Blue Like Jazz

I guess I have a lot to say considering I updated about 12 hrs ago.

But on the plane ride to and fro NY, I started and finished Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. Yes, I'm still working on Anna Karenina and Confessions. But I borrowed the book for spring break (THANKS JEN!!) and thought I should read it. It reads a lot like a blog. But the book is interesting in that it is written from life in the first person. It's unexpectedly candid and he is very real and honest about his faith. This book is the manifestation of Phil 2:12. Donald Miller continues to work out his salvation with fear and trembling and its very apparent in his book.

Something that I don't exactly agree with is his description of is salvation as being "Christian Spirituality" and comparing it to the negatively connoted "Christianity" and "Fundamentalism." I think it is still possible to be a fundamentalist christian and still have liberal ideas about social justice and politics. I dunno, it's just me. As some people would describe me as a "utopian idealist."

Gosh... that was dang academic. I think it's a good read. God works in subtle ways in the U.S. and this book is a testament to it.

What else was I going to talk about?

oh yeah,

So I AM going to try this reading one non science book a quarter thing. Even though therapeutics (the ugly monster that will probably be my profession in the next 5 years) I still want to be well rounded and experience everything from art to literature to good music. BTW, Duncan Shiek is playing at the independent in April. Anyone want to come with me?

OH YEAH, i wanted to talk about goals this quarter...

It's the year of the pig and I just turned 24. Excuse me if this sounds self absorbed, but this is going to be MY YEAR. Yes, that's right. So prepare, people. I actually always wanted to say that and no I have nothing interesting to follow it up with. oh well. Goes to show how deep I am. :P

WHEN YOU CAME?!

Travellers:
Aileen
Christina
Julie
Roz
Winnie

Tourguide:
Joe Cheng(od)

Restaurants:
Spice
Cafe Habana
Afghan House
Gray's Papaya
Il Something Trattoria
Burmese House
Pommes Frites
So-lang Tang (in NY K-town)
Squisito Pizza
Hot Dog Stand
Nuts4Nuts
Empenada Mama's
Yeah! Shanghai (xiao long bao.. makes me want to say.. PEACE OUT, A TOWN!)

Desserts:
Cafe Lola
Serendipity 3
Max Benner's Chocolates
Rice to Riches
Lindt Store
M&M Store

Attractions:
Rent on Broadway
Times Square
Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island
East Villiage
Chinatown
Watching a street fight
Ground Zero
SHOPPING!!!
Guggenheim
the Met
J. Lo, her booty and her emaciated husband

Bars/Clubs:
Crocodile Lounge
Club Duvet
Bar 13
230 5th Ave

I <3
N Y

All my bags are packed

and i'm ready to go...

GOING TO NEW YORK CITY FOR SPRING BREAK!!!!!

::dance, dance::

OMG, I'M BEYOND EXCITED! :)

oh my goodness... i can't believe I'm spending my birthday in the Big Apple. OMG, I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO excited. :)

Listen

You're calling me to lay aside the worries of my day
To quiet down my busy mind and finding a hiding place
Worthy, you are Worthy

I crave God's voice. I hear so many other voices in my head that God's voice has become almost silent and it saddens me. Unashamed Love is a song that I can sing from my heart because I get caught up so easily with my busy mind. A vortex of swirling thoughts that are sometimes false, sometimes negative and sometimes not a clear perception of reality.

The thing is.... i've come to the point where I don't trust ANY of my thoughts. I don't trust my judgment, I don't trust my decision-making skills. It's almost like learning to think all over again.

This just means that I need to be more vigilant in filling my thoughts with words of God and really being able lay aside the worries of my day. Being secure in knowing that the Cross is all I need for security, for worth. At City Church we've been studying Galatians and the point of it was that Paul was trying to make it a point that our spiritual lives started in the Spirit, it shouldn't end in the flesh (Gal. 3) That my salvation is not Christ + something but Christ alone. In Christ alone my hope is found.

Anyway, I've procrastinated long enough. I should actually listen to myself and start studying right now. :P

Mango

I found my future dog. If no one adopts her, I will.
Meet Mango. She's from the Rocket Dog Rescue Adoption agency from SF. She's 20-25 pounds and about 1.5 years old. Look at those eyes. Look at her ears.
I love her and I want to take her home with me. This is my outlet of procrastination 'cause I can't study for more than 30 min at a time... and my eyes are getting increasingly worse. But isn't she sweet?

We have the same temperament, and she's even from TAIWAN! ^_^

::sigh:: if only I had the time to take care of a dog.

She's completely house broken, too!!
Maybe I can teach her how to follow mandarin commands so we can be chinese together, like my old dog Lili.

And mango. I love that name. It's so cute.


In other news, I've fallen in love with Dmitry Shostakovich. Heard a piano concerto and a symphony and I was hooked. No more of this prodigy Mozart Classical stuff anymore. I've moved on to the brooding Russian composers like Shostakovich, Dvorak and Rachmaninov. My String Quartet Concertos is coming in the mail. SCORE!! Just in time for finals. :)

Highlighter Rant

Being a student, highlighters are very important to me. Since for as long as I can remember, I've been on a quest to search for the best highlighter. Alas, to no avail, I've found only failures in the field of highlighting.

::sigh::

Know any good highlighter brands?