06.30.11

I was able to enjoy the nice weather outside today during my lunch. I talked to Adina & Crystal on the phone and I can't believe it's been about a week since we were all together again. It's weird that things are changing so fast but better adapt fast! The week is almost over and I can't wait, even though what lies ahead of me this weekend is a lot of studying (and a little bit of sleeping in too). I feel like I'm putting my social life on hold while I'm studying for the GREs, working, and taking online classes but really, shoot me in an email. I need to stay connected with friends, somehow :(

Happy Thursday!

06.29.11

After a long day of work and studying, I was able to enjoy this sweet creations made by Steph! :)

06.28.11

If only I could enjoy the beautiful San Diego weather these days. Instead I go to work, come home, eat, study and sleep. I forgot how poorly I do on the verbal section of standardized tests :/ I have a lot of studying to do and I only have 3 weeks!

On a happy note, I helped two patients today on their exercises (with some help from the other aides, of course)! But it was exciting for me! I wanted to do a little victory dance or even ask the patient if I could take a picture with her but it all sounded so silly so I didn't. The patients were gracious and patience with me as I was figuring out how to organize the different exercise stations and modalities. I was so relieved and my confidence definitely went up from ZERO. Haha just earlier today I was telling the other aides that I'm nervous to help a patient on my own and here I am! I mean, I do have a long way to go of course (especially since I'm replacing Lauren who is just about the most perfect, nicest person you'll ever meet) but I'm making baby steps there! Wahoo!

06.27.11

If I'm MIA during the month of July, it will be because of those books pictured above. I thought this summer would be a time of relaxation but with work, online classes, and GREs it doesn't seem like it will turn out the way I expected. But God always has a way of spicing things up a bit.

I was at work today and was feeling so lost, shy, and overwhelmed. I didn't have the courage to complete the tasks on my own because I didn't know what I was doing exactly. Normally I'm good at trying new things and learning but today I felt so defeated(?) I don't feel like I'm putting my best foot forward, I don't feel like I'm connecting with the patients, and often times I wonder again why I'm here. Maybe once I get the hang of things I'll appreciate it more. Not to say that I dread my job. I love my coworkers. They're suuuuper nice and helpful. It's just, I'm doubting myself a lot. But I'm sure things will get better.

06.26.11
(Photo credit to Josh)

Here we are back in San Diego. The picture up there is of the dinner we had at our home before Steph and I left for San Diego. Salmon, salad, rice, kimchi, fishcakes, yum. Today at church one part of the sermon that really stuck out to me was when Pastor Woogie said, "God is not a supplement, He's not there to just make things our lives better." It's so easy for me to get into the mindset of, oh, if I have Jesus than things are better. Our lives should look like NOTHING without God, He's not a life enhancer.

So often these days, I've lost sight of God and what He's doing in my life. I've been consumed by my new job, the new place I'm staying at over the summer, hanging out with friends before they leave San Diego and Torrance. As Pastor Woogie mentioned today, I pray that I would continuously broken so that I may always know the goodness of the Gospel and have a heart of repentance.



06.25.11
(Photo credit to Josh)

Woke up and went to Get Shaved with Josh and Steph. Brilliant Stephanie Tran picked out Battle LA (?) to watch at home. It was some movie about aliens taking over Los Angeles...basically it wasn't that great but she insists that it was a good movie and that Black Swan is "crap." Hahahaha someone knock some sense into her. The highlight of my day was seeing all my cousins! Kai & Steph were over at my house for dinner and met all my cousins from my dad's side. It was nice to be together since it's been such a long time :) Afterwards we hung out with friends at Guppies. Last hang out before the boys go to missions for a month and other people leave Torrance for work and school.



06. 24.11

We celebrated Timmy's birthday at Cheesecake Factory at Redondo Beach! It was fun because the bffls + Steph & the boys were there. Steph and I drove from San Diego to Torrance and it took a record of 3.5 hours -_- Never again am I leaving San Diego at 4PM.

06.22.11

I think I've figured out the dress code at Physiotherapy. Just wear comfortable clothes (minus jeans). First of all, these flats were two sizes too small for me, I don't know what I was thinking buying them. Second of all, I was probably the most dressed up at work. Not cool. I don't even like dressing up. Third of all, I survived my first day of work! It was a long long day--7:30 til 6PM! I've never worked that long but it's nice because I like the workers there and the patients that come in. It was a cool experience and I'll be here for a year :)

06.22.11

Steph and my room at Regents La Jolla. Come visit us during the summer!

Tomorrow I'm starting my first day of work at Physiotherapy. I'm excited and nervous.

