August 2005
08.31.05, Wednesday:
[07:13pm] People talk to me when they have problems and such, I know...and it's a gift, it truly is - that God can use me in such a way. Wow. ^_^
But...
Who do I talk to when it's me that needs advice, or listening to?
There are few. So very few.
I know that you may want to say right now, wait...me...I can help too! I know that you'd mean well from the deepest of your hearts...but it's not that way. If you were to ask me now, I'd just say...yeah, I'm fine...it's okay. But it's not, and I don't know exactly what to do about it.
I've grown up, always being the big sister. What I need is my own big sister or something.
I've never had one.
Or God actually. I mean, not just through prayer, but for Him to sit there with me, and me not having to say a single word since I don't even know the words for all this, and yet He'd know exactly what it is that I'd want to say. And He wouldn't have to say a word. He'd just...understand. And in return, I'd just...know...what He'd say or advise me to do, or how I'd just feel His peace surround all this crap.
And dangit, I need this right now. =(
I think I need to make a phone call.
08.30.05, Tuesday:
[08:24pm] I have a craving for sushi, dang it! It's all that Kabuki-and-Sushimon-talk that's been going on lately...*drool* I don't think I even mind the Nori so much anymore. Woah!!! A milestone, hee hee...^_^
Pictures from Saturday:
Mello's Album - I added some too!!! They're the non-captioned one. If anything, it has something like "gsbday2005" on it. ^_^
And again, Gilbert's Album!
New School Year...starting off great! Lots of funky names (see xanga, ha ha...), visits from old students already (Derek, Rosabel and Yoenn from last year) yesterday and 3 (Kaytie, Nichole from 2 years ago again, and Taylor from last year) today! Supposedly, more are planning to come on Thursday, since I'll be in meetings after school on Wednesday. Wow...I feel special! ^_^
Most of the classes, though packed up at 38, 39 students (and some have to stand in the back since I have no more chairs and tables!), are actually pretty good. The only one that I can tell is going to be troublesome is 2nd period...they're the same period that seems to be a huge potential for craziness for other teachers on my team too. You'd normally think that it'd be 6th period that'd be problematic...but nope...not this time...my 6th is well-behaved. So far. =)
08.28.05, Sunday:
[09:17am] Thank you to everyone that made my birthday great! ^_^ That includes those that put work and energy into the par-tay, food, and those that simply showed up to celebrate! ^_^ And oh of course - gifts were nice too! There were all kinds of fun gifts...though that Japanese phrasebook...I'll have to remember to keep it away from KK forever, muah ha ha...^_^
So on Wednesday through Friday of last week, I basically did a bunch of work at school. My classroom is all decked out and ready to go, and I lesson planned and everything already for the first week. =) On Thursday, I went to a "Staff Welcome Back Happy Hour" thingie at the new Assistant Principal's place - a very nice home, might I add, with a mighty big pool (though the Shums still have the most awesome pool I've ever seen!). The staff meeting that day was also good - if the new administrators are going to follow through with what they say they are going to do (and their reputation is pretty solid and good, as some people knew of them from before they came here), then it's going to be GREAT! ^_^
After school (work!), Rosalyn came over on Wednesday, helped me cook up dinner, went to downtown Riverside Market Night to check out the area, and then perused all the fun things that can be found down at Barnes & Noble. =) A fun chillin' rest of Wednesday. =)
Friday night consisted of Costco-ing and grocery shopping for Saturday's "extravaganza", muah ha...Anyways, yeah, Saturday was mighty fun! Gilbert has some pictures...and I'm sure there's more floating elsewhere too. =) A whole lot of people showed up (*shoutouts time!*) - Gilbert (of course! Thank you! ^_^), my bro, Melody and Megan, Thomas and Theo, Jin, Rosalyn, Jonathan, Anna, Amy, Nina, E.T. ^_^, DVD, Simon, Anthony, Andrew, Derrick, Shelton, Raphael, Kevin K., Tyrone!, Jason L, Calvin, Karen and Chester, and a ton more that weren't there but were a part of it too, like my parents, my Auntie Rosa, and all those wonderful folks that signed the giant card or sent email messages, but couldn't be there. =)
