Of beta versions and convolvulus and stuff

I tried switching to Blogger's new beta version. But this was what I got:

Could not switch you to the new Blogger

How wonderful!

In other news, I am DONE. Done with (i) my comps proposal, and (ii) my jazz history final paper. I just sent my papers to my profs. My comps (which is like a senior thesis paper that I will be working on for the rest of the year, until spring) is going to be looking at spiritual / religious coping in a multicultural world. Essentially, it's going to be examining how people of varying religions and cultures use spirituality / religion to cope with stress and how these implications are important for clinical practice. My jazz history paper was about Ella Fitzgerald and Karrin Allyson. And their renditions of "Angel Eyes". It's crazy! :) Haha. BUT IT FEELS GOOD TO BE DONE. Now all I have left are two final exams: one for jazz history, and one for psychopathology. I hope to be done with both by Saturday.

Then Thanksgiving. More turkey! And New York City! More jazz! And HOOOOOMMMMEEEE!!!!

Today Lynn made turkey porridge. It tasted like chicken porridge. :D It was really good though.

In other news, who knows what "convolvulus" means? Don't look it up! Post in the comments section.

In other news, we had a huge Thanksgiving Potluck organized by JoLT and FISH House on Sunday. It was amazing. FISH House made SEVEN pots of roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Mom, I can be in charge of potatoes for Christmas.

In other news, it's going to be a family reunion this holiday. And Langkawi! Yay!

In other news, I had a GREAT weekend. I guess I'll give a brief update here. I was planning a separate one with pictures. We'll see. But basically, on Friday night... went up to the cities. To watch my second most favorite band ever:

THE AFTERS!

This is the lead singer. His name is also Josh. I like him because: 1. He sings2. He plays the keys3. He plays the guitar... just like ME! hahaha.

But anyway, it was a great time. Went with a friend of mine from St Olaf. We led the service at the Grand together a couple of weeks ago. And he's engaged! :) This is Adam and Coryn and Erica and I.
Then I went to crash at my good friend Sam's place. Man, all the people I know now are working and living on their own... scary. Anyway. Good times. And then the next day Erica and I hung out at the mall... and then went for a super fancy schmancy dinner at the restaurant that Sam works at: Vincent. Best restaurant in Minneapolis 3 years in a row; best French food; best dessert. Oh la la.

La cuisine de perfection

We had WONDERFUL French food. And because Sam worked there he cooked a couple of 'extra' dishes for us. Oh so good.

We had:
An amazing starter, courtesy of Sam. Flash-fried mozzarella cheese served on a bed of marinara-type sauce that was flambéed in vodka.Then we ordered escargot. It wasn't as good as the ones I had in Paris, or the ones my host mom made. And it was typically American: there were no shells! Can you believe that? I mean I can understand that in the land of instant everything, one doesn't want to have to chop off a fish head, or cut off the chicken legs, but... escargot? Then, courtesy of Sam, again, was a superb pan-seared scallop served on a bed of potatoes and leek with an orange reduction sauce. Oh la la. I died and went to heaven.Our main course followed. I had the Wild Striped Bass with braised artichokes, served on a bed of wild rice with Roasted Pumpkin Broth. Erica had a soffrito of Vegetable, Pickled Shallots, Chickpea Fries, Shaved Asparagus and Shaved Ricotta Salata. So I'm the carnivore of the two. And dessert. Oh dessert. The best chocolate cake ever. It looks firm on the outside, but when touched by the fork, it crumbles and oozes chocolate. The bottom part tasted wafery, but the top was pure sin. Thanks, Sam!

Meanwhile, back at Carleton

ANYWAY. After all that, came back to Northfield. And the snow.
But it's been great. And we had a FISH House photo shoot:
The FISHies.So much love...The best housemates ever. :) I love my house.
And now it's time to go to bed. Good night world.

Of first snow

Today, it was gorgeous outside. It was probably in the 50s. Brisk. Fall weather.

It is 2:07am now. And this is what it looks like outside:



As much as I complain about the crazy weather and extreme temperature changes, I have to admit, God is one creative artist.



Good night, world.

Josh has an exciting weekend lined up. Stay tuned.

Of a broken beauty

One night. Two campuses.
One God. Many broken lives.
One Beauty. Many beauties.

Joy in sorrow.
Strength in weakness.
A God of paradox.
A people of passion.

Beauty in the broken.
What a powerful evening.

"Unashamed"
by Starfield
(Go buy their latest album!!)

