the next chapter begins

It's a big week of change...and I'm not sure what I was thinking when i picked my end date to be the same week as when class starts. I was just crazy!!! I feel like I've barely closed the chapter on those 5ish years of work before jumping head first into prepping for school. Yesterday, I went on campus to get my ID card (yay! student discounts here i come!) and listened to some sorority girls in line behind me talk about their parties, etc and felt soooo old. heh I can't believe I'm going back to school.

Anyhow. Yup. I will officially begin my return stint as student tomorrow with a wonderful first day 10am-10pm (there's class 10-4 and then a training session for tutoring SAT verbal 5-10). oh boy, can't wait. Not to mention, it'll be my first time riding the Light Rail. woo hoo! no need to deal with parking, saves gas, free VTA pass thru school and helps the environment...oh wait! and uninterrupted time to study on the train! WOW. it's an all-around win.

On Monday (my last day), I woke up in a panic. The enormity of what i was about to do sorta hit me and I was thinking "omg! what was i thinking?? i'm crazy!! is it too late to turn back?" Heh...yeah. I'm a bit scared about this latest venture of mine, but I know engineering's not for me and I'm tired of sticking with it based on fear. Besides which, I have faith that God doesn't want me to be doing something i hate for the rest of my life (so bye bye engineering), but instead He made me for something better and what's more...it'll be something that I'm good at and LOVE to do. So I'm grabbing onto His promise and going "to infinity & beyond!"

9/6 Note: yes...i know this is horribly post-dated, i actually started this but never got around to posting it. i can't believe i've already been in school for 2 weeks! i have a feeling i'll be posting a lot less often. :( but one day...i hope to get around to posting the top 10 reasons to be a student...

so why monday?

Lor (5:23:15 PM): so, curious... why stay the extra monday?
shal (5:27:46 PM): dude
shal (5:27:51 PM): everyone asks me that
shal (5:27:53 PM): haha
shal (5:28:06 PM): so we have employee stock purchase plan....
shal (5:28:09 PM): i think i should blog about it
shal (5:28:21 PM): anyhow....so yeah. the subscription period ends like aug 19. which is sat
shal (5:28:26 PM): so i thought that meant i had to stay till monday
shal (5:28:30 PM): in order to get it
shal (5:28:38 PM): so i told my boss monday
shal (5:28:57 PM): but i found out later that it'll end aug 18 instead. but it was too late to change
shal (5:29:03 PM): besides. i don't mind having the weekend.
shal (5:29:11 PM): i still need to download all m y personal stuff from my laptop!
shal (5:29:11 PM): hehe
Lor (5:29:17 PM): i see
Lor (5:29:49 PM): i was kinda figuring you wanted to rub your 1-day week in the rest of us working stiffs' faces :P
shal (5:32:40 PM): haha
shal (5:32:42 PM): nope
shal (5:32:46 PM): had nothing to do with that
shal (5:32:59 PM): but thanks for mentioning ti..now i've got another perk
shal (5:33:08 PM): and i don't feel as stupid for saying monday
shal (5:33:10 PM): haha
Lor (5:33:17 PM): ...
Lor (5:33:29 PM): you're, um, welcome...
shal (5:58:35 PM): :-)

6 days left!!

Just 6 days of work left!!!! Omg. I can't believe it. It feels sooo surreal. I don't think my mind will fully grasp it until it happens. After working at Intel for 4+ years, I will no longer be coming into work everyday. Bye bye forever parking garage & cube & cafetria (no regrets there!). Actually, I don't have any regrets about quitting. I only regret not doing it sooner cuz I know I've only stayed out of fear of moving on...fear of the unknown. But yay! I'm leaving and I'm not sure if what I'm going on to is gonna work out or not, but at least I'm gonna give it a shot. I'm no longer gonna just look longingly across & fearfully down from the saftey of the cliff edge. I'm taking a running leap. Maybe I'll make it across and maybe I won't. But hey, if I don't, I just might land on a ledge that I don't see yet from where I'm standing. Who knows? :) But I'll never find out just standing around. So outta my way, cuz I'm jumpin'. Wheeeeee!