We BBQ'ed, ate...many boys played bball out in the hot sun for like, forever...we watched a bit of Hitch...drew chalk greetings all over the driveway, had gigantic water balloon fights...opened gifts...ate cake...drank lots of fluids (cuz it's hot out here!)...watched slideshows of old pics and Ros's Hawaii DVD...and basically chilled and hung out. =) Too bad I missed out on SUSHI (= tempura goodies)...!!! Aghhhh!! I LOSE! Buuuut...I did get to meander at The Crossings and watch Brothers Grimm. Fun movie - if you like fairy tale stuff (which I do). ^_^
Today - church! Raphael visited! Rosalyn visited! KK visited! What fun! ^_^ And I got to nap in the afternoon. And watch Trick (finished the whole Miracle Mutasai thing)! Ahhh...so much fun to learn and put Japanese to use now (sorta. Still at super-peon level.). ^_^
Snorkeling next Saturday! If I get back in time, it's possible I might get to go to Sushimon...^_^
Oy. Need to prepare for tomorrow - students will start flooding the gates...! O_o
08.24.05, Wednesday:
[06:10am]
After church on Sunday
Just me and my dad for a fun day
To the
IBF 2005 World Championship Finals
The cream of the crop, weeded from the semi-finals
Were here to play
Were here to slay!
(1) My dad and I at the game! I had such a good time with just him! (2) Mixed Doubles: China vs. Indonesia. It was so much fun, with all the Chinese people yelling "Gia Yeo!" ("add gas" = go go go!) and "Szah!" ("kill!" = slam the shuttlecock and win the game!), while the Indonesians chanted "Let's-Go-In-Do-Ne-Sia-Let's-Go!", and would yell "Heeeeeyyyy-yahh!" whenever one of their players would jump up to attack the shuttlecock and slam it across the other side from the back of the court. Both sides had people waving the flag of their respective countries, hee hee. =) The Indonesians players were REALLY GOOD...the Chinese players, though good, didn't have a chance against them! Hidayat, the Indonesian men's singles player, was AWESOME! It wasn't as fun to cheer for the women's singles, as both were from China. The crowd only got crazy on the ones where nations were competing with each other, hee hee. =) (3) We got CheerStix when we went into the Pond. Yay! I had fun slamming them together during the game. ^_^
(4) At the IBF World Championships!!! (5) There was break-dancing between games...
Monday, back to school
Oh how cruel!
No more sleeping in
Playing at the gym
Reading till the wee hours
And making random jowlers!
Instead I cut bulletin paper
And put up posters and borders
Pushed furniture around
Till my muscles were quite wound.
But I did meet our new principal
And by Irish principle
This very cute, wee leprechaun-like fellow
Seems to be at the right level of mellow
Remembers my name
And seems awesome, so I claim!
The new vice
Seems also quite nice
Her height is just right
And a smile so bright!
To the satisfactory of the olfactory
Wendi-chan and I ate at
Old Spaghetti Factory
Reveling in Mizithra Cheese,
Cream Sauce and Ice Cream with ease!
Good luck in Beijing
Maybe visit Nanjing
Or find the late Deng XiaoPing
A map and repellent, don't forget to bring...! ^_^
And Tuesday was another day
Waking up early, I cannot stray
To put color back up on my classroom walls
Jumping up on the red zone of the ladder - luckily there were no falls!
On a Serengeti Trek at the
Elephant Bar
Whose Strawberry Shortcake with Vanilla Ice Cream was way up to par
Surpassing even Cheesecake Factory
Of flavor and quality commendatory!
There were also BBQ and Shrimp Adventure platters
And a Mango Raspberry swirl, mmm...such matters...
Are delicious tinglings galore for tastebuds
Not any of these morsels were duds.
The only harm came from eating too much of a good thing
"Moderation, moderation, moderation", I must sing!
For the celebratory meal, Thank You Shelton!!!
