It has been a long time since my last post. I hope you have been well.
I woke up this morning (I am half a day ahead in Asia) to the sad news of Robin Williams's passing, which took me to a roller coaster ride of emotions.
I have not seen all of his films and TV shows, nor have I seen most of his classic comedies which have brought so much laughter. His impact on me has been from his more dramatic roles.
Among his many movies, Good Will Hunting is my favorite. He was brilliant as Sean Mcguire (and I am glad he won an Oscar for it) and there were many memorable dialogues between Sean and Will, the lead character, played by Matt Damon. Among them, the "it's not your fault" scene was so gentle yet powerful that it not only brought Will to tears, it also did the same to me as audience.
And I will not forget him as John Keating in Dead Poets Society. "Carpe diem (seize the day)," he said. Years before I knew it was him who said it, one of my best friends had quoted it. When I watched the movie, I finally understood the meaning behind the phrase, which has been with me since.
I am saddened by the news of his passing, and the fact that an actor so brilliant and talented who brought so much laughter to others was battling severe depression himself. I have seen the impact of depression, as I know people who were and are fighting it. I cannot imagine what he was going through and how many times he went through the hopelessness, but I want to be able to do my part and help break the stigma, and to be there for others who might need a hug or a listening ear.
Today, August 12, has a special meaning for me, as it is the anniversary of my arrival in the U.S. in pursuit of my dreams, and only by the grace of God, this journey has changed me for the better and in ways I could have never imagined. This morning, as I read the news and saw some of the movie clips to remember a one-of-a-kind actor, my disbelief, shock, and sadness was turned to hope, motivation, and resolve to make every day count. Robin, thank you for bringing us endless laughter, but even more so, your famous phrase.
Carpe diem.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Driven to Sin?
I shared this true story at my Bible study group last night. The reception and feedback from my ladies prompted me to pray about writing this down and sharing it. So here it is and I hope you are encouraged!
I was on my way to my tennis match on Saturday afternoon when it happened. It was less than five minutes and two traffic lights before my left turn when a pick-up truck cut in front of me as the light was turning red. I was not upset, not even annoyed. However, as we waited for the light to turn green, I became fixated on the truck, to the point when the traffic light changed colors, I was not focused on where I needed to go and was just following the truck. The driver turned left early onto the interstate highway. Instead of going straight to the next left turn lane, I did what the driver did. The next thing I knew, I was on the way to getting on the highway, which was not at all where I needed to be. I had to detour to get to the tennis courts which took an extra ten minutes. Thankfully, I was still able to get to the courts early.
God used this bizarre episode to drive home an important point on sin for me. We had been studying the Book of Romans in our Bible study and we had been talking a lot about law and grace, the old self and the new self, flesh and the spirit, among many other things. Our pastor also talked about sin as he preached on the Holy Spirit last Sunday. So I had been thinking about the topic of sin, and it dawned on me that sin operated very much like the way I drove during those few minutes.
When the pick-up truck cut in front of me, I became distracted rather than staying focused on where I was supposed to go. Instead of staying the course, I mindlessly followed the truck and got to a place I did not need to be. As a result, I was off course, and I lost time to the detour. Only by God's grace was my path corrected and I got to where I was supposed to be.
Oh sin, how cunning are you. You distract me when I am on my guard the least. You take me to places I don't need to be, and you take me farther away than I want to go.
But I am thankful to my awesome God, who provides a way out when I am distracted and lose my way!
I was on my way to my tennis match on Saturday afternoon when it happened. It was less than five minutes and two traffic lights before my left turn when a pick-up truck cut in front of me as the light was turning red. I was not upset, not even annoyed. However, as we waited for the light to turn green, I became fixated on the truck, to the point when the traffic light changed colors, I was not focused on where I needed to go and was just following the truck. The driver turned left early onto the interstate highway. Instead of going straight to the next left turn lane, I did what the driver did. The next thing I knew, I was on the way to getting on the highway, which was not at all where I needed to be. I had to detour to get to the tennis courts which took an extra ten minutes. Thankfully, I was still able to get to the courts early.
God used this bizarre episode to drive home an important point on sin for me. We had been studying the Book of Romans in our Bible study and we had been talking a lot about law and grace, the old self and the new self, flesh and the spirit, among many other things. Our pastor also talked about sin as he preached on the Holy Spirit last Sunday. So I had been thinking about the topic of sin, and it dawned on me that sin operated very much like the way I drove during those few minutes.
When the pick-up truck cut in front of me, I became distracted rather than staying focused on where I was supposed to go. Instead of staying the course, I mindlessly followed the truck and got to a place I did not need to be. As a result, I was off course, and I lost time to the detour. Only by God's grace was my path corrected and I got to where I was supposed to be.
Oh sin, how cunning are you. You distract me when I am on my guard the least. You take me to places I don't need to be, and you take me farther away than I want to go.
But I am thankful to my awesome God, who provides a way out when I am distracted and lose my way!
Friday, January 31, 2014
Happy Chinese New Year!
Wishing you many blessings and much joy in the new year!
