun.

02.24.11

My 365 project inspiration, Leslie Chin! :)

(No Picture)

02.23.11

I don't have a picture today but I have this verse to share.

Romans 12:21

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

It's a constant battle between my will and God's will.

02.22.11

"Have you met my friend, Stephanie? We're roommates and we've lived together for four years now (proud smile)."

That's how I introduce her to new friends. She's a wonderful blessing in my life and I'm so glad that God brought us together. We've had our share of ups and downs but I can honestly say that every year my love for her grew and grew. She knows my strengths and weaknesses and still loves and accepts me for me. She wants the best for me and makes me smile and laugh. When I needed a planner, she bought me one. When I am sad, she cheers me up. When I want to go on a hike, she'll come with me. Dang, she's like my boyfriend. Even better :) A common characteristic that people notice about Steph is her child-like heart. But dang, in my dark moments she really reminds me of the truth that the Bible proclaims.

Steph, I don't know if you read this haha but this is my dedication to you! I know that sometimes you struggle in your journey with God and sometimes you can't see where He is leading you, but know that you are an important figure in my life. In my saddest moments you were there to cheer me up and really re-instill the truths of my identity. You are a blessing, I love you!

Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

02.21.11

Yes, unlike my brother, I lack photo-taking skills. It was just so bright and the sky was so pretty while I was driving back home that I wanted to capture the moment, but obviously it's not really the best picture.

Today I thought a lot about my sins. During college, God has revealed to me the sin in my life and sometimes I'm just disgusted with myself. How can someone be so cynical, so evil, so unloving? How can someone have so much pride, be so selfish? It's so easy to dwell in my sin. But it's so awesome how God speaks truth through the Bible. How in moments when I feel this way and I distance myself from people, God reminds me how much He loves me through what Christ has done. How He lived that perfect life and through Christ, my sins are forgiven and I am clean. Maybe it's hard for me to come to terms with the fact that I am clean. Whatever it is, knowing my sin is humbling and it reminds me how much I need Jesus in my life. Because without Him, I am nothing.

02.20.11

What a beautiful Sunday! The blue sky and sunshine made me so happy :)

Woke up early and went to church then ate lunch with Brian, Daniel, and Victor at a fancy restaurant.

Just kidding! It's the gourmet McDonalds located in Del Mar. They have panini and pasta and some yummy food in addition to their regular menu.

Today at church we talked about what it means to follow Jesus. We're learning about the culture of discipleship and it was really good to learn about how to follow Jesus, what it means, and who is called to follow Him.

02.19.11

Went to Carlsbad to find a gift for my mom and retrieve my lost scarf. Succeeded in the first, failed to find my scarf that my grandma knit me :(

Spent the day at home with the girls then went to dinner with Sarah Yang! We ate some yummy Thai food and talked and played with Chewie and sang songs and talked and talked. I really appreciate our friendship! You sing beautifully and I love how we have fun each other and we can be real with each other. Real talk! Wahoo! teehee :)

02.18.11

Rainy day! I love it just as much as I love sunny days.

Wrestling with my thoughts.

Sushi with the friends.

Adina's car died so we pushed it in the rain haha, what an adventure!

02.17.11

Phils with the two most beautiful housemates! :)

02.16.11

I typed in "reconciliation" and this is what I found.

02.15.11

Food & friends! The best combo :)

Community group girls came over to eat some chicken parmesan with a side of zucchini and banana squash. Dessert was strawberry cupcakes and coffee crumble cake!

Working out with the girls of 3146, getting ready for spring break!

02.14.11

This is from last night but I saved it so I can share it on Valentine's Day!

We ate jjajjangmyun and watched He's Just Not That Into You.

Today I got a special note and lunch from my valentine :)

Good night!

02.13.11

Happy Sunday!

Esther Hao and I went to Hillcrest Farmer's Market before church this morning and it was soo nice. The weather was beautiful and we got all the samples that we could find. We had apples, oranges, hummus, horchata, Kenyan food, pumpkin bread, pomegranate, and more! We had church and learned about investing in relationships. We learned to speak to God about people and speak to people about God. We ought to be gracious in our speech no matter who we talk to and should be able to communicate the Word in a loving manner. The love of Christ ought to compel us. We are ambushed by grace. We are forgiven of our debt. How can we live more like Jesus had? Oh the convictions..