I have not much
To offer You
Not near what You deserve
But still I come
Because Your cross
Has placed in me my worth

Oh, Christ my King
Of sympathy
Whose wounds secure my peace
Your grace extends
To call me friend
Your mercy sets me free

And I know I'm weak
I know I'm unworthy
To call upon Your name
But because of grace
Because of Your mercy
I stand here unashamed

I can't explain
This kind of love
I'm humbled and amazed
That You'd come down
From heavens heights
And greet me face to face

Here I am at Your feet
In my brokeness complete

Of being home for Christmas

Guess who's coming home with me.

Of four reasons I'm not studying for my midterm tomorrow

So Anna tagged me. And I should really be studying for my psychopathology midterm tomorrow. But you know...

Four things not many people know about me...

* I was found behind a dumpster when I was a baby.
* In high school, I once had the opportunity to address a United Nations gathering, but I opted to go to my high school annual dinner instead.
* I once streaked across campus. Twice.
* I'm a compulsive liar.

Four movies I could watch over and over...

* Cars (I watched it three times)
* Finding Nemo
* X-Men. Any one of them.
* Spiderman. Any one of them.
(Hmm. There seems to be a theme here.)

Four places i've lived...

* Penang, Malaysia
* Northfield, Minnesota
* Paris, France
* FISH House

Four TV shows I love(d) to watch...

* American Idol. I watched it every Tuesday with my house last year and was consequently late for many meetings.
* Smallville. So it's more soap opera than superhero drama now, but there was once a time...
* The X-Men Animated Series. Oh boy!
* Huff. I watched it over the summer.

Four places I've been on vacation...

* Europe (Mostly Western Europe. Yes, even Liechtenstein)
* Australia (Perth, Melbourne, Syndey, Brisbane, and surrounding areas)
* Asia (Ok, so Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia.. those count right? Haven't been to China... yet)
* North America (It's huge. But I've hit quite a few spots!)
(I still need to make it to Africa and South America. I'll pass on Antartica.)

Four of my Favourite foods...

(So I realize the question is favorite FOODS, not cuisine, but being the gourmand that I am...)
* Japanese. Someone say sashimi. Or sushi.
* Korean. And it's not just because my roommate made really good bulgogi the other day.
* French.
* Mommy's Cooking. Tu tor th'ng please.

Four places I would rather be...

* Somewhere warmer.
* Paris.
* At Gurney Drive Hawkers' Center for See Koe Th'ng. Like now.
* In bed.

Four favourite songs ...

* Alive In This Moment: Starfield. Guess who's going to see Starfield in concert this Sunday????
* From the inside out: Hillsong United.
* Cannonball: Damien Rice. Same artist, different song, Anna! :)
* Heal Over: KT Tunstall. Ok, so not exactly all time favorites. But some of my favorites.

Four people I tag...

* Erica. Because she hasn't updated her blog in two decades.
* Tim Wong. Because he's got a new blog.
* Lynn. Because otherwise she'll ask "Why didn't you tag me?"
* My mom. Not my real mom. Because he has so much time.

Of seagulls, freshmen and overflowing toilets

Today I joined the ranks of the elite class of people known as the guitar owners.

So the day began with Pat, my worship leader at Rejoice, and I driving up to The Podium in St. Paul to look at guitars. Saw many guitars. A lot of them were good guitars. None were great. To me, at least. Or within my budget. And so we went to Willie's American Guitars. And I was a bit worried. Because they had fewer guitars than the Podium. But God really knows what is best.

Pat picked up a guitar and said "Hmm, this one has potential". It wasn't tuned though, so the lady tuned it up. And then I played it. And then Pat played it. And I didn't want to look at the price. Because I really liked it. The sound was balanced. It was full. And powerful. It looked good. AND it was just slightly over my budget! BUT. Because it had a pick-up installed, it came with a case, and it sounded so good plugged in, it made sense to get it since I would have had to spend more money installing a pick up and buying a case anyway.

It didn't have a strap button. So this was the conversation that ensued:
Josh: Can you put in a strap button for me?
Lady: Sure. But that means you're going to be married to it.
Josh: (thinks for a moment, looks at Pat, who said "Personally... I love it". Looks back at guitar...) Will you marry me?

And the deal was sealed.

And the best part? It's made in the village of LaPatrie in Quebec. And it has words in French! :)

I present to you... my wife.

She's French Canadian.

And sings like a star.

In other news

Josh has been incredibly busy. But in a good way. This year I have three jobs on top of school. I still work a couple of hours in the library, and I work as a Writing Consultant. I'm not kidding, that's what we are called. Glorified writing tutors. And of course, I'm house manager of the awesomest house on campus: FISH House.

As part of a house bonding effort, we decided to have our upstairs toilet overflow (gross!) and make it a house project to clean up the mess.

It was quite the Friday evening, let me tell you. But I really love my residents. It's been such a joy to live here. People are so considerate of one another, and genuinely caring. It really is a blessing to live with people who share the love of Christ everyday.

