[HEART] unsettled - enrolment
[EYES] blinded by the sun - and its winter here?!
[EARS] garden state soundtrack
[HEAD] better is one day in Your court than a thousand elsewhere
[HANDS] made super healthy juice + barley green
i've finally finished the k-drama that I've been watching for the past couple of weeks. but to say that i watched the whole thing would be lying. i was about 1/3 of the way thru when i decided to skip to the last episode (i dont think i have a dark side like harry tho - its not because in case I die before I finish, I know how it ends). these are seriously taking a lot of time and was dragging a bit. i got to a point where i was really impatient and also i didnt want to watch the part where the baddies had all these evil schemes against the good guys (who are so nice that they'd def fall for it).
I couldnt sleep last night because i had too much tea at night. its really annoying trying to enter sleep when your head is wide awake (i heard insomnia is like when an alcoholic is being locked out of a bar..is it?) and the weird thing is, it is usually during that time that i am most energetic and alert. i could think of a lot things and ideas, but too bad the next morning id forget them. (will write them down next time)
i did finally fall alseep and had a dream that a friend from Cali was driving me on her Jeep from a shopping mall back to my dorm room (we drove across the desert and rocky mountains-oh so fun). But the strange thing was, it wasnt my old room and it was messy - seriously dirty with clothes all over the floor and there were my 'friends' cept i didnt know who they were (they all had strange hair and were wearing hawaiian shirts) and i kept asking 'do you know this and that person' and they had no idea what i was talking about. freaked me out.
my daily schedules these days consist of dining with a whole bunch of ppl coz its CNY. yup! its that time of the year in taiwan now where people eat eat and eat. its all about the food (thats what i think), old friend/family gatherings, and kids getting pocket money. when i wake up, i get ready for lunch, and after lunch i get ready for dinner. this is really not my ideal lifestyle but thankfully it will all be over soon!
going to this hot spring place this arvo! fun fun!
oh, i was watching 'before sunrise' again the other day :) (who got me addicted? :p )
celine: "Isn't everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?"
was thinking that i went thru hs wanting to excel in everthing, wanting to be the asian-stereotypical-'good'-girl-that-does-everything-'right' - all because of the need for others' approval. but by the grace of God, i now know of His unconditional love and am learning that i dont have to seek peoples' approvals, but only His alone.
okies, au revoir so long farewell...toodles
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Friday, January 27, 2006
weekly ramblings - update!
[HEART] tattooed
[EYES] red lanterns - CNY is coming up!
[EARS] santa esmeralda
[HEAD] you are what you eat?! Noooooooo!
[HANDS] Burt's Bee Hand Salve
Weirdness! Apparently 4 blokes in sydney have put themselves up for ebay bids - they guarantee a fun weekend (feb 18-19) with "some beers, some snags, some good conversation and a hell of a lot of laughs". There might even be a mystery guest from the UK so they said whoever the "lucky winner" is, he/she will basically get 5 for the price of 4!!haha..as I write, the highet bid now is at $1275!! crazyness huh!
Link to the ebay page is here (the bids end 4th Feb)! Hmm, my sis' bday is that weekend also. I still dont know what im getting her! :p jk
Anyways, what else is new these days?! I've been really busy with so many family events and gatherings.
Some random pics I took. I do have cousins my age afterall, not just the younger ones!We had this japanese buffet lunch at Hyatt and it was yummmm...I still dont know how I managed to fit all that amount of food into my tummy...the stomache is one amazing creation! I must've gotten up 6 times to get food..arghh its bad i know. What I dont like about having buffet is that you don't really get a chance to talk to others. Everyones already thinking about what they are getting next before they finish their current food on their plate.
Anyways, on Monday I was at the gym running on the treadmill whilst flipping through the TV channels, hoping to find a good program which would take my mind off the time (you know how it is). Then, something caught my eyes on Discovery Channel! There was this Ethiopian village lady with this reallly drroooopy bottom lip. At first I thought she was chewing on some beef thats why something was hanging from her mouth..but NO!! its her lips!! Then, she began to insert a circular clay disk to her lips by stretching her lowerlip like a rubber band! Apparently, its called 'lip plates' which is part of the culture of Surma tribe in Ethiopia ><
Here is a photo of a lady wearing one. It can be quite disturbing and painful to look at.
Interesting facts! They said that the greater the lip plate is, the more precious the woman is. Size is proportional to the number of cows a man has to pay for the a woman to marry her. At a young age, a small incision is made into the girl’s bottom lip, the front teeth of the lower jaw are removed, and a disc of baked clay is inserted into the incision. As the girl ages, and the bottom lip stretches with the weight of the plate, the smaller discs are removed and replaced with ever-larger discs, further stretching the lip until it becomes so distended that the lip (with the plate removed) can sometimes be pulled right over the head!
Wow, the most interesting program I've seen all week. The best part is?! ---> I ran for 30min straight on the 'mill without counting down!! yayyy to educational tv!
Yesterday, I went on a day trip to TaiChung with my parents and my dad's college friends. I was the only 'kid' with a whole bunch of fiftysomethings. They hired this van and a driver so it was great that we didnt need to drive and could chat with everyone. The tour guide was my dad (we all thought he should've been one professionally) and the van itself was pretty neat coz it has karaoke! I'd never karaoke-ed before and because the trip was long, they were all singing (songs from the 70s)...uhmmm...I pretended that I was asleep so that they wouldn't make me sing. Yes I know, that makes me an anti-social. Anyways, that many hours on the van also forced me to listen to my parents convo with their college friends. While they were reminiscing about the past, I could actually see them as college kids!! Crazy. I really wish that some day 30 years later I'll be able to do something similar with my friends and introduce them by saying "we went to school/college together". (oldness i know)!
