Ok, it's just random pics (candice might know where I get this, heehee~)

I know, I have weird sense of humor... but the next couple pics are dedicated to kat, from what I observed about her behavior <3  Look familiar?

and of course, I can't forget melissa...

Okay... so it's really hard to update on a weekday... so much stuff going on @_@

But first of all, look at this: http://www.geocities.jp/b_ba_a0530/box/planet.html

Love, love, LOVE the art!!! I just swoon over gorgeous artwork (yes, it's the Libra in me, I admit it).

My workplace is evilllll~~~ there's so many snacks there for me to eat! My coworkers brought all these cookies from Japan and Taiwan, and it's so hard to resist ^^;; 

Yes, I look like a zombie right now, but hopefully, this weekend might change that.

Well, I guess it's still a mystery to me. Religion, that is. The belief that there is an omniscient entity that governs the seemingly random events in life. Going to church always makes me conscious of the fact that I'm not really religious anymore. I don't know what I think about Christianity. I don't really have a concrete view of it. All I know is that faith is what helps people to cope with whatever obstacles they may have in life. Most people find faith to be elusive, but I find it akin to hope. It's just a matter of knowing that whatever may happen, you will choose to believe. I have hopes, hopes that my future will be as rich and fulfilling as I imagine it to be. I have faith, faith that I will overcome my obstacles and challenges. Because just living day by day is a success in itself.

Oops, got sidetracked again... I can talk forever about the topic of beliefs... hehe

I think what I enjoy the most about church is the choir. One does not need to know the language or religion to understand music, and that's one of the reasons why I like church choirs. The harmony of the combined voices, the altos, sopranos (haha, not the show), tenors, etc... It's beautiful. I was in a youth church choir once, and although I didn't really care about the subject matter of the songs we sang, once the piano played and the music started, it was magic. Of course, not my singing, obviously (can't carry a tune in a bucket, har har), but just when all the voices combined to produce this incredibly rich sound, full of intricate layers, overlapping and undulating. It was truly alive. I always get flashbacks to that time whenever I hear a choir, which brings back fond memories.

Today, there was a special performance from a family. They were all great singers, but what struck me the most was not their musical ability, but rather their unity. They all were engaging in an activity in unison and harmony, and it just struck me as the epitome of the value of family. It's a fact that people who have good relationships with their family members have good mindsets and good lifestyles overall. It's because they have that grounding, that foundation that keeps them from all the harmful things out there in the world. No man is an island, as the saying goes. And I just felt blessed to be reminded that my family is great. Although, my mom is one kooky person... haha. When asked what he wanted to be in the future, my brother said that he wants to become the first Asian president... My mom promptly told him that when that happens, he should hire her as the housekeeper, so that he will have access to good Korean food in the White House... My dad and I just looked at her, all of us knowing that she's making awful quips agains. -_-;;; But I guess it's nice to have a mom with a quirky sense of humor (she put chestnuts when she made cornbread and called it 콩bread. I know, 설렁해~)

In other news, anyone up for going to Korea in around August-ish? I'm finally getting that trip that my parents promised me since high school, and of course, the more the merrier~ I think my mom said it's cheaper to buy tour packages from the tour agencies, finish the tours, do your own thing, and then come back... I guess they have some deals with the airlines or something. If I get my way, I want to go all over Asia, and at least seeing China and Japan, too. Gotta start saving up money now, since I have to keep up my end of the bargain (there really is no free meal in the universe, bah).

I think it's a good idea to write about what things have inspired me each day~ Makes me feel more motivated and happy

Yesterday's Inspiration:  The Griffith Observatory

Man, I love this place! Ever since I was little, I visited this place
to see the beautiful sight of Los Angeles. It's especially pretty at
night, and they just renovated it in 2006, I think. I didn't know what
to expect, but when the Center of the Universe show started, I was
blown away. Literally, I was gawking with my mouth open and forgetting
to breathe once in a while. THIS is a show that everyone must see. I'm
definitely coming back again to see this, and it made me more inspired
to learn about the universe. Of course, I was always interested in
astronomy... I had couple books back home that I used to read often,
but I really rediscovered it again recently when I read Michio Kaku's
Parallel Worlds. This is an amazing book, which I recommend to everyone I really feel inspired whenever I think about the universe, a
complex mystery that compel us to search for the ultimate order and
origin of life. It just blows my mind away.

Today's inspiration? Running in the cold.
Haha, I know it sounds lame, but freezing to death while trying to
exercise puts me in this mental state... I guess it's like survival
mode, but not to the extent of life or death. It just gives you this
incredible focus, and you become more aware of your body, how it works
and how you can control it. It's also motivating to see other people
working so hard to improve themselves, which makes me want to improve
too. I just hope that I don't get a cold, haha~

And also an excerpt from The Velveteen Rabbit:

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by
side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does
it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing
that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not
just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It
takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who
break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.
Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved
off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very
shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real
you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

"I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he
wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be
sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled.

