Posts
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Too Much Has Happened
...or maybe not.
Yangshuo
Jennifer, her two friends Ana and Jean, and I went to Yangshuo, China...it's a small city on the outskirts of Guilin. I don't have time to write about it, but I'll post up pictures soon. Here are some quotes I wrote down:
Quote 1:
Angela: Does money even work here?
Jennifer: No, they barter. How much can I get for my Watson's water?
Quote 2:
(On train upon seeing someone with food and thinking we won't get food for 13 hours.)
A: What are we going to do?! I'll show you my boobs!
Quote 3:
A: I have a huge butt rash.
J: They have a baby at West Lily (hostel). Maybe you can borrow their diaper rash.
Quote 4:
J: I'm glad we're here.
(5 min. later)
J: Angela, I'm glad Mommy instilled in us a love of traveling.
A: Jennifer, can you stop with the deep thoughts? I'm trying to enjoy the scenery.
(Both laugh)
Quote 5:
(Jen needed to spit a loogi in our orange bag. After she spit:)
"The oranges are like 'Oh no! Don't spit, I'm still here.'"
Quote 6:
(Right before we were leaving Yangshuo, we kept buying oranges to give as gift to hostel to eat on bus.)
Angela: We're going to have a billion oranges and no money to go home.
Quote 7:
(We were on a full bus to go home and Jen kept saying how we only spent so much, but we still have money left over.)
J: OMG I still have SO much money left over.
A: OMG Can you stop announcing your financial situation?
J: Haha, now they're really going to jack us!
Quote 8:
(I was in a huge rush and accidentally called my own price for the bus, to which the driver happily agreed.)
A: How much?! How much?! FIFTEEN!??!
Driver: OK! OK! 15!!
A: Shoot.
Quote 9:
(Jennifer received a coconut purse as a gift from the people at the Ancient Totem Pole Path show for being in it, lol.)
J: Oh I know why my backpack is so huge; it's my stupid coconut purse.
Day Back From Yangshuo
CRAZY. That's all I have to say. Well, I went to a salon and a guy named Tick did my hair. I permed it wavy. Lol. Jennifer's friends said it looked really good, but I think it's a disaster. I look like a MOM.
The Vine 180 Retreat
I couldn't stop crying the moment I stepped into where they were worshipping. God is strong there. Jennifer's friend Allison prayed for me and prophesied...and it was ALL COMPLETELY ACCURATE! More pictures to come from the retreat, because if I wrote everything down, it would just take too long. All I have to say is GOD IS SO AMAZING AND SO REAL.
Other Comments:
1. I'm okay with disgusting, have-to-stoop-down-to-pee toilets now. I embrace 'em.
2. People in HK are crazy mean. People in Yangshuo were extremely friendly and went out of their way to help you. I missed it so much when I got back to HK - so different.
3. Hold on to good friends. This is important!
4. GOD IS AMAZING.
It's 3:54 am and I'm in Allison's dorm. I got kicked out of POLITELY from where I was living. L.O.L. That's also another story...hahahahahaha! I'm losing control and I LOVE IT!!!!! (God is teaching me!!)
Yangshuo
Jennifer, her two friends Ana and Jean, and I went to Yangshuo, China...it's a small city on the outskirts of Guilin. I don't have time to write about it, but I'll post up pictures soon. Here are some quotes I wrote down:
Quote 1:
Angela: Does money even work here?
Jennifer: No, they barter. How much can I get for my Watson's water?
Quote 2:
(On train upon seeing someone with food and thinking we won't get food for 13 hours.)
A: What are we going to do?! I'll show you my boobs!
Quote 3:
A: I have a huge butt rash.
J: They have a baby at West Lily (hostel). Maybe you can borrow their diaper rash.
Quote 4:
J: I'm glad we're here.
(5 min. later)
J: Angela, I'm glad Mommy instilled in us a love of traveling.
A: Jennifer, can you stop with the deep thoughts? I'm trying to enjoy the scenery.