When I was a high schooler, I used to think friends are the people you talk to on the phone for hours each night because you really cannot afford to wait till the next morning at school. Now, as a college student, a friend is not necessary someone I have to talk to every week (or even see), but someone who'd call/write to me once in a while (or on special occasions) to catch up.
Arghhh, so I am still in the process of enrolling for my classes next semester. I think I *may* still have 2 more years. huh?! what?!
Okay, over the next 2 years i gotta do -> THE thesis, stats double major (?), honors (hopefully!)
I dont know, everything is still uncertain.....arghhhhhhhhhhhhh
I long for the day of my graduation, and the day when I'll finally get to say "we went to college together". :D
Love the message from last Sunday's sermon. (Im still not that used to the church here, but I'm learning different things...and I guess I am leaving in 2-3 weeks anyway).
"For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)
Really made me think about my priorities...arghh its hard to get it straight but I am still learning.
Ok, my tv show is on :p
Thursday, January 26, 2006
BBC's photo competition
These are some of my favourite photos from BBC's "In pictures" page. The competition's theme is something called 'A mother's view on childhood". I wish I could 'capture the moment' like these photographers. The caption said that the girl in the 1st column, 2nd row captured the attention of the photographer b/c of her husky-dog like eyes!
blast from the past
I was playing around with Picassa and voila! these 2 collages were made. It was soo hard selecting these pics from the thousands I took last year, hopefully i'll make another one when I have more time - man, the elimination process was painful! Each single photo holds a special memory and I needn't say more now coz "a picture is worth a thousand words". Hmm, I have 128 pics here...wow, this is the prob the longest post ever!
Saturday, January 21, 2006
its quiz time!
ISFJ - "Conservator". Desires to be of service and to minister to individual needs - very loyal. 13.8% of total population. |
Main Type | Overall Self |
 |  |
Enneagram Test Results
Your variant is social |
Brain Lateralization Test Results |
| Right Brain (38%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain. Left Brain (62%) The left hemisphere is the logical, articulate, assertive, and practical side of the brain |
Eysenck's Test Results |
| Extraversion (52%) medium which suggests you are moderately talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting. Neuroticism (62%) moderately high which suggests you are worrying, insecure, emotional, and anxious. Psychoticism (36%) moderately low which suggests you are, at times, overly kind natured, trusting, and helpful at the expense of your own individual development (martyr complex). |
Fake smile?! click here to see if you can tell whether someone's smile is genuine or not! I got 13/20!
How do you tell the difference?!
-Lines around the eyes do sometimes appear in intense fake smiles, and the cheeks may bunch up, making it look as if the eyes are contracting and the smile is genuine.
-When a smile is genuine, the eye cover fold - the fleshy part of the eye between the eyebrow and the eyelid - moves downwards and the end of the eyebrows dip slightly.
So be careful, don't fake your smile with me coz I'll know..hahaha
-When a smile is genuine, the eye cover fold - the fleshy part of the eye between the eyebrow and the eyelid - moves downwards and the end of the eyebrows dip slightly.
So be careful, don't fake your smile with me coz I'll know..hahaha
Lastly, my fav quiz today: what sex is your brain? Apparently, they don't know whether I'm a guy or girl since I rank right in between.
You may be wondering why I have so much free time on my hand to do all these time consuming online tests... I've dropped out of my HIV summer class. Yup! No more reading up on all these journals and posting my opinions on the (intimidating) discussion boards! I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, because it is hard to be "on holiday" while constantly having something eeky on the back of my mind. Seems like my decision making skill is improving..Go Viv!!
Big extended-family gathering this weekend (dad's side)! Kinda looking forward to it because I'll get to see all my cousins. I've only met most of them once or twice and it would be interesting to see them now that they are older (and hopefully not as naughty). Last time, this 5 yrs old cousin (whos a tv-addict...he could memorise every single tv commercial..seriously!!) smothered cream cheese all over my mum's Lladro statue of Jesus, claiming that he was washing Jesus' hair. I thought my aunty would be angry, but no....she was actually proud of her son's 'creativity'! *sighs in disbelief*. haha i hope its not going to be as eventful this time! :D
Friday, January 20, 2006
strange but true
British woman weds dolphin
December 30, 2005 - 8:27AM
British tourist Sharon Tendler has finally made her dream match - by "marrying" a dolphin she has been visiting for 15 years in the Israeli resort of Eilat, the mass-circulation Yediot Ahronot daily reported.
Tendler, 41, has been visiting the city on the Gulf of Aqaba two or three times a year to spend time with her 35-year-old underwater sweetheart.
"The peace and tranquility under water, and his love, would calm me down," the Israeli daily quoted her as saying.
Last week Tendler finally plucked up the courage to ask the dolphin's trainer for the mammal's fin in marriage.
The wedding took place Wednesday, with the bride, wearing a white dress and watched by amazed spectators, walking down the dock to where the groom was waiting in the water.
She kissed him, to the cheers of the spectators and then, after the ceremony was sealed with some mackerels, was tossed into the water so she could swim away with her new husband.
"I'm the happiest girl on earth," the bride was quoted as saying.
