a darn good week

hate to say it,,,but the week my mom goes on vacation and I’m living on my own, it has been one of the best weeks in a while.
I ate out every night with different people and I shall blog about it to remember it:

Monday: Japanese class
– ate dinner by myself, but had discovered a incredibly delicious pizza joint (or hole in the wall) on Main Street for cheap (Papa’s Pizza)

Tuesday: driving
– I don’t know how I’d become so brave,,but I risked my life sitting in the car with two students who’ve only driven in Japan (other side of the road)…one of them drove to downtown from North Van and then the other drove back. We also went out for Persian food afterwards!

Wednesday: hung out with my cousin
– Can’t even remember the last time I hung out with my cousin, but finally got to see him after a few months. We wanted to go to Tamarind Hill for laksa originally, but it was strangely closed…so we went for really good sushi nearby. We then went grocery shopping and picked up some kombucha! and it’s now become one of my favourite drinks. After I come back from London, I’m gonna try to brew my own..? LOL.
Oh, my cousin treated me to dinner too!! It was so unexpected, but so sweet!

Thursday: went to a farewell dinner
– we were just talking about going for Chinese food with my colleagues and a former student informs us that her farewell dinner is at Dynasty! I finally got to try this location…and it wasn’t the best, but it was a lot of fun getting to chat in Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) with some students.

Friday: played with my little niece and went for Japanese dinner
– it’s been pretty busy lately, so I haven’t had much time to see my niece. It was nice that my sister came downtown! I really enjoyed playing with Calen…she’s constantly learning new tricks and expressions and dances to random pop songs.

– a former student wanted to have dinner so I suggested Shiro (my favourite place) but it was way too busy…so we opted for Nabe, which is very similar to Chinese hot pot. TBH, I was a little unsure about this dinner, but we ended up having  a really good time catching up and I got to practice a lot of Japanese and learned a lot of new phrases too! Even though I told him this isn’t a date, he still ended up treating the dinner, hehehe. Next time, we’ll invite others and go for Shiro and karaoke!

– oh, I also found out my interview date for JET!!!! I’ve already planned the outfit in my head..green wool skirt, pink polka dot stockings, stripped-collar t-shirt, and a black bomber jacket. And since the time is in the late afternoon, I don’t have to miss any work!
– I also recently decided to take on a TESOL student, meaning I’ll be their practicum teacher…I’m pretty excited!! Hahahah, I actually love guiding/ mentoring other teachers if they have questions…so I’m excited for this opportunity to accomplish a new professional goal.

Saturday: prayer meeting and brunch
– it was really refreshing praying together…finally getting to worship together and just ask God about the things that have been on our minds. Apparently the passage that I had shared was the same one that our leader wanted us to read today! It’s really cool to know that God is speaking similar things to different people in community.

– I had brunch with a friend from a long time ago…she’s more like a family friend, but we recently reconnected, because she had messaged me to help her edit a piece of writing for her friend a few weeks back. Even when that was finished, I just felt there’s suppose to be more in store…so we met up for brunch today to catch up and talk…and she ended up asking if I can work for her part-time with some personal assistant-related things. As she shared about it, I just felt that this would be an opportunity to learn! Since she’s a writer, working with her would mean accompanying her to interviews and different work-related events in the community. But the meaningful part is to help someone who shares the same faith and similar values with work that’s exciting to me.

So that’s a lot packed into one week…I’m really thankful for each day this week. I’ve also learned that I’m someone who’d benefit a lot from living on my own 😀

Wherever you are

is it weird that I’ve already chosen the first dance for my wedding…and I also already know what style wedding dress I want…oh well, a girl and dream and anticipate, right? and how fitting too,,,wherever this person is, and whoever it is,,,hahahh

 

~__~

travel(s) on my mind

sick-y Friday nights calls for a stay-in-my-room-and-plan-yo-trip kinda time… I’m thinking about what to do in London in about 3 weeks’ time!  Myra said that we can go on a mini train-trip to another European city…Paris, Brussels, or Amsterdam??