06.21.11

That's Elsie, Adina, Jae, Alvin & me at Potato Chip in Mt. Woodson, with Chinoy taking the picture. It was a long hike that we completed during the hottest part of the day (1130-330) but we finished it! I love going on hikes but I forgot how tough they can be. I was so focused I didn't talk much hahaha now I'm super burnt on my shoulders :(

It's so easy for me to get caught up in the lists of things that need to get done. I need to relax and not stress myself out and get frustrated. There are many things that I'm looking forward to this summer and one of them is to grow in my intimacy with Him. When I lose sight of Him it's easy to make myself the center of my life. Then I take control and when plans don't go the way I expect them to I become easily annoyed. A little self reflection.

06.20.11

I haven't started work yet so I spent the first half of the day with Adina. We went to Regents Pizzeria and used our dollar stretcher to get free pizza but they messed up on our order so we were able to eat 1.5 pizza each :) Afterwards I was able to spend time with Amelia and the boys. She got me a graduation gift! ESV study Bible, tea kettle, a book, and tea leaves. YAY! I loved seeing the boys. They were so happy to see me (as I was to see them), they are just full of so much life, and Luke grew too, and Matthew is 3 years old now!

I desire to desire Him.

06.19.11

I'm back in SD now. The week at home went by so fast and it makes me sad :( I'm going to start work...sometime this week. I'm not sure when exactly but hopefully sometime soon, or else it will be an extra week of relaxation. That picture is of Phil, Jeannette, and Adina at Phil's place eating and hanging out. I can't believe I'm back but here I am.

06.18.11

Woke up and had pho with Jennae, Jeannette, and Kai. We spent the day baking a fruit tart for my dad for Father's Day (which we ended up eating today) and it took 4 HOURS to bake. Who knew that it would take that much time and effort. But the family (and we) enjoyed it so I guess it was worth it! Later we went to Guppies and met with Michelle and just talked and hung out there (Donna, you were missed!) and now I'm at home mulling over the fact that I have to go back to SD tomorrow to start life as a working woman. There's still so much I want to do and I wonder how everything is going to fit into my plans, but I have to continually give myself over to Him who has the best plans for me. Learning to trust Him. Remembering that the One who loves me the most wants what's best for me. Funny that exactly a year ago I committed the summer to rekindling that love relationship with Him. It took having to be along and struggling with it for me to understand and grow in my intimacy with Him and I feel like I'm in that place again where I will be grown and stretched in what it means to solely depend on Him. I'm ready, God, here I am.

I want to acknowledge my friends Jenn Chen and Annie Woo! They're both in Africa serving and loving the people there! :)



06.17.11

Jeannette came up from San Diego and we got shaved ice from Get Shaved. I had guava, peach, and lychee with vanilla ice cream and it was soo good (& sweet)! We borrowed "Never Say Never" from redbox and watched it at my house. Little did I know that I would have Bieber fever. Seriously, Justin Bieber won my heart. He's so so talented and cute. HAHA. I cried three times watching it, when did I become such a crybaby? Later that night we went to Kai's place to get ready to go to Busby's to celebrate Kai's 22nd birthday! It was a lot of fun and it was so good seeing all of our old high school friends. I can't believe it's been four years since we left West High and there we were gathered together four years later :) It was good seeing all of you!



06.16.11

Picture of my friends who like to make fun of the name of my blog, which is why they always have this pose when I take picture of them -_-! We went to Cafe Night for KCM to support our friends Daniel Kim and Vincent Than who are going to Nicaragua and India, respectively. I love going to cafe nights and hearing people perform, especially when they sing. It's such a gift definitely touches the innermost parts of my heart. Sigh. I'm so excited for them to go on their trips, experiencing God in a new way, culture, life, people. I feel like it is the best way to see how big our God is. Definitely made me stop and remember that mission is a calling for all of God's people no matter where they are. I feel like the biggest challenge is remembering to live our life as a reflection of the Gospel in our daily lives that we are so familiar with.

I had El Taurino for the first time tonight too. The tostada was. so. good.

06.15.11

Happy birthday Kaileenieee! :)

Today I played Nertz and Monopoly Deal with Naomi and Vivian. It's nice to be at home and spend time with old friends. Later that night Donna, the boys, and I went to Dave & Busters to hangout and play games. Yardhouse then Albatross (?) I slept late and woke up late, probably the latest this year!

I can't believe I only get a week of break :(

06.14.11

Today we celebrated Kai's 22nd Birthday! It was her first time in California to celebrate her birthday in two years. We took her out to Bossa Nova where we had some yummy steak, fish, mashed potatoes, plantains. YUM! Then we went to Urth Cafe to drink tea and coffee and this yummy flakey, custardy dessert. Extra yum!