"I made a dream come true. And I am not a pervert."
article can be found here
December 30, 2005 - 8:27AM
British tourist Sharon Tendler has finally made her dream match - by "marrying" a dolphin she has been visiting for 15 years in the Israeli resort of Eilat, the mass-circulation Yediot Ahronot daily reported.
Tendler, 41, has been visiting the city on the Gulf of Aqaba two or three times a year to spend time with her 35-year-old underwater sweetheart.
"The peace and tranquility under water, and his love, would calm me down," the Israeli daily quoted her as saying.
Last week Tendler finally plucked up the courage to ask the dolphin's trainer for the mammal's fin in marriage.
The wedding took place Wednesday, with the bride, wearing a white dress and watched by amazed spectators, walking down the dock to where the groom was waiting in the water.
She kissed him, to the cheers of the spectators and then, after the ceremony was sealed with some mackerels, was tossed into the water so she could swim away with her new husband.
"I'm the happiest girl on earth," the bride was quoted as saying.
"I made a dream come true. And I am not a pervert."
article can be found here
Sunday, January 15, 2006
moving on...
I get really excited when I talk to my exchange friends about the past year...sentences that begin with "do you remember the time when we...." - it's so awesome, like 2 flashbacks but only one image! :)
But as much as I miss my life in the US, dwelling on the past hinders 'progress' and so I've finally decided it is time for me to move on - start living in The Present, and as Harold Wilson said, "He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery."
I dont want to decay so the following actions should be taken immediately:
1) stop checking chicago tribune or USAToday for news updates. checking weather forecast there does me no good either.
2) take the US bills/notes out of my wallet. it is NOT accepted here.
3) change the time on my watch to the current time here. i dont need to know what time it is in Illinois. (right now, I add 24+2 hours for current time)
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Was able to see my old friends from NZ last week. Jen and Anita grew up so much and Anita is almost or prob as tall as me! I still remember seeing her as a baby 10 years ago! Anyways, Jen bought a really cool cellphone last week and it has pretty neat features like taking photos with crazy frames. here we were testing it out :p
Outing with Madz last week :) Another old kiwi friend..
But as much as I miss my life in the US, dwelling on the past hinders 'progress' and so I've finally decided it is time for me to move on - start living in The Present, and as Harold Wilson said, "He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery."
I dont want to decay so the following actions should be taken immediately:
1) stop checking chicago tribune or USAToday for news updates. checking weather forecast there does me no good either.
2) take the US bills/notes out of my wallet. it is NOT accepted here.
3) change the time on my watch to the current time here. i dont need to know what time it is in Illinois. (right now, I add 24+2 hours for current time)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Was able to see my old friends from NZ last week. Jen and Anita grew up so much and Anita is almost or prob as tall as me! I still remember seeing her as a baby 10 years ago! Anyways, Jen bought a really cool cellphone last week and it has pretty neat features like taking photos with crazy frames. here we were testing it out :p
Outing with Madz last week :) Another old kiwi friend..
Friday, January 13, 2006
guilty secret lives of working women
I was woken up this morning by a sudden pain on my right ankle! It turned out that I had
somehow sprained my ankle in my sleep (how? je ne sais pas!). So today I've been limping around the house and also reading Jane Austen's Emma. I've made a summer reading list recently (planning to finish 8 books before school starts). I've just finished reading the book "I dont know how she does it" by Allison Pearson. I saw it on Oprah a few years back and thought it would be an interesting read for 21st century women (and guys trying to understand 21st century women) :)
A lot of women these days have to choose between having a career or being a wife and mother. In this book, you can see the devastating consequences of a woman juggling it all - yet trying to maintain her sense of self. She talked a lot about 'guilt' career mums have to experience (like paying their nanny extra $$$ so that they would 'love' her kids more). Also, trying to excel at work would mean losing time with family and missing out on your kids' development. The start of the book is pretty funny too, how she just got back from a business trip at like 3am and was in the kitchen trying to make the store-bought pies look home-made by battering them with a rolling-pin or something because she doesnt want her daughter to be the only kid at school whose mum doesnt have time for these kind of things.
Funny office dynamic:
"The women in the offices of EMF don't tend to display pictures of their kids. The higher
they go up the ladder, the fewer the photographs. If a man has pictures of kids on his
desk, it enhances his humanity; if a woman has them it decreases hers. Why? Because he's
not supposed to be home with the children; she is."
The author takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride - sometimes I find myself laughing out loud and other times feeling achingly sad for what she has to miss out on (her kids' bedtime etc). While I dont agree with everything she said (I think some of the experiences are greatly exaggerated) and towards the end of the book it sorts of wears down a bit, it is still an enjoyable read because the narrator's voice is so likable and witty...you can easily relate to her whether or not you are in her shoes.
This book reminded me of the Bioinformatics career talk I attended 2 years ago.
There were all these all-important scientists/CS ppl from some companies giving us
uncertain bioinformaticians-to-be advices about our career paths. While I was thinking of intelligent questions to impress these advisors with, my friend asked me if we could ask this advisor together (the only female one there!) about how she manages to juggle marriage and work etc., and what should comes first, marriage/kids or PhD? Sigh, decisions/sacrifices we have to make...:p
Came across this funny quote the other day:
"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition." -Timothy Leary :p
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I'm not a gadgety person but I am so into the new MacBook Pro!!!! Too bad I've a laptop already. :(
Look at it!! Its so pretty!