All three are so very-enticing…honestly though, I just want to ride down a canal and admire gorgeous views and take some nice IG photos

Why travel?
One reason why 2016 was so sticky…(felt like I’ve been stuck many times) maybe has to do with the fact of the lack of travel. Except for the mini trips to Kelowna, Seattle, life only revolved around Vancouver. In reality, my city is like a little booger compared to the ones I get to visit this year- 2017, hyahh! Perhaps the lack of big-picture exposure got me so narrow-minded…so I’m super-excited for what’s in store when I embark on these travels.

My goal:
Not only do I want to explore and enjoy, I wonder what each of the experiences in the different cities will reveal in me. I want to continue to make the Examen Prayer a habit and really just reflect upon all the ways I’ve sensed God with me through my daily life. I hope to grow in wonder of God and also marvel at divine opportunities.

Looking ahead:
Honestly though, to me Europe is still a second-love…like a mistress to be with because it’s convenient…(not sure why I’m using these romantic metaphors, it’s actually very unlike me..), but my ichiban goes to Japan. And so, I need all dem prayers for the interview for a job opportunity starting this Summer! I had a mini freak-out at the beginning of the week, because I hadn’t heard back from them for a while…and today my follow-up email collided with the actual ‘Interview Notification’ email…wahahahh.

Jaaaa, matane!!! Minna san, aishiteruyo!

twentySEVENteen

We’re seven days into the 2017th year…people have been posting about their hopes and dreams for this new year. Surely it must be better than the last. 2016 marked so many celebrity deaths. and even closer friends have said that the past year has been a tough one,,marked with suffering and lack of motivation and progress. Personally it was good and bad;  acceleration with challenges; ecstacy and lingering sadness. It’s hard not to live n the up’s and down’s, because that’s really how life is…but I’m happy to say that at the end of the year, there’s nothing to regret because I’ve tried my best in living in faith and not fear.

The best analogy to describe the year I’ve read (from IG user: Prophiphop) is train tracks: the two bars that make up the tracks running parallel at the simultaneous time.
It’s never one-sided, but it takes both sides of the bars to keep the train going. Perhaps it’s purpose is to keep us humble. Life can never be too amazing that we have nothing to ask God. And it can never be so miserable that we fall down and can’t get up again. I think the majority of our lives is made up of beauty than mess-up’s…but the struggle is letting one mess-up cloud our perception of the reality of beauty.

Honestly, nobody knows exactly what 2017 will bring…but something inside of us sincerely hopes that the new year will be better than. Hope is what keeps our spirits alive and well.

Here’s 7 things on my mind of what I hope for:

• consistent blogging and exercising…having an outlet in creating and staying physically active
• Japan/ Japanese…hoping for the upcoming job opportunity overseas and learn that language good!!
• good friends…deepening relationships with my closer friends locally and internationally
• Spotify Premium, US mailbox, online shopping…have changed the game early this year
• spiritual disciplines…more consistence prayer. Bible reading, outreach life
• developing a mentality of living my own life vs being controlled by other’s expectations, etc
• I honestly have high hopes for this year…I can kinda feel it in my spirit, that 2017 would mark the year I really begin to ‘live’

God, I promise that I”ll really try my best to do this: Every time that I think about him/ miss him, I’ll turn my moping into a prayer instead: God, strengthen him, protect him, be with him, show him your love, give him a desire to know you more and worship you more intimately. .

That gives me a lot of hope…a real hope.

My hope is not in my own-doing, my words, or my gifts or my love,,,my hope is in Jesus, that He really hears my prayers and will answer them in due time, because those prayers are aligned in your heart, not my own fleshly desires, but these are prayers that sow to the Spirit.
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:7-9

falling in love…

with Saleh, Omen, Kyohei, Hyewon, Pamela, Mohammed, Orkun, Tsuyoshi, just to name a recent few. Honestly, these students melt my heart like no other. Maybe there’s something special about teaching Beginner students, since they really need my nurture and care on a professional level. The way they communicate is so simple and so genuine. They’re honest about their feelings and they depend on you.
In the recent weeks, I feel my personality has been changing too- to a more free, direct, and fun-loving person. When there’s a good energy in the class (and they love my jokes), I’m not afraid to try new ways of engaging the students and new teaching  methods. I feel like I’m at a place where my teaching is really solid and it seriously feels so good!

