funny voicemail transcription

In general, Google Voice has been great...but when I saw this transcription of a voicemail B left me about a hardwood floor estimate and talking to our painter I totally cracked up. (Note: the darker words are the one's that are more likely to be correct...i.e. the software is more confident about.)

Hey honey, it's me or okay, so I'd love to change. Yeah, and basically do you have it both ways. 2500 He says that the wedding so it should be diningout. There is a warning, right on top of that for that small singers in a board meeting in and I'll street will probably consequences location different andalso he said that she had anything or at least addition to pay removal okay. Hey Shally, What's up. So I'll talk to you. Thanks for that. Well, it's Bowermove labor sure Shaw baseboards you, but I don't know if you want to catch up to tell for the rest of the house page. I wanted to. So, that's. And yeahdives for that. Funny thing with you soon, write a check. That's a reason. Hey station thinks she moldings and I want. I wondered. She's package yet. Ijust passed out. So we have those soon. On the way out 1,009. It's John, Just wanted to drop off that she if you could drive. 6. If you talk to you andTuesday when she heard environment options that that out so so I just got back a little bit later. What Erica number facto Drop Off Raj. Talk to you later.Ohh get there alright bye bye hey thanks.


But it's still awesome to be able to read my voicemails instead of having to listen to them (ahem....a certain birdie should try this...)....the lesson here is just don't try to do it when your reception's not great. :)

finding solace from a movie

Ever since coming back from Aus/NZ, Bob & I have been rewatching LotR extended edition and pausing to try to recognize the NZ sites & landscapes (yes, I know. Very nerdy). Anyhow, I've been particularly struck by some of the quotes in the movies because I feel like they're particularly relevant to some of what I've been going through lately with church. The parts in italics especially speak to me about what's going on. And I'm trying to have hope, but man, I so often feel like Frodo.

Note: We just finished The Two Towers, so there's none from Return of the King yet.

The Fellowship of the Ring

Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought. 

The Two Towers

Frodo: I can't do this, Sam.
Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.

The library is for everyone

The following is a excerpt I read earlier this year and wanted to share but never got around to doing so until now! It's so cool to read this positive description of the library. :)

Smelly and dirty, I walked a mile tot he other side of the downtown peninsula, through Marion Square, to the library. This would become tradition. For the next two months while I was living at the shelter, rarely would a day go by that I didn't pay a visit to the library. It would become my connection to the rest of the world. I recognized early on that everyone belongs there. For a moment, lower, middle, and upper classes all blend into the same intellectual melting pot. Whether sufing the Internet or perusing the bookshelves, everyone can find something to do at the library. 

(from p. 62 of Scratch Beginnings by Adam Shepard, Collins Publisher, 2008)

15 books in 15 mins

Even though I've got tons of other...productive...stuff to do on my 1 day off this week, I can't resist. As a result of a tag...I'll do my best to come up with 15 titles. :)

Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

1) Anne of Green Gables (my favorite book...whimsical and optimistic)
2) Pride & Prejudice (the book and the movies...classic romance!!)
3) The Shack (even though I'm not done with it yet, it's definitely got me thinking and still hopefully stick with me for years to come!)
4) To Kill a Mockingbird
5) Lord of the Rings
6) The Scarlett Letter (not cuz I particularly liked it or anything, but I can still remember it even to this day, which goes for a lot of those high school classics! hehe Now that I think of it, it even makes me think from a new perspective...hidden sin vs. sin that's out in the open for all to see and how God affects that)
7) Princess Bride (probably cuz I saw the movie on cable recently, but the book is really good! probably one I'll read to my kids if I have any in future)
8) Harry Potter (how can this not stick...7 books and so insanely popular)
9) The Scarlet Pimpernel & other regency romance novels (much as I hate to admit it, they were my bread & butter from junior high all the way into college...it's where many of my romantic ideals came from! so they definitely stuck with me)
10) The Bible (debated whether to add this or not, thought it might be too cliche and cheesy, but the Bible is SOOO applicable to my life and some of the verses/stories speak directly to me...how can it not be on this list??)
11) Ender's Game (only a vague memory of the story, but it was soooo good)
12) Crime & Punishment (dark and dreary for sure. would never be able to forget it!)
13) My Lucky Day (children's book, but very cute. used it in my very first job interview for librarian and is now one of my favorites for storytime)

(ack...running out of steam...must take break)

14) Joy Luck Club
15) American Born Chinese (my very first graphic novel...kinda weird)

That took me longer than 15 minutes.

Actually, a lot of those high school English books really stay with you...and not in a good way. Scarlett Letter and Crime & Punishment I already mentioned, but there's also Beloved...Dracula...The Crucible...Hamlet...Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man...bleh

Also scary is how many of my list are also movies (9 out of 15 that I know of) and how often titles of movies & TV shows came to my head instead of books. =P

Blissfully married

Wow. It's been so long since I updated. I wonder if I'll keep this blog up anymore.
Quick update: I am blissfully married!

I had the WORST dream last night. I dreamt that I married some other guy! An emotionally-unavailable guy that I never even went on a date with!! In the dream, Bob & I broke up or just never got engaged or something and I was set up with the other guy or something. We had tried to go on a date, but something happened and it was canceled. And then we were getting married and I said yes and stuff cuz I felt like that was what I was supposed to say. And then afterwards, I realized this guy was totally wrong, and I should have married Bob, but now it was too late!! I was in agony.

Then I woke up and realized it had been a nightmare. WHEW!

Teen Books (like OMGROTFLMAO!)

Before I even start, let me just say that I'm really dreading what I'll discover cuz I'm pretty sure my count is going to abysmal... eeeek! And here we go!

========================
The following list of books teens love, books teens should read, and
books adults who serve teens should know about was compiled IN
ABSOLUTELY NO SCIENTIFIC MANNER and should be taken with a very large
grain of salt.

Instructions:
Put an "X" next to the books you've read
Put a "+" next to the books you LOVE
Put a "#" next to the books you plan on reading
Tally your "X"s at the bottom
Share with your friends!

1. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy / Douglas Adams #
2. Kit's Wilderness / David Almond
3. oops but I didn't read it anyway X (i'm counting it, ha!)
4. Speak / Laurie Halse Anderson X+
5. Feed / M.T. Anderson
6. Flowers in the Attic / V.C. Andrews
7. 13 Reasons Why / Jay Asher
8. Am I Blue? / Marion Dane Bauer (editor)
9. Audrey Wait! / Robin Benway
10. Weetzie Bat / Francesca Lia Block
11. Tangerine / Edward Bloor
12. Forever / Judy Blume
13. What I Saw and How I Lied / Judy Blundell
14. Tyrell / Coe Booth
15. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants / Ann Brashares X
16. A Great and Terrible Beauty / Libba Bray
17. The Princess Diaries / Meg Cabot
18. The Stranger / Albert Camus
19. Ender's Game / Orson Scott Card X+
20. Postcards from No Man's Land / Aidan Chambers
21. Perks of Being a Wallflower / Stephen Chbosky
22. And Then There Were None / Agatha Christie
23. Gingerbread / Rachel Cohn X
24. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist / Rachel Cohn and David Levithan X
25. Artemis Fowl (series) / Eoin Colfer X
26. The Hunger Games / Suzanne Collins
27. The Midwife's Apprentice / Karen Cushman (what?! Why not Catherine, Called Birdy?)
28. The Truth About Forever / Sarah Dessen
29. Little Brother / Cory Doctorow
30. A Northern Light / Jennifer Donnelly
31. Tears of a Tiger / Sharon Draper
32. The House of the Scorpion / Nancy Farmer
33. Breathing Underwater / Alex Flinn
34. Stardust / Neil Gaiman
35. Annie on My Mind / Nancy Garden
36. What Happened to Cass McBride / Gail Giles
37. Fat Kid Rules the World / K.L. Going
38. Lord of the Flies / William Golding X
39. Looking for Alaska / John Green
40. Bronx Masquerade / Nikki Grimes
41. Out of the Dust / Karen Hesse
42. Hoot / Carl Hiaasen
43. The Outsiders / S.E. Hinton
44. Crank / Ellen Hopkins
45 The First Part Last / Angela Johnson
46. Blood and Chocolate / Annette Curtis Klause #
47. Arrow's Flight / Mercedes Lackey
48. Hattie Big Sky / Kirby Larson
49. To Kill a Mockingbird / Harper Lee X+
50. Boy Meets Boy / David Levithan
51. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks / E. Lockhart
52. The Giver / Lois Lowry X+
53. Number the Stars / Lois Lowry
54. Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie / David Lubar
55. Inexcusable / Chris Lynch
56. The Earth, My Butt and Other Big, Round Things / Carolyn Mackler
57. Dragonsong / Anne McCaffrey
58. White Darkness / Geraldine McCaughrean
59. Sold / Patricia McCormick
60. Jellicoe Road / Melina Marchetta
61. Wicked Lovely / Melissa Marr
62. Twilight / Stephenie Meyer X
63. Dairy Queen / Catherine Murdock
64. Fallen Angels / Walter Dean Myers
65. Monster / Walter Dean Myers
66. Step From Heaven / An Na
67. Mama Day / Gloria Naylor
68. The Keys to the Kingdom (series) / Garth Nix
69. Sabriel / Garth Nix
70. Airborn / Kenneth Oppel
71. Eragon / Christopher Paolini
72. Hatchet / Gary Paulsen #
73. Life As We Knew It / Susan Beth Pfeffer
74. The Golden Compass / Phillip Pullman
75. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging / Louise Rennison #
76. The Lightning Thief / Rick Riordan
77. Always Running: La Vida Loca / Luis Rodriguez
78. how i live now / Meg Rosoff
79. Harry Potter (series) / J.K. Rowling (one per book) XXXXXXX
80. Holes / Louis Sachar X
81. Catcher in the Rye / J. D. Salinger X
82. Push / Sapphire
83. Persepolis / Marjane Satrapi
84. Unwind / Neil Shusterman
85. Coldest Winter Ever / Sister Souljah
86. Stargirl / Jerry Spinelli X
87. Chanda's Secrets / Allan Stratton
88. Tale of One Bad Rat / Brian Talbot
89. Rats Saw God / Rob Thomas
90. Lord of the Rings / J.R.R. Tolkien (one for each book) Xxx (audio books for 2&3)
91. Stuck in Neutral / Terry Trueman
92. Gossip Girl / Cecily Von Ziegesar
93. Uglies / Scott Westerfeld #
94. Every Time a Rainbow Dies / Rita Williams-Garcia
95. Pedro and Me / Judd Winick
96. Hard Love / Ellen Wittlinger X
97. American Born Chinese / Gene Luen Yang X
98. Elsewhere / Gabrielle Zevin
99. I am the Messenger / Markus Zusak
100. The Book Thief / Markus Zusak

Oh man...25. Better than I expected. Harry Potter helped a lot! :) I guess I have some reading to do. :)

Traffic

So I've always used Sigalert to find out how the traffic's like before I head somewhere, but the problem with it is that it's only live. So there are times when I want to find out if a particular section of say 280 will be bad on my way home from a work meeting and whether or not I should take a local route, but was never able to figure it out (unless I had the foresight to check the site a day or two early!). Just today, I decided to try the traffic indicator on Google Maps and it's so cool! You can have it predict traffic on certain days of the week & at certain times!! I love it! And now I know that it would be a VERY bad idea to take 101S to dinner tonight. =P

storytime

Wow. It's been over a month since I updated? My bad.

I'm doing the Thanksgiving storytime at my library on the Wednesday before (Nov. 26) at 11:30am. I'm doing it all by myself because the librarian who usually does it will be on vacation, so if you wanna check it out and come and support me, feel free (would probably be good if you came with a kid too....hehe). :) It'll be my first ever storytime!!!!!!!!! It's rather nerve-wracking, but exciting. I just found out on Monday that I'm gonna be training to do a storytime in Mandarin too. Yikes! I might pass my broken Chinese onto unsuspecting little children.

I'm discovering more and more what a major home body I am. I seriously get rather discontent when I don't get quality home time to just vege in front of the TV or read or something. And even if I do the same very chill stuff somewhere else, it's just not the same. Tonight I enjoyed Obama's speech & The Jane Austen Book Club while eating dinner & sipping a glass of wine with some chocolate. It was very very satisfying. :) But oops! I just realized I forgot to do my weekly, getting-ready-for-the wedding, beautifying facial mask... My bad. I'll have to make it up tomorrow cuz I've already skipped a week and I think it's made a huge difference (my face has been breaking out like mad this past week without it).

One final note: I hate ants.

SATC: the movie

I just finished watching SATC: the movie with N & P tonight. Yay! It was really nice to have a semi-spontaneous girl night. :) But man, I'm so glad I watched it on the small screen...so much gratuitous sex/naked scenes! It was Waaay too graphic & over the top for me. yick. But great SATC. It really was just like an episode.

Anyhow, the movie and its theme of hurt & forgiveness really got me thinking (a la Carrie)...why is it so hard for me to forgive? I totally got Miranda. That's exactly my reaction whenever I get hurt. I cut the other person out of my life and carry that grudge alone even past the point of my hurt. Or like I cling to that hurt as justification for hating the other person and being spiteful, etc. Even when part of me wants to let it go. Even when the one in the "wrong" has tried to apologize and make things right. There's just part of me (oftentimes the stronger part) that won't let go of the hurt, and thus, the anger/punishment mentality.

Recently, I've come to realize that it's pride that holds me back. Because to let go of "You hurt me" means I lose my hold over that other person. Or I lose out on the debt that I believe That person owes me. So then even though it hurts me to not forgive, I believe that it'd hurt me to forgive as well. And I think that is the lie that I'm supposed to believe & follow. That instead of mending the cracked relationship and making it even stronger for its flaws (like a healed broken bone), it's time to just get rid of it and start fresh with someone new, someone who hasn't hurt me...yet. Heck knows, that's certainly my first instinct. Flee! But I'm coming to realize that anyone I'm involved with emotionally is bound to hurt me. Just as I'm sure I do my share of the hurting as well. It's part of caring and it's part of having assumptions/expectations...it's part of being human. (Though it's funny...cuz until Steve spoke up about his hurt from Miranda's brutally cold shoulder, I had barely stopped to consider his side! hehe Guess that goes to show just how self-centered I am by default. Carrie sure is mature to realize her part in the Big fiasco all by herself.)

And it all comes back to God. (Yes, dear reader, sorry for sneaking the G word into this post but it seriously does all come back to God! And how grateful I am that it does.) Anyhow, when I think about how God forgave me so easily of all my trespasses against Him. With no poutiness and no grudges...without even making me work for it. I'm just too amazed and in awe and blessed beyond measure. That's how much God loves me, and I...I make the people who I "love" suffer and yet still I won't forgive. But I don't want to merely condemn myself and chastise myself to try harder either, because that's not the point. I desire for a heart change so that I'll be better able to fight against the unwillingness to forgive.

And the final thought I'll leave you with:
Samantha certainly has it right when she characterized a relationship with someone else...or loving someone else...to be when you're more concerned about them & their well-being than your own. Obviously, I don't think she was talking about the unhealthy kind of dependency where your life revolves around the other person...but genuine, pure love that, I would hazard to guess, we all long for. And I hope to grow in the ability to love so that I'm less self-centered and less prideful and more true. And I pray to be able to love God (& Bob) the way He (& my future husband - or mfh) loves me.

Who knew SATC could get me get me thinking so much? :)

Less than 4 months to go!