Description (from their website):
You’ve dreamed about it long enough. Now it has a name: MacBook Pro. Powered by a dual-core Intel engine. Up to four times the speed of the PowerBook G4. Eight times the graphics bandwidth. With built-in iSight for instant video conferencing on the move. And Front Row with Apple Remote to dazzle everyone in the room. Wait no more. MacBook Pro starts at just $1999.
somehow sprained my ankle in my sleep (how? je ne sais pas!). So today I've been limping around the house and also reading Jane Austen's Emma. I've made a summer reading list recently (planning to finish 8 books before school starts). I've just finished reading the book "I dont know how she does it" by Allison Pearson. I saw it on Oprah a few years back and thought it would be an interesting read for 21st century women (and guys trying to understand 21st century women) :)
A lot of women these days have to choose between having a career or being a wife and mother. In this book, you can see the devastating consequences of a woman juggling it all - yet trying to maintain her sense of self. She talked a lot about 'guilt' career mums have to experience (like paying their nanny extra $$$ so that they would 'love' her kids more). Also, trying to excel at work would mean losing time with family and missing out on your kids' development. The start of the book is pretty funny too, how she just got back from a business trip at like 3am and was in the kitchen trying to make the store-bought pies look home-made by battering them with a rolling-pin or something because she doesnt want her daughter to be the only kid at school whose mum doesnt have time for these kind of things.
Funny office dynamic:
"The women in the offices of EMF don't tend to display pictures of their kids. The higher
they go up the ladder, the fewer the photographs. If a man has pictures of kids on his
desk, it enhances his humanity; if a woman has them it decreases hers. Why? Because he's
not supposed to be home with the children; she is."
The author takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride - sometimes I find myself laughing out loud and other times feeling achingly sad for what she has to miss out on (her kids' bedtime etc). While I dont agree with everything she said (I think some of the experiences are greatly exaggerated) and towards the end of the book it sorts of wears down a bit, it is still an enjoyable read because the narrator's voice is so likable and witty...you can easily relate to her whether or not you are in her shoes.
This book reminded me of the Bioinformatics career talk I attended 2 years ago.
There were all these all-important scientists/CS ppl from some companies giving us
uncertain bioinformaticians-to-be advices about our career paths. While I was thinking of intelligent questions to impress these advisors with, my friend asked me if we could ask this advisor together (the only female one there!) about how she manages to juggle marriage and work etc., and what should comes first, marriage/kids or PhD? Sigh, decisions/sacrifices we have to make...:p
Came across this funny quote the other day:
"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition." -Timothy Leary :p
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm not a gadgety person but I am so into the new MacBook Pro!!!! Too bad I've a laptop already. :(
Look at it!! Its so pretty!
Description (from their website):You’ve dreamed about it long enough. Now it has a name: MacBook Pro. Powered by a dual-core Intel engine. Up to four times the speed of the PowerBook G4. Eight times the graphics bandwidth. With built-in iSight for instant video conferencing on the move. And Front Row with Apple Remote to dazzle everyone in the room. Wait no more. MacBook Pro starts at just $1999.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
was lying awake all night last night, not being able to fall asleep because I was so worried about enrolling for classes next semester and not being able to catch up in my HIV class as I missed a week of it. As for now, I have no idea what my group is talking about on in the discussion board and I can't watch the DVD the school sent me from Sydney as it only plays on aus. dvd players!
Anyways, thoughts were jumping everywhere in my mind and all of a sudden I realized that exactly 365 calendars days ago, I began my big journey to the US of A!! Then the song "seasons of love" from RENT began to play in my head....
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure -- measure a year?
In daylights -- In sunsets
In midnights -- In cups of coffee
In inches -- In miles
In laughter -- In strife
.....
It's time now - to sing out
Tho' the story never ends
Let's celebrate
Remember a year in the life of friends
I think I should dedicate some space here to this anniversary :p
Here are some memories of Spring Semester 1 on top of my head:
1. Meeting my "twin" Viv..
so here is a typical greeting when we introduce ourselves..
She'd say "Hi, my name is Viv, and I am an exchange student from Australia...I live in Daniels Hall and my major is CS..."
I'd say "My name is also Viv and uhh, I am an exchange student from Australia too...yes Daniels Hall - ohh BUT on DIFF floors..ummm yes...and same major" (i'd feel pretty lame by then).
Who could tell us apart?
2. Learning that I could actually live WITHOUT the following:
TV - i watch MOST american tv show in sydney, but none at all in the US...how did i survive?! (but i will admit to netflix/blockbuster in S2)
Cellphone - I never once left my house in syd without this device. First week in the US, I'd be reaching into my bag for my cell only to realize - i dont have one!
Shopping - although champaign-urbana does not exactly offer the most exciting shopping experience, I actually realized that I don't like retail therapy after all.
3. Our weekly girls night playing pictionary and taboo! :) So much laughter :D
4. Walking to 6-pack for dinner when it started snowing...someone began singing #let it snow.........
5. Joining Ballroom Dancing classes...hmmm very interesting experience. Who knew that that many people from my CS classes were secret dancers?
6. Looooong Sat. morning breakfast/weekday dinners with Viv at ISR...talking about the "politics" :p
7. I went to Todai
8. Going to 6 flags JUST before finals :p
9. Attempts to grow daisies in my room
10. Car breaking down on the way back from Chicago...changing tires in the middle of the night...should i mention it was -20C?
