End of January?

Hello!

It has been a long time. Well, I guess it’s only been over a month but it feels like a long time since I’ve written. I was home in Hong Kong for christmas and new year. I had a great holiday seeing friends, relaxing, and enjoying my own room. Every morning when I woke up, I felt a rush of peacefulness just looking out the window and seeing the harbor, IFC, Wan Chai Convention Center, all of TST.. basically… an awesome view. I’m up on the 58th floor, so you can imagine how much I can see!

God blessed me with a sudden trip to El Nido, Palawan Philippines as well. My friend’s family was going for about five days and I was able to tag along. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world and I could not give up the chance to go! I am really thankful for my parents to let me go and for my friend’s family to take me in for five days. I got a chance to see ICM’s new ministry in El Nido town.

Although Cambodia was only about seven months ago, it feels like it’s been a long time and going to Philippines in a way reminded me of it. We went to the villages, we walked around in the heat, we did a bit of field work and research you could say. Seeing the kids run around in the villages was quite refreshing. The language barrier prevented us from talking, but here’s the beauty of it all… the non-verbal communication is unbeatable. I love their beautiful eyes, their gorgeous smile, something about it just pokes at my heart every time I think about it. Especially in a place like El Nido, to be able to go from seeing a poor under developed village to a resort consisting of 51 islands and beaches. God’s creation is magnificent. The stars were uncountable.

Christmas break went by quite quickly and by the time I knew it, I was back in Boston. School started last week and I’ve been trying to get settled again. Classes starting to get busy, hopefully doesn’t get too bad! I am getting more involved, or you can say, involved in campus activities this semester so it will be a busy semester. I am looking forward to keeping myself occupied though.

I’ll update my new activities as they start!

First semester over?

Here I am, 6 in the morning staring into my computer screen wondering where the past few months have gone. Or perhaps where the last six hours have gone. I have class at 10 AM, then I head to the airport at 2 PM and on the plane at 5 PM to LA… followed by a plane to Hong Kong. A two day trip.

It sucks taking that long to get home, I don’t think many people understand that. Sorry let me rephrase that, I know lots of people here in Emerson that doesn’t understand what its like to go to college half where across the world. Wait, what am I saying? I sound like I’m complaining but I’m really not. It’s just the “I haven’t slept at all” mind talking.

This has been a good semester. I’ve really enjoyed being back in school. My classes have been great, and I don’t want to admit this but it was bittersweet after the last class of some of them. I have met great friends and now that I am leaving for Christmas, I can say that I will miss my friends here in Boston. I am really thankful for the friends I have met. My close friends here in Emerson are from all over the world and that to me, is so special. Some may say we have an “international clique”, maybe that’s true but hey, we get along, we click, we just happen to be good friends!

No, I have not gotten use to the weather. The snow is beautiful when I’m sitting inside looking out at the white weather but I still don’t like being out in it freezing my ears and nose off. I still want to brag that I live on the windiest corner of Boston. Boylston and Tremont. You try walking from Chinatown to Emerson! It’s crazy!

Anyhow, I am not looking forward to the long trip home but I will be home soon. I am anxious to see my family and friends. I can’t wait to eat all the food I’ve been craving, go to bars, clubs and drink legally, and to go to my home church!

Good morning.

New York City Thanksgiving

My brother just recently moved to New York, so since I couldn’t go home for thanksgiving I decided to come visit him for the weekend. The most family I’ll get for another month before I head back to Hong Kong for Christmas! I’m totally excited to see home again.

I watched a musical tonight, it’s called “The Fantasticks.” It’s the longest running musical in broadway, a few friends and I stood in line for an hour and a half to get discounted tickets and even then they were quite pricy. But I didn’t want to line up for so long and not end up buying tickets! Anyhow I had no idea what to expect cause I’ve never heard of it before.

The show was in quite a small theater, and we soon realized it was a cast of eight, small cast. Despite feeling like we weren’t in the most popular environment, I really enjoyed the musical. Perhaps I haven’t seen a musical in a while and thats why I enjoyed it but the atmosphere was great. The actors did a good job keeping the audience captive, they were very lively. This musical is about two teenage kids whose fathers put a wall between their houses so they won’t see each other. But of course with teenage kids, when you say no to them, they’ll do the exact opposite.

Therefore, they fell in love and the thrill of having to see each other in secret was what kept them going. When the wall was broken down and they were seeing each other in the public eyes, in the “sun light” as they might call it, everything was different. They had arguments and eventually led to the boy going out to see the world, and the girl semi experiencing the world. Before I spoil the plot, I might’ve already but they both realize that the world out there is not all that exciting.

Anyhow, towards the end of the musical, I realized it was quite brilliant. I really enjoyed the idea of proving that teenagers would do the opposite of what you have said “no” to, and when we are not confined to that space or rule anymore, the real world is out there and it’s ugly. It’s not as magical as one may seem, and problems come as we learn more about ourselves, each other, and the world around us.

One of my favorite quotes from tonight is…

El Gallo: There is a curious paradox that no one can explain: who understands the secrets of the reaping of the grain? Who understands why spring is born out of winter’s laboring pain, or why we all must die a bit before we grow again?

Besides the musical, we went to a Turkish restaurant tonight and had really good Turkish food. I like to believe because I had two friends who are from Turkey, therefore, we were able to order a bottle of wine without getting checked. Ate too much today already…… more food tomorrow! Did Americans invent this holiday so they can have an excuse to eat as much as they want?

first podcast of MM & I

Ok. I just tried the last hour to find a way to directly import the podcast file onto this post but that had failed so I am just going to add the link.

http://livingloud.podomatic.com/

Check it out!

It’s our first podcast. We are currently at the Emerson Good News Fellowship retreat for the weekend and really enjoying ourselves. Spending quality time with each other as well as with God. We talked all weekend about how we can glorify God in what we do.

I live for You alone

I have a feeling this will be a good week. Busy these next two days but I have no classes Wednesday or Thursday. Friday, heading to the Rice Lodge for the Emerson Good News Fellowship retreat. I am stoked to spend time with God away from the hectic college life, and to spend time with friends worshiping, hanging out, and having fellowship with one another.

Lord, I give you my heart. I give you my soul. I live for you alone.

The last few weeks at Reunion, we’ve been doing a study of the book of Romans. And not only in church, but also outside of church, God has been placing scriptures of the Book of Romans in front of me. I’ve never read the whole book of Romans, at least I don’t remember reading all of it. Through church and other activities, I’ve gotten to know quite a few scriptures. Last night, I couldn’t go to bed and was laying in bed contemplating life, or just being lazy. Anyhow, I decided to get out my bible and read the book of Romans from the beginning to end.

(I never got to the end, cause I decided I should try and sleep again considering I was only going to get about three hours of sleep before class, and my midterm.)

Reading the book of Romans makes me cringe. In a good way. I feel as though it clearly shows the two sides of God. His wrath and judgment against mankind and what we have created, but also His overflowing grace and faithfulness to us. There are so many important scriptures I can quote but what stood out to me was Romans 5:12-21. The whole passage refers to “death through adam, and life through Christ.”

“For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” Romans 5:17

Everyone, everyone. fell into the life of death and sins.
But not everyone have chosen to receive the life God has given us.

Hmm… just a concept that blows my mind.