We've also had many freshmen want to get plugged in to the Christian community. We had an ice-cream social the day before classes began, and I thought I had great faith when I told God, "I am believing that you will fill the house". But He filled it FOUR times over. We had close to 80 freshmen and at one point had to move people into the basement. Keep praying for 'em freshmen! Especially for guys. A lot of them are girls. Look.


Of course, our resident Singaporean Ah Lian who cooks very well. Lynn makes great food. And is very generous in sharing the blessing with others!

And my once broken macbook... look at that. Is WHOLE again.

Ok. Bed time. Write to me if you haven't already!

Of close encounters... of the slimy kind

Tonight was a normal night. Meeting, homework, snacking. So there we were at FISH House, Lynn, Erica, Tyler and Josh, studying. Tyler was snacking on graham crackers and milk. And suddenly, he comments, very nonchalantly, very Tyler-esque: "Oh look. There are caterpillars on my graham crackers".

WHAT? Little graham cracker colored buggers feasting on Tyler's midnight snack?

Surprise turned to incredulity which turned to horror! Our food!! I instantly headed straight to my kitchen cabinet and checked on my DODOL. And my DODOL was INFESTED WITH WORMS!!!! The worst part? I had just popped one in my mouth earlier today. Ugh. I don't even want to think about it. God, please make my stomach acids strong today. I should drink orange juice. Or squeeze lemons into my mouth.

I submitted a work request stating: EMERGENCY! We discovered worms in our kitchen cabinet. Is there something you can do, please?

We discovered that one of our residents brought in the worms with her bag of rice. Ugh. God please kill all the worms.

Mom, please send me more dodol.

Of being sweet sixteen

Sixteen years ago at 10:08pm on 10/08, my brother was born. And the world has never been the same since. I love you, Cal! :)

Of lobsters and laziness

I want. http://www.mainelobsterfestival.com/

Too lazy to read the bible?
Then, listen to it. Puts a new spin on being HEARERS of the Word doesn't it?

Of being so bad it's funny

Anna sent me this the other day:

Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him ......... (Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good) .... A super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

Of a thousand words

I think I've used this title before. But people have been bugging me for pictures. So, here are several thousand words.
I turned 22 not too long ago. After 21, there aren't that many milestones left, in terms of birthdays. There's the big 4-0. And then I suppose you can count 50, because living for half a century is no mean feat. But after that the next big thing is death. :) Oh well.
Gabes, Noel and I.
Babak!
Pin, Mace, Yeelong and I.
Altogether now. Aaaaawwwwwww....
Pimpin' it. :)
So people, I don't know what the fuss was all about. I don't have that many pictures. Lol. Euodia, do you have any more? Please send them to me.

A lot has been happening in my life lately. I'm just too unmotivated to blog right now. But I will. Eventually. For now, suffice to say, work is going GREAT! Ok. Time to hit the sack. Byeeee.

Of blue tights and red capes

I watched Superman Returns today.

It made my day.

I am going to look for the first four Superman movies and have a marathon. Any takers?

Of shifting loci and other things

It's nice being home. Not thinking about the next meal, not doing my own laundry, not worrying about how to get someplace. But I'm ready to do something. I am going to work on Monday. I am going to be working with a child psychologist in the General Hospital here in Penang. I still don't know what to expect, but I'm hoping that I'll learn a lot, or at least figure out if this is something I want to be doing with my life.

It's strange to think about life. And the idea of home. What really makes a place "home"? Is it a physical place (i.e. the house you grew up in, the streets you are familiar with, mom's good cooking)? Is it the memories made growing up? Is it where you spend the most time? Is it the place where you feel the safest? Is it the people?

Being a cross-cultural studies concentrator, one would be led to think that I have the answers to that question. And truth be told, I thought I did. After all, we studied the whole entry/re-entry process, the whole culture shock, the concept of home thing ad nauseum in the CCST 115 class. And it definitely helped. But no amount of knowledge prepares you for the way you feel while you go through the cycle over and over again.

So being home this time around hasn't been easy. Not that it's not great to be at home in my own home. Sure there's the usual adjusting to a frame of mind where you are not the only person affected by your actions. You have to think about other people, etc. That's fine. I think I've gotten used to that idea.

But what's been bugging me lately is the shifting locus in relationships. Where I used to fall back on my relationships here in Penang while I was in the US whenever I needed someone to talk to, I feel like there has been a fundamental shift in my relationships in Penang. Maybe it's because I've been away for so long? Or maybe it's because I've changed so much? Or like Cheryl said, it's my hair. Haha. Or is my hair just an outward manifestation of the internal changes that have taken place the past three years I've been away?

Funny how little things spark off big thoughts. It started off with X-Men (everything starts off with X-Men). A friend of mine at Carleton, after watching X-Men, told me he was going home to watch it again with a friend of his because "we always watch X-Men together"!