It was simply just so much fun! ^_^
(7) Shelton and I at E-Bar. =) (8) Half of the Strawberry Shortcake, muah ha ha...Yeah...if it's better than Cheesecake Factory, then maybe the world really is ending! ^_^ (9) Food Pic: A signature Lau-dish here: Steamed Catfish, drizzled with sizzling oil on top of ginger and green onions, with soy sauce. This is why Catfish is my favorite of all the fish that exists in the entire world!!! ^_^
And a treat for those of you that read all the way to the end, hee hee...The iPod Flea! (stolen from Neil. Thanks! Muah ha! ^_^)
08.21.05, Sunday:
[08:37am] The sun woke up me, bringing a bright sky that suddenly appeared when it was dark before. Well, I think my eyes were closed, ha ha...=)
Tuesday and Wednesday
There was no soiree
I Buffied, baked and cooked
And of course, precooked!
Played at the gym
Out of habit, not whim
Did some swimming
And el-lip-ti-cal-ling.
Thursday and Friday
Went to play
At a Quantum Learning workshop
Was so not a flop
And to conclude
We got free food!
Thursday night with Jenny
Shopping, eating a plenty
At the Gardens of Victoria.
Not Latin America
But going to UC Berkeley
She'll do great, that Jenny. ^_^
Friday night DVD
Watched a bit of TV
Ate and chilled
For we were thrilled!
He's back from Shanghai
Still fly and spry
Ready for basketball
Such is his thrall.
With Leah and
Asa, Sarah and
Rachel, Benny and
Bianca
(Like that one man, Willy Wonka)
I played a maze
Their energies ablaze
To find their way out
without talking or shout
With only noises and beeps
As they made their leaps.
Saturday came
Shelton parted with his dame
To visit Vegas for the weekend
Visiting family, friends - and one more old friend!
To the home of KimDimShum
In an Island Paradise we swum
Barbecued chicken, ribs, salmon, corn, and kabobs
Around the grill formed the mobs
Waiting for more
For we be eaters hardcore!
Gilbert, Kevin, Maybelle, Andrew...Derrick, DVD, my Bro, I
Thomas, Natalie, Kim, Donald, Simon...(and
maybe a Mediterranean fruit fly)
We studied Galatians
Delved into our foundations
Made many calculations
And ended with faith in His creation and preparations.
Odd Thomas, surprise!
And a gift certificate - surprise, reprise!
Sent by that wonderful Huy
He's awesome, I agree!
^_^
08.15.05, Monday:
[11:53pm] My favorite fobby phrase (did you catch the alliteration?) for now: "Please, take a sit!" Hee hee. It has to be said juuuust right...just like how Shelton said it...I couldn't stop laughing, muah ha ha! =) Maybe this makes us even for you taking my keys. And trying to take my shoe, muah ha. If you DID take my shoe, I'd have to be like Anna last night, calling for my shoe: "Shooooeeee! Shooeeee??? Shoe, where are you??? Come here Shoe!!!" ^_^
Yeah, last night's chatcafe was fun...if we were all actually in person, would we all have been TALKING LOUDLY AND YELLING LIKE THIS??? ^_^ It is too bad we missed Chris Hui and Tyrone! Then there'd be like 8 of us, all yelling together! =)
How I love all the people that God has blessed me with! ^_^
08.14.05, Sunday:
[11:20pm] Since Gilbert asked so nicely, here's an update, hee hee...^_^
On Thursday, my bro and I drove up to Barton Flats to help drive some of Ralm's runners up to Big Bear for the day! Amazingly enough, one of my former students was there, so we got to catch up a little, heh heh. ^_^ My bro and I were dead tired after all the driving, and pretty much crashed when we got home. I stayed up later though, cuz I had to wait for my hair to dry, so I finished all my room cleaning, invited Cecilia over (she's 18 already!!! Woah!), and had her choose through all the clothes that I hadn't worn in a while, and was forcing myself to give away, regardless of me keeping them for sentimental reasons or whatever, heh heh...the rest, I divided at church - I keep my stuff in good condition, and still do have sentimental attachments to most of them (can you tell I'm one of those people that collect a lot of stuff and have a hard time getting rid of stuff because everything matters somehow??? Hee hee...), so at least I know that they went to good and caring homes. =) And at least my room is all cleaned up now too! =)
