My life naked

transfer of blogsites

2009-09-13T12:03:00.001-07:00

This blog will be continued together with my husband at www.graceandisaac.com.

Please join us as will start our new journey with a baby boy!

Day 1 Mexico

2008-08-07T08:36:00.000-07:00

My Mexico journey started with a new adventure I have never taken before. Nathan and I left together from the San Bernardino airport on his dad’s 4 seater airplane. I was expecting the ride to be quite scary. When I sat in the back, there was room for two and enough height that I didn’t feel claustrophobic. Furthermore, since we were below the clouds it was really cool to see everything from up top. I saw the Loma Linda pagoda and my neighborhood as well. It was pretty cool to see the border too. There was no great difference on either side of the border. The flight was slightly bumpy but I did not get nauseous and I enjoyed the ride. Maybe I was better prepared after watching Batman from the 4^th row.

Nathan and I were picked up by Sandy, a local volunteer from Yugo Ministries, the organization we are building through. Before we joined the group to build, we ate at a amazing taco stand that had fresh grilled meat, homemade tortillas and grilled green onions to complement our dishes. Yummy!

When I got to the building sight, I was impressed with how much the group had already built. Most of the house was put together, and they were in the process of building the window frames and mudding the house. Everyone was covered with plaster and sweat on their clothes and hair. The family we are building for was joining on the grounds getting their hands dirty as well. The mother and her boys were building benches with some scrap wood pieces. I couldn’t believe how good she is with the tools and how strong she is. The woman is half my size and her face is worn with stories of hardship and struggle. I’m sure that raising 6 children isn’t the easiest thing for her at the age of 35. Furthermore, I couldn’t believe how adaptive and independent her children were. The infant and toddler both knew how to entertain themselves and walk around without their mom right by their side. Both of them were covered by dirt from head to toe and literally rolling on the ground. They were adorable and it was rewarding for me when I got them to open up and smile, talk and laugh. My first challenge was accomplished so I moved into the house to learn the basics of mudding.

I have only been here for a day, and I have been tremendously blessed by the sacrifice I have witnessed. The sacrifices of our own team members, the sacrifices of the local missionaries, the sacrifice of the mother of the family, and witnessing poverty not only on the streets, but on the faces of the children got to my heart. I feel vulnerable being involved in a mission building project that is not my element. I feel vulnerable but I am so grateful to able to soak up and be empowered by God’s love.

2008-07-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

as i turned 27, i was lingering on the thought that i am getting older and i should act more mature. since my b-day is in the summer, i never had school (other than dental school), i was bummed that i had to work on my b-day. i could have chose to get the day off, but i am planning to take time off for a mission trip so i was trying to limit my days off.

after a week of 12 hr work days, i was even more bummed to start my b-day at 7am. luckily the day went quickly, i got a beautiful flower arrangement from my husband and an awesome cake from my office and before i knew it was time to go home. when i was going to walk out, i found my husband at the door. he said he came by to say hello. i thought nothing of it because my husband comes to visit once in awhile on the way to an errand or church. we went into our separate cars, and i noticed some mess on the passenger seat. i didn't remember seeing the stuff their earlier. so i grabbed it to see what it was and i found a letter from isaac explaining that he had planned a progressive birthday surprise. there were four envelopes with addresses and times and i was to correspond to each location and time to open the envelope. i started to cry because i was moved by the thoughtfulness that my husband took time to present his gift. each envelope also had a letter written and the day ended with a beautiful dinner with friends at mission inn. actually the b-day weekend continued with parties on sat & sun with more friends...

i just wanted to announce to the world that i have the best & most thoughtful husband in the world. it was like the sweetest thing isaac had done for my b-day and i will never forget it.

* thanks to all my lfriends that came out to celebrate and i appreciate all the cards, gifts, and giftcards!!! love ya lots

my b-day wish

2008-06-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

every year i try to be the humble person and ask all of you not to get me a present or to donate money for a worthy cause. however, since my friends are too nice and don't meet that request, always get me a present, i thought i can help to make it easier this year. furthermore, couple of you have already asked me what i want so here it is.

i really would appreciate giftcards at:
1. victoria secret (i really love the angels memory foam collection!!)
2. sephora (i need perfume, eyeshadow, foundation, etc)
3. starbucks (i need this to survive at work)

love you girls!

Day Five in Italy

2008-06-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday was our last day in Cinque Terre. We had a massage schedule as part of our Sabbath experience. We checked out and went to the town #4 to get our massage. Our masseuse was an English lady who moved to Italy and ended up starting a family. We did a little walking on the trail and enjoyed a stroll on the harbor. For lunch we enjoyed the best minestrone soup ever at Capotola. We had best and only shopping done in Vernazza. We found local products such as pesto, olives, olive oil, jams and soaps. Then Grace lost her wallet on the way somehow and Isaac was so sweet on his way of handling this matter. Our trip cost a little more than we expected due to this unfortunate experience. Isaac was also generous to replace Grace's lost wallet (her first real wallet from 5th grade) with a purple Prada wallet from the flagship store in Milan.
We found a direct train from Cinque Terre to Milan. We arrived and checked into our Hotel Florida. It was a clean and comfortable hotel a block from the Milan Central Station. We had a little ordeal trying to get our room because we arrived a day early. Online we had noticed many rooms but the hotel stated they had none. So we found free wifi at another hotel and booked a room at Hotel Florida. We went back and got the room and checked in. For dinner we went to a thai/Chinese: Shangai la restaurant that was recommended in Fodor’s Milan book. Their portions were tiny so we had to order like 5 dishes and pay over $80. ouch. It was a very expensive day we spent.

day four: Cinque Terre

2008-06-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

We journeyed to cinque terre on Friday. We left Bellagio on the 6:40am ferry and made our way to Varenna to catch the train to Milan. On the train, we met a wonderful gentleman that was our on board friend, concierge, and caretaker. We actually never even got his name. We chatted about travel, work, family, and lots about Italy. Once we got to Milan, he was our defender from urban outdoorsman. He went with Grace downstairs at the train station to ensure that we purchased the correct tickets with the best connections. After boarding our train we separated to our respective seats but he came and found us to ensure we got off at the right station to make our next connection.
It poured rain during a thunderstorm as we entered into Cinque Terre. As we exited the station we found a small bakery and enjoyed the most tasteful foccacia bread while waiting for our room agent. We waited for our room while trying another regional specialty; anchovies, olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. Grace enjoyed the appetizer while Isaac only had a taste.
After our little snack we were allowed to finally make our journey up to the heavens. We winded through cobblestone side streets and little alleyways with a million steps. Then we approached the old lookout tower and ascended up through the tower. As soon as we reach the top of the stairs our apartment was right there. The view was a majestic although we cannot say the same for our bed or the cleanliness of the bathroom.
As we ascended into the heavens to reach our room the rain began to lift and the sky cleared allowing the sun the beam through. Cinque terre is an area tof 5 fishing villages that are connected hills of farmland. The villages are filled with faded pastel homes with bright primary color doors, crabbing baskets & boats blanketing the uneven cobblestone streets. The smell of salty foccacia and anchovies make your tastebuds water. As you walk through these villages you feel free as the laundry swinging against the Liguariuan wind. From Manarola, we strolled through the via dell’ amore that connected to the next village Riomaggiore. The views along the trail were breathtaking. The crystal clear aqua waves crashing violently against slate stones have caused layers of texture and patterns on the rocks. There’s a section of the trail where there is a tunnel of writing and locks of lovers. We took lots and lots of pictures. We did this path three times! In the evening we visited another town, Monterosso, the resort of the five fishing villages, making three for the day and were able to capture from great pictures as the sun went down.