And now, at home, I realize that I really don't have a friend, or a ready group of friends, to watch Superman with! This may sound really silly (it probably is), but underlying this silly little notion is the nagging thought that I've allowed too much time and distance to pass between my friends and I here in Penang that what I thought existed, is really no more. I guess it's true what they say: the grass is always greener on the other side. I have this "notion" of my relationships with people in Penang and all the people I'm close to when I am in the US, but reality hits me hard when I come back. I usually attribute it to the brief time I spend here in Penang; but I can't help but wonder: is there more that I am not considering? Can someone change so much that even the very things he would have considered to be "unchangeable" have changed?

I guess the big question is: how long can one be stuck between two worlds (to borrow a phrase from a friend of mine) before he loses any or all sense of "home"? Or maybe, can one really live in between two worlds?

Of being Cyclops

You scored as Cyclops. Cyclops is the team leader of the X-Men, and a skilled one at that. He loves Jean Grey very much. He's a strict and sometimes uptight leader, but he believes in his cause and he knows what he's fighting for... Peace between Mutants and Humans. Powers: Optic blasts Jean Grey 70% Cyclops 70% Colossus 60% Iceman 50% Nightcrawler 45% Emma Frost 45% Storm 40% Beast 40% Rogue 40% Wolverine 25% Gambit 25% Most Comprehensive X-Men Personality Quiz 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

Of being DUN

I am done. Like a roast chicken. Or a juicy steak. Except I prefer medium.

Oh boy. That was kind of anti-climactic. I need to get rid of this cough. I'm hacking like a mad man. Like an OLD mad man. And I need to pack.

And buy my birthday present! *SCREAM*

Of desires (Part II)

From the Star Online:

Chocolate fountain lure at hotel

THE Traders Hotel Penang (formerly Shangri-La Hotel) has introduced a three-tier chocolate fountain for its Themed Temptations Buffet Dinner at its The Islander Restaurant.

The chocolate fountain, the first of its kind in the city, is a cascading waterfall of warm, rich and fine melted chocolate. It is made from 500gm of chocolate and 100gm of cocoa butter.

The chocolate fountain comes complete with skewered fresh fruits, dried fruits, marshmallows and wafers for diners to dip, coat and plunge their favourite food items into the flowing chocolate.

According to the hotel's press release, the stainless steel machine for the chocolate fountain was imported from Hong Kong at a cost of RM14,000.

The machine has an internal screw mechanism that flows the chocolate to the top of the fountain. It also has an internal heater that automatically keeps the chocolate at 38 to 40 degrees Celsius to prevent it from hardening.

The chocolate fountain is now a daily attraction at The Islander.

Traders Hotel assistant communications manager Saw Wei Wei said the chocolate fountain was popular among adults, too.

She added that diners enjoyed coating and dipping food items into the flowing chocolate.

Patrons can try the chocolate fountain at the Themed Temp-tations Buffet Dinner from 6pm to 9.30pm daily.

Of desires

Today as I was working on my 15-pager, my laptop blue-screened me. For those of you who don't know, whenever you see a blue screen on your PC, that means bad news. REALLY bad news. I nearly had a heart attack, because I was at the last few paragraphs of my paper. Thankfully, I only lost half a paragraph. From that point on I saved after every paragraph! But the point is, I'm through with PCs. Bring on the macBook.

Of a thought for the day

I was on Willie's blog and this statement struck a chord:

Without Goliath, David would have just been another kid throwing rocks.

Of the code

So I'm sick. Again. This would be the second time this term. Sigh. But I slept a whole lot today, hopefully I'll feel much better tomorrow.

Anyway, Jeanne sent this to me. It's about the Da Vinci Code. It's hilarious.

I watched it with Pam and Emily. The best part of the movie was when Silas attacked Sophie from the shadows, and Emily let out a scream, which triggered Pam to scream really loudly. And then the whole theatre broke out into laughter. Money!

Anyway, we've been talking about the DVC for the past three weeks in church. I'm ready to move on! I mean, why would people be so dumb as to believe what Hollywood tells them anyway. Well, ok that's not a good argument. I can think already of several instances of that. Anyway. Speaking of church, Rejoice! has a new website. You should check it out here. See if you can spot me! :D

I had a good update. About the last Mustard Seed of the year. But that will have to wait. I'm really going to miss a lot of my friends who are graduating this year. I never realized how many of them there are! :(

Of the weather (and being under it)

After two extremely hot days (the temperature went over 100F at one point!), it's cooled off somewhat back to the 70s. However, I am now feeling like I'm getting sick. Again. This is bad. Finals are in a few days. Please God, don't let me get sick!