My bro taught VBS on Friday and I was to be a jailer in his skit, so we went early to build his set for the Bible Story, and practice our lines. Again, during VBS, I scared Gavin again, unintentionally, hee hee. I like this little guy though, and he always is looking at me when I'm not dressed up as a soldier or Bible-time person. I think he's trying to figure out who I really am, muah ha ha. =) Gilbert got a picture of me dressed up as a soldier on Friday's VBS Bible Expedition section! =)
I spent most of Saturday morning at Costco with my mom [Costco is awesome!!! =)] before going with Shelton to the Lake Elsinore Outlets to do some mini-shopping. I got shorts to replace the ones I lost at the recent retreat...my shorts must have fallen in the parking lot somewhere at Lake Gregory...and they were simply gone...gone...gone...so sad! I've had them for years and years...but the new ones are just as nice, if not better, and wonderfully cheap too. =)
After church (Aghhh! NINA finally returned my pants! She's had them for...3 months!!! Hee hee...soooo funny! I love Nina, cuz we get each other's weird goofiness, muah ha...!) and the GB meeting, my bro, Derrick, Anna, Shelton and I went to Melody's to help her with the moving. Woah! There were tons of people there - the Lu's, the Cheung's, the Horowitz's, Manlin, and all of us! It was exceptionally fun to:
Another thing that I do love about summer break is having these opportunities to just hang out with friends - like hanging out and helping friends move to a new place, for example, and not have to worry about grading so many papers or getting back home in time to review the next day's lesson plans and sleep so that I can get up the next day on time. These times are precious and valued, indeed. =)
Really important...please don't forget to pray for little Tila! She's this infant at church...and has had all kinds of crazy health implications since birth. Doctors have no idea what is wrong with her, despite running CAT scans and MRI's on her...it can be so frustrating for the family and for everyone else, especially since she's just this baby that has done nothing wrong...! She gets sick easily...she's often lethargic...had been diagnosed with anemia, but it's way more than that...her eyes have been droopy but at the moment, nobody knows WHY (I mean, they can do cosmetic surgery, but that doesn't solve the problem at all!) and it has something to do with her muscles...it's way more than any little girl infant should ever have to go through.
Recent Pictures! ^_^
(1) Tomatoes and Eggs Dish that Shelton made! Mmm...! ^_^ (2) Scorned Woman Mabo Tofu, made with silky tofu and special hot sauce...also designed by "Ducky". =) (3) Mmm...I made Bruschetta the other day, using the green onions and sun-kissed tomatoes (fresh and warmed by the sun!) in our backyard, and swiss cheese, gooey-fied by the toaster oven! =)
(3) Derrick is the man! =) (4) Anna's picture of me, ha ha... (5) Anna, pensive and cute! ^_^
08.10.05, Wednesday:
[04:48pm] What a fun couple of days! =) I haven't uploaded pictures, but there are more food pictures (and yes, I'm glad this is something that I've gotten Heidi to do too! ^_^ As well as Mello bolding names ^_^!)
Thanks Huy, for the tip on Ant Bait Gel! =) We use those here too, and they work awesome! No more ant problems here, but do any of you know where to get those Chinese Ant Chalk things around here??? Hee hee...while browsing online, it's supposedly illegal to sell. Hmm.