Third day in Italy

2008-06-12T23:06:00.000-07:00

Thursday was our first real taste of italy day as we were heading off for a cooking class to learn how to make our own pasta and sauce from an Italian chef. We were left Bellagio again via ferry and this time we went to another picturesque town, Varenna which is about a 15-20 minute ferry ride. The town is the most beautiful lakeside town because the town is bursting with flowers and the layout of the homes and stores has perfect colors and textures of stone. There are less hotel signs and tour souvenir shops. From the moment the ferry lands, you walk through a fairytale land. There is less hotel signs and stores than Bellagio. We arrived at the town square to find that our chef for our cooking class was involved in an accident so we were not able to have our cooking class. But we made the best of it. The local café barista was our informative guide. He shared the ins and outs of Varenna.
After the best cup of cappuccino, we attended Mass at the local cathedral which is something that Isaac wanted to do. Isaac-There is special meaning for me to be able to worship with such ceremony and tradition. Even though I don’t speak Italian or Latin, it was a spiritual experience for me. Grace even participated in the Eucharist, she was more appropriately dressed than Isaac who was in his usual (shorts and chacos). Grace-I tried to use my hands and the priest moved his hand in my mouth. This was an interesting experience. The bread tasted like watered down glue stick. The cathedral had a beautiful bell tower and clock. Adjacent to the cathedral had a really cool sundial.
After Mass we took a short walk over to Villa Montesario and gardens. This garden looked amazing against the turquoise waters of the lake. Grace really enjoyed the view of Villa Cipressi from Villa Montesario and also there was so much green ivy that made everything looked luxurious. There was a civic engineering conference at the villa when we were visiting. What a place to have a conference! We ate lunch at a delightful waterfront crepe café, Nilus Bar, (recommended in Rick Steve’s Italy 2008) that had wonderful view of the lake. The nutella banana crepe was absolutely delicious.
After resting about half an hour in Bellagio, we left on ferry to the reason why Grace wanted to visit Lake Como. Villa Balbinello in Lenno is where star wars and james bond were shot. From Lenno, we paid more money 12 eu for a 5 min. water taxi to the villa. The villa’s entrance had a beautiful black iron gate with lots of ivy. We had a tour of the villa inside where the last resident was the 1st Italian to explore the north pole and mt. everest. Though it rained this afternoon, it was so romantic to set eyes on this villa. The outiside of this building really is something, my dream house!
For dinner, we had Trattoria San Giacomo, for local fresh fish, pasta, caprese, and the best tiramisu.

Second day in Italy

2008-06-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

We hit the ground running in true Grace form starting at 6AM. Grace’s reasonings: we were wide awake, lost a day from sleeping and the weather was spectacular! We spent a few hours exploring the waterfront taking in the scenery and shooting beautiful pictures. With no one around and in awe of the beauty around us, our walk to Villa Melzi was heaven on earth. On the waterfront was a small café that had fresh pastries and coffee where the lady was so sweet. She allowed us to eat on credit as we were not able to exchange to the Euro yet.

The ferry system is quite developed and we were able to take the ferry across the lake to visit the beautiful Villa Colatta and gardens, which was once a wedding gift for the Princess Colatta. Some of the garden highlights were the green forest, a natural stream, blue hydrangeas, a cherub fountain with water lilies, and a tunnel of orange blossoms & jasmine.

We rode the ferry back to Bellagio after spending couple hours at Villa Carlotta and seeing the towns Termezzo & Carlotta. We ate at La Grotta, a pizzeria that Flavio recommended for the best pizza. It was really good pizza. After lunch we headed for the church to be picked up by our guide for horsebacking. He was 10 min. late and skeptical enough we were a little scared as he drove about 30 min. away from the lake. It was nice to see how the locals live and see the raw side of Bellagio. Flavio dropped us off at his house with a young boy and some horses that a plethora of flies around their heads. The young boy sagging his pants and cigarette in his mouth looked real professional. With no one else around and the horses being lazy, Grace wondered how safe was this going to be. We set out for horseback riding into the hills and countryside that was so memorable to the both of us. We enjoyed our time, BUTT we were sore.

The earlier walk in town, had markets that had beautiful heirloom tomatoes that we attempted to try on our own in our apartment with fresh homemade linguini from the market and tomato sauce, salad, and orange fanta (yummy). We never did that again. With jetlag, Grace fell asleep around 8pm.

First Day in Italy

2008-06-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

We traveled from Ontario & NY to Atlanta to Milan, Italy on an overnight flight. Although we were delayed we did not have too many problems other than our airplane seat shade broken, seat rocking and seat light bulb going out. Along the way, we feasted on fresh apple bread, rice and gim (sea weed laver) provided by Brian and Esther (thanks!!) From the airport we were able to take the Malpensa Express train to the town of Como, Italy. It took about 2.5 hrs to the last station Como Nord because we had to wait one hour at a transfer stop and one hour at a stop that was miscalculated. From Como, we then embarked on a ferry to the little town of Bellagio on Como Lago (Lake Como). The ferry was a wonderful opportunity to see the various towns coloring the borders of the lake. From sunny weather to Como, a sprinkle in Lenno, to a storm in Bellagio, the weather definitely got quite fowl on us. Even with the rain, Bellagio was a beauty at first sight with luxurious villas decorated with elegant topiaries, columns, ivy with manicured gardens and with the calmness of the alps hugging the hazy lake. Due to its close proximity to Switzerland, you can definitely see the influence here compared to other areas in Italy. We checked into our apartment at Il Borgo, a small family run apartment rental only 50 meters away from the harbor. Flavio is a generous man who was our personal “concierge” while we acclimated to our new abode. We walked a lot of stairs on our trip!