11. Missing all my Monday classes for 6 weeks because I didnt know about them
12. Arguing with desk clerk that i DONT have a phone port in my room. The RA saw it within a second he entered my room ><
13. Being the "tour guide" for Engineering Open House...uhhh
14. NCAA basketball finals!! experience of a lifetime....its not everyday you see EVERYONE wearing BRIGHT orange shirts on campus.
15. Arghh...the midnight breakfast with Viv, Memo and Marinella :) Oh, and lobster dinner too with Cassandra! Seeing crazy people with 5 lobsters on their trays.
16. Morning devotions with Jess and Viv during S1 :) It's amazing to see how God brought us together so that we could all grow in Him and start the day with His words in our heart. 17. Monday prayer meetings...definitely the highlight!! and chi-der's generous heart for preparing us dinner.
18. Mom's day on Campus!! Also headed to Springfield that day and saw a lot of people who like to dress up as Abraham Lincoln.
19. The farewell dinner at Cafe Luna...and dealing with the bill at the end ><
20. Fiddler on the Roof and Les miserable.... I <3 Broadways!
21. Thunderstorms at the Homer Lake park picnic...EVERYONE got totally drenched!!
22. Egyptian Coffee night at Cosmo Club?!?!!?!
23. Realizing the power of prayers!! He taught me to have faith in Him through praying. I was confused with my future (well i still don't know for sure what I will do, but I am so much clearer about certain things), and was given an opportunity for job interview at my dream company! He provides and orchestrates everything in our lives for His good purposes! Ok, so I submitted my resume days late, and copy/pasted the wrong company name on my cover letter...and really said something I shouldn't have during the phone interview...but still..EVERYTHING is possible through God!!
24. Me and Cindy enjoying the ride...:p Who knew that the 2 guys in our cs411 project group were such hard workers?!
25. Libary opened 24hrs during finals ><
26. Ice hockey game with Amanda and all these offensive chants!!
27. ICCF (fellowship)..really rewarding Bible studies.
28. Was surprised to find out my neighbour (person i shared bathroom with) was this woman older than my mum. I guess I watched too much of Felicity in Sydney and was expecting some crazy american college student rather than someone who'd come knocking on my door in her nightgown at 10pm to ask whether I was vacuuming "at this crazy hour" (I wasnt).
29. Viv's surprise bday party at Daniels Hall lounge! I had to make sure that she doesnt leave the dorm....praise God for the tornados that night that stopped her from going out!
Wow, I've been typing so much already....this could go on for ages...so I should stop.
But two verses that really stuck during S1:
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."I Samuel 16:7
"The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." Job 1:21
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On another happy note, I've been receiving a lot of emails from my 'long lost' friends these days! They really make my days!! It really sucks when people lose contacts as years go by...
Oh, and did you make those New Years resolutions? It's been 10 days and are you finding yourselves sneaking that extra piece of oreos or 'accidently' missing a gym class? I found this website very useful: click here!
Anyways, thoughts were jumping everywhere in my mind and all of a sudden I realized that exactly 365 calendars days ago, I began my big journey to the US of A!! Then the song "seasons of love" from RENT began to play in my head....
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure -- measure a year?
In daylights -- In sunsets
In midnights -- In cups of coffee
In inches -- In miles
In laughter -- In strife
.....
It's time now - to sing out
Tho' the story never ends
Let's celebrate
Remember a year in the life of friends
I think I should dedicate some space here to this anniversary :p
Here are some memories of Spring Semester 1 on top of my head:
1. Meeting my "twin" Viv..
so here is a typical greeting when we introduce ourselves..
She'd say "Hi, my name is Viv, and I am an exchange student from Australia...I live in Daniels Hall and my major is CS..."
I'd say "My name is also Viv and uhh, I am an exchange student from Australia too...yes Daniels Hall - ohh BUT on DIFF floors..ummm yes...and same major" (i'd feel pretty lame by then).
Who could tell us apart?
2. Learning that I could actually live WITHOUT the following:
TV - i watch MOST american tv show in sydney, but none at all in the US...how did i survive?! (but i will admit to netflix/blockbuster in S2)
Cellphone - I never once left my house in syd without this device. First week in the US, I'd be reaching into my bag for my cell only to realize - i dont have one!
Shopping - although champaign-urbana does not exactly offer the most exciting shopping experience, I actually realized that I don't like retail therapy after all.
3. Our weekly girls night playing pictionary and taboo! :) So much laughter :D
4. Walking to 6-pack for dinner when it started snowing...someone began singing #let it snow.........
5. Joining Ballroom Dancing classes...hmmm very interesting experience. Who knew that that many people from my CS classes were secret dancers?
6. Looooong Sat. morning breakfast/weekday dinners with Viv at ISR...talking about the "politics" :p
7. I went to Todai
8. Going to 6 flags JUST before finals :p
9. Attempts to grow daisies in my room
10. Car breaking down on the way back from Chicago...changing tires in the middle of the night...should i mention it was -20C?
11. Missing all my Monday classes for 6 weeks because I didnt know about them
12. Arguing with desk clerk that i DONT have a phone port in my room. The RA saw it within a second he entered my room ><
13. Being the "tour guide" for Engineering Open House...uhhh
14. NCAA basketball finals!! experience of a lifetime....its not everyday you see EVERYONE wearing BRIGHT orange shirts on campus.
15. Arghh...the midnight breakfast with Viv, Memo and Marinella :) Oh, and lobster dinner too with Cassandra! Seeing crazy people with 5 lobsters on their trays.