I'm curious though. I want to try it on an ant. Lorie says that she once saw an ant walking on the wall, so she drew an circle around it. The ant went this way and that way, but couldn't escape. In the end, it just jumped off the wall, hee hee hee...^_^
Current Info:
Time to start cooking dinner! =)
08.07.05, Sunday:
[11:01pm]
Friday Hung out with Rosalyn and Yvonne at the Glendale Galleria, before visiting Jenn and Brian's place in Burbank. =) We were joined by Takako and Wilkin for dinner at the Tam's. Fun fun! Watched the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, debuted Ros's DVD movie on our trip to Hawaii, and was there to see Yvonne in her wedding dress! Wow! ^_^
Saturday Went all over the place for sewing things with my mom, and all four Lau's ate lunch at Pho Dat. =) After a full day of shopping (99 cents store, Albertson's), I came home and got to cook, cook, cook for the YAF fellowship we had at our house! Tyrone came too! Yay! =) Also present were Kevin and Maybelle (thanks for helping me cook! ^_^), Ralm, Melody and Megan (thank you both for all your help too!!!), and my bro, Shelton, and I. =) Lots of food, lots of fellowship, and an excellent Bible Study on the jealousy that grew between the Jews and the Gentiles, the reason why Peter felt pressure to not associate with the Gentiles by the Jewish leaders, and how it is applicable to our lives, as we continued on Galations. =) After all that, I got to watch more Inuyasha with Shelton. He's the best, by the way. =)
Sunday
(1) It's Giang! ^_^ (ain't she the cutest??? She is!!!) (2) It's Me! ^_^ (3) Dessert: Fancy looking oranges. =)
The idea is becoming more and more concrete in my head: I'd make my own little Asian cafe. It'd have Boba and other neat drinks (like chrysanthemum tea, milk tea, green tea, teet-kun-yum tea...and yes, even coffee-type drinks, because though I don't drink it myself, I really did enjoy making them when I used to work at the coffee store! The espresso machine, and making foam for cappuccinos, is really quite fun!), Sesame Paste ("hun yun woo"), Shave Ice (with ice cream, mochi, sweetened condensed milk, and a bunch of flavors available!), yummy grilled sandwiches, all kinds of noodles, excellent fried rice, a few specialty dishes, and snackin' goodies, like Banana Nut Bread, Curry Fishballs, and the like. And desserts ranging from the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies, Strawberry Napoleons, Butter Mochi, Mango Mousse Cake, Chocolate Lust, Coconut/Red Bean Popsicles to Red Bean Ice and Almond Jello. Ooo, and let's not forget the Sticky Rice with Mangoes!
Since we're so far from 99 Ranch, we'd have to have some processed goodies: there'd be Shrimp Snacks, Shrimp Chips, Wasabi Peas, Rice Crackers, those little packets of Honey Rice Balls, and of course, good ol' Pocky. Mmm. Other pre-packaged stuff would have to be thirst quenchers, like VitaSoy, Lemon Tea, and Honey Chrysanthemum Tea.
There'd be indoor and some outdoor seating. It'd be nice to have a set of couches and a pool table on one side somewhere inside, and a few arcade games on another side (Bust-a-Move, Streetfighter, and PuzzleFighter).
Even cooler if there was just a tiny stage for live music from local musicians. =)
Heck, I'll even throw in the pencil machine. =)
08.04.05, Thursday:
[11:58pm] Ants have invaded my bathroom. =(
I channeled surfed this morning while eating my breakfast, and came upon PBS's Berenstain Bears! I used to watch them, and read these books all the time...and it was teaching such good things on TV. =) The first episode was about how family and friends come before money, when Brother and Sister started spending too much time earning money instead of spending time with the people (bears) that matter...and the second one was about standing up to peer pressure. And they weren't cheesy-fake. Such good cartoons. ^_^
I got our Ohana Picture! =) That's Kurt, William, Me, Megan, Joanne, Anna, and Amy! "Oooooohana *pop*!!!" ^_^ Ah...such pride, even after this weekend's retreat! ^_^ The second picture is all props to Joanne! Ohana pride!!! ^_^
08.03.05, Wednesday:
[11:20pm] Made dinner tonight. (1) Mango Hen Delight (Rock Cornish Hen, crispy pan-fried, flavored with sweet-chili sauce and sweet mangoes! Gummy Version® of what was at Thaifoon, ha ha...)! The picture doesn't do it justice...perhaps if I put it in a fancier plate ha ha...(2)Armenian Cucumbers from our backyard...I finished up the carrots from yesterday's and mixed it with a smidge of Italian dressing and raisins! Yummy. My mom said of all my summer creations, she liked the Mango Hen Delight the most. Wow. =)
After cooking dinner, I met up with Angela at Coffee Depot! Yummy. I got an ice-blended Moondoggie...hooked...I don't drink coffee-fied things much, and so after a bit of it, I was already ready to move around! So we went to Downtown Riverside for Market Night, and meandered passed the vendors to watch the live band play for the night. They were good. =) It's always fun to watch live music...not the yelling, screaming, scary type, but plain ol' good-with-the-guitar-and-drums-stuff, ha ha...with other instruments thrown in too. =) It's like, sometimes you see famous people sing live, and they actually DON'T sing quite so good. That's one of the benefits of live music, ha ha...and the other is that it's just nice to chill there. =)
I dreamt that I was slaying vampires last night. Aiya. Too much Buffy eh? Can there ever be too much??? Hee hee...^_^
Sigh. Heidi's out of the Inland Empire already. I used to go to Downtown Riverside with her, a few times in the past. Aw, already missing her! Send my regards to Selma up in Oregon...and good luck when you go to Ghana! ^_^
Oh yeah! I got pictures from Lorie, hee hee...