Our first meal was just around the corner from us at La Fontana a small mom and pop restaurant where Grace enjoyed gnocchi and Isaac had the lasagna which was the daily special, both were delicious. We explored the town a little, pursuing the shops and stopping by the local cathedral to say our prayers, but we were stopped short due to rain (forgot to pray for no rain… ☺. We both felt so jetlagged that we fell asleep around 6pm and woke up around 2am hungry but well rested. We ate more apple bread and played cards till 5am!

ohhhh---it feels good

2008-06-07T00:41:00.000-07:00

before we head out to lake como, italy for our 1 yr anniversary, my husband gave me a surprise gift to open before he headed out to ny. if you don't know by now, my husband's primary love language is giving gifts. everyone who knows isaac knows he likes luxury and fancy smacy stuff. so usually he surprises me with tiffanys or the ritz, that sort and i usually respond with why did you spend so much money?!! however, my gift for my 1 yr anniversary belongs in a totally different category but i LOVE it soooo much.

okay-its obvious in the picture, what he got me. BUT the awesome part is that its a travel size and it can roll into a pretty small roll. i always have carried my therapeutic pillow everywhere previously, even camping to Zion but that is no more! for the travelpillow is compact and feels so good. isaac-this is so far one of the best $ you have spent on me.

water

2008-06-06T23:45:00.000-07:00

i know some of you make fun of my film taste (ie: Isaac Kim), but for those who can appreciate it- my favorite film i've watched this year is water. i rented this video from blockbuster last month. water is about widows forced into poverty and their response in different ages as they adapt to their outcast identities. the hindu custom requires a widow to marry their husband's brother, throw themselves on their dead husband's funeral pyre, or lead a life of self denial. one of the characters is a 8 yr old widow, Chuyia, who doesn't understand her separation from her family, who doesn't realize the impact of her 50 yr husband's death and has to join ashram in the holy city of Varanasi. all the widows are expected to shave their heads and live in self denial at the ashram. they have no possessions and beg for money at the temples. the images of poverty and prejudice in this film is very thought provoking. i googled this information online right after watching the video. i had found frustrating that though laws have passed to protect the widows, no one enforces these laws.

furthermore, while i was out to dinner with friends last night. one traveler of india told me that during her last visit she heard numerous stories about husbands burning their wives repeatedly on purpose. talk about domestic violence! supposedly men are taking advantage of the bridal dowry by destroying their wives to remarry and increase their monetary gains. hence, the wives either die or are left as abandoned widows that no one cares about. the travelers came back frustrated that social, economic and cultural justice seemed so distant in india.

crazy may

2008-06-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

couple of you have mentioned that my blog has been quite idle and i agree. its been quite the hectic month. the first weekend of may was isaac's favorite challenge the 5k in downtown redlands. here's a picture from it:

thursday nights were watching the calimesa pigeons playing softball. they did awesome this year and i loved to cheer my hot husband on 1st base. 2nd weekend was mother's day where we visited northridge to celebrate with isaac's parents. we did our usual $20 massage at chinese foot reflexology every week. we have discovered the one in irvine vietnamese town was the best.

third weekend was a fun trip to zion national park. it was the last hurrah before the Chastains were to move back East. Isaac got to do his favorite thing in the world: hiking! we were happy to take mojo with us. he endured his long road trip pretty well.

last weekend was a celebration of graduations. it was really nice to have my mom visiting from san jose. actually the whole family was over at our place after paul's graduation to enjoy ice cream & guitar hero.

its june- time is flying even faster. weddings, planning mission trips, fundraisers for mission trip to Mexico, and our departure to italy is a couple of days away. we feel blessed to be busy, but we are sad we can't spend too much time with our family and friends. keep us in your prayers as we do a lot of traveling this summer.

cos

2008-04-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

yesterday, I had the privilege to see one of the finest comedians: bill cosby! the pasadena civic auditorium holds the annual distinguished speakers series that includes famous people such as lisa ling, fergie duchess of york, the dalai lama, etc. the lecture series allows the speaker to talk about anything he or she wants.

with his freedom, bill was all over the place. he could not complete storytelling without going off from tangent to tangent. a comedian at heart, he couldn't resist to getting the crowd rolling with laughter and energy. the 70 something year old definitely holds a combination of calmness and wit that makes you sit on the edge of your seat to hear what he'll say next.

luckily to our friend, jessica who is a teacher at loma linda academy, we were able to get the $60 seats for free. thank you jessica for such a great and memorable experience!

the silver building

2008-04-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

The first time I came to visit Walt Disney Concert Hall (WD) was to take my engagement pictures. I have been a fan of the modern architecture of this place. Last Sunday, I was finally able to go inside of the amazing building. Isaac and I had a date in LA (dinner, massage) and ended the evening with Midori playing at WD.

First of all, the inside of the concert hall was totally different from what I imagined. The interior floor and walls are all wood and looked more traditional than its contrasting outdoors. It reminded me of a ship interior. The seating arrangement encircles the stage which allows every seat to have a great view. We sat front middle to receive the best acoustics. The sound in that room resonates a crisp and limited reverb that preserves the original tone. Their Steinway piano sounds AMAZING in that room. Oh—its heavenly. (I can’t wait till my mom gives me my baby soon!)

My second critique is of Midori. All I knew of her was that she was a violin child prodigy in the 80s. When she walked in the room, I felt her attire and look was still stuck back in the 80s Laura Ashley collection. Her portifolio of mentorship and volunteering programs at USC explained the possibility of her modest presentation. To my surprise, Midori definitely has a style for playing her violin as well. Her robotic and stiff movements gave me & Isaac nausea. I know musicians like to follow their emotions, but her movements looked very unnatural like the Ahn trio. I did enjoy her playing very much, I just had to close my eyes so I wouldn’t get dizzy. The whole performance was just the violin and a piano accompaniment. They played 4 romantic pieces by Brahms, Beethoven and one other guy. She was definitely worth hearing and I hope to return back to the WD very soon.

Zinc cafe

2008-04-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

With the craze of bakery cafes rising in la & favored by celebrities, Laguna is starting to pick up on the trend as well. (Did I mention before, I sat next to Posh Spice in LA at Jack & Jill Bakery?) Zinc is one of the local bakeries that attracts the beautiful Italians and laid back Laguaians. My favorite place to eat in Laguna for lunch is Zinc. The two building consists of a restaurant and the other building is the store that sells fine goods. The fine goods range from cheese, wine sodas, to go meals, and flowers. The restaurant has a large selection from sandwiches and pastas. My first time there, I had their vegetable lasagna that was so good, fresh, and not heavy or cheesy. I always get their soup of the day. The soups taste deliciously homemade and not from a can. The salads are simple and flavorful. I saw the person next to me order a vegetable sandwich that looked so good and that’s what I’m going to order next time.

After you order at the cashier, and pick up your food you have two options for sitting. Indoors is a little cramped, but you can enjoy their beautiful and elaborate flower arrangement by the cashier. I prefer the outdoor patio seating that is perfect for people watching and to enjoy the SUN.

Check out zinc cafe at www.zinccafe.com

biggest loser

2008-03-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

isaac's family is having a contest the next 12 weeks. there is a $500 buy in for a chance to win $2500 of the biggest weight loss. the weight loss will be calculated by the biggest percentage off your weight.

its going to be harder for the heavier people like isaac and i, but we are ready for our healthy challenge. we ran and walked 2.5 miles today, but we had three meals. we'll have to increase our mileage soon. i have to develop a system somehow. definitely eat less and excercise to get my metabolism up. let me know if you had a diet that worked.

that $2500 is mine!

our twins!

