Blessed~

I am blessed to have amazing family and friends. What would I do without these wonderful people in my life?

Another birthday came by and gone, and each year, God pours more and more blessings on me and it just gets better and better!

Many birthday wishes & text messages, beautiful cards with meaningful words, a blue compact netbook, a warm fuzzy hoody... various cakes of sorts... McDonald's McNuggets...birthday hugs, birthday bumps, chilling out in the ASK office, having deep conversations and sharing testimonies.. there is just so much more!

Thank you, God! You are absolutely amazing.

What's better?

What's better than getting text messages on a stressful, rough day and reading a blog from a good friend?

What's better than sitting at Starby's, people watching... spending time with your favorite person at Starby's on her 1/2 hour break...going on an adventure in a blue PT Cruiser traveling 10 blocks down to another store to get Mocha powder for the store.... eating McD's and asking for a grande scoop of ice, laughing at your face...pondering at your wonderful customer serivce, and blogging about my wonderful morning spent with you?

The answer to the above is... NOTHING :) I love spending time with you! <3 Thank you for brightening my day all the time, and I am grateful to know that you think about me during my roughest times!!

:D

PS. I think I will start blogging more when I am at a coffee shop, the environment seems really fitting to be blogging :)

Memories :)

This past week at Large Group for ASK, we talked about the theme "appreciation". Who do I appreciate, and what does appreciation mean to me? Well, I appreciate all my friends and family who supported me through the ups and downs in my life, share silly moments with me, cry with me and laugh with (and at) me. I love the life God has given me and the people He has blessed me with.

After reading one of my friend's blog about "Things that make me happy" and another friend's blog "A piece of 'you'", I decided to write down a few sentences (and more...) about some very important people (that have made a difference in my life somehow) in my life that summarizes our friendship (something that I will say to you in person one day... and will remember for the rest of my life).

Here we go: (Warning... this might be a long read, and it is in no particular order)

• We met through my initial creepiness (which I have not done ever since). Why did I creep you? I don't know. Why did you even let me creep you? Who knows... I met you through a mutual friend, and then one day found you randomly on Xanga, and then later on, Facebook, we switched MSN contacts... phone numbers... we became friends eventually. We had the same class together for a semester, and we share similar Myers Briggs profile: INFP :) You have taught me a lot and supported me through my down times, especially when I lost trust in people. Thank you for your friendship!
  
  
• You gave me the nickname "Moldy", because I always mold my life away at the library before an exam cramming. You creeped me the second time we saw each other, even though you disappeared pretty quickly afterwards. It's funny how we think the same sometimes, and how what you say would sound like something that I would probably say.... I never knew our friendship would go so far, but whenever I needed someone to talk to, you were there. When I am stressed or sick or down, you would send me an e-card that would brighten my day. When I needed something to be prayed for, you prayed for me. You offer 24/7 "counselling" and therapy. I have enjoyed our fun dates and I look forward to more and continuing to grow our friendship :) You will forever be my HB!
  
  
• What more can I say about our friendship? We hated each other a year ago because you scared the crap out of me when I asked you if you were quitting your job. We never really talked until the year of 2009. But somehow we became friends at work, we enjoyed our shifts together and we send regular text messages to each other! We talked about God at work when we used to work our Saturday mornings and we started calling each other SICs...we started putting notes and Green Apron cards on each other's windshield. We drank a lot of tea on Valentine's Day together for our Tea Passports, and shared lots of great memories together. Thank you for letting me be your only Asian friend, and thank you for being one of my closest non-Asian friend EVER (I don't have much non-Asian friends that I can share my life with). Thank you for your encouragements and presence in my life. We are great examples of cultural gaps, and don't ever forget. I am coming to your weddding!
  