(1) Lorie making the Firecracker Shrimp Rolls! ^_^ (2) Me making the rolls too! and (3) The first two uncooked-not-fried-yet rolls made by both of us!
[09:09am] For Shelton's Birthday:
(1) Went swimming again, and hung out! (blurry picture for your entertainment! ^_^) (2) Lunch: A yummy grilled salmon lunch with special dressing, ha ha...and a carrot-pineapple-raisin salad thing! ^_^ (3) Meandered at Irvine Spectrum, and played with the animals at the pet shop! Found a sleeping mouse, hee hee...so kawaii (cute in Japanese. I'm practicing what I'm learning from Inuyasha, hee hee...)! =)
(4 & 5) Ate at Thaifoon! Hmm. Rating? 6 out of 10. Good points came from the Wasabi Mashed Potatoes (I'm going to try to make that!), complimentary dessert (raspberry sherbet on a cookie!), and the Mango Chicken (though it's make-able at home too!), and negative points on the Evil Jungle Princess Curry Beef and...BROWN rice (aghhh! Of all evils! Ha ha...^_^)! Would I go again? Only to try the Drunken Shrimp, which they set on fire and looks cool, ha ha...but the good stuff was stuff I can make at home, and it wasn't anything too special of a place to dine at. But at least we tried it and reviewed it here for you! ^_^ (6) Came home to post up a very cool Simpson's Poster and eat the Mango Cream Cake I made! Actually, I was trying a new cake recipe. Almost perfected, though not quite. =)
08.02.05, Tuesday:
[07:47am] Happy Birthday Shelton!!! ^_^
08.01.05, Monday:
[10:20am] Happy August!!! =) Wow, August is already here! And what a wonderful month it is! Ha ha...^_^
Retreat was AWESOME! Oh my goodness, where do I start??? I don't think I can type it all in, despite getting 10 hours of sleep last night (sleep, heavenly, sleep...!), because it would take 24 hours to do it all! =)
(1) Shelton (2) and Kevin both did a great job getting it all put together! I mean, wow! (3) By the end of it, we really all did become One Church, One Family, which was our theme for the weekend. =)
(4) My small group, Ohana, was awesome! We were the only ones that visible pride, ha ha..."Ooooohana! *POP!*" was our group's call. =) (5) We had Kurt, the artist, who drew each of us our picture on the front of our encouragement notes, and (6) William, who was called Moses during our hike, since he had a staff and used his t-shirt wisely to block the heat from the sun. =)
(7) Amy, Megan, (8) Anna and Joanne made up the rest of our Ohana! =) (9) We even met up for small group in my car a few times, which was fun! =)
(10) Ed Lu was our amazing speaker for the weekend (in center, next to Kevin Lou and Theo!), and God used his messages to deliver the themes of love and acceptance, fellowship, and accountability to all of us. (11) There were even llamas there at the retreat that we got to feed! (12) Yep, one happy family, where we accepted even the craziness that each of us had to offer.
(13) We took lots of pictures, but I only have a fraction of them. I hope everyone else sends me their pictures!!! It'd be cool to put them all together into one CD for everyone! ^_^ (14) Looking back, there were a few things we all learned about retreats...but I'd do this again in a heartbeat! (15) All glory, and honor, and praise to Him, for all that He's done, and all that He is. =)
Other highlights included: