Dumplings

So this past weekend, I went to a housewarming party in a very mountainous area of New Jersey with a bunch of people from church. It is such a pretty area, with tons of trees and extremely quiet, all you can hear outside is the sound of birds chirping. And the sunset was gorgeous.

Get this. We wrapped our own dumplings and then cooked them! I've never been to a dumpling wrapping party before, haha. It was a lot of fun, it's hilarious some of the creative shapes people came up with. Some looked like the Indian curry puffs, others looked like ravioli. But they tasted quite yummy. The best part of it is that the large majority of our group is guys. And they know how to make dumplings! It was nice (and maybe a bit sad) that the 3 of us girls sat around most of the time while the guys were in the kitchen cooking, haha! I am still amazed.

Look at how intent they are at wrapping the dumplings :)






















































It's a melting pot of dumplings!


















Afterwards, we played wii and just hung out. It's been so great getting to know the people in our young adult group. They've all known each other since they were teenagers, and I like seeing how comfortable they are with each other and how they share so many fun memories. It's kind of what I 'missed out on' when I was a kid growing up. But they've been so welcoming that in a matter of just a couple of months, I feel relatively comfortable around them and not as if I'm an outsider. It's almost a bit scary, but I don't think I've ever felt this same sense of 'belongingness' in such a short amount of time. It really is God's grace. I feel so blessed that He led me here. I feel like God is saying that it's never too late and that He is going to redeem what was 'lost' in my past. God is so awesome.

Playing and watching wii on the 50 inch plasma screen! I stink at Mario Kart, hahaha. I don't know whether the boy in the blue is attempting to flex for the picture or trying to punch me.


















LOL. This doesn't even need a caption. I don't think he knows about my blog. Shhhh......


















View from the deck. Isn't it amazing?!?!


















The living room and kitchen. His place is beautiful. You get so much space in New Jersey.


















More wii during the sunset

Faux Pas

.... according to wikipedia, a faux pas is a violation of accepted, although unwritten, social rules. Faux pas vary widely from culture to culture and what is considered good manners in one culture can be considered a faux pas in another... keep this in mind as you read my story.

Less than two years ago, I decided to switch hair stylists. Partly because I wanted to get my hair done in NYC rather than having to make a trip out to NJ. Partly because I no longer wanted to make conversation with my hair stylist.

For about 4 years the conversation went something like this...

Hair stylist: so how are things with your boyfriend?
Me: good
Hair stylist: are you getting married soon?
Me: no, not yet
Hair stylist: oh, it's okay you're still young

Then for about 1 year it went something like this...

Hair stylist: so do you have a boyfriend?
Me: no, I haven't met anyone
Hair stylist: so what happened with your old boyfriend?
Me: oh, it just didn't work out
Hair stylist: it's okay, you're still young

I wondered how many years will have to go by before I'm no longer considered 'young'. I figured I'd better find another hair stylist before that happened. Now I go to a Japanese hair stylist who doesn't speak English. It's been working out quite nicely.

Now fast forward to this past weekend. I went to the bakery I used to work at during my high school years to pick up a cake for mother's day. I used to work with the lady that was working at the bakery on Sunday, so we are acquaintances. Interestingly, she is the older sister of my old hair stylist. As she was putting my cake in a box, she began to make 'small talk'.

Bakery lady: still no husband?
[WHAT??!!! Who starts off a conversation with 'still no husband'?!]
Me: [shocked and furious on the inside but politely smiling on the outside] no, still no husband
Bakery lady: how come?
[ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Who follows up 'still no husband' with 'HOW COME'?? So many obnoxious replies ran through my head, but I held back.]
Me: [I couldn't look at her as I said these words, for fear that my anger would show in my face even though my voice was polite and cheery] I don't know, I guess I just haven't met the right person.

I walked to the car and decided that it might be time to find a new bakery. The lifetime discounts may not be worth the questions I have to put up with.