  
• Although you are seven years younger than me and you're a boy... you have made a difference in my life. I have always wondered why God made this happen, when I wanted a siblings and cousins within 3 years of my age. Thank you for letting me slap you, hit you, hug you, laugh at you and such whenever I get stressed out and tired. Thank you for being my 3rd alarm clock and waking me up, even though you fail half the time to wake me up. I am glad we are talking a lot more than we used to. I am thankful for you :) I can't wait to see you graduate from high school and go to University!
  
  
• We share the same birthday together, although you are just one year younger than me. I met you when I was in elementary and I can't believe we have been friends for way over a decade (and I am sorry I have lost count already...). I can't believe even though we have been friends for such a long time, the time we spent together in person has only been less than half a year (especially since you were in Cambodia for so long and now that you live in Calgary). God has blessed me with a sister like you, and allowed us to meet again when you came back to Edmonton for a visit with your crouches one year! Random, but how great! It's our birthday in less than 10 days. Happy birthday in advance!
  
  
• I love the nickname I gave you: Stinky Tofu. Although I haven't tried it yet, it must be... good. I hope you like your nickname, because I definitely do. Although I've known you for a while... we didn't really get to talk and hang out much until this year. Thank you for keeping me up when I am in class fighting off my drowsiness and for keeping me "cold" when the room was super warm. I love your random texts, and I am glad I got to know you a lot better this year. I will never forget going to bubble tea with you twice in two days and witness you drop a tray into the garbage can at McD's. PS. I know how to drive you home with my eyes closed now! :p
  
  
• Although you are all the way in Vancouver right now, and we rarely get to meet up when you were in Edmonton... you have made a difference in my life. I have enjoyed our coffees and dinners and talks. Our conversations always brings us together and reminds us of God's presence in our lives, even though sometimes we might not feel it at the moment. Best wishes in your staff at EC! I can't wait to share more God-stories with you!
  
  
• I met you at a conference about 5 years ago. In between, we lost a couple years... but God somehow brought us back together last year. We took classes together, and we saw each other on Tuesdays/Thursdays from 9 to 5. You know me well enough that I get grumpy by the end of the day. I like your computer-like writing and your OCDness with your notes. I always look back at our silly moments and laugh at how mean we are. I miss saying "No!" in your tone and just laughing at silly things! I am glad we get to graduate together on the same convocation stage!
  
  
• We call each other "best friends", and we make people jealous. Although we might not be close like best friends should, but I enjoy our hangouts and our random conversations. I believe that we will be able to talk more deeper stuff and continue to laugh at our stupid stuff together. I say "just saying" a lot because of you now. Thank you, best friend =)
  
  
• Telepathic buddies. We think so much alike that it is impossible to believe. Too bad you are all the way in London right now, and I miss you a lot! I still remember exactly how we met at NSLC 2007, and we were roommates, even though you were...so far away from meI can't wait to Skype with you and share with you things that's been happening in my life!
  
  
• We travelled to Urbana 2006 together (because we both decided to go very last minute), and we confused the customer service person at the kiosk. We share a lot of laughs together and I am glad I got to know you! Even though I won't be able to go to this year, you better not let other people replace me!
  
  
• "I missssss you..... EW.... Jay-Kay". Haha, ohhh neighbor. I like how we have a love-hate relationship :)
  
  
• Thank you for spending time with me in CAB every week :) You make my spares less boring because you laugh at me and we laugh together about many things! I still don't think there's a problem with eating a slice of pizza with a knife and a fork... and thank you for stealing i-coke pins for me so I can get a cute limited polar bear from the icoke.ca website.
  
  
• Thank you for giving me hugs all the time when I see you. I love seeing you on campus and at church. I still have a lot of hug tokens left... and I hope they never expire. I will promise you that I will shower, just for you :) Also, I will make sure not to eat much McDonald's because you hate it so much <3. Wo ai ni!
  
  
• If it wasn't you, I wouldn't have made the decision to go to Urbana and eventually become an emerging leader in ASK. Thank you for being my mentor through my undergrad years!
  