02.12.11

Team Yaoza!

Our whole house + friends went to watch Elsie and Harbor Church play football in Mission Bowl. It was a super warm day and it was fun to watch and support our fellow brothers and sisters. Had lunch with the girls and got some boba, went shopping, and ate dinner.

02.11.11

My friends are buff!

Volleyball at the beach, kettle corn at Bear Garden, fruit tarts with Sarah Yang and Stephanie Tran!

Yumm, TGIF! :)

02.10.11

Elijah and I played Connect 4 today! He beat me in this game without my help.

Today at work I came across a book that talked about meditating in the Word of God. The author made three main points:

1. Constant meditation on the life of Our Lord strengthens the soul against vain and fleeting things.

2. It strengthens the soul against tribulations and adversities.

3. It teaches us what we ought to do so that neither our enemies nor our vices can surprise us or overwhelm us.

02.10.11

Why can't life be happiness and love and floating lanterns and fairy tales?

But no, midterms it is.

02.08.11

Haha that was just a funny clip of Adina having her own karaoke session downstairs in the living room by herself. Heehee

I was so excited to have community group today because we were talking about forgiveness and I felt like it was so relevant to what I've been mulling over recently. It was cool to see how everyone was convicted in different ways about our sin and unforgiving hearts. It was good to talk about it and encourage each other and pray for each other. God works so perfectly for our good. Today we were reminded of how God forgave us when we didn't deserve it and how He places people in our lives for us to constantly learn and work towards imitating Christ. I loved this quote in the book that we're going through called Living in Light of the Gospel Story:

"So what gives us the power and motivation to forgive? We can only forgive when we see ourselves as forgiven--'big time.' God has forgiven us, and this wonderful truth empowers us to forgive others. Through this process of forgiveness we are liberated from bondage to the behavior or other people, and we become more like God--offering others a taste of the good news and hope for restoration."

02.07.11

Thanks for the note :) Week 6 isn't too bad so far (yeah, I know it's only Monday).

So far, so good!

Lord, keep filling me up!

02.06.11

I cheated. That picture is from winter break but I failed to take a picture today so I'm using this. Guess which animal I am!

Thank God for Sundays in which we can relax (kinda) and dwell in the presence of the Lord at church. Thank you for the energy to carry on throughout the day, and guide & strengthen me as I enter Week 6!

BTW, I met a guy who used the word "bffls" yesterday.

02.05.11

It's a nice day to...STUDY! Turquoise Coffee with Felicia and Esther. It was a nice cafe with so many good foods and drinks that I sat there for an hour and a half contemplating what I should order. I ended up getting the acai bowl which was yum! but wanted some real food later.

I think that relationships will fulfill me and provide me with what I need: stability, security, and love. I'm constantly disciplining myself to direct my gaze towards Jesus. Reminding myself that He is the ultimate prize and He is what I need and desire.

02.04.11

Hanging out at home with the girls. The best! :)

02.03.11

First and foremost, Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Roommate Crystal Yim!

She's a fun-loving girl whose witty comments and thoughtful remarks makes anyone feel comfortable and loved. God has blessed me with a sister who is a great listener that is open and positive :)

Secondly, Lawrence and I saw AJ Rafael at PC today! I got a picture of them together and they even recorded a little thing on my laptop. COOL!

02.02.11

I tried to be artsy...kinda. Really it was because the sun felt warm and the grass was so green I just wanted to capture the moment, the 5 minutes I sat on the grass before Thomas arrived...and my butt was wet.

Thomas, it was lovely grabbing lunch with you. I hope our future conversations can be of delightful things and that the next time we attempt to read at Perks we wouldn't be distracted by conversations thats are eavesdropping distance.

Jenn invited me to go to large group today to hear the pastor of Flood speak. He talked about the difference between guilt and shame and how God has redeemed us from that. It related directly to what I've been thinking, struggling, and praying about so it was cool to see how God uses people and passages and messages to speak to me.

Now, stress stress go away!

The next week I'm on lock down (did I even use that phrase right? shrug)

02.01.11

We are studying, my roommates and I,

But it's almost my bed time so I may say goodbye

To my roommates and Jeannette who are planning to study all night long

When they're done they'll break into song

I'm incapable of pulling all nighters

My roommates are fighters

I'm sleepy so it's time for me to go

This is a very bad flow

But I don't care.