2008-03-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

on isaac's b-day, we doubled our joy with new pups! we rescued them from the very sad pound of san bernadino, where they put dogs to sleep if they don't have a home. we weren't planning to have pets, but it was a spontaneous act of goodness that surprised our family.

the puppies are brother & sister. their names are mojo & coco. they are a mix of german shepherd & lab. they are about 3-4 months old. they were surrendered by their owner the same day we got them with two other sibilings that are still at the pound. mojo is the calmer and protective brother. coco is very expressive about her emotions and has tons of energy. our puppies will keep our hands full, but we're excited getting to know them!

we have been super busy our first day, preparing for their arrival. we cleaned our garage & back yard to make their home safe. we put together a metal fence kennel for them to play in the garage. we shopped for their supplies. we got their shots & neutered at the vet. that's why they have cones on their necks to prevent them from licking their sutures.

mojo & coco had many visitors today. their gracious godmother kange, brought them their crate, water bowl and toys to play with. other visitors included: david, amy, lillian, john, brian, brian's friends, soojin, darren, mika, jamie and jessica. they want to thank the many visitors for the welcome & love.

Glory of Easter

2008-03-21T22:12:00.000-07:00

For the first time in my life, the glory of Easter has been dramatically emphasized in my environment. Growing up in an Adventist home and Korean church, there was no typical celebration either to the Pagan Easter bunny or to the Cross of Jesus. I don't know if its the coincidence of being a pastor's wife or being in a different church community, but this season is more to remember than a marshmallow bunny.

It all started out with Isaac deciding to introduce me to Lent. He wasn't going to eat red meat for 40 days and challenged me to give up something. Since, I'm trying to lose weight, I said I will not eat white rice. Its unusual for Adventists to celebrate the "Catholic Lent." However, I thought it was neat to derive something positive out of something outside my circle. Then, Isaac had a Sabbath School lesson on Lent: the origin, significance in the past and present, etc. In this process, I had my initial moments of thinking about Christ's suffering and sacrifice.

At our Calimesa Church, the congregation was challenged to create an artform of what the cross means to them. This was another opportunity for me to focus on the cross and evaluate its personal significance.

Last Sunday, the young adults made a trip to Crystal Cathedral in Anaheim to watch "The Glory of Easter." This particular season's musical production was on the Life of Jesus. It was quite interesting to observe scenes that included live animals, opera singers, flying angels and laser action. This portrayal of the death & resurrection of Jesus was someone else's (the authors, the directors) interpretation & presentation. The visual presentation challenged me in some ways and continued my thought process.

Tonight on Good Friday, we worshiped with songs & readings that focused on the Last Supper, the Cross, and the Resurrection. I appreciated the simplicity of reading Scripture that allowed my own imagination to be more active rather than seeing an interpretation. The overall worship was very calm and serene that concluded with a candle lighting ceremony in the garden. I also appreciated that this program didn't try to overwhelm my emotions and concentrated on the positive qualities of the cross.

After all this, what does the cross mean to me? The cross is a symbol of love and hope. Through Christ's love, I am a new creation where all the ugliness is at the feet of the cross. I am melancholy when I initially think about what does the cross carries. The cross nailed all my crap: impatience, greed, arrogance, etc. Therefore, the cross itself is very dirty and filthy, but its more than that. Its soooooooooooooo gracious that God allows me to come just as I am and through His Resurrection invites me to engage with God & His plan. It is at the wondrous cross & open tomb that hope renews the life I live with purpose and peace.

Montage

2008-03-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

if you want complete solitutde, i recommend visiting Montage Resort & Spa for the day. its only 1 & 1/2 hr drive from loma linda, and you feel like you are in a different country. the crystal blue waters against the dramatic cliffs, lift you into an ocean of peace. its defintely a quiter beach compare to other laguna hot spots. you can go for a walk either on the beach or watch the water from a sidewalk view. in the springtime, many of the lovely flowers are vibrantly blooming.

i spent my whole day at the spa. it was convenient to sit on a comfortable lounge chair that gave me a panoramic view of the ocean, had access to great food, and constant access to fiji water! so i sat basking in the sun, reading my journals and my mind when to ultimate relaxation mode. the spa treatments are quite pricey there. i could only afford a 60 min. pedicure, but it was worth the oceanfront view where i saw dolphins during my pedicure. then, i got to enjoy the steam rooms & hot tubs that were surrounded by beautiful lush garden and waterfountain. the decor was modern, casual, and clean. it felt different enough where i found my getaway for a day.

Isaac's b-day bash

2008-03-11T23:43:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Isaac's 30th b-day this past Saturday. I definitely had my share of fun decorating and planning from Party plus where I got an awesome banner & cowboy frills. Canton Bistro was very accomodating and the hip place turned into an Asian & Western fusion. Everyone looked really cute decked out in their cowboy hat and boots. We had two dress up winners: Scott & T chosen by the greatest amount of chopsticks raised by the cowboys. Also, it was very thoughtful to have people fly out for this special occasion all the way from Rochester, N. Dakota, and Florida. It made Isaac feel extra special to have his family & close friends there. After our dinner at Canton Bistro, we ran around town in our crazy outfits trying to win a photo scavenger hunt. We stayed up playing cards & giggling that we looked so silly still in our cowboy outfits. I had a great time and I think Isaac said it was the best b-day party he's ever had. So I guess my goal was accomplished!

the blue light

2008-03-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

on a daily basis, i usually use a blue light to restore composite fills on pt's teeth. last wednesday, i was exposed to use it quite differently. i was at the dermotologist and they recommended the blue light peel. the peel begins with applying a thin layer of 20% salicyic acid on your face. the stuff stings so bad! after 30 sec, you wash it off with water. orange eyeglassess are worn to protect your eyes. then you place you face on a machine 4 x 2 ft that exposes blue light to your face for 20 min.

According to AcneNet this is what blue light is:

Blue-light therapy. The FDA approved narrow-band, high-intensity blue-light therapy for treating acne. Now widely advertised, this is probably the best-known light therapy for acne treatment. Blue light works by killing the acne-causing bacteria, P. acnes, and is being used to treat inflammatory acne vulgaris that has not responded to other acne therapies. The blue-light products of today do not contain ultraviolet (UV) light, which was a staple of former light therapy used to treat acne. UV light can damage skin and is no longer used to treat acne.
Patients receive blue-light therapy in increments. Generally, eight sessions are given over a four-week period, and each session lasts about 15 minutes. Side effects tend to be mild and include temporary pigment changes, swelling of the treated areas, and dryness.

pretty cool huh?

post valentines

2008-02-25T22:51:00.000-08:00

isaac & grace extended their love week in dallas, tx.

the moment we drove our rental car out of its garage we were welcomed by dried yellow flatlands. our early adventure started by waking up 4am so our first stop was to eat. we headed towards "bishops arts district", which was written to be an artisty boutique shopping with good restaurants. when we arrived friday morning, it was more like a ghost town. it took us awhile to find our restaurant which was the only place in the whole district that had people in it. "hatties" is glorified southern cooking in a modern and chic decor. the place was definitely the happening place. isaac's fried chicken tasted extra crispy with a light buttermilk batter. my mac-n-cheese with additional fancy cheese was two thumbs down.

after fulfilling our stomachs, we headed to adams mark hotel. once we were at the lobby, both of our jaws dropped because we never seen such a long line to check in and seen such a long line of cheerleaders. what a coincident to have a conference with the national cheerleader association. i'm sure it was going to be a heavenly experience for all the pathfinder boys and some girls. luckily a short little angel escorted us to the front of the line! also, i was pretty excited when my husband got us upgraded to the newly reinovated $500 rooms for free!

though i had planned my all day excursions of dallas sightseeing by myself, i was spontaneously led to one of afternoon seminars. a familiar friend was presenting a case study on church planting. to my surprise, what a huge inspiration it was to attend this case study called "london live." basically, he inspired us that if you find yourself unhappy or unsatisifed with your church, find a group of leaders and go start your own church. The presenter claims that though Adventist church has many insights of the Bible, we do not know how to love... Therefore, "doctrine can not change, but methodology must change." "PEOPLE HAVE LOST FAITH IN INSTITUTIONS, BUT HAVE FAITH IN PEOPLE AND COMMUNITY." "Truth is not a doctrine, truth is a person." there were many innovative and modern ways he was presenting his so called evangelistic crusades in the city titling, "the true sex and the city" and "how to be a player." i was so blessed by the genuine and sincerity of the speakers.

in between the meetings, i slept since i was sick and ate out because we hated the hotel food. three other restaurants we tried were: avanti's, a great restaurant in uptown for live jazz and late dining, asian mint for americanized thai, chinese, japanese in a popular zagat rated rest, and breadwinners cinnamon roll was too sweet for me.

sunday was a day to myself because isaac had "pastor meetings." i started my day in a real farmers market that had only produce to purchase. then i drove in circles to find the dallas aquarium. the aquarium was really neat because the spiral architecture allowed the viewer to begin with the top of the ecosystem: the rainforest, then to the flatlands and the marsh, to the bottom of the ocean. i was quite entertained staring at the crazy giant sea otter, australian sea horses, and grey manatees. the next spot was the dallas museum, which i didn't find interesting and was too boring after observing constant movement of interesting being at the aquarium. then, i found the 1st neiman marcus in the us closed which i could not check out! so i went to the beverly hills of dallas, highland park to shop. surprisingly most of the stores were closed their too. but i got to kill some time at the chain stores. i was bummed i couldn't find any boutiques to get my country boots and hat.

overall my dallas experience was positive because i loved the room i stayed in and the conference i attended made me feel proud to be an Adventist. however, the city itself is pretty unattractive and not as sexy as LA or NY.

the best cactus party ever...

2008-02-08T22:19:00.000-08:00

okay, this one is for my regular subscribers who are curious what we did this past wednesday that i had off. as you know, isaac's grandparents have been in town the past month. they are leaving next week so we wanted to hang out once more before they left. (thanks to all the friends who have been understanding our limited hang out time!!)

we decided to go to huntington library on wednesday. it was a gorgeous sunny day to go walking. we first started with the glorified cactus section. everyone was ecstactic about all the various cacti. they literally squealed at every blossom and every texture of every plant. their enthusiasm definitely was contagious. i felt like i was at a cactus party!! i got all hyped up about them and i started going wild on my pictures. i never enjoyed looking at cactus that much in my whole entire life. i was so glad NOT to be working on a beautiful day as such.

*Pennysaver: admission is free every first Thursday of the month, book one month in advance.

husband's influence

2008-02-08T21:41:00.000-08:00

I think that it is really hot when my wife is actively involved in things that impact our society for better. You are looking at the very first ballot that Grace has filled out for an election. I am very proud of her. Although we did not vote for the same individual it was encouraging to know that she wants to become more active for Kingdom good in our world. I think that's the point of this post. No matter who you vote for, please vote...it is important that you become involved in the concerns of our times because our decisions impact real lives, in very real ways.
Isaac Kim

better than pinkberry

2008-02-08T20:59:00.000-08:00

there has been quite a fro yo craze these days. whether its pinkberry, kiwiberry, or ohana, people will drive across towns and stand in lines for a healthy and popular dessert. because isaac is a fan, we usually go to pinkberry. however, when we were in northridge, we discovered RED MANGO!

i prefer Red Mango more than any of the other brands. First and most importantly, it tastes better. Like its competitors the flavors are original and green tea with fresh fruit toppings. Red Mango has a creamier taste with less calories and sugar content than pinkberry.

I have heard that Pinkberry stole the idea from the makers of Red Mango that was originally founded in South Korea. The sales clerk at Red Mango said he found a Youtube video that has the Pinkberry owner taking pictures in a Red Mango in Korea. I couldn't find it in you tube.

Pinkberry due to its lacking ingredients can not claim to be yogurt, but merely as a different name, "swirly goodness" or something like that. Therefore, Red Mango's yogurt contains healthy active cultures that are good for you.

I also like the richer colors displayed in the decor of Red Mango more than the Pinkberry. My toppings I got were strawberries and golden grahams. Delish! So go check out the locations on http://www.redmangousa.com/ and let me know what you think!

dysfunctional sells

2008-02-04T09:27:00.000-08:00

in entertainment. this past weekend i watched the movie juno. its about a teenage pregnant girl who discovers love through the disappointment of a "perfect couple" who is suppose to adopt her baby. the movie reveals that whether you are from an obvious messed up family or superficially pretty family, we all have our issues.

I have discovered this is the storyline that usually touches my heart whether i can directly relate to it or not. the reality of the pain that occurs inside our homes is something we don't talk about. however, i love to be reminded by the media that everyone has their troubles whether their rich, poor, smart, dumb, pretty or ugly. it makes me feel normal.

other movies such as little miss sunshine and napolean dinamite portray this from a different angle, but also are just as dysfunctional. i realized my favorite tv show: brothers and sisters consists of the similar material. a beautiful family that lives in a beautiful home is so crazy inside their home. internal and external conflicts between siblings, parent and children and with their other halves. always when it comes down to it, they come together because they are family and love exists somewhere in the midst of their dysfunctional mess.

$19 ski lift ticket

2008-01-30T19:47:00.000-08:00

yea- another wednesday i got to spend with my husband. i am so grateful that he sacrificed his precious day he was supposed to prepare for his sermon for me. So-if you are in the Loma Linda area, come to Calimesa Church for a challenging sermon about religion and politics this Saturday!

Most people who know me know that skiing is my favorite sport. I grew up spending every christmas break in Tahoe. In college, I would ditch school to ski 20-30 times a year. My passion in skiing left me with many adventures: tumbling like a snowball at Dodge Ridge, church ski trips with Amy, saved by three little boys from skiing into a stream at Northstar, many ski teachers like my jr. high teacher Mr. Nelson and my college bud Justin Dye.