So back to faux pas. Should it not be a faux pas 'regardless of culture or nationality' to ask someone why she doesn't have a husband?! Not only is it rude, but it's one of the stupidest questions you can ask someone, especially someone you barely know! Plus there was absolutely no context for it! I would love to know in what culture, if any, it's acceptable to start off a conversation with 'still no husband?'

I know I might sound a bit harsh. Because to be fair, it is possible that someone may choose to not marry for some reason or other. But the whole scenario was just so ridiculous to me at the time that I felt like yelling, laughing and crying all at once. At least it makes for a humorous story to look back on =P

1 + 1 = ∞

I remember sitting next to a friend at church a few weeks ago, and during the message she nudged me to look at something she wrote in her notepad. It said "1 + 1 = ∞". I gave her a puzzled look. She smiled and whispered, "It's God's math." I smiled back. At the time I didn't give it any more thought.

But I remembered it today. I've been reading about God's provision in 1 and 2 Kings this past week. It is amazing how He can use the little that we have to provide for us abundantly if we have faith in Him. During a time when there was no rain, and hence no water and no food, God provided for a widow and her son with only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. The widow was faithful in making food for Elijah the prophet even though she only had enough flour for one more meal, because she believed Elijah when he told her that God said, "The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land." Because of her faith, there was food every day for Elijah and the widow's family. Likewise, another widow needed to pay off her husband's debts and went to Elisha the prophet for help. Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? What do you have in your house?" She said, "Nothing except a little oil." Elisha then tells the widow to go and ask all her neighbors for empty jars, go home and pour oil into all the jars. She did as Elisha said and from the little oil and the faith that she had in God's word, the Lord gave her enough oil to fill all the empty jars, so that she could sell the oil to pay the debts and live on what's left.

God never wants us to focus on what we lack or what we don't have. He wants us to be faithful with whatever we DO have, as little as it may be. He wants to provide for us, to give us the things we need and to bless us abundantly. Not because we deserve it, but because He loves us. Not because of something we did, but because of who we are - His children. I heard someone say one time, "Heirs of a great inheritance receive the inheritance because of who they are, it's their privilege and right as a member of the family." Likewise, we are God's children and therefore, we have the privilege to receive His inheritance. He has already given us the best gift in all of eternity - His son - and yet, He is still giving every second of every day. Last year, this man (a complete stranger) prophesied over me and one of the things he said to me was that I should keep giving because I can never out give God.

This past week at church, the message was on giving. Our motivation for giving should not be 'to get', but our giving should be out of love and gratitude for the gift of Jesus Christ, the greatest gift of all. Even if we tried for the rest of our lives, we couldn't out give God. I was talking to my sister this past weekend and we were discussing how amazing it is that the more we give to God, the more God seems to give to us. It really is like 1 + 1 = ∞!

Looking back on my life, I know that God has always provided for me, even in the first 20 years of my life when I didn't know Him. When I quit my job in August of last year, I knew I was leaving a very 'cushy' situation financially, but I felt that it was what He was telling me to do. The Lord has provided for me and blessed me beyond understanding these past 9 months (whoa, I just counted 9 months)! I have not 'lacked' anything. He prepared and paved the way for me - every single step. When I was in Arizona, I was given a part-time job as a server where I gained a fun experience and made a few extra dollars that I wasn't expecting to make. I wasn't even looking for a job! In December, I got a bonus from my previous job for working part of the year, which I was expecting, but given the state of the market, I shouldn't have been too surprised if it didn't happen. When I came back to NJ in January, I grabbed lunch with a former boss just to say hello and she offered me a part-time consulting job! Again, I wasn't looking and didn't even ask for it. When I attended a wedding in January, the pastor mentioned that people interested in going on the missions trip to China should attend a meeting. I was just visiting that church on that day, and it's not even in my state. But I wrote in my vision for 2008 that I was going on a missions trip, I just didn't know when or where or how or with whom. It's been on my heart to go for years - and I really wanted to go to China. At the end of 2007, I went and got my Chinese visa even though I had no set plans to go to China. So when I heard about this opportunity, I prayed about it and took the steps to figure out if I could go with them. It turns out that I could, and God willing, I will be joining them at the end of the month!