So last month...I pretty much was just getting used to work again and being tired from work and recovering from work. :) So though we started research and worked on a few wedding stuff, we didn't actually book/settle anything. Add to that, a week or so ago, we found out that we won't be able to have our ceremony at our church, so we're scrambling to find another alternative now. *sigh* But we have managed to book our honeymoon. 6 nights all-inclusive in Jamaica with a whirlpool & stocked bar in our suite....I can't wait!!!!! :) On the agenda this month (to make up for the fact that we didn't finish anything last month) = book church, book florist, book bakery for cake, order invitations, start getting photos for slideshow, book hair/makeup...and ooo! i need to find a tailor for my dress!!

On the church front, I think we have several options. It's taken quite a while to get in touch with people, especially since Labor Day just passed and many people were out on vacation. Plus, most of the churches on our first round were unavailable (thank you, Jeremy for doing the checking for us). We have 1 definite possibility right now and several others in the works.

Whoa! Cakes are so much more expensive than I ever imagined. But we have 2 cake-tasting appointments so far with some more affordable options that are still well-reviewed. We were thinking of doing cupcakes originally, but after booking such a nice photographer (and getting cake-cutting fee waived), we decided a cake would look much better! hehehe Here's a pic of what we're thinking of having, but only 3 tiers...

Florists. I've met with 2 so far and am waiting for an estimate from one of them. I keep changing my mind about it. I have no idea about flowers, so I'm really scared about whether it'll come out looking nice!! I have a color scheme in mind, but I haven't been able to find any example pics of it in any of the magazines/websites I've searched. Arg! Hopefully the florist I choose will know what she's doing and just make it all look good!

Hair & makeup...just trying to book a trial now. We're going to go out for a nice dinner afterwards too. YAY! Mainly cuz I'm obsessed with trying foie gras before it becomes illegal to import it in 2009 (or so I hear)!

Oh yeah! And Bob & I have decided on a wedding invitation design. Just need to figure out how many we need, book a church, get the wording right and order!

All in all, I'm pretty confident we can get most of this stuff done this month! But man, am I glad that I'm only working p/t right now...I can't imagine trying to plan this AND be working 8 hrs/day. Everytime I think about how much (or little) time is left, I get a little stressed. Ack!

PM Update: Wow! Today alone I've been so productive. I've done my laundry, dropped my sis & her family at SJC, booked 2 cake tastings & called several others, set day for hair/makeup trial (and thus made dinner reservations), called our all-inclusive to give our room location preferences, got in touch with 1 church to confirm availability, scheduled a few tutoring lessons, wrote a blog post and rescheduled work for next week. Whewie! Time for a break.

Quick update

• VBS week...waking up before 7am everyday. UGH! Plus, preschoolers have a lot of energy = I'm so tired.
• Work...week of intense training is almost over. YAY. I'm so looking forward to the weekend
• Photographer almost booked. Wedding rings done & ready for pick up... Researching florist, hair/makeup and cakes.
  Wedding planning is not so fun. I might actually enjoy the logistics more than booking people. While booking people, all I can think about is how expensive everything is. And needing to compromise desire with reality/practicality. *cry*
• Dark Knight was good. I liked it better than Batman Begins actually.
• New favorite froyo place! Tartini next to Le Boulanger at Stevens Creek & De Anza. It's self-serve like Yogurtland, but better quality of yogurt PLUS mostly tart flavors (though I've only been there once). More expensive than Yogurtland, but worth it imo.
  
  I tried practically everything they had too (only like 6-8 flavors). I especially liked the Raspberry Tart. The lychee tart would be good if you like lychee. In general, all their fruit flavors taste really fresh, not at all artificial. I wanted to try Green Tea Tart, but it was out of order at the time. :( They also had Pomegranate & Honeydew as the sweet flavors, which were also good & real/fresh-tasting, but too sweet for my preference. Yummmmm. Can't wait to go back. It's a lot smaller than Yogurtland, so hopefully it doesn't get too crowded...
  

a productive few weeks

I can't believe I've only been engaged for a little over 3 weeks...we've already gotten so much accomplished (imo).