10+ simple pleasures

Got tagged by chris. So in no particular order (and trying not to repeat anyone else's):

10. Watching a good (or decent) rom-com and letting out a *blissful sigh* at the happy ending....ah...the romance!

9. A good day on the slopes. Being able to board the whole day, relatively short lines, not too crowded, and good snow (not fresh powder necessarily, cuz that can be sticky, but packed powder is nice)

8. Communicating without words. Being able to just catch a friend's eyes and know we're thinking the same thing...or that we get each other...that we're on the same wave-length.

7. Enjoying a clean room. I don't enjoy the cleaning part, but aftewards, seeing the results and how spick-n-span things are...it all becomes worth it. Closely related to this is sleeping in my bed after I just changed the covers/sheets, etc. I just feel like things are crisper and I think to myself "好舒服哦!" Unfortunately, cuz i'm such a lazy butt, i don't get this pleasure very often.

6. A job well done. There's something to be said for completely a task, especially when I can watch people genuinely enjoying the fruits of my labor (like after planning an event or baking/cooking). Then all the hard work, time, energy, frustration, blood & sweat are worth it.

5. A good game of ULTIMATE!!! It just feels great when i can make some good plays! (like going all out to catch the "touchdown" pass, successfully cutting and losing a defender to catch a pass, making a good pass-especially a forehand) But it's also fun just to be a part of a team, working together for the same cause. Yay!

4. Having just the right amount of change to pay for something...not only does it lighten the coin purse, but it's almost like saving a dollar! (cuz i never count my change as part of my actual $)

3. Chilling with my girl friends. Getting together to talk the night away with the gals, catching up with each others' lives and usually involves food too. hee hee And it's something that happens far too seldomly.

2. Star gazing. Counting shooting stars, finding & making up constellations, and realizing yet again how very small I am (and how very big the universe is)...

1. Getting plenty of sleep. Being able to wake up without the alarm, stretching out as far as I can when I do finally decide it's time to get up & letting out a little groan of contentment as i stretch is soooooooo satisfying. =P

What are your simple pleasures?

Man, this list could go on forever!!! :) I had to try to avoid copying other ppl's simple pleasures in my official list, but some other simple pleasures i love are below for your reading pleasure. :D

11. Eating something yummy. Like a good piece of dark choc, my fav jamba juice, sipping a mojito, guac&chips, the perfect brownie, juicy ribs, delicious sushi rolls, etc. etc. etc.

12. Unrestrained laughter...laughing loud, hard & often....at nothing, at something, at whatever! Laughing till my stomach aches, i can't breathe and tears are streaming. Hrm...can't remember the last time i did that...

13. Lounging around reading a good book. It's such a treat to have enough free time that I can just sit down for a while and have enough energy and eyes not being too tired to read...it happens so seldom these days, but I'm looking forward to getting more chances for this very soon. Of course, I'll be trading my computer screen for textbooks, but eh.

lesson from the kiddies

News Flash!
We are too busy for God. Not just the high schoolers with SATs and college apps to worry about...or the collegians with their loads of coursework...or even the young adults with work & all the added responsibilities of growing up...

no matter what age we are...we are ALL too busy for God. Even my 1st, 3rd & 4th graders proclaimed everyday how busy they were with instrument lessons, sports, school, etc etc...too busy for God. I was stunned. It made me re-examine my own reasons for why I so often feel like I'm too busy for God. And I realized that my busyness was just an excuse and really not a valid reason in my avoidance of spending time alone with God.

It reminded me of when PTim preached a while ago (for the prayer month kick-off..maybe feb?) about how it's important for us to figure out WHY we don't want to spend time with God and address that first. I think part of the reason for me is that I'm tired and I know God wants me to do more, but I'm not sure I have the energy for anything else (I don't got the bandwidth! in geek speak). But I also gotta remember that God is the only one who can restore & refresh me and I can go to Him for anything, with anything that I'm feeling. I can lay my tiredness at His feet and just seek rest (cuz He promises rest to the weary in Matthew 11:28-30).