(Both laugh)
Quote 5:
(Jen needed to spit a loogi in our orange bag. After she spit:)
"The oranges are like 'Oh no! Don't spit, I'm still here.'"
Quote 6:
(Right before we were leaving Yangshuo, we kept buying oranges to give as gift to hostel to eat on bus.)
Angela: We're going to have a billion oranges and no money to go home.
Quote 7:
(We were on a full bus to go home and Jen kept saying how we only spent so much, but we still have money left over.)
J: OMG I still have SO much money left over.
A: OMG Can you stop announcing your financial situation?
J: Haha, now they're really going to jack us!
Quote 8:
(I was in a huge rush and accidentally called my own price for the bus, to which the driver happily agreed.)
A: How much?! How much?! FIFTEEN!??!
Driver: OK! OK! 15!!
A: Shoot.
Quote 9:
(Jennifer received a coconut purse as a gift from the people at the Ancient Totem Pole Path show for being in it, lol.)
J: Oh I know why my backpack is so huge; it's my stupid coconut purse.
Day Back From Yangshuo
CRAZY. That's all I have to say. Well, I went to a salon and a guy named Tick did my hair. I permed it wavy. Lol. Jennifer's friends said it looked really good, but I think it's a disaster. I look like a MOM.
The Vine 180 Retreat
I couldn't stop crying the moment I stepped into where they were worshipping. God is strong there. Jennifer's friend Allison prayed for me and prophesied...and it was ALL COMPLETELY ACCURATE! More pictures to come from the retreat, because if I wrote everything down, it would just take too long. All I have to say is GOD IS SO AMAZING AND SO REAL.
Other Comments:
1. I'm okay with disgusting, have-to-stoop-down-to-pee toilets now. I embrace 'em.
2. People in HK are crazy mean. People in Yangshuo were extremely friendly and went out of their way to help you. I missed it so much when I got back to HK - so different.
3. Hold on to good friends. This is important!
4. GOD IS AMAZING.
It's 3:54 am and I'm in Allison's dorm. I got kicked out of POLITELY from where I was living. L.O.L. That's also another story...hahahahahaha! I'm losing control and I LOVE IT!!!!! (God is teaching me!!)
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
In Hong Kong
Please stay tuned until after I leave Hong Kong for an update...!
Actually, until then, this is something really funny. I saw this on the bulletin board of the CUHK (Chinese University of Hong Kong) Grace Tien Hall Dorm, on one of the girls' floors:
"cup + grey bowl: I see it, u die! Plz leave it outside. 213_"
Hilarious.
By the way, CUHK is where my sister is studying as an exchange student. It's on a gigantic mountain and walking around campus is so tiring...on the plus side, the canteen food is amazing, and they have the best HK-style milk tea. Mmmmm.
Oh, and I met some of my sister's floormates and they are social work majors...and so hilarious. We cooked dinner together, ate, and talked. Sigh. And, of course, we talked about the boyfriends/guys/dating topic for the longest time! They're really dramatic about everything and so goofy.
I told them I was single, and they were like "WHAAAAAAAT?!" Lol, is that like some sort of sin or something? Hehe. I had a great time.
Lots of pictures to come after HK (December 20th). We're still going to Shenzhen, Guiling, Yangshuo, and South Korea. So, lots of pics.
Actually, until then, this is something really funny. I saw this on the bulletin board of the CUHK (Chinese University of Hong Kong) Grace Tien Hall Dorm, on one of the girls' floors:
"cup + grey bowl: I see it, u die! Plz leave it outside. 213_"
Hilarious.
By the way, CUHK is where my sister is studying as an exchange student. It's on a gigantic mountain and walking around campus is so tiring...on the plus side, the canteen food is amazing, and they have the best HK-style milk tea. Mmmmm.
Oh, and I met some of my sister's floormates and they are social work majors...and so hilarious. We cooked dinner together, ate, and talked. Sigh. And, of course, we talked about the boyfriends/guys/dating topic for the longest time! They're really dramatic about everything and so goofy.