God has allowed me to experience so much these past 9 months, sometimes I am so thankful and overjoyed that I start to think there might be something wrong with me! LOL. Like, is it normal to be this happy?! To conclude this post on God's math and His divine provisions, I was looking at my financial situation today versus the day I quit my job. Even with 9 months of being away from full-time employment, with the traveling, buying a car, paying the bills, giving, etc., financially it looks as if the last 9 months didn't happen. I'm in the same financial state as I was in when I quit. It's like, I 'gave' this time to God in faith. In turn, God was faithful in giving me a stronger relationship with Him, travel experiences, time for relaxation and family. As if that's not enough, He blesses me financially and gave me 9 months of 'freedom' from a job 'for free' just because He loves me. Does this add up logically? Probably not. God is faithful. He is awesome. His math is better than mine. Who am I to argue with Him?

1 + 1 = ∞ ...... I can never out give God.

Tetanus Shot

Yesterday I went to the doctor to get two shots - one of which is tetanus. He said that it's effective for 10 years, and asked if I might have gotten it recently. You're supposed to get this shot if you've had an injury as it helps prevent infection. I had a head injury 5 years ago, but said that I didn't remember if they gave me the shot in the hospital. The doctor (who is this little elderly Chinese man, he's so cute) chuckled and said that I would remember if I had this shot. He said that it makes your arm swell up for a couple of days. So I got both shots on one arm in one day (I don't know why I didn't tell them to do it on my right arm, since I'm a lefty). I figured, I've been through worse things than a little swelling on my arm. Boy did I underestimate the power of the tetanus shot. I was fine for about 8 hours, then my arm got heavier and hurt more as I moved. By the evening, it hurt even to type! I barely slept because it hurt whether or not I moved. My poor arm, it's so swollen. You know how you're not supposed to press your arm against your side in pictures, because it makes your arm look fat? Yeah, do NOT get the tetanus shot before formal pictures. The doctor wasn't kidding - I would have remembered getting this shot, and I don't think I'll ever forget it.

Seeing the World Through Different Eyes

I remember when I left NYC for Arizona, I felt like I was 'done' with NYC, that I had enough and was ready for something completely different. I had thought that 'something' would be a different geographic location. What I've come to realize is that although I am back in the NYC-area, I 'feel' as if it's going to be completely different, because God changed ME. It's like I am seeing the world through different eyes. It first 'hit' me when I was in the car about 5 weeks ago, and my mom was driving me to the bus stop. I looked out the window and noticed the tiniest bit of green on the trees. I was so excited, and exclaimed, 'Look! The trees are budding!' In all my years of living in NJ and NYC, I have never once noticed the trees budding. I notice the bare branches when it's winter. I notice the trees full of leaves, like they are now. But the 'budding' stage lasts no more than a week or two. Sometimes we need to just stop and smell the roses, literally. Otherwise, we may miss out on something beautiful. It is amazing that the trees, the flowers, the animals all KNOW when the seasons are about to change. God's wisdom in creation surpasses our knowledge and understanding. He created the universe, the earth, life, with a plan, a purpose and order.

.... Semi-Strangers in the Big Apple

A few days later, Boey and I met up in the city after I got out of 'work' (the consulting job that I have). He wanted to buy a bull as a souvenir for a friend. You would think that they would sell statues of bulls in the gift shops near Times Square. Yeah we checked, and no they don't.