Kai, you are a beautifuuuuuuul daughter of God and I am so blessed to have you in my life as a bffl. I am always encouraged by how trusting you are in God. Your ease, your smile, your spacey-ness, crazy singing sessions with Michelle, your encouraging words and honesty. I love you, sister! :)

06.13.11

Today we went to Six Flags! The lines were suuuuuper long so we were only able to get on Tatsu, Goliath, X2, and Log Jammer but the company was perfect and the weather was great! Afterwards we went to Tahoe Kalbi for some all you can eat Korean BBQ and now here I am at home, ready to spend my ONE WEEK OF VACATION in Torrance before heading back to SD.

I can't believe it's all over. Finals, graduation, undergrad, six flags. Everything is ending so fast and so sooooooooon!

06.12.11

Started the day off by going to Warren's graduation then Steph and I started to pack our things and move our stuff out. We all went to Sixth College's graduation afterwards and started packing some more and cleaning. It was such an exhausting day! We weren't able to make it to ERC's graduation :( Elsie, Steph and I headed to Torrance. We stopped by Volcano Tea on our way up because Matt talks about it sooo much we had to see what the big deal was. The line was long, the drinks were interesting...and GOOD! Now we're in my house, lounging around, waiting for Jenn & Lawrence to get here so we can sleep and get ready to go to Six Flags tomorrow. Wahoo! :)



06.11.11

Today was the big day..Graduation! My family came down and I was able to celebrate it with the people that I love: my bffls, roommates, friends, and family :) Lots of picture taking, flowers, smiles everywhere! It's so surreal that undergrad is over now. It's weird to think about all the memories from this past year and how fast the four years flew by us. Through it all, God has been so faithful to me even when I doubted His plans and when I struggled. His plan unfolded exactly the way He planned it and I'm continuing to learn what it means to allow Him to mold me instead of always striving for what I want. It's a wonderful and beautiful journey that I am still on, and through it all I'm so so glad that He placed people in my life to share life with :)

Went to the Muir graduation and celebrated some more! Took the party back home where Elsie's parents catered food from Nozomi's from us. It doesn't stop there! Jeannette invited us to her sister's house again where there was even more food cooked by Jeannette's mom. Afterwards we enjoyed "dance dance" which is a Wii game(?) and then headed home to knock out. Literally, I KTFO.



06.10.11

Had breakfast with Jenn Chin this morning:) It was so so so good talking and hanging out with you, Jenn! I was so blessed by our conversation and was so happy that we are able to connect and be real. Thank you for praying for me, understanding me, and loving me for who I am. There will definitely be lots of hanging out this summer and I can't wait! We took some senior photos with the apartment around campus (mostly around Geisel) and then headed to the All Campus Graduation Ceremony for some yummmmmmy food and dessert and fireworks! Continued the celebration by going to Andrew Bryant's place for a mead (alcohol he and Steven made months ago) party.



06.09.11

I did it! I took my last final and I finished my last day of work. The picture above is of my co-worker & friend, Sarah Hyun, whom I had the privilege of working for the last two quarters of my 4 years at Geisel. It was such a sweet sweet moment but it still didn't hit me that I wouldn't be going in to Geisel to study anymore (or work!) It was definitely a great moment! I spent the day working and went home to relax. Jeannette invited us to her sister's house for a homecooked meal by the one and only, Ms. Luu (Jeannette's mom) who came from Hong Kong. Afterwards Sam Lin and I hung out at Tea Station and watched Just Go For It with Richard at my place. I stayed up til 230 watching that movie hahahaha which is definitely way past my bed time.

06.08.11

Final stretch! We're almost there. Last final is tomorrow at 8AM.

Sitting and reflecting on how God has blessed me this day. I went to work and spent majority of my day at Geisel studying, but it was different. Is it weird to say that I was joyful? I mean I don't particularly enjoy learning about sensation and perception but studying next to my good friend Adina who, though she was done with her finals, stayed at the library with me watching her korean dramas. Friends encouraging and affirming me throughout the day and coming home to Crystal at home, thankful that she was there to greet us. And also very thankful for Esther, Phil, and Sam who brought dinner for me! They didn't even know I was just eating bell peppers for dinner hahaha. It's amazing how different a day can look :)

Back to studying! For those of you still taking finals, you got this! To those who are done, enjoy yourselves! And to the graduates, congratulations!

06.07.11

1 Timothy 6:11-12
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Not grounding myself in the roots of the Truth leads to the rise of insecurities. I continue to struggle with how people think of me. Over and over again I have to remind myself that God is the one who defines me, not the world, not the people around me. It's easy to resort to the standards of this world but I don't live according to the rules of the world. The world tells me that if I don't receive as much as I give then it's okay to give up. But I am reminded of the unfailing, amazing love of the Father. Loving without expecting anything in return, loving those who don't seem deserving of love, loving those who are hard to love.