  
• My favorite memory of you must be on July 1, 2008, as we crossed High Level Bridge and we faced the waterfall... and you pushed me aside because I was too "slow"... haha. Nahh, there are so much more memories. I love Leehom, and SO DO YOU :)
  
  
• Thank you for my Ugly Doll, and thank you for always fixing ShareBear for me all the time. Don't worry, the Ugly Doll doesn't remind me of you anymore :p
  
  
• Drama... and Skype. We talk a lot more than we get to see each other, and even though you say you don't miss me... I bet you do ;) Let's race to finish Beyond the Realm of Conscience first. I will definitely win. Hehe.
  
  
• You and your Keita. That's all you really talk about and care about. Geez. Haha, jk. Too bad you are all the way in Seattle right now. But you're back this weekend. I hope we get to spend some quality time together! I miss you lots!
  
  
• I still remember that garbage can we liked to push each other into back in high school. I hope you do too, because you miss going into it :p
  
  
• I kept the heart you made me with the $5 bill! Thank you for missing me and loving me all the time :) You are a wonderful child, and I always love seeing you at work!
  
  
• ...... to be continued and editted when I think of more :)

Thank you for the differences you have made in my life! I love you all very much and I am excited to spend time with you guys one day and share life!

Do not worry

A close friend of mine blogged about "Are you happy today?" last night. In her blog, she mentioned about a friend asking her if she looked happy today and what her response was, and about how we all have worries and how she trusts God to guide her to His way. I won't go into details of her blog, but I will talk about my current feelings.

If you were to come up to me and ask me if I was happy today, I would definitely respond... yes, with a bit of hesitation. While only a couple of my close friends knows how I actually feel today.....Today, I fear. I thought about a lot of things, and I was not acting like myself. I was worried. I was frustrated. I wanted to burst into tears... hide in my corner and just be by myself. I was pretending to be happy, to be friendly and to be open, but I was so tired out by the end of the night...drained by conversations and I just want to be by myself...reflecting through things in my complex mind.

Something happened today that caused me to worry about my future. I don't know what God is trying to do... nor do I know what the future holds. I think I worry too much sometimes....

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" -- Matthew 6:25

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." -- Matthew 6:34

These two verses are so hard to live out, but I am trying to pray about it and letting the verses steep into my brain...

There will be an update soon, once things are sorted out....

I'm NOT stupid....

Yes, I repeat. I'm NOT stupid!

I was enjoying my Sunday afternoon nap when all of a sudden my mom wakes me up to listen to a call that was for me. I turned out to be pretty cranky because my nap was so grand.... but below is the conversation... (at least from what I remembered anyways...oh, and the man had a very thick accent which was hard to understand):

Me: ".... hello....?"
Man: "Hi, is this Karen?"
Me: *obviously...damn it...* "Yes..."
Man: "I'm calling on behalf of the U of A (blah blah blah blah blah).... is your address _________?"
Me: *wtf* "Yup... "
Man: "I'm doing this research (blah blah blah blah blah) for woman and (blah blah blah blah blah)...
Me: "Ok..."
----- after a short while of him talking ------
Man: "So, we were wondering if you are interesting in a monthly donation of 10 dollars."
Me: *wakes up* "No thank you."
Man: "But.. it's blah blah blah blah blah......something... tuition cost... blah blah blah. It's very minimal"
----- pause ------
Man: "Have you considered just a really small donation? Just 5 dollars a month."
Me: "Did you not understand? No, I have other financial obligations...."
Man: *disappointed voice* "Thank you for your...."
*click*

Yup, I just hung up on him. Honestly, University of Alberta...? Man...? Calling...? Asking for donation and support from a poor student who pays more than five grands for tuition? You gotta be kidding me. It's not my fault if the university isn't using their money wisely and going poor..... and most importantly, I'm not that stupid....

Anyways, from my caller ID on my home phone.. the number is 780-248-1594. WITH NO NAME or what so ever... so people... be careful....

Thank you sir for ruining my beautiful nap.