We were trying to decide what to do before dinner, it was only 5pm. Then I remembered that when my cousin from Taiwan was visiting a few years ago, I spontaneously made us jump into a cab and headed towards the Hudson River to see the sunset. I was so disappointed when we got there and saw that it was cloudy and the sun was nowhere to be seen. Seeing that it was another beautiful sunny day, I asked Boey if he wanted to see the river and a view of NJ. I'm glad he wasn't looking for a real tour guide cuz I took him to none of the touristy places. He was up for it so we walked towards the river. When we got to the pier, we sat in the shade and rested for a bit because the sun was so bright and hot. There were some people there, jogging or walking their dogs, but it wasn't crowded, so we got to relax and do some people watching. We then found a bench by the dock where the ferries come in, so we sat there, enjoyed the view and talked. We didn't plan on staying that long, but it was such a beautiful view and the weather was absolutely perfect, that we ended up staying until the sun set behind NJ. It was the first time I had ever watched the sunset in NYC. I thought to myself, this has got to be the most romantic un-romantic thing I have ever done.


I like the pictures that Boey took. They have an interesting artistic twist to it.


















No one's ever told me to not look at the camera while they took a picture of me


















I offered to take a picture of Boey, but he doesn't seem to want be in his own pictures, so I guess this was the compromise ....


















There were a lot of helicopters flying around


















I like the silhouette effect here























A great sign that Boey noticed. He is very observant.


















The next day, I had to be in the city anyway for an event that my sister invited me to, so I came in a few hours earlier to hang out with Boey since he was leaving the following day. Again with no real agenda, we ended up walking from Port Authority to the East Village. It was another beautiful day, and it was wonderful to see the neighborhoods change as we walked. It's just been so long since I've walked around that much in the city, because I used to always have a schedule to keep. We pretty much walked aimlessly once we got to the village, turning onto quiet narrow streets with no traffic and just exploring the area. Boey took a lot of pictures with his professional camera but I don't them yet. Again, I never realized how beautiful some of the streets are! We got hungry and decided to sit down outside at a Mexican restaurant for a snack. We ordered some chips and guacamole and fish tacos. Yum. I ordered a pineapple margarita and it was tasty but I just made the observation that it tasted like juice. So when the waiter came back and asked if we wanted another one, Boey thought it'd be funny to tell the waiter that I thought mine was too weak. The waiter kind of chuckled and asked if I'd like a stronger margarita. I am laughing at this point, and I said sure. Boey goes to the waiter, 'C'mon, help me out here'. I could not believe he said that. The waiter laughed and said he'll make the drink extra strong. Yeah, we agreed that I cannot go back there again. But it was hilarious.

I was very pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed hanging out with Jessica's friend so much. I really had fun and laughed a lot. And what do you know, we still talk. I feel like I know Jessica better now because I know Boey. I also think because of the time we spent in the city, I have a greater appreciation for it and am looking forward to spending more quality time in the city and truly enjoying it. Thanks Jessica for sharing your friend :) Thanks Boey for the fun and laughter in NYC :)

Strangers in the Big Apple

I've been waiting to write this blog entry for awhile, because I wanted to wait until I got the pictures so I can post them here. Over a month ago, my pseudo-cousin Jessica informed me that her friend-she-met-online Boey is coming to NYC to visit for a week. Since she knew I was unemployed, she thought that perhaps I could hang out with him in the city. I told my sister about this. She said, 'Make sure Jessica has met this guy, he might be psycho for all you know.' My sister is very protective of me. So yes, I made sure that Jessica is indeed friends with him in person. And I am very glad that she introduced us, as it was one of the most interesting and fun experiences of meeting a stranger that I've ever had.

A couple of weeks ago, I get a call from Boey after he got to NYC. Jessica warned me that he was really weird, but then again, I've grown used to being around weird people - still, I prepared myself for the worst. The night before we met up, we chatted for a bit to figure out where to meet and what to do. Since he was the 'tourist', I asked him what he wanted to do. He couldn't decide, and said, 'It's your birthday tomorrow. We'll do whatever you want.' The funny thing is, not only was it nowhere near my birthday, but he was actually in NYC to celebrate HIS birthday. But okay, I went along with it. Then he says, 'Just so you know, we can talk about whatever you want, because after this week is over, I'll be gone and we'll never talk again.' I laughed and thought, wow, Jessica wasn't kidding.

The next day (Tuesday) we meet up after my job interview in midtown, I had no idea what he looked like. But I only had to check 4 corners for an Asian guy, so it wasn't too difficult. Since it was my 'birthday' I decided to go to Menchanko Tei for lunch. I realized later that Boey is a picky eater, lot of pressure for a tour guide. But he liked Menchanko, +1 for me. After lunch, he said, 'This whole thing is going much better than I thought it would.' Uh, thanks, I guess he thought I might have been either crazy or incredibly dull. At this point, I got a call to come in for another round of interviews from the company I met with earlier that day. I suggested that we go to Central Park and walk around or sit since it was such a beautiful sunny day. There was hardly anyone there because it was a weekday - it was REALLY nice. We walked along one of the ponds while Boey took pictures (he is a very talented photographer). It was then that I realized that I've never taken pictures at Central Park before! I always just took it for granted. Apparently, Boey LOVES NYC and says that us New Yorkers don't deserve to be here because we don't appreciate it enough, and perhaps to some extent, he's right.

View from inside Central Park























Isn't this a beautiful picture?

















We found these huge rocks and decided to climb to the top to sit and watch the softball game that was going on and just hang out. It was breezy and sunny, and really relaxing to just sit at the park and chat without any schedule to keep. After a little while, it started getting chilly so we headed down to the East Village where he and his friend were staying. Boey was on his search for a flask, so while he went into the store to buy one, I got a call from a different company telling me that they are extending me a job offer. Boey said that it really was my birthday, I agreed. How Asian, he boiled water in a kettle and made us tea. Then I watched and learned how to pour liquid into a flask without a funnel. You use a match. A brilliant, yet useless piece of information for me.

It's still my birthday, and so we went to my favorite Cuban restaurant in the city. The food was delicious but the sangria was disappointing. It was kind of like diluted juice and took up space in my stomach that could have been used for more steak. No, I do not try to hide the fact that I love food and pig out when I can, even around strangers. I didn't finish the steak, and Boey suggested that we wrap it up and give it to a homeless person. I thought it was a good idea, no one has ever suggested that before. While I went into Chase to get cash, Boey found a homeless person and was chatting with him when I came out. His name was Leif. As I walked up, Leif says to me, 'So I see you've found Mr. Right, he's a keeper.' What?! That caught me a bit off guard. What do you say to that? 'Oh, actually, we just met today.' Then Leif proceeded to tell us jokes before saying goodbye. Now Boey calls himself Mr. Right whenever he's right about something. Thanks Leif.

We were so full from dinner that we decided to walk towards Port Authority until I needed to jump in a taxi to catch my bus home. It was a really nice evening for a walk in the upper west side, we walked to Lincoln Center (although I was disappointed that they were doing construction) and perused through an art exhibit there. It was then that I remembered that I still had not gone to the symphony at Lincoln Center even though I've been wanting to for years. I was starting to see things about New York City that I never fully appreciated - it was like falling in love with someone who's always been around but you just never 'saw' him that way ....

Jake's Cross Country Trip

On Friday night, the driver came to pick up Jake in Arizona. My uncle was kind enough to take pictures of my baby getting loaded onto the truck. Jake is so brave to be making this cross country trip, but at least he has friends to hang out with. He gets to see all the sights and experience the open sky and warm breeze without having to worry about working his engines, so I am sure he is happy and excited. It's been so long, almost 5 months in fact, since I've seen Jake. I can't wait to pick him up in NJ soon, I see so many of his brothers on the road here and it makes me miss him. Here are some pictures of Jake getting ready for the trip.