And when I am doing His work, to not count on just my own strength, but His, so that He can truly be glorified through it. And when I know I can't do everything that I want to (or think He wants me to), I can seek His guidance, especially in knowing exactly what He wants me to do! "If you need wisdom--if you want to know what God wants you to do--ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking." --James 1:5 (NLT)

egged

My car got egged on Sunday.
I was walking to my car Monday morning and saw something white on the roof and was wondering what it could be...and as I got closer, I realized....it's an egg. Ewwwww! It had dried up. And so it was kinda tough to get off. bleh :( What a way to start the week. *sigh* But thankfully, it wasn't tooooo hard to get off. As I was scrapping off the egg tho, the smell of it rather made me wanna gag. Not so much that it stunk or anything...but it definitely had a smell. I had to break the clean up in 2 tries cuz I was rushing to get to the doctor's on time. But gee...i've never gotten egged before. Why would someone wanna egg my car? :(

vbs & weekend recap

my crew (from left): me, tobi, alinna, annabelle, & tytus

Last week I helped out at my church's VBS (Vacation Bible School) that's a morning program (9am-12pm) for kids. I had a crew of 4 kids that I took from station to station (crafts, games, Bible stories, and a short movie) all week long. I was surprised by how much fun I ended up having! I even reverted a bit back to my childhood on Friday when one of the songs & its motions got stuck in my head and hopping & skipping around all afternoon (much to hanlin's dismay...hee hee!) My kids were really well-behaved though, so I really lucked out. And when some of 'em grabbed my hand as we walked between stations or all tried sit next to me, I felt soooo special. Man! I'm such a softie. But it was a tiring week, so I wasn't totally heartbroken when it ended.

As for the rest of this weekend? It passed by in a blur of the music ministry performance (which was really good!!), meetings, and the beach on Monday (perfect day for the beach!!) with the youth. I'm totally pooped and today's my first day back for a full day of work in over a week! ugh. talk about a rude awakening.

I'm working on a post on what i learned from vbs. Hopefully i can post it sometime this week. :)

you gotta be kidding me!

i know owning a pet's the trendy thing to do...but a hotel for pets?!?!

on a completed unrelated note, here's an interesting article on gas saving tips. i think most of it's common sense, but there are a couple things i didn't realize (like using overdrive on the highway and every 5 mph higher than 60 decreases your mpg...). i've been wanting to inflate my tires for a while now, but was horrified to discover that Chevron now charges for the "free air & water...cuz that's how it should be" (or something like that) that they used advertise!! Then yesterday, I was gonna get air at the shell that gives it free to customers, but there was too long a line waiting for the attendant. hopefully, i can get air on my next fill up.

More Tips on Saving Gas Money: 13 Ways to Save on Gas and Improve Mileage

1. Stay within posted speed limits. The faster you drive, the more fuel you use.
2. Use overdrive gears. Overdrive gears improve the fuel economy of your car during highway driving.
3. Use cruise control. Using cruise control on highway trips can help you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, reduce your fuel consumption.
4. Anticipate driving situations. If you anticipate traffic conditions and don't tailgate, you can avoid unnecessary braking and acceleration, and improve your fuel economy by 5 to 10 percent.
5. Avoid unnecessary idling. Turn off the engine if you anticipate a lengthy wait. No matter how efficient your car is, unnecessary idling wastes fuel, costs you money and pollutes the air.
6. Combine errands. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as one trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm.
7. Remove excess weight from the trunk. Avoid carrying unneeded items, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in the trunk reduces a typical car's fuel economy by one to two percent.
8. Keep your engine tuned. Studies have shown that a poorly tuned engine can increase fuel consumption by as much as 10 to 20 percent depending on a car's condition.
9. Keep your tires properly inflated and aligned. Underinflated tires cause fuel consumption to increase by six percent.
10. Change your oil. Clean oil reduces wear caused by friction between moving parts and removes harmful substances from the engine.
11. Check & replace air filters regularly. Your car's air filter keeps impurities in the air from damaging internal engine components. Clogged filters can cause up to a 10% increase in fuel consumption.
12. Buy only the octane level gas you need. Remember, the higher the octane, the higher the price. Check your owner's manual to determine the right octane level for your car.
13. Own a fuel efficient vehicle. The difference between a car that gets 20 MPG and one that gets 30 MPG amounts to $1,500 over 5 years.

nyc, biay & vbs

what a very acronym-y update!