In other words, I guess I’m also quite in love with my job. Amid the low-paying nature of my job, I do quite enjoy my workplace: the other teachers, the admin, and the setting.

***

dream catcher-

according to First Nations tradition, this is an object that people place in their bedroom to catch all the bad dreams. I’ve been getting this image in the recent weeks and I think maybe God’s speaking to me through it. I feel like He’s saying your dreams are important to me and I’m not letting them slip away. Even when you think they’re not happening, because of the lack of it at the moment, I don’t forget them. 

I think that’s really special, because I finally got the courage to ask my dad to help me out with an investment (for something) that I’ve been wanting to do for many years. and he said okay, I’ll pay for your down payment. 
As a matter of fact, I’m falling more in love with God.
and His ways.

 

 

exposé

we often talk about our sainthood  and the redeemed identity as sons and daughters in my community. There’s such a powerful confidence that comes along with understanding that. There’s such life that we give unto others as we live out those identities. When we walk it out in our lives, it can even shift a whole atmosphere and influence many for the better.

most days, I’m really good.
most days, I do feel and experience that adoption as sons & daughters.
this weekend, I’ve been more contemplative than usual.

I guess that curveball is the substance that is still in the process of redemption: brokenness. Whether its behavioural or emotional brokenness that comes from others or simply myself…it often distracts me from my redeemed identity. sometimes, it’s hard to handle or know how to appropriately ‘handle others’ brokenness.’

it’s a humbling fact to know that we really can’t be perfect as humans. Even with a redeemed identity, we can still function out of brokenness sometimes. And still, there are others who have yet to recognize or yet to submit their brokenness to Jesus.

Until we’re made perfect, there’s not really anything better than to just run to This Love.
It brings healing.

1000 Years

who knew Twilight- related stuff could be not so lame and strangely beautiful

LA

I still think it was so crazy how this trip turned out. Totally unexpected. Wouldn’t have had it any other way. Felt so much of Papa’s love over me.

Last night, I listened again and took notes of the prophetic words given to me…at the end, I was staring at two pages of my DNA make up basically. I felt like God was showing me, remember? this is who I created you to be. 

and I was thinking,,,wow, God is seriously so real. How the heck do these strangers even know me- my life, my heart passions, my heart cries?

***

LA was so much fun.

DISNEY california adventure park.
winning my Woody stuffy from my favourite race-horse game. (very symbolic!!!)
sketchy adventures with Leona, my sister: walking through Skid Row in our dresses and having a bicycle man ask us for “crystal”.
lying on the motel bed, one representing faith, the other, hope.

hanging out with CoaH fam during Leadershift.
impartation, atmosphere of faith, mind-blowing messages.
worship was amazing (for the few sessions we were able to join).
the catcher who fell….heuhehehehehuehheh.
boiling crab.
playing with the kiddies.
uber’d home to Buena Park from Pasadena. (with a coupon).

BM’s for dear Grace’s wedding!
reunion: she’s my first spiritual ma
had too much fun with the other BM’s too: they’re so much fun and so wonderful! I can see myself calling them up when I go down to LA next time.
cruising to Spanish Hillsong
doing make up in the car.
walking down the aisle to “1000 Years” instrumental (tear)
witnessing hands of pastors praying for the amazing couple at the ceremony (so very special).
PIHOP: worship + prayer ministry (on point).
yummy dinner taco.
connected with the youngin’s of Grace’s Vancouver church.

What an amazing week,,,,seriously wouldn’t have traded it for anything else!

riptide