"The Boy's Uncle made me Real," he said. "That was a great many years
ago; but once you are Real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for
always."

Halfway point!!!

...of my cleanse. Seriously, I think it gets worse everyday, but I'm halfway through~~~ My mom is expecting me to collapse at any minute, but I pretty much feel fine, aside from the bouts of cramps and crankiness. I never wanted food so much in my life, haha.

*Sigh* It was so nice to see a lot of my old friends again. Some things never change, and even if anything changed, it is just great to see how everyone is doing well in their lives. I think middle school and high school, but especially high school, was full of good memories that I can never forget, and such a time will never come again.

So much to do in the year 2007! So many places to go, and so many things to learn... So much to look forward to... Life is just too short to do everything I want to do.

I dunno, I seem to be in a sentimental mood after watching sweet,
romantic, sappy movies... btw, I highly recommend The Holiday for a
christmas, feel-good, heartwarming, romantic movie. Ahhh it was so cute
and funny and touching~~   It had a great cast, and Jude
Law was definitely not hate-able in this one. Ahahaha, but seriously,
the cast was so awesome.

As the year comes to an end, I get these holiday cards from friends and
family, and even strangers. That really touched me, because it's hard
to go out of your way to give something simple like a card, and doing
that for people you barely know is so nice. I am a firm believer of no
good deed goes unnoticed, and it's the little things that make me
happy. The card made my day

If it wasn't for the kindness of strangers, the world would be a very
cold and disolate place... I'm always thankful for the kindness and
generosity of strangers, because it has saved me many times, literally
and figuratively. I could have been lost or dead several occasions,
which I can never forget, and I was brought back to the right path
because of a kind action of a bypasser. So maybe you don't think that
it's a big deal to help a wayward child or a person in need, but every
little bit helps. And every little good action you do had somehow
touched someone out there, and that memory of you will live on in those
you helped.

So pay it forward.

well, I just finished watching 'Ima Ai ni Yukimasu' and now my face is swollen... such a good movie! T_T

I am looking for anyone who

has the song 三
个字 (San Ge Zi) by Qiao Qiao for the Green Forest, My Home OST~~ I
really like her voice in this song. I was so surprised, since she
sounded kinda annoying in Magicians of Love @_@

Finals are here wayyyyy too early. I wish they could stay away for another week
But I'm soooo looking forward to the break, where I can relax and be
mindless... well, not exactly, but doing something other than work and
school.

As soon as I dwell on my own problems, I realize that my problems are
insignificant compared to others. To those who live without shelter,
without adequate food, without good health, without family, and so
on... And then I'm immediately grateful for everything I have now,
because I know my complaints are just from someone who's too focused on
her own life, and too little to complain about. I don't like being
petty, but it's hard to escape it when many people around are focused
on their own lives. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, since
everyone lives their own individual lives, but I know a reality check
is good once in a while. I don't know if people think I'm a nice
person. Maybe I do things to make myself look nice. I don't know if I
really want to help people. It's hard to go out of your way to help
someone, but I know that once I get started, it's so rewarding. I need
to find a place to volunteer. I don't know if I truly can help people,
but I know that it does give me a purpose in life other than just
living. Just standing here and minding my own business. Because after
all, I know that if I was born in a world that I had only to myself,
there would be no purpose in me living. I just wish that I could give
more. Someday I'll get to that point, though. That's why I look forward
to tomorrow.

smart. It's been so long that I've updated, that I don't even know how to put up a proper entry.... le sigh...

oh the joys of soondooboo~ It cures my blues away~~ heehee
you know you're a nerd when you're pumped up to go to a study session
for a test.... but the mass information flow is so overwhelming! I
think I appreciate classes AFTER graduating, since I know it'll be hard
to study like this few years down the road. Best to get crackin at them
books while you're young.

And seriously, this nonfat yogurt craze is great! All the pat bing soo
places have them now, since they're trying to copy pinkberry, and
honestly, it's not that bad.  I mean, I still think pinkberry is
the best, the rest out there are pretty darn good too. And the
pinkberry in Westwood SUCKS BUTT. No wonder I see people drive down all
the way to LA one. That places is literally packed 24/7...  They
give you so much more food. The Westwood one is pretty much incompetent
(dude, they weigh the cup... wtf? shiesty people), and the employees
seem like they don't know what they're doing, or they don't care
enough. I still have yet to try the one in hollywood, though. Rose and
I agreed that we'll never go to the westwood one.... hehehe~

Mmmm thanksgiving... that means... Black Friday! >:D  Needless to say, shopping is mandatory.

And.... I need to go back to the container store soon. I need storage
space for my lush   Like those junkies on the forums... although
I don't think I have enough for lush porn... yet...  because I
don't even stockpile on any items! I know, what a sad lushie I am. But
you bet I'm hoarding that Back for Breakfast and Honeywood... I wonder
when the next dc orders will be... if ever >:O