I told them I was single, and they were like "WHAAAAAAAT?!" Lol, is that like some sort of sin or something? Hehe. I had a great time.
Lots of pictures to come after HK (December 20th). We're still going to Shenzhen, Guiling, Yangshuo, and South Korea. So, lots of pics.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Funny Observations...
1. My older cousin and I were walking down the mountain to go to Tonghua Night Market the other day to get some small snacks and fruits, and a taxicab honked and zoomed past us. We were already walking like right next to the cars. Were we supposed to climb on top of the cars or something?
2. My cousins and I just ate at this all-you-can-eat hotpot place, and I walked all the way home, which is a long-a** way. I thought if I stopped walking, I'd puke right there on the street. Normal logic is "You eat to enjoy the food, so just eat until you're satisfied", and Asian logic is "I have to eat as much as I can so I can get my money's worth" and Asian logic is what got me in this situation. At least I got in some exercise, because I've been eating enormous amounts of food lately...
3. As I was walking up the mountain to go home, I passed a security guard for an apartment complex in his box practicing the flute. L.O.L. You know those ladies in those old Chinese movies with flowing qipaos and huge ornaments dangling off their head? They play flutes.
4. I was walking and saw a ginormous (I know it's not a word, okay) dog that kept barking. As I walked past, the lady said, "Why are you barking so loud? Do you know that that's not good?" What the heck? You don't reason with a freakin' dog.
5. I was walking across the street to the Cathay Hospital to get my third chemical peel, and saw a nicely-dressed, seemingly decent guy in front of me standing on the street corner, fixing his pants around that area. He fixed the front then he fixed the back. We were in a really nice area and he was standing on the corner of a really big street with about 30-40 people crossing. I don't get it. You just couldn't wait? Are you like 5?!
My mom wasn't kidding when she said the word I'll use most often in Taiwan is "unbelievable".
My sister and I were talking on Skype and we concluded that God always does things last minute. She said that she's always to the point of pulling out her hair and freakin' out, and then God says, here's a solution. Lol, which is so true.
2. My cousins and I just ate at this all-you-can-eat hotpot place, and I walked all the way home, which is a long-a** way. I thought if I stopped walking, I'd puke right there on the street. Normal logic is "You eat to enjoy the food, so just eat until you're satisfied", and Asian logic is "I have to eat as much as I can so I can get my money's worth" and Asian logic is what got me in this situation. At least I got in some exercise, because I've been eating enormous amounts of food lately...
3. As I was walking up the mountain to go home, I passed a security guard for an apartment complex in his box practicing the flute. L.O.L. You know those ladies in those old Chinese movies with flowing qipaos and huge ornaments dangling off their head? They play flutes.
4. I was walking and saw a ginormous (I know it's not a word, okay) dog that kept barking. As I walked past, the lady said, "Why are you barking so loud? Do you know that that's not good?" What the heck? You don't reason with a freakin' dog.
5. I was walking across the street to the Cathay Hospital to get my third chemical peel, and saw a nicely-dressed, seemingly decent guy in front of me standing on the street corner, fixing his pants around that area. He fixed the front then he fixed the back. We were in a really nice area and he was standing on the corner of a really big street with about 30-40 people crossing. I don't get it. You just couldn't wait? Are you like 5?!
My mom wasn't kidding when she said the word I'll use most often in Taiwan is "unbelievable".
My sister and I were talking on Skype and we concluded that God always does things last minute. She said that she's always to the point of pulling out her hair and freakin' out, and then God says, here's a solution. Lol, which is so true.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Hurry!