NYC was great! Hot & humid and icky but lots of a/c so not soooooo bad (unlike at my house now). Lots of good conversation. Not bad shopping. Good food (espeically babbo...mmmmm...i'm so happy i went).
I'm hoping Di will post a recap on it so i don't have to... :D (i know not to count on shar or nan to do it...haha). Here are some pics to tide you over.

in the meantime...guess what?!?! i'm now passed the 300th day of my BIAY plan!!!!! I can't wait to finish. wonder how i should celebrate this milestone...any suggestions? :)

i can't believe next week's already VBS (vacation bible school)!!!!!! i'm gonna have to be up and at church by 8:30am everyday *gasp* and spend the morning with a group of kids (elementary school aged i think) as we rotate thru a bunch of stations learning about the Bible and Jesus. and THEN i'm gonna go to work afterwards (craziness!!). i think i'm gonna be totally pooped. I hope I can handle the kids! Being the youngest kid in my family, i really haven't had much experience working with kids. I always feel a bit awkward around them. Not quite sure what to say & how to interact with them. heh i remember last yr, i helped out for just 3 days and i only started to feel more comfortable on the last day! HAHA so wish me luck!

7/21 additional note: Yay!! Di did a recap! She pretty much covered it all. What a great vacation! free flight, free lodging, good food and quality time with the gals! =P

About the Food: you've GOTTA order shake shack's portabello burger with meat (it's not on the menu)...that was THE best!! and i liked buttercup's cupcakes better cuz they're less sweet. and we actually asked the waiter to water down the margarita at Dos Caminos but it was Still too strong. they musta watered it down a lot too cuz when it came, it was so thick that it was hard to suck with a straw, but after the adjustment, it was pretty watery!

About the Weather: saturday was PERFECT....not too hot, not too humid, even sprinkled a little in the afternoon. But it got progressively hotter with each passing day. So by monday it was crazy & miserable outside (which is why we mostly cabbed & shopped in a/c). OH! nearly forgot. The a/c wasn't working at sushisamba (for part of dinner)!!! so we were like sweating while we ate...which did not make for a pleasant experience.

break time!

Wow...3 posts in 1 day?!?!
This was fun! but i think i have an IQ of 0. :'(

COME-uni-KAY-shon

words.
they're so commonplace...just a bunch of letters strung together. and yet they have the power to make or break someone's day. Carelessly speaking can really create a mess of hurt feelings or anger or whatever that takes up so much more energy to clean up than if the words had never been used in the first place!

Altho i haven't hurt anyone with my words lately (at least not that i know of!!!) i do feel like a lot of words that have been coming out of my mouth (or um...typed in emails...and more like end of May timeframe when i orginally wrote this =P) aren't necessary and are a waste (of energy, time, etc). reading the verses below really reminded me that i need to consider what is occupying my mind so that the words i speak & write will also be purposeful & valueable and not just...wa-wa-waah-wah. *imagine the sounds that come out of the adults' mouths in snoopy cartoons*

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. -- Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. -- 1 Cor2:13 (NIV)

=================
Now...here's my update to these thoughts:
actually, misinterpreting someone else's words can have equally unfortunate results. but how you understand what another person's saying is totally dependent on so many factors, including your impression of the person speaking, your personality, your history (like if certain words are major triggers for you), etc. etc. it's all sooo complicated! thinking about all the things that can cause communication disconnects, it's amazing that people can understand each other on the first try at all. And in view of that fact and also cuz i assume most of the people i know are well-meaning and speak with good intentions (not to harm)...could we please give each other the benefit of the doubt before jumping to the wrong conclusions? just a thought.

a poll

out of curiosity....