• wedding date...pretty much set...will need to send out save the date cards soon
• ceremony site...selected & in progress of booking
• reception site...booked (thanks to bob)
  
• wedding gown...done
• veil...done
• shoes for wedding gown...done
• bridesmaid dresses...done
• flower girl dresses...done
• photographers...in process of interviewing

I think I deserve a weekend off! :) Of course, that's easier said than done, because wedding planning always seems to be at the back of my mind these days. So even though I went to LA primarily for vacation...my last girl trip with my mom, sis & niece before work starts and stuff...it ended up being quite the business trip cuz we were in the fashion district for 2 out of the 3.5 day trip (of which 1 day was spent driving) making wedding-related purchases. The 2nd day in the fashion district was really supposed to be just for fun after we picked up the orders from the day before, but I couldn't get wedding shopping off the mind and kept looking for wedding-related stuff (like the shoes). But don't worry, I made some purchases just for fun as well. :)

The LA trip also included a 1-day excursion to Catalina. I'm so glad we decided not to stay on the island, because we were bored in about 3 hours. The shopping area is really not that large, nor is it very interesting. And with the baby, it would've been too much of a pain to hike or do any of the many water-related activities. So we ate & strolled around and then caught an early boat back to Long Beach.

As for the Fashion District. It was fun shopping there. It totally reminded me of taiwan night market shopping. :) I pretty much wiped out my entire cash supply there. In addition to the wedding purchases, I also got a few cute purses for myself and a pair of skechers. YAY! I also learned that my sis can be quite the bargainer (much better than me) and that it's very important to check over your purchases carefully before making full payment, because the sales people are much less motivated to fix problems or make exchanges after you've paid. *sigh*

We also saw my uncle & cousins while in LA...we had a feast at their place the first night and then since we got back early from Catalina, we went over to their neck of the woods again and took them out to Versailles (a cuban place). yum yum. lots of good food. On the food note, we also went to Auntie Em's on Thur before we headed back up to SJ to try their famous red velvet cupcakes. They also have seasonal fresh salads which were delish (and the only veggies we really got on the entire trip). Their cupcakes were alright..the choc one is probably my fave. But they put way too much frosting imo. I'd like to try Sprinkles cuz my sis says those are way better...and after all, we're considering using cupcakes as our wedding cake, so a little research is required. :)

I've also received all the things I bought online while I was shopping for bridesmaid dresses, so I need to try on that stuff too and decide if I'm keeping any of it. =P I think Bob's getting scared that I'm becoming a shopaholic..hehehe

Ah yes, for those of you who don't know already, I have a job as a p/t librarian with San Jose Public Library, the Pearl Ave. branch (near 85 & Almaden Expy) that opens in early August. I start work July 28 though, so only 1 more week to enjoy my unemployment!

Next up for wedding planning, photographer, cake & florist...I should make an appt with the tailor to get my wedding gown bustled and wat-not as well I think.

a bunch of randomness

Somehow my days are filling up with so much random stuff to do! And whenever I go bridesmaid dress shopping, I end up getting stuff for myself as well!!! arg....this is not going to be good for my savings account. hehe But I'm getting my annual shopping over with I guess. At least I'm still enjoying it so far. And I like how getting new stuff (more professional stuff) for work is a good excuse for getting clothes/shoes that I would probably normally deem too expensive. =D

I found a super cute children's story to do for my interview Monday. I really like it. I think it'll be my go-to book if I ever have to read another one for an interview. It's called My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza in case any of you are ever looking for a book to read with a preschooler. :) I tried reading it to Ariel too, but she got distracted by the pages & wanting to eat the cover, so I gave up. =P Btw, Ariel crawled yesterday! I wasn't there to see it, but my sis left me a v/m about it. But I can't wait to see the video!!!

Big news (the details)

Bob & I are engaged!!