Today I hung out with Jenn Chen and I was so blessed by the conversation we had. Being able to share what we're learning, how we're being grown, what we're struggling with. I'm always amazed at the work God is doing in your life. Even though things aren't perfect in your life I'm glad you're able to see the beauty in His plans for you. Continue seeking Him. I'm so jealous that you're going to Africa but I can't wait to see how God will stretch you, use you, and open your heart to see His. You are an encouraging sister and woman of God :)

06.06.11

My last week in Geisel as a worker and student. Spending time with Adina & Jeannette (not pictured) :)

06.05.11

6 more days til graduation. I'm currently at Andy/Daniel/Jun/Kevin/Matt's house studying for finals. That picture is...I don't even know. Daniel is making fun of my blog title "To Life", they get a kick out of it everytime. Pastor Woogie came down from Torrance and we had worship together then headed out to Phil's BBQ for dinner. I liked the message Pastor Woogie shared today. Basically a reminder to make God first in our lives even during this week of finals. If we're not growing closer in our relationship with God then we're growing apart from Him, there's no middle ground. I know I've been in a place of comfort the past couple of weeks in terms of my walk with God, but I'm praying to have the desire to desire Him. To remember Him as my first love and center my life around Him and not myself. When I lose sight of Him I start to focus too much on my insecurities and flaws and short comings. But the Bible reminds me that He is enough and that His grace blankets all my sin. It's always a lesson to go back to.

06.04.11

This is a photo/corkboard that my community group gave to me as an end of the year gift. Thanks, Daisy, Kristina, EJ, and Diane! I was so so blessed to have us be in a community group together. It was my first time being a part of community group (and facilitating one) and I want to thank you for having grace on me! I know I talked a lot at times and said what was on my mind but I'm so glad that we were able to share our lives together this past year. I really want to be able to see you guys again next year so it does not end here!

The end of college is coming by so fast. It's crazy to compare where I was a year ago to where I am now ( I remember where I was exactly a year ago). I'm studying for my last set of finals. I had my last dinner with my community group. AH! but :)

06.03.11

Last day of Week 10. Did I mention that I'm staying in SD for another year? Haha, apparently I didn't even let my good friend Victor Kao know but yes, I'm staying in SD for another year working at a place called Physiotherapy Associates. So call me up and let's hang out! Today Esther and I went to Turquoise Cafe and shared an acai bowl. I like hanging out with Esther. We have the next 4 years of our lives planned out for us. Esther, we're going to be friends for a long long time :) We went back to her place to "study" then we went to El Torito for Grace Jiras' birthday dinner. Hanging out with friends is nice (Richard Wang, Victor Kao, Annie Woo, Andrew Bryant, Grace Lee, Esther Hao) and we went to get golden spoon later. I'm happy and full.

06.02.11

I woke up this morning with a massive headache, and I still have it. WHY!
Today I had my last undergraduate classes! I didn't even realize it until I saw Elsie's status. I went to Souplantation with Elsie and stuffed ourselves with lots and lots of food. Yay for food! And now I'm at home stressing out about the things that I have to do for finals week.

06.01.11

What a day :) I didn't do anything productive but everything FUN!
Started out by going to work, then went to eat at The Bistro in the new transfer housing with Andy Kim, Daniel Kim, Kevin Kim, and Hana Kim! Thanks Hana for feeding the crazy appetites of seniors haha. Afterwards we went to the Ethnic Studies graduation for Kevin and me to get our certificate and sash. The sash is super pretty, you'll get to see it if you come to my graduation Saturday June 11 at 8AM! Afterwards we went to Sprinkles to get some cupcakes. Kevin was kind enough to buy Hana and me one so I tried to KeyLime one today and it was soooo yummy. MMmmm!

Today was the last large group of our senior year so we went for the senior sharing. I was too nervous to go up on stage (plus I didn't sign up) but one thing I'd like to share with everyone is...Be real! To God, to others and to yourself. It's okay to be vulnerable and allow yourself to be broken before others and God because in that place of brokenness is when you're able to recognize how much you need HIm and allow Him to work in your life. Allow Him to show you your sin and allow the Gospel to speak truth into your life. On a different note, YOU WILL WAIT FOR THE ONE! Hahaha, and thanks to my roommates and friends for loving and accepting me for who I am by extending grace and love onto me. I love you guys!

We went to broomball afterwards which was exciting! I fell and my elbow has a scratch that stings but is a proof of my toughness. MUHAHA! Alright it's already late, gnite!