1) what's your favorite book(s)?
2) what's on your "next to read" list?
3) how do you usually get your books (ie. bookstore, online, library, borrow from friends, etc)?
4) when was the last time you went to the library?

Wuz aaaah-p?

i feel like it's high time i updated...but not really sure wat to update with. july 4th was wonderful! nothing like a 4-day vacation to forget all about work. (which only made it that much harder to come back on wed. but YAY! it's only a 3-day week. wooohooo!)

i saw 2 fireworks displays over the long weekend. it was great. i can't believe it's been over 2 yrs since i've seen fireworks. i'd forgotten how pretty they are. i'll add a pic to this post once i upload the pics from my camera (which has LOTS of pics from ages ago but i've been too lazy to plug it into my computer thus far). i also went up to Cal this past weekend. and i'm ashamed to admit that i'd forgotten how to get to the Big C. Ended up having to ask a security guard at lawrence labs (yeah...major detour...all walking!!). such a steep climb!! but yay! now i remember..and hopefully i won't forget the way again. :)

swing dancing's going well. it's quite fun actually. and if you're in a non-A/C'd room in the middle of a heat wave, then it has the same affects as any aerobic exercise! heh heh (or if you have a partner that likes to twirl you around and around and around...)

I'm going to NYC next weekend with the gals! I can't wait!!!! i really need to do some shopping (i'm compiling a list of things i need in my head...hope i remember it all!) and can't wait to hang with shar, nan, al & di (altho, i saw them all pretty recently, but only for the briefest of moments each). yay!!

random poll

What do you do when you encounter a person asking for $ on the street?

Time to blow this joint

In the words of my carpool buddy, it's time to "blow this joint".
By joint, i mean work of course!

Yes, indeedy. I'm quitting my job and giving up the cushy salary to go back to being a poor (literally!) grad student. I'll be starting SJSU this fall and I'll be studying Library & Information Science. (yes, major career change) It's a little intimidating, but I'm excited to finally leave the work that i haven't been enjoying for a while now and moving on to something more interesting, more rewarding, and more fitting to my skills & personality (at least i think so). No end date has been set yet, but i think it may be sometime in Aug (probably right up till school starts...gotta save while i can!).

This also means that i'm now gonna have to learn how to budget (and how to live w/i my means...no more impulsive shopping sprees? or extravagant european vacations? waaaah!), which i've never done before. Anyone got any pointers for this newbie? :)

Oh...and as i bid adieu to the hi-tech industry (and for all my fellow nerds out there...) =P

not here

“Heaven is not here, it’s there. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next.” – Elisabeth Elliot

it's so easy to get wrapped up in busyness, the details of the daily grind and just getting thru the day such that the big picture is forgotten. i don't wanna "settle"! i don't wanna get lost in the mechanics of living and forget what my real purpose is. That i'm looking forward to something greater than this world & this life & what i can see. and what's more, i can't afford to forget it! the consequences are far too great.

lost in my stream of consciousness

gosh..is it already time for another almost weekly post?
i have lots of pics i need to download off my camera...that'd make for a perfect post...too bad ih aven't gotten around to downloading them yet. i don't have much to say besides i'm sooooo tired and i can't believe it's only tues!! i feel like my head's been in a fog since i woke up mon. it's really weird actually. i don't think i had an especially busy weekend or anything. pretty typical. maybe it's just all accumulated and that's why i suddenly feel so tired. or maybe it's the weather! such dreariness lately. maybe i'm suffering from SAD? i hope i don't get sick!! this weekend's church retreat. we're going down to asilomar. and hopefully ppl will humor me again this yr and toss the frisbee for a bit! yay!! and i wonder if we'll be able to get a bonfire going. that'd be cool. oo! i have a free blockbuster rental coupon that expires soon! arg! i guess i'll have to get something on sun or something. shoot! i was gonna say something, but i forgot in the midst of my previous stream. hrm...it was good too! let's see...what else is happening? oh. i'm gonna see an allergist 2moro for the rashes i've been getting. i'm sure you're thrilled to know that. :) oh yeah. and i'm gonna have to share what i was like in jr high/HS/college with the youth at the end of the month. oh and i really should look into getting my ticket for NYC. *sigh* so much to do and so little will & time to do it....is it time to go back to work now? guess so.....