Photo Credit: On Secret Hunt
Photo Credit: On Secret Hunt
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Something New
To continue with the same theme of new, part of my new year's resolutions for 2014 is to try more new things. By new things, I don't mean anything elaborate, drastically different from what I usually do, or anything earth-shattering, for that matter. What I have in mind is to just challenge and expand my comfort zone. Push the boundaries a bit, so to speak. So onward I go, and these are two new things I have tried so far this year:
Taking new routes
I have certain routes for places I go often, such as the grocery store and the post office. But one day, I tried a new road. This might come very easily for some people (Hubby is extraordinary with directions - and I am not exaggerating one bit), but for someone who is often directionally-challenged, this does not come to me naturally. Since I don't have a smart phone, I don't have a GPS at my disposal either. But I looked up directions in advance as much as I could and tried anyway, and it was quite fun! I got to see a part of town I did not see often so it was nice. I also found another new route yesterday, this time without having looked up directions ahead of time. I had to stop for a minute to figure out where I was, but the new route took me to a section of the road I had never gone before, so that was quite satisfying!
Doing a photo shoot (!)
That is something I had never thought too much about, and I had not had a photo shoot since our wedding day (for which I did not have to think twice about what to wear). But a dear friend of mine, who happened to be a photographer, gave me a photo shoot as my birthday present a few months ago, so off we went! As she gave me specific instructions on preparation, I was a little overwhelmed. I was not sure if I would embrace the idea of having a bunch of photos taken of me, and I had no idea how to pick out "colorful outfits" (how colorful is colorful?) and how many of those to bring with me. But as my friend coached me along the way, both before and during the photo shoot, I came to enjoy it very much, not because my pictures were being taken, but more so I could spend time with my friend as she did something she loved. We giggled, goofed around, and bounced ideas off of each other. Quite fun! And the weather was picture perfect too. It was sunny with blue sky and there was just enough wind to keep the air crisp. I have not seen all the photos yet, but from what my friend showed me from her camera, some of them turned out quite well. :)
How about you? Are you challenging yourself by trying something new this year?
Taking new routes
I have certain routes for places I go often, such as the grocery store and the post office. But one day, I tried a new road. This might come very easily for some people (Hubby is extraordinary with directions - and I am not exaggerating one bit), but for someone who is often directionally-challenged, this does not come to me naturally. Since I don't have a smart phone, I don't have a GPS at my disposal either. But I looked up directions in advance as much as I could and tried anyway, and it was quite fun! I got to see a part of town I did not see often so it was nice. I also found another new route yesterday, this time without having looked up directions ahead of time. I had to stop for a minute to figure out where I was, but the new route took me to a section of the road I had never gone before, so that was quite satisfying!
Doing a photo shoot (!)
That is something I had never thought too much about, and I had not had a photo shoot since our wedding day (for which I did not have to think twice about what to wear). But a dear friend of mine, who happened to be a photographer, gave me a photo shoot as my birthday present a few months ago, so off we went! As she gave me specific instructions on preparation, I was a little overwhelmed. I was not sure if I would embrace the idea of having a bunch of photos taken of me, and I had no idea how to pick out "colorful outfits" (how colorful is colorful?) and how many of those to bring with me. But as my friend coached me along the way, both before and during the photo shoot, I came to enjoy it very much, not because my pictures were being taken, but more so I could spend time with my friend as she did something she loved. We giggled, goofed around, and bounced ideas off of each other. Quite fun! And the weather was picture perfect too. It was sunny with blue sky and there was just enough wind to keep the air crisp. I have not seen all the photos yet, but from what my friend showed me from her camera, some of them turned out quite well. :)
How about you? Are you challenging yourself by trying something new this year?
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
New!
Since this is the first day of the 2014 (in my current time zone anyway), I thought I would pay some much needed attention to my blog. Here are some changes -
- A new layout!
- At long last, a link to my twitter account (to your right)! Come say hi!
- This second blog post of the year (I am already at 50% of the total of last year's posts).
- A new preview of my next Bible Study!
Catching up!
Happy New Year! May 2014 be a wonderful year for each of you!
It has been seven months (!) since my last blog post. I ended the last post with this -
The summer has already been quite busy, but hopefully I will be more diligent about posting in the next few months!
While the first part was true, the second part was an epic fail. However, here's a quick update on the second half of 2013 -
It has been seven months (!) since my last blog post. I ended the last post with this -
The summer has already been quite busy, but hopefully I will be more diligent about posting in the next few months!
While the first part was true, the second part was an epic fail. However, here's a quick update on the second half of 2013 -
- I went to Hong Kong, China, and San Francisco in the summer, and Chicago in the fall for work and research!
- I got to meet our new nephew for the first time over the summer!
- I had a busy but productive fall semester with teaching and exam preparation. Being able to teach students was quite a rewarding experience!
- Hubby made me a wonderful cake for my birthday!
- We participated in Operation Christmas Child once again this year. Our goal was 500 packed shoebox gifts, and our church and middle school packed 549 boxes!
- We hosted family and friends for Thanksgiving. Some of our family could not come so we missed them, but we had a great time with those who came. Weather was absolutely gorgeous!
- On another note, our family cat became very stressed out because of the big crowd during Thanksgiving. She developed an ulcer on her eye, which accelerated our decision to have her eye removed. It was the right decision because she did have early-stage cancer as we had suspected. After a very challenging recovery process, she is now doing much better!
- We went out of town for Christmas briefly (because we needed to take care of the kitty). It was a wonderful visit!
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