For some unlucky reasons: my dad getting older and not enjoying skiing anymore, moving to southern california, meeting a man who doesn't ski often have limited my skiing experiences the past couple years. Therefore, I begged and cried to Isaac to take me skiing at least once this year. So he graciously offered to take me on my day off. Originally, we found on slickdeals that Jeep car dealerships were giving away free lift tickets to Snow Summit. Some dealerships might still offer this, but the Redlands dealership were out.

As we headed out for Big Bear, we fouund a smaller resort called Snow Valley that offered $19 lift tickets on Wednesday. Wow- what a deal, don't you think? Due to the avalanche recently, most of the lifts were closed, but I still was able to have fun for a couple hours. Hey- it was worth the $19 of fun.

grooving at a 90th b-day party

2008-01-30T19:22:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been to a 90th b-day party? Well, I was fortunate to attend my grandma's party at the Oxford palace hotel in Los Angeles. Its always nice to see your family. However, unlike any family function we had previously had, it was our first get together with some fun action with the adults and children together. We had worship, sharing time, awesome slideshow, karoke and dancing. It was so cute to see the uncle and aunts slow dancing and see the younger cousins get their groove on. Even grandma had her own couple preformances! I really hope the postive interactions will continue to follow in the future.

the echoes of a dentista

2008-01-24T20:13:00.001-08:00

What's one word you catch yourself using multiple times a day? Recently I have noticed that I say one particular word repeatedly at work. Every time I repeat the word to various people, it doesn't get watered down. I acknowledge that my occupation is not favored by the general public. From the moment a patient steps into the chair, many are apprehensive and nervous about their dental treatment. Throughout my interactions, I end up saying, "sorry" over and over again.

"Sorry, I don't know what your insurance covers, but my TC will tell you." "Sorry, about that annoying dvd that keeps on freezing." "Sorry, about the tragedy in your life." "Sorry, I have to numb you." "Sorry, sleepy juice will sting only a minute." "Sorry, you'll feel better soon." "Sorry, the crown doesn't fit." "Sorry, our cerac machine is down." "Sorry, for spraying water on your face." "Sorry, for drying your sensitive tooth." "Sorry, your denture is not working out." "Sorry, it took so long."

What do you say throughout the day?

american idol fan

2008-01-23T22:12:00.000-08:00

When I first started dating Isaac, he wouldn't watch American Idol with me. The first shows of the season were my favorite for a reason. I would sit by myself and laugh my head off watching other people humiliate themselves on national television. The reason why people love American Idol is because there are some crazy people out there and Simon knows how to put them in their place. Isaac would ask how can you watch such a cruel show? Its basically making fun of people and making money off of them. However, I had not even an ounce of sorrow for the contestants. It was the contestants choice to come the audition and be on national television hoping for a chance to go to Hollywood . Therefore, I could laugh at them for all I know is that they are way too different and I didn't care what anyone else thought.

This year as I watched the first couple auditions, I found myself feeling a little different. I was not laughing as much. I do admit I enjoyed watching it, but for the first time I felt sorry for the weird people who were criticized for their horrible and tortuous singing. No doubt I still laughed at crazy weirdos who couldn't sing. But along with the chuckle, I genuninely felt bad for the werid looking people that American Idol was mocking and making money off of. Then all of sudden, I realized someone had changed.

I realized that even through the past year of questioning my doctrines and challenges in my spiritual walk, God is softening my heart. I have been giving myself a hard time of being too judgemental and mean to those who don't deserve it. I really thought my heart was hardening with the evil of apathy. Its okay with me when my religion gets unclear, but I was scared I was immune to empathy. It is important and my biggest challenge in my spirituality, how I treat other people. I believe how you treat people is determined by what really lies in your heart and mind.

I thank God that even though my husband might have conservative thoughts in politics and liberal ideas in religion, he inspires me to be a kind person. His thoughtful + actions and honest -actions have planted seeds in my heart and mind. Though the enlightment through American Idol is a small and silly evaluation of my change, I am grateful that I have moments in my life where I can recognize change in me and change in my life.

Family Picnic

2008-01-16T16:42:00.000-08:00

Sunday was family picnic at Salt Creek Park. We feasted with grandpa's melting galbee and Isaac's corn. It was so nice to have Isaac's grandparents visiting from DC and to see cousin Daniel's baby.

another beautiful day

2008-01-10T17:36:00.000-08:00

Edit

another wonderful day there are days when i am overwhelmed by the beauty of this earth. one of those days was displayed as we drove up to lake arrowhead. as we increased in elevation, we witnessed a beautiful ocean of clouds. it was an amazing view to see the fluffy clouds blanketing through the snow capped moutains. i was on cloud nine indeed!

i have been snow deprived compared to how much i use to ski. i grew up spending my xmases in Lake tahoe. i really haven't had the opportunity to see snow after meeting isaac. i don't know if its because we're so busy on the weekends with church stuff or because he doesn't have the greatest interest in snow sports. anyhow, i did get my satisfaction at lake arrowhead. furthermore, it was wonderful to share all the goodness with my sweetheart. it was romantic to sit and read together overlooking the lake. it was romantic to walk around the lake and sip on some lovely pear spritzer. yes, it was truly another wonderful day...

my favorite D

2008-01-06T02:47:00.001-08:00

December...
I neglected my blog because every weekend was just crazy busy. In a nut shell here's what happened. (No pictures available because my handsome husband lost our camera in Belize.)

Christmas celebrations started early with a party at our place the first Saturday of D. Isaac received butt paste as his X-mas present exchange!! After the white elephant gift exchange, we went broomballing!! Then we were blessed to visit Tampa and embark on our Cruise porting at Key West, Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. It was my first and last cruise. There was a rough storm, broken heater and leaking walls that introduced my uncomfortable cruise experience. Besides my physical conditions, I had the best time hanging out with the most hilarious group of people. I will never forget our laughter and stories shared (Elaine) at the buffet, Lido deck. I also enjoyed biking in Key West, interacting with the free-spirited orphans in Belize and Guatemala, and swimming with dolphins in Cozemul.

Isaac and I came back to Loma Linda just before X-mas to spend time with our families at our place. We had the best time playing the Korean game "yoot" and recieved long massages from the losers of the game. It was great to introduce our parents to the Wii too. The greatest gift this Christmas was the opportunity to spend X-mas with both parents at the same time. Because I had to go back to work on the 26th, our parents left after 2 days with us. I definitely wished they could have stayed longer. ;(

So I had to work 3 days then I had my long weekend with the New Year being placed on Tuesday. Due to my long weekend we had our pastor friends from Cruise with a Mission come party on Sat. night to recount the memories. We stuffed our stomachs and hearts till 4 am! I don't think I have done for a really long time.