16. Morning devotions with Jess and Viv during S1 :) It's amazing to see how God brought us together so that we could all grow in Him and start the day with His words in our heart. 17. Monday prayer meetings...definitely the highlight!! and chi-der's generous heart for preparing us dinner.
18. Mom's day on Campus!! Also headed to Springfield that day and saw a lot of people who like to dress up as Abraham Lincoln.
19. The farewell dinner at Cafe Luna...and dealing with the bill at the end ><
20. Fiddler on the Roof and Les miserable.... I <3 Broadways!
21. Thunderstorms at the Homer Lake park picnic...EVERYONE got totally drenched!!
22. Egyptian Coffee night at Cosmo Club?!?!!?!
23. Realizing the power of prayers!! He taught me to have faith in Him through praying. I was confused with my future (well i still don't know for sure what I will do, but I am so much clearer about certain things), and was given an opportunity for job interview at my dream company! He provides and orchestrates everything in our lives for His good purposes! Ok, so I submitted my resume days late, and copy/pasted the wrong company name on my cover letter...and really said something I shouldn't have during the phone interview...but still..EVERYTHING is possible through God!!
24. Me and Cindy enjoying the ride...:p Who knew that the 2 guys in our cs411 project group were such hard workers?!
25. Libary opened 24hrs during finals ><
26. Ice hockey game with Amanda and all these offensive chants!!
27. ICCF (fellowship)..really rewarding Bible studies.
28. Was surprised to find out my neighbour (person i shared bathroom with) was this woman older than my mum. I guess I watched too much of Felicity in Sydney and was expecting some crazy american college student rather than someone who'd come knocking on my door in her nightgown at 10pm to ask whether I was vacuuming "at this crazy hour" (I wasnt).
29. Viv's surprise bday party at Daniels Hall lounge! I had to make sure that she doesnt leave the dorm....praise God for the tornados that night that stopped her from going out!
Wow, I've been typing so much already....this could go on for ages...so I should stop.
But two verses that really stuck during S1:
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."I Samuel 16:7
"The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." Job 1:21
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On another happy note, I've been receiving a lot of emails from my 'long lost' friends these days! They really make my days!! It really sucks when people lose contacts as years go by...
Oh, and did you make those New Years resolutions? It's been 10 days and are you finding yourselves sneaking that extra piece of oreos or 'accidently' missing a gym class? I found this website very useful: click here!
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Interesting article from NY times
My friend sent me this article the other day....interesting read :)
December 29, 2005
Op-Ed Contributor
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
By TIMOTHY D. WILSON
IT'S navel gazing time again, that stretch of the year when many of us turn
our attention inward and think about how we can improve the way we live our
lives. But as we embark on this annual ritual of introspection, we would do
well to ask ourselves a simple question: Does it really do any good?
The poet Theodore Roethke had some insight into the matter:
"Self-contemplation is a curse / That makes an old confusion worse." As a
psychologist who conducts research on self-knowledge and happiness, I think
Roethke had a point, one that's supported by a growing body of controlled
psychological studies.
Not sure how you feel about a special person in your life? Analyzing the
pluses and minuses of the relationship might not be the answer.
In a study I conducted with Dolores Kraft, a clinical psychologist at the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and Dana Dunn, a social
psychologist at Moravian College in Pennsylvania, people in one group were
asked to list the reasons their relationship with a romantic partner was
going the way it was, and then rate how satisfied they were with the
relationship. People in another group were asked to rate their satisfaction
without any analysis; they just gave their gut reactions.
It might seem that the people who thought about the specifics would be best
at figuring out how they really felt, and that their satisfaction ratings
would thus do the best job of predicting the outcome of their
relationships.
In fact, we found the reverse. It was the people in the "gut feeling" group
whose ratings predicted whether they were still dating their partner
several months later. As for the navel gazers, their satisfaction ratings
did not predict the outcome of their relationships at all. Our conclusion?
Too much analysis can confuse people about how they really feel. There are
severe limits to what we can discover through self-reflection, and trying
to explain the unexplainable does not lead to a sudden parting of the seas
with our hidden thoughts and feelings revealed like flopping fish.
Self-reflection is especially problematic when we are feeling down.
Research by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, a clinical psychologist at Yale
University, shows that when people are depressed, ruminating on their
problems makes things worse.
In one study, mildly depressed college students were asked to spend eight
minutes thinking about themselves or to spend the same amount of time
thinking about mundane topics like "clouds forming in the sky."
People in the first group focused on the negative things in their lives and
sunk into a worse mood. People in the other group actually felt better
afterward, possibly because their negative self-focus was "turned off" by
the distraction task.
What about people like police officers and firefighters who witness
terrible events? Is it helpful for them to reflect on their experiences?
For years it was believed that emergency workers should undergo a
debriefing process to focus on and relive their experiences; the idea was
that this would make them feel better and prevent mental health problems
down the road. After 9/11, for example, well-meaning counselors flocked to
New York to help police officers, firefighters and rescue workers deal with
the trauma of what they had seen.
But did it do any good? In an extensive review of the research, a team led
by Richard McNally, a clinical psychologist at Harvard, concluded that
debriefing procedures have little benefit and might even hurt by
interrupting the normal healing process. People often distract themselves
from thinking about painful events right after they occur, and this may be
better than mentally reliving the events.