It started out as a normal day. I had to get up earlier than usual because I was tutoring a new kid at 10am. That went ok and I headed over to my sister's place around noon because she'd asked for my help with Ariel (my adorable niecey) for the afternoon. I got there and as she was changing baby, the doorbell rang. "I'm expecting a package from amazon...Can you go get it for me?", she asked. So I went downstairs and opened the door...and there was Bob! And I knew that today was the day. :)

According to him, my eyes got really wide, I made a little noise and hand motion, and he'll never forget the expression on my face. I have no idea what I looked like, but I was definitely totally surprised. HAHA

Then he told me to use the bathroom cuz he was taking me somewhere. He blindfolded me and led me to the car (I almost tripped in the process! It was a test of my trust in him) and off we went! He'd gotten a smoothie for the ride and even had a special playlist going on his iPod, but he refused to tell me where we were going no matter how hard I tried to get it out of him!! He even said that the day might be just a decoy for the real deal. hehe We finally arrived (and boy was I glad, cuz I had to pee again), and he led me a short ways up some stairs to some place where I was instructed to sit while he got some stuff from the car. I sat there wondering where we could possibly be (I guessed Berkeley, but wasn't sure where exactly in Berkeley we could be that would have a grassy area so close to parking. When he removed the blindfold...I instantly recognized where we were (even though I still couldn't see cuz I wore my glasses that day and they were still in the car!). It was the lake in Golden Gate park! We'd been here last summer and we were in the exact same spot!!

Then he gave me a dozen red red roses, got down on a knee & proposed. Even though I guess I was expecting it by then (or really should've been, right?), I was still a little speechless and all I could think to say is "Yes". People are so poised & eloquent in the movies. Ah well. We had a light picnic lunch by the lake, enjoyed a time of worship & prayer to God before heading back to the South Bay where we hurriedly changed & got ready for an early dinner.

We went to La Fondue where we were stuffed silly on alligator, ostrich, buffalo (#1 fave of the night), swiss chicken (#2 fave), tuna & scallops...as well as a huge salad, cheese fondue and chocolate fondue (not in that order)!! Bob had to run out to the car to get me a Lactaid pill...hehehe Afterwards, we strolled around downtown Saratoga to help the digestion and savor our new status alone together for a little longer. :) But we ended the night sharing the news with his family & mine.

It was the best day of my life, and it was planned by the most wonderful fiance in the world!! I can't quite believe how lucky I am. Through our relationship, I've learned so much about myself (i.e. my personality, my love languages). I've also acquired some more experience in communicating and working out conflicts healthily (no more freezing him out...or at least trying not to). But even more importantly, I feel like I've gained a better understanding God (i.e. waiting for His timing, depending on Him alone for my satisfaction in life, as my heavenly Father - running into His comforting arms, etc.). I'm truly blessed because I'm now able to look forward to spending the rest of my life on earth with someone who gets me so well that he can tell just by the look on my face how I'm feeling, who is my best friend, who shares a lot of my values & yet is different in ways that we can complement each other, who challenges me to be a better person, who is so adorably nerdy/geeky/dorky that he makes me roll my eyes & chuckle appreciatively at the same time, and who points me to God in his own pursuit of holiness. I'm overwhelmed with a soaring heart full of praise & thanks.

July 1 update: Check Bob's blog for his side of the story & more pics...

unabashedly absent

I'll be the first to admit that I've been grossly behind in terms of blogging. I will blog the highlights of my trip eventually. But to catch you up, in case you don't already know...I've graduated! Wooo Hooooo!! After 2 years of pretty intense, full-time school, I now have a Master's in Library & Information Science. Now what do I do?

Well, I took a 2 week vacation to Tokyo/Taiwan. Now I'm back, a bit recovered from some minor stomach issues with the food and feeling the effects of jet lag (just slept 11+ hours, hehe). I'm currently blissfully unemployed and enjoying the time I have to slowly readjust to reality.