1. I took the Taiwan High Speed Rail to Kaohsiung (yeah, that's how they spell it, ridiculous. the entire world is using pinyin and Taiwan created their own pinyin. so stupid.) Anyway, I was walking into the elevator that would take me down to the "cars" (train) and there were four or five other 40 year olds, one holding a child, about to board the elevator. The elevator door opened and they rushed in. One of the "moms" that was standing in the elevator was outwardly fidgety and as we walked in, she goes "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! (not exaggerating) Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Get in! Get in! Get in! Which one is it?! One or two?!" I half-expected there to be a bomb somewhere near us. I think my blood pressure shot up 10 points, and I don't know how high hers shot up. Jeez.
2. I boarded late, and I had a window seat, so when I got there, a mom and daughter were already sitting down with their two luggages in front of them. The daughter got up and took her luggage out, so I could get in, and prepared to take her mom's luggage out. Her mom then goes, in Taiwanese (that's about all I know in Taiwanese), "It's okay, it's okay!" LOL. Like, wow. How rude would that be in the U.S.? Oh, man, Taiwanese people...sometimes I just don't know.
It's when I experience small nuances like this that give light to the Taiwanese people or culture that I feel 150% FOREIGN.
2. I boarded late, and I had a window seat, so when I got there, a mom and daughter were already sitting down with their two luggages in front of them. The daughter got up and took her luggage out, so I could get in, and prepared to take her mom's luggage out. Her mom then goes, in Taiwanese (that's about all I know in Taiwanese), "It's okay, it's okay!" LOL. Like, wow. How rude would that be in the U.S.? Oh, man, Taiwanese people...sometimes I just don't know.
It's when I experience small nuances like this that give light to the Taiwanese people or culture that I feel 150% FOREIGN.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
My Story
I realized all that has happened to me since I became Christian has never been written down. I don't ever want to forget the things God has done in my life. So, here's my story...
I became Christian freshman year of college when I was in a crappy relationship and bad time in my life. I remember going to a church with a group of people and Jaeson Ma was there...he had just finished a conference in Houston that my sisters went to. At that time, my ex-boyfriend and I had broken up for a good six months or so, I had tranferred to UT and was, unbeknownst to me, very depressed and lonely. I had come out of a physically and emotionally abusive relationship that had destroyed me.
I was in desperate need of God, and I didn't even know. I prayed, yes, but I felt like I was in a dark hole. Jaeson Ma prayed over people - some cried, some didn't. I went up there and he prayed over me, and I'll never forget what he said. I remember everything Jaeson Ma relayed from God, even though I started crying right when he started speaking. He said, "God sees you and he knows you're lonely. He wants you to know you're the apple of his eye. He has a magnifying glass on you. He loves you." Then, he started saying, "Evangelism, East Asia, South America, write down everything that you think of, carry a notebook with you." He said the exact words to make me feel like he completely understood - it could only have come from God, because these were the things I had prayed to God before. He said things I felt but could not put into words. Only God could have known.
I started in a small, Chinese house church and had gone to Canada Bread of Life's 5 Bread 2 Fish conferences, etc. It was from them that I first heard of the 10/40 window and the Back to Jerusalem movement...that the gospel would be brought to Asia and then back to Jerusalem to complete the full circle. They said Asians in the U.S. are important, because what they need in Asia is money. I later realized that God was slowly introducing me to what is happening in Asia, and I started picking up books like "Brother Yun: The Heavenly Man" and "The Back to Jerusalem Movement." People didn't introduce these books to me, I just somehow found out about them. At one of the 5 Bread 2 Fish conferences, I made a promise to God that I would aid in this movement.
Since that time, any conference, sermon, etc. that talked about the movement in Asia, especially China, I would listen with keen interest and learn. I seeked out any kind of information about what was going on in China. It wasn't hard for me, because I've always had a keen interest in Chinese culture, and when I wasn't in Asia, I always felt like there was a magnet that was pulling me there. I yearned to be there.