What can we do to improve ourselves and feel happier? Numerous social
psychological studies have confirmed Aristotle's observation that "We
become just by the practice of just actions, self-controlled by exercising
self-control, and courageous by performing acts of courage." If we are
dissatisfied with some aspect of our lives, one of the best approaches is
to act more like the person we want to be, rather than sitting around
analyzing ourselves.
Social psychologist Daniel Batson and colleagues at the University of
Kansas found that participants who were given an opportunity to do a favor
for another person ended up viewing themselves as kind, considerate people
- unless, that is, they were asked to reflect on why they had done the
favor. People in that group tended in the end to not view themselves as
being especially kind.
The trick is to go out of our way to be kind to others without thinking too
much about why we're doing it. As a bonus, our kindnesses will make us
happier.
A study by University of California, Riverside, social psychologist Sonja
Lyubomirsky and colleagues found that college students instructed to do a
few acts of kindness one day a week ended up being happier than a control
group of students who received no special instructions.
As the new year begins, then, reach out and help others. If that sounds
suspiciously like an old Motown song or like simplistic advice from one of
those do-gooder college professors, well, it is. But the fact is that being
good to others will ultimately make us kinder, happier people - just so
long as we don't think too much about it.
Timothy D. Wilson, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia,
is the author of "Strangers to Ourselves: Discovering the Adaptive
Unconscious."
December 29, 2005
Op-Ed Contributor
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
By TIMOTHY D. WILSON
IT'S navel gazing time again, that stretch of the year when many of us turn
our attention inward and think about how we can improve the way we live our
lives. But as we embark on this annual ritual of introspection, we would do
well to ask ourselves a simple question: Does it really do any good?
The poet Theodore Roethke had some insight into the matter:
"Self-contemplation is a curse / That makes an old confusion worse." As a
psychologist who conducts research on self-knowledge and happiness, I think
Roethke had a point, one that's supported by a growing body of controlled
psychological studies.
Not sure how you feel about a special person in your life? Analyzing the
pluses and minuses of the relationship might not be the answer.
In a study I conducted with Dolores Kraft, a clinical psychologist at the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and Dana Dunn, a social
psychologist at Moravian College in Pennsylvania, people in one group were
asked to list the reasons their relationship with a romantic partner was
going the way it was, and then rate how satisfied they were with the
relationship. People in another group were asked to rate their satisfaction
without any analysis; they just gave their gut reactions.
It might seem that the people who thought about the specifics would be best
at figuring out how they really felt, and that their satisfaction ratings
would thus do the best job of predicting the outcome of their
relationships.
In fact, we found the reverse. It was the people in the "gut feeling" group
whose ratings predicted whether they were still dating their partner
several months later. As for the navel gazers, their satisfaction ratings
did not predict the outcome of their relationships at all. Our conclusion?
Too much analysis can confuse people about how they really feel. There are
severe limits to what we can discover through self-reflection, and trying
to explain the unexplainable does not lead to a sudden parting of the seas
with our hidden thoughts and feelings revealed like flopping fish.
Self-reflection is especially problematic when we are feeling down.
Research by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, a clinical psychologist at Yale
University, shows that when people are depressed, ruminating on their
problems makes things worse.
In one study, mildly depressed college students were asked to spend eight
minutes thinking about themselves or to spend the same amount of time
thinking about mundane topics like "clouds forming in the sky."
People in the first group focused on the negative things in their lives and
sunk into a worse mood. People in the other group actually felt better
afterward, possibly because their negative self-focus was "turned off" by
the distraction task.
What about people like police officers and firefighters who witness
terrible events? Is it helpful for them to reflect on their experiences?
For years it was believed that emergency workers should undergo a
debriefing process to focus on and relive their experiences; the idea was
that this would make them feel better and prevent mental health problems
down the road. After 9/11, for example, well-meaning counselors flocked to
New York to help police officers, firefighters and rescue workers deal with
the trauma of what they had seen.
But did it do any good? In an extensive review of the research, a team led
by Richard McNally, a clinical psychologist at Harvard, concluded that
debriefing procedures have little benefit and might even hurt by
interrupting the normal healing process. People often distract themselves
from thinking about painful events right after they occur, and this may be
better than mentally reliving the events.
What can we do to improve ourselves and feel happier? Numerous social
psychological studies have confirmed Aristotle's observation that "We
become just by the practice of just actions, self-controlled by exercising
self-control, and courageous by performing acts of courage." If we are
dissatisfied with some aspect of our lives, one of the best approaches is
to act more like the person we want to be, rather than sitting around
analyzing ourselves.
Social psychologist Daniel Batson and colleagues at the University of
Kansas found that participants who were given an opportunity to do a favor
for another person ended up viewing themselves as kind, considerate people
- unless, that is, they were asked to reflect on why they had done the
favor. People in that group tended in the end to not view themselves as
being especially kind.
The trick is to go out of our way to be kind to others without thinking too
much about why we're doing it. As a bonus, our kindnesses will make us
happier.
A study by University of California, Riverside, social psychologist Sonja
Lyubomirsky and colleagues found that college students instructed to do a
few acts of kindness one day a week ended up being happier than a control
group of students who received no special instructions.
As the new year begins, then, reach out and help others. If that sounds
suspiciously like an old Motown song or like simplistic advice from one of
those do-gooder college professors, well, it is. But the fact is that being
good to others will ultimately make us kinder, happier people - just so
long as we don't think too much about it.
Timothy D. Wilson, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia,
is the author of "Strangers to Ourselves: Discovering the Adaptive
Unconscious."