The weirdest thing happened to me last night. I was sleeping, but I was totally dizzy. Not dizzy in my dream or anything. Actually dizzy, which also made me nauseous. It felt like I was in vertigo or something. So I woke up and then went back to sleep. But it happened several times! sooo weird. Is that even possible?

O-M-G!

Ok. Di linked to a youtube video in her post that I have to post here as well....



Ok. That is one part of the Tokyo culture that I really don't have to experience. I mean. Seriously, the latecomers actually look like they still want to get on the train!!!

On an unrelated note, Earth Day's coming up (April 22). Here are some ideas of how to celebrate. :)

Can someone just tell me?

Tipping is such a confusing custom! I mean. I get the whole restaurant service 15% thing..that's pretty ingrained now. But services are still kinda fuzzy for me. Like...I hear so many things, I totally don't know what's what anymore. I think I'm pretty confident that tip is needed for all American service providers (hair stylists, etc.), but what about Asian ones? Like the nail salon...my hair stylist? This post is prompted by a recent reminder that I really still have no idea what's accepted tipping behavior. It's even worse when I don't have spare 1s to give tip without having to ask for change (AWKWARD), on top of which, clear communication is crippled by our mutual shaky grasp of each other's native language!

I've heard that for Asian hair salons, you don't need to tip. Or you don't need to tip if your stylist is the owner...Or you don't need to tip as much..maybe 10%. Is that TRUE? I really wish I could just ask outright and somehow not come off as a cheapo or something. Then I'd know for sure if I'm offending by not giving a tip...or if one is totally not expected...how much is acceptable/generous...or what! I really don't mind giving tip. I just want to know for sure if I'm supposed to or not & how much. Does anyone know the right answer??

Tokyo & Taipei...here I come!

So...i just booked my Tokyo & Taipei airfare. YAY!! It's finally a reality!
Even though I still don't know where I'm staying in Tokyo...I figure it'll be ok. One way or another, I have to go while my friends are still there and if I have to get my own hotel room, then so be it. So I'm leaving Fri, May 16 and returning Thur, May 29. It came out to only a little over $1000 too! YAY!!! And Bob (who's only coming for the Taipei part) actually got the same flights as me for the last 3 legs of the trip, so we'll be able to travel together for most of it. Yay! I won't be totally alone (cuz I hate traveling alone).

I really hope my professor is on the ball so that I can finish my final before I leave....it's not officially due till Sun 5/18, but I'm sure he'll post it at least a week before, right? I'll just have to be really on the ball and ready to take it the minute it's available.

I can't wait!!!!!!!!!! It'll be my first time out of the country since I started library school. I'll be able to visit friends AND revisit my fav spots in Taipei. Oh the excitement can barely be contained!!

In other news, today, at the light rail station, on my way home from work (downtown SJ), I saw a guy getting arrested on the platform...for allegedly selling drugs I think. There were like 3-4 cops there. Two were horseback riders and 2 were like from the sheriff's office or something. They had different uniforms. I don't really get the difference between all the different law enforcement agencies...but anyhow. That was definitely unusual. I feel like my world has been broadened since quitting the engineering field...especially in terms of the kinds of people I run into now....really all sorts! I guess it's good preparation for working in a public library!

grrr

Dude. I think Singapore's onto something with their chewing gum ban. I personally don't like gum at all...I don't get the point and I hate how gum gets all hard & waxy after a long time...and it loses it's flavor quickly too. I don't get the attraction. But if you must enjoy your gum, please learn how to throw it away properly!!!!!!!! GRRRRRRR. I hate it when I'm minding my own business and I step in someone else's gum that they've carelessly left lying in the middle of the sidewalk or wherever. Then I get a whiff of that sickeningly sweet gum smell and am horrified to discover yellow goo marring the tip of my sneaker. THEN, I get the pleasure of trying to get that sticky gunk off my shoe (and out of the crevices/treads) for the next 30 mins or so. GRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!! I don't chew or enjoy gum, why do I have to live with the consequences of it? geesh