Now that's why it was my favorite December...

thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-24T22:24:00.000-08:00

My thanksgiving break started leaving for San Jose 5am on Wednesday morning. Our prolific morning after our landing included Isaac purchasing a new phone "Voyager", visiting the new & expanded Whole Foods Market, and taking a nap. Then we headed out to Sf for a fun day riding bikes at the Golden Gate Park, dinner at Ruth Chris, and $20 1 hr massages next to my dad's lab.

Thanksgiving day included a rigorious 2 hr hike in the prospect mtns., cooking and eating our big feast, and gambling & losing money in the korean traditional game "Yout."

We came back to Loma Linda on Friday morning. My husband was gracious to continue my past traditions of obtaining a x-mas tree the day after Thanksgiving. We didn't have time to decorate it because we were invited to our 2nd Thanksgiving dinner at Chastain's home. We stuffed our faces with good food and headed for bed at 6pm because I had symptoms of the flu.

2007-11-20T23:04:00.000-08:00

11-18-07 was Soojin & Darren's Wedding. Their wedding was one of the most glamorous weddings I have ever participated in. The beautiful couple got married at the beautiful 1st Congregation Church of Los Angeles and had their reception at the San Gabriel Hilton. Here are some pics of her & her dad and her & Darren.

san diego weekend

2007-11-12T23:21:00.000-08:00

saturday: homeless feeding in san diego downtown, dinner at el torito =( and nintendo wi at the hotel: humphrey's half moon

sunday: breakfast at red sands inn, boating around san diego bay in the rain, lunch at pizza nova, dessert at extraordinary desserts

Homeless feeding was a lot of fun. Once we had our sacks of goodies packed, we had 5 cars driving around downtown, till we found blocks of people sleeping on the streets. As we handed out our sacks the people were so grateful especially for the bottled water. My heart was moved even though I didn't know their individual stories. I felt the cold air and the dirtiness around, but their cheerful hearts uplifted my night.

This year at humphrey's half moon inn, I was not upgraded to a suite that overlooks the bay like the picture. That was my room last year. This year I had something better: a husband. lol.

Extraordinary desserts is a heaven for those who have a sweet tooth. Entering its extraordinary glass door, you find all sorts of beautiful desserts decorated with elaborate cream and fresh flowers. The architecture in its simple, modern and eastern influence stands out. From the simple white square plates to the warehouse ceiling, everything is simple. Back to the desserts: they are most excellent desserts. I had the torte misu which was very good consistency of the cake and the right amount of rum. Really worth visiting if you are treating yourself to a special weekend. I am definitely going back even though I don't know enjoy sweets too much. * Also, they have good paninis!

therapy

2007-11-07T22:59:00.000-08:00

after a long day of work, my feet swell up, my necks hurts, my wrists ache, my hands get shaky, and my mind is koo-koo. i am still in the transition of getting use to the real world: work. not that sitting on my butt all day is hard, but i tend to clench when i work which really messes my body up by the end of the day.
furthermore, i feel even worse on the days if there is any mental stress from my co-workers or patients. its not fun when a 11 year old starts to cry when i have only applied topical anthesetic with a q-tip. its not fun when someone complains how long they have waited to see me when i have been jumping around from chair to chair breaking the heels of my shoes.
the past couple of months, i collapsed right on my sofa and in front of the tv. however, somethings needed to change. i have been going to the drayson gym with my husband to walk/jog outside. it is so refreshing and energizing by the end of it that i feel like a different person. after the exercise, my life is relieved with all the negative energy that has clogged up inside. i can't believe how therpeutic exercise can be when i'm stressed. so if you are sitting and reading my blog, you should probably get up and at least take a walk around your house.

are you green?

2007-11-04T16:26:00.000-08:00

Due to the increased public awareness encouraged by celebrities, there is a "green trend" going on. Al Gore's documentary on global warming has turned the heads of the average American. Even the rich and the glamorous are driving hybrids or electric cars. Also these cars are awarded to use the carpool lane and to save $ on gas. The lastest magazines are encouraging readers to conserve practical and simple ways at home, work and travel.

Environmentalism... Not the most comfortable word to chew on. We all define the word that makes it convenient to our lifestyle. Yesterday, Sabbath school introduced what this word means to Adventists. We love the outdoors: hiking, Adventist campgrounds, etc. Most of us don't litter and we try to recycle. Sometimes we have a beach cleaning for our sabbath activity. Is that all the stewardship we hold of this Earth? How many of us fight to conserve national parks and marshes from becoming targets of a track home community? Do you even really care if the some random bird is endangered? Is it wrong to not respect my front yard landscaping? What do you pick and choose to preserve?

Furthermore, this comment in Sabbath School impacted me:
"does the way we treat creation show how we feel about the Creator?" I know for me, preserving the environment sounds like a really good idea, but an idea I put in the back of my head where it can be ignored. I don't know exactly how I am suppose to be more involved as a "good Christian." At the end of the discussion, Isaac brought up a really good point that God created this Earth for man and woman. He gave us a gift of life to enjoy. He would be sad to see if we rejected the gift and did not use it. However, there is a difference from use and abuse. I am eager to see how this discussion will flourish next week and inspire me to treat Mother Earth.

Hump Day Fling

2007-10-31T21:04:00.000-07:00

When I woke up this morning, my eyelashes fluttered through the vision of my eyeburgers and my husband running towards me. Suddenly, Isaac jumps on our bed to wake me up and tells me to get ready in 5 min. because he had a date planned. Without disclosing where we were going other than packing my swimsuit, a change of clothes and a book to read, I figured we were going to the beach because I did mention how I wanted to go to Laguna the other day. We took off in “Snowball”(Isaac’s car), singing praise, my feet up on the dashboard, and eating chick-fil-a breakfast sandwich.
As we were driving on the 91W, Isaac took the 15 S instead of heading towards the beach. We entered a desert area that welcomed us with palm trees and new track homes aligned side by side. I got out of the car and felt the “peace and relaxation” oozing out from our final destination: Glen Ivy. For those who have never visited before, Glen Ivy is a spa with an outdoor facility that has swimming pools, hot tubs, clay painting, mineral bathtubs, indoor roman baths, saunas. I guess its not your typical posh hotel spa, but more of a desert one day getaway relaxation center.
It was a perfect treat for me because I felt like I was always indoors this past month. I work in rooms without windows and that is very painful for me. I have missed looking at the mountains and nature. I have had no breaks in October, so my body was really tired. But- entering into tranquility was the experience I have been waiting for.
Furthermore, I was excited to find out Wednesdays were 2 for 1 entrance fees! (FYI: Weekdays are less expensive $35 than the weekends $48 entrance fee.) Its nice to go on the weekdays when there are less people. Also, I heard that if you come on your birthday, you get a free entrance pass to use within 6 months.
After changing in the locker rooms, my husband and I first soaked our bodies in the mineral baths. There are about 6 mineral tubs. Most of them are two seaters, and there is 1 tub that seats about 5 people. Of course, we sat in a two seater to be romantic, but you really can’t when you’re enhaling the smell of rotten eggs. I’m not sure how mineral baths are suppose to be therapeutic, but it definitely massaged my muscles.
There are numerous isolated coves with fountains, giant bamboo, and money trees to encircle you with privacy and tranquility. If you go when there are a lot of people, you might not have the same experience that I do. Moreover, if there are birds of paradise or hibiscus flowers blooming, you feel like you are visiting a tropical country. Our next stop was the best part of my day. We went to a little secluded hot tub, where Isaac read to me. In the calmness of our surrounding, the reading was just what I needed to hear: how God empowers us with our daily temptations and struggles. It was so nice to start my day off with my husband and reading such powerful message.
After the quiet time together, we decided it was time for fun! We headed to Club Mud, where we painted our bodies with red clay. (Your swimming suit gets clay on it so you don’t want to wear a nice or light suit.) There’s something childish and silly about playing in the clay, but its so much fun and soothing to the soul. Once you paint your body, you want to lay out till your skin is cracking dry with the clay. When its very dry, you can start rubbing the dry clay off. Basically, the clay is used as an exfoliator to remove dead cells. After an experience with the clay, I love to feel how soft my skin is.
Before lunch, Isaac went for his massage while I had my hour of solitude to myself. I swam, used the sauna, and painted mud again. I wondered if the people around me were as satisfied as I was. I did realize that I was enjoying this time a lot more because I have been indoors and working hard the past month.