i feel like i should post something to draw focus/attention away from the past 2 posts on chivalry ;) but i don't really have much to say. Oh...btw, i should put a disclaimer that the list on my friend's post does not necessarily reflect my personal views and opinions. i linked to it more to be informative. :D

My brother passed his quals. So now he's officially an PhD candidate. and now he can relax cuz he plans on taking full advantage of his full ride & stipend and is in no hurry to graduate. :) heh heh

My dad flew in yesterday night from Kunming so we'll be celebrating his bday and father's day (cuz i'll be gone on a church retreat and mimi & myron'll be busy the weekend after) this saturday! think we're gonna be making sushi and lobster and thai spring rolls...i'll probably make a pecan pie while i'm at it (it's my dad's fav...no oil and lots of sugar).

Thankfully, i believe the last of the activities i need to help with are over and hopefully i'm gonna get a break from organizing stuff for a little bit. Ahhhhhhh....that'll be nice cuz i feel like i've been jumping from one event to another since Feb (ski trip, scavenger hunt, europe, GA...). whew! it's been a busy couple of months. so i look forward to a bit of downtime.

chivalrous acts - #8 & #9

I'd like to submit a few more items to the list of chivalrous acts (mentioned in my previous post). They're pretty simple & probably obvious to most ppl but i thought i'd mention it anyhow (and #8's one that applies to everyone, men & women).

#8 - When dropping someone off, it's nice to wait until they're safely inside (or at least have opened their home door) before driving away. I think this is pretty practical because i view making sure a person gets home safely as part of my responsibility when driving anyone home. (i mean. what if they forgot their house keys and you've already left and they have no cell phone. then they're stranded!) Of course, guys, it's nice if you walk your date to her door when you're dropping her off, but i personally wouldn't hold it against you if you didn't. On the other hand, driving away after i've barely shut the car door would be viewed as highly inconsiderate.

#9 - (disclaimer: i didn't come up with this one...a guy actually gave me this one) Walk a girl to her car at night. This one can get a bit tricky depending on logistics...if it was a hangout at your place (the guy) and there's several ppl leaving at the same time and they all probably parked close by, then you probably don't have to. but what if the neighborhood's super safe? what if there are 2 girls and only 1 guy and they parked in totally opposite directions? ...so use your best judgment.

One last note. Chivalry is defined as "The manifestation of any of the qualities idealized by knighthood, such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women." So basically (imo), chivalry's not about performing all/any of the acts on this list...it's more like an attitude that will naturally result in doing of some of these things. So this list is really just examples of chivalry in action. There are a ton of ways to be chivalrous so i'll just leave it at this and i'll step off the soap box...for now. :)

it's a small, small world

i was recently referred to a blog by a girl giving advice on asian american christian dating and imagine my surprise when i discovered that the blog author is none other than an old high school classmate of mine!! :) it took a while cuz i didn't recognize her from the photo on her blog. but as i read on, the pieces started falling into place and i couldn't shake the feeling that i knew her! so i emailed her and asked. and sure enough...it's her.

she makes some good points on her blog. especially this post on the lost art of chivalry. :D Now guys, before you turn away in disgust, I really urge you to read her post cuz, speaking as a girl, i can vouch that these little, seemingly insignificant & pointless acts really do make a difference. they make a girl feel safe and cared for. they show that you respect and care about her as well. (of course, i'm not saying you've gotta to all 7! that's reserved for the fairy tale prince charming :]) AND if you do it for ALL women, then HUGE kudos to you cuz that TOTALLY shows character.

i feel like i've gotta give a shout out to my carpool buddy,C, who is the only person i know who does this. i was pretty shocked that he always opened the car door for me, but i soon learned that he does it for all his female acquaintances. that's just impressive beyond words. so way to go, C! =P hope that doesn't embarass you too much. hee hee