FU

this character pronounced, fu, means "happiness" or is a blessing of "good luck." it is found mounted onto most doors. often, it is hung upside-down. the pronounciation of the word 'upside-down' is similar to the pronounciation of the word 'arriving'. therefore people will hang the 'fu' word upside-down to symbolize that happiness has arrived.

in light of the significance of this character in this this culture, i thought it very appropriate for me to get each of my roommates something to wish them the blessing of happiness for the new year! :)

i was not offended when they decided to regift this gift. i probably would have done the same thing!

Merry Christmas!

christmas is now over on my side of the world. its a weird feeling....kind of like living in the future...ok, not really, but not being in the same time zone has been an adjustment for me. :)

it has been a very special holiday season for me. i am so thankful to have such a wonderful family here to celebrate the holidays with.

christmas began with my roommates and i putting up the tree and decorating our apartment!

then came the different parties...
team party
my roommate LP and i
christmas brunch
christmas dinner. wowee!
yummy!


this holiday season truly has been a blessing. yes, some of it tough, but was continuously reminded of the reason for the season.

thanks so much to those that brought "home" to me with cards and packages! they are much appreciated and made me feel so special. i love you guys!

Sometimes....

my nose just hurts. i think the best way to describe it, is that it stings. this actually happens quite often, unfortunately. each day on my way to the bus stop after class, i come across lots of this...

why? i'm not quite sure. i just know my nose is hating me for it!

along the same line.....a couple of weeks ago, i took a trip with several friends to another city. this city was much more polluted than where i live. you can literally feel the pollution and smog as it irritates your nose, eyes, etc. at the end of the first day, as my friend was getting ready for bed, she yells from the bathroom, "eeewww, my boogers are black!" oh the pollution and smog!!! californians, you have nothing to complain about!

The Blog Readability Test

Cash Advance Loans

this can't be right...maybe because i don't write in complete sentences or correct english and so, therefore, would require a genius to figure out what i'm actually trying to say!

"Rainy" Days

today, was a very wet, rainy day. i have never really enjoyed the rain. being here, makes it a little worse with the amount of walking that i have to do and the inconvenience of not having my own car. also, because of high winds and probably a cheap umbrella, my umbrella kept flipping backwards! i fought it for a while, but ended up just putting the umbrella away. i had a bad attitude today. i was upset because i was soaked and at the fact that by the time i got home, my pants were wet to my knees with dirty puddle water.

please pray for joy for me. i am finding that as christmas nears, it is hard for me to find joy in being here. "rainy, homesick" days come more often than i expect.

Thoughts of a 7 year-old

"Loi, why does it look like you painted your eye-lids with coal?"

i could not think of a good response for this one. STUMPED!

My Friend and Sister, Penelope

today, i spoke with penelope on the phone and hung up just in awe of the person that she is and the work of L in her life. penelope and i have been friends for almost 10 years now. through the years, penelope's caring, giving, and self-sacrificing ways have always been a great example to me of how to love others. penelope can make me laugh like no one else can and she is the mother of PIPER! (oh, how i miss that little one! i have yet to meet phoenix, but i'm sure he's just as adorable). within the last 6 months or so, i have had the wonderful opportunity of walking alongside penelope as she explored and sought for Truth. through these last several months, L has really used penelope as an example to challenge me in my own faith. one of the things that penelope shared with me today was the fact that the television in her room has been a distraction/hindrance in her reading the word each night. so what does she decide to do? she moves the television downstairs so that reading each night would not be thrown to the side. i was really convicted. am i willing to remove those "distractions" from my own life? do i desire knowing the Word more than the things that take away from my quiet times? what are your distractions?

penelope, thank you for the person that you are! i love that we now are both a part of sandals and i can share another part of my life with you! i love you!