I watched any movies about China I could get my hands on...I think I've seen every single one, and if I haven't, you bet I'll get my hands on it soon. And, everytime I watched, I would enjoy every minute of it, and yearned, yes, yearned to be there. I followed an organization called Half the Sky foundation, a children's home started by Americans that has many locations in China. One time, the year Jaeson Ma was at UT for Rez (Resurrection Week), I saw on the public board (where people walking by could write on), someone wrote, "I want to father 12 fatherless children", and that brought tears to my eyes. I think it's because I have a heart for orphans, and China, undoubtedly, has a lot of orphans. I once told God I wanted to adopt children from China. I know, without a doubt, that my future and God's purpose for me is in Asia.
As I look back, everything seemed to be for this purpose. I went out with a guy from Taiwan for 2 and a half years and dramatically improved my Chinese. I think he was even responsible for my interest in Asia a little bit, because I didn't speak Chinese all that much before him or was even interested in Asian things - mostly Korean, though. I started at a Chinese church and started listening to sermons in Chinese when I became Christian, so I know a lot of bibical vocabulary in Chinese. THE END. (Lol, I don't know how to end the story!)
This is my story. It's my whole life, because God is my whole life, and the reason why I'm here.
/edit/
Good sermon by Jaeson Ma, btw. This is Part 1, find Part 2/3 on Youtube.com. The title is "Noise to Signal".
I became Christian freshman year of college when I was in a crappy relationship and bad time in my life. I remember going to a church with a group of people and Jaeson Ma was there...he had just finished a conference in Houston that my sisters went to. At that time, my ex-boyfriend and I had broken up for a good six months or so, I had tranferred to UT and was, unbeknownst to me, very depressed and lonely. I had come out of a physically and emotionally abusive relationship that had destroyed me.
I was in desperate need of God, and I didn't even know. I prayed, yes, but I felt like I was in a dark hole. Jaeson Ma prayed over people - some cried, some didn't. I went up there and he prayed over me, and I'll never forget what he said. I remember everything Jaeson Ma relayed from God, even though I started crying right when he started speaking. He said, "God sees you and he knows you're lonely. He wants you to know you're the apple of his eye. He has a magnifying glass on you. He loves you." Then, he started saying, "Evangelism, East Asia, South America, write down everything that you think of, carry a notebook with you." He said the exact words to make me feel like he completely understood - it could only have come from God, because these were the things I had prayed to God before. He said things I felt but could not put into words. Only God could have known.
I started in a small, Chinese house church and had gone to Canada Bread of Life's 5 Bread 2 Fish conferences, etc. It was from them that I first heard of the 10/40 window and the Back to Jerusalem movement...that the gospel would be brought to Asia and then back to Jerusalem to complete the full circle. They said Asians in the U.S. are important, because what they need in Asia is money. I later realized that God was slowly introducing me to what is happening in Asia, and I started picking up books like "Brother Yun: The Heavenly Man" and "The Back to Jerusalem Movement." People didn't introduce these books to me, I just somehow found out about them. At one of the 5 Bread 2 Fish conferences, I made a promise to God that I would aid in this movement.
Since that time, any conference, sermon, etc. that talked about the movement in Asia, especially China, I would listen with keen interest and learn. I seeked out any kind of information about what was going on in China. It wasn't hard for me, because I've always had a keen interest in Chinese culture, and when I wasn't in Asia, I always felt like there was a magnet that was pulling me there. I yearned to be there.
I watched any movies about China I could get my hands on...I think I've seen every single one, and if I haven't, you bet I'll get my hands on it soon. And, everytime I watched, I would enjoy every minute of it, and yearned, yes, yearned to be there. I followed an organization called Half the Sky foundation, a children's home started by Americans that has many locations in China. One time, the year Jaeson Ma was at UT for Rez (Resurrection Week), I saw on the public board (where people walking by could write on), someone wrote, "I want to father 12 fatherless children", and that brought tears to my eyes. I think it's because I have a heart for orphans, and China, undoubtedly, has a lot of orphans. I once told God I wanted to adopt children from China. I know, without a doubt, that my future and God's purpose for me is in Asia.