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Home is where the heart is...
Well I am not exactly home in Sydney yet, but I'm with my family in Taiwan right now. It's so good to see my family and relatives again after a year and there is so much to catch up on. I try not to talk too much of "I did this and that in the US" because my friend told me people from home would be more interested in hearing about what's happening in the next few episodes of Desperate Housewives than my tales from the life-changing exchange experience :p
My sister took a few weeks off work in Sydney and we both had a blast in Taipei! So much eating, talking and pampering ourselves took place!
Last week, while my sister was driving down this really steep slope into a carpark, I asked her without much thinking, whether her foot was pushing down on the brake (what I meant to ask was how much pressure you need to apply on the brake - since there are no steep slopes at all in Champaign-Urbana). Ever since that, no one would let me sit in the drivers seat, let alone show off my newly acquired driving skills. :(
Hellllooooooooooo 2006 !! New Year thus new blog :) Also, time for making (and breaking?) those New Years Resolutions!!
Tallest building in the world! Taken from the lounge @ midnight
School does not start until 27th Feb (2 summer breaks in one year :D ) and until then, I hope I get lots done! I've registered for this online summer course (which started yesterday) on "HIV and Other Unconquered Infections". It sounds like fun but there will be weekly tests and and compulsory online posting a few times a week. >< For the next few weeks before I take off traveling again (I'm planning to visit Japan), I'm learning to write mandarin with Maddy, who is also in Taiwan for holiday :) I'm glad we came up with this nerdy idea :p I'm almost getting sick of shopping/eating/movie/tv surfing everyday. We are going to meet @ Starbucks in the mornings for breakfast and start our lessons when our brains are still fresh and functioning. Hope we stick to this plan...easier said than done right?!
I'm also learning how to relax and taking things slowly. The other day, I went to this dermatologist and she said from my skin conditions she could tell that I've been highly-stressed out and not getting enough sleep! This massage lady also said the same! I guess I've been stressed about registering for my classes next semester. As I went on exchange for a whole year, I have sort of stuffed up my academic calendar and now I dont think I can graduate in time (I am really not ready to do my thesis this year). Some of the classes I took in the US were not approved so therefore I cannot transfer the credits back to UNSW. I am also faced with the problem of deciding whether to do a double major (Statistics) or not.
Relatives and family friends love to ask me what I've learnt this year in the US, or if there was anything exciting that I'd like to share. I always get soo tongue-tied because I dont know where to begin - His blessings are countless. I guess all I can say is I've truly understood this year how real God is, and that His grace is really sufficient. Surprisingly, I'd never felt insecure or alone last year, for I know that He is present everywhere I go and knows me better than myself :) He is so faithful.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." ~ Proverbs 3:5-6
"In the day of prosperisty be happy, but in the day of adversity consider - God has made the one as well as the other so that man will not discover anything that will be after him. " ~ Ecclesiastes 7:14
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will. ~Romans 12:2
My sister took a few weeks off work in Sydney and we both had a blast in Taipei! So much eating, talking and pampering ourselves took place!
Last week, while my sister was driving down this really steep slope into a carpark, I asked her without much thinking, whether her foot was pushing down on the brake (what I meant to ask was how much pressure you need to apply on the brake - since there are no steep slopes at all in Champaign-Urbana). Ever since that, no one would let me sit in the drivers seat, let alone show off my newly acquired driving skills. :(
Hellllooooooooooo 2006 !! New Year thus new blog :) Also, time for making (and breaking?) those New Years Resolutions!!
Tallest building in the world! Taken from the lounge @ midnight
School does not start until 27th Feb (2 summer breaks in one year :D ) and until then, I hope I get lots done! I've registered for this online summer course (which started yesterday) on "HIV and Other Unconquered Infections". It sounds like fun but there will be weekly tests and and compulsory online posting a few times a week. >< For the next few weeks before I take off traveling again (I'm planning to visit Japan), I'm learning to write mandarin with Maddy, who is also in Taiwan for holiday :) I'm glad we came up with this nerdy idea :p I'm almost getting sick of shopping/eating/movie/tv surfing everyday. We are going to meet @ Starbucks in the mornings for breakfast and start our lessons when our brains are still fresh and functioning. Hope we stick to this plan...easier said than done right?!
I'm also learning how to relax and taking things slowly. The other day, I went to this dermatologist and she said from my skin conditions she could tell that I've been highly-stressed out and not getting enough sleep! This massage lady also said the same! I guess I've been stressed about registering for my classes next semester. As I went on exchange for a whole year, I have sort of stuffed up my academic calendar and now I dont think I can graduate in time (I am really not ready to do my thesis this year). Some of the classes I took in the US were not approved so therefore I cannot transfer the credits back to UNSW. I am also faced with the problem of deciding whether to do a double major (Statistics) or not.
Relatives and family friends love to ask me what I've learnt this year in the US, or if there was anything exciting that I'd like to share. I always get soo tongue-tied because I dont know where to begin - His blessings are countless. I guess all I can say is I've truly understood this year how real God is, and that His grace is really sufficient. Surprisingly, I'd never felt insecure or alone last year, for I know that He is present everywhere I go and knows me better than myself :) He is so faithful.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." ~ Proverbs 3:5-6
"In the day of prosperisty be happy, but in the day of adversity consider - God has made the one as well as the other so that man will not discover anything that will be after him. " ~ Ecclesiastes 7:14
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will. ~Romans 12:2
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