As I look back, everything seemed to be for this purpose. I went out with a guy from Taiwan for 2 and a half years and dramatically improved my Chinese. I think he was even responsible for my interest in Asia a little bit, because I didn't speak Chinese all that much before him or was even interested in Asian things - mostly Korean, though. I started at a Chinese church and started listening to sermons in Chinese when I became Christian, so I know a lot of bibical vocabulary in Chinese. THE END. (Lol, I don't know how to end the story!)
This is my story. It's my whole life, because God is my whole life, and the reason why I'm here.
/edit/
Good sermon by Jaeson Ma, btw. This is Part 1, find Part 2/3 on Youtube.com. The title is "Noise to Signal".
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
everytime i get off the blue 5 bus, i say "thank you God for keeping me alive." hehe, jk...but that's how i really feel sometimes.
i went to get my second chemical peel the other day and the girl who did it for me was really funny. i asked her where to get good food around here and she's like "if you want to know about food, just ask me." then she started talking about dating, i.e. if a guy and a girl go out together by themselves, people will always think they're dating or like they each other....there is no "oh they're friends". i told her it's not like that in the u.s., when you see a guy and a girl together, it could be anything really. she goes, "well, then how do you know? it is, but it isn't, so is it or is it not?" lol. that's the way she talked.
there was this little boy on the blue 5 today and he was really cute. we use a YoYo Card here to pay for transportation...you just swipe it. so, he had it around his neck and when he went up to the machine on the bus, he leaned over the rail, stuck his head out, swiped his card, and got off - like he did it everyday. i mean, yeah, it sounds really normal, but i swear he was like 6. i don't even know how he was out by himself.
taiwan indigenous people, yay! i went to TITV (Taiwan Indigenous TV), and for all you immature people, yes, i know it spells "TIT" in the middle. how immature! anyway, i went today for dubbing and it was fun. interesting experience, even if i don't do it ever again. AND I SAW A CELEBRITY!!! i almost forgot! i've seen him on TV like a gajillion times, and i was sitting on the sofa, and he came over with his wife and kid, sat down, and ate lunch....RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! i was like, noooooo way this is happening. it's like i'm part of their family (laugh all you want) but after awhile, i was like, okay, he's just some normal person. lol. no big deal, really.
so people have been telling me they really enjoy reading my blog and i'm really happy! it's SO encouraging to me when people tell me they learn so much about God from me or they say they enjoying reading my posts. you guys are the ones encouraging me.
i went to get my second chemical peel the other day and the girl who did it for me was really funny. i asked her where to get good food around here and she's like "if you want to know about food, just ask me." then she started talking about dating, i.e. if a guy and a girl go out together by themselves, people will always think they're dating or like they each other....there is no "oh they're friends". i told her it's not like that in the u.s., when you see a guy and a girl together, it could be anything really. she goes, "well, then how do you know? it is, but it isn't, so is it or is it not?" lol. that's the way she talked.
there was this little boy on the blue 5 today and he was really cute. we use a YoYo Card here to pay for transportation...you just swipe it. so, he had it around his neck and when he went up to the machine on the bus, he leaned over the rail, stuck his head out, swiped his card, and got off - like he did it everyday. i mean, yeah, it sounds really normal, but i swear he was like 6. i don't even know how he was out by himself.
taiwan indigenous people, yay! i went to TITV (Taiwan Indigenous TV), and for all you immature people, yes, i know it spells "TIT" in the middle. how immature! anyway, i went today for dubbing and it was fun. interesting experience, even if i don't do it ever again. AND I SAW A CELEBRITY!!! i almost forgot! i've seen him on TV like a gajillion times, and i was sitting on the sofa, and he came over with his wife and kid, sat down, and ate lunch....RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! i was like, noooooo way this is happening. it's like i'm part of their family (laugh all you want) but after awhile, i was like, okay, he's just some normal person. lol. no big deal, really.
so people have been telling me they really enjoy reading my blog and i'm really happy! it's SO encouraging to me when people tell me they learn so much about God from me or they say they enjoying reading my posts. you guys are the ones encouraging me.
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