Lunch was a little expensive, but the fresh tossed salads were pretty good. The best part about lunch was where we sat. We found an outdoor table that was seated away from the crowd and near a fountain. It was such a beautiful scene with the backdrop of mountains, hearing the waterfall and sitting in the warm rays of the sun. I felt like I was in Costa Rica, even though I never been. I have so much more to write, but Isaac says this post is getting too long. So basically I will end saying that my date with my hubby was fabulous.

Saturday

2007-10-31T19:37:00.000-07:00

we had so much fun eating, making care packages for firefighters, playing wi, decorating cookies, and seeing silly dressed peeps. i dressed up as a ghost...

Invitation

2007-10-25T00:25:00.000-07:00

Here's what we'll do this weekend.

Saturday night we will have our Fall Party at Isaac & Grace's house.
26041 Hinckley St. in Loma Linda. Let's meet at 6pm.

We will have dinner, carve pumpkins, play games, and make care packages for firefighters. I know many are going to be studying Saturday night. Please come and at least eat dinner with us.

Things to bring.
1.Something for the care package for our firefighters
-cookies, bottled water, energy bar, thank you cards, etc.
2.board games
3.pumpkin to carve.

*Dress up as a character that begins with the same first letter of your name.
Ie: Grace is dressing up as a ghost.

Sunday morning Yard Sale to benefit cruise with a mission at Isaac & Grace's yard.
26041 Hinckley St. Loma Linda, CA

nip & tuck

2007-10-23T00:05:00.000-07:00

I spent 4 hrs of my precious day off reviewing surgical basics in Irvine. The last hour, I had my moment of "Nip and Tuck" incising a hog's mouth to perform an osseous surgery. In a odd kind of way, I found it relaxing to use a blade to make a beautiful invision and scrape all the granulation tissue. However, I decided during the next assignment of grafting connective tissue, that I wanted to refer to a periodontist. I love being a GP!

slimy & squishy

2007-10-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

There are a plethora of sushi restaurants in the Loma Linda area. However, the past four years living here, I haven't found a quality restaurant to my delight. Without the satisfaction, I end up ordering masked cut rolls that taste like too much mayo or cream cheese. My limited selections confined me to any opportunity to good sashimi.

Recently I have found a treasure! Well, not recently but like a year ago... The best sushi in Redlands is Super Sushi. Yes, the name isn't very enticing at all. My husband and I were hestitant to its cheesy name. However, our hopeful hearts were willing to take a risk. We have finally found an authentic Japanese owned restaurant. This is very rare I hear in California because 90% of Japanese restaurants are Korean owned.

From a 1-5 rating (5 being the best), this sushi is about a 4. The taro tuna is excellent and the salmon is pretty good. The alborcore has a little garlic paste on it which makes me wonder if its not fresh. It doesn't melt in my mouth, but still satisfies my craving for alborcore better than any other sushi joint.

My favorite at Super Sushi is udon noodles. Udon is hot Japanese noodles. The kelp stock is what makes it taste like home cooking and not a instant powder form. I am an addict to hot things so this soothes my body when I'm cold. I like the tanuki (tempura crunch) or kitsune (fried tofu) udon. To master such a simple dish to be scrumptous is brillant.

Tonight my husband and I enjoyed having beef donburi. This dish consists of a rice bowl with sauteed onion, glass noodles, and marinated beef. My friend Amy introduced me to donburi in highschool back in San Jose. She loves it because it tastes like a mix of rice and bulgogi together. Try it for yourself the next time your in the area!

Opening the broom closet

2007-10-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to my friend, Julius's house to learn and converse about people of different faiths. A prominent leader of the Wicca faith came to Julius's house and spent time to have a question and answer session with the Loma Linda community. The witch's name is Yvonne and she is out of the "broom closet." In a very professional way, Yvonne shared with us the basics of Wicca to the various types of groups out there.

What interested me was how sincere Yvonne's faith was to provide love and to seek truth in her journey. From a Catholic background, she searched through Buddism and found herself involved with Wicca. Previously, I ignorantly associated Wicca with only the sterotypes of "Dark Magic." But it touched my heart to hear the earnestness of her spiritual journey.

To make a long post short, two things that caught my attention were: Harry Potter books are nothing like of the Wicca faith. The Wiccans find Harry Potter's books to be more Christian influenced than anything like them. Very odd, how we know nothing of Wicca and hastily make the connections. Furthermore, I was enchanted to learn that Yvonne's spells were merely like prayers of our faith. Her spells consist of meditation and solitude of focusing on the well being of a person or situation. According to her faith practices, casting spells are used to change negative energy to positive. Of course, there are many variations in the many different sects.

orange & plump

2007-10-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

When the month of October comes, I go to my garage and start opening my holiday decor boxes. I look for everything orange with a fall theme to decorate my home. My foyer is decorated with a fall garland with pumpkins all around. I even have an electic pumpkin that can be lit and a scented electric plug-in to smell like pumpkin spice all day long. Every free moment I have is spent in my living room where I can see and smell all this holiday goodness.

Pumpkins are not only associated only for my home decor. I have throughly enjoyed pumpkin bread, Starbuck's pumpkin lattes, and going to the pumpkin patch! I went to the best pumpkin patch when I was in Hamptons last month. This pumpkin patch had the biggest pumpkins I have ever seen. This child friendly pumpkin patch made me want to be a kid again with its attractive features like a corn field maze, hayride and etc. The field and the truck loads of pumpkins tempted me to run around, but I didn't scare anymore. Also, a random and friendly pumpkin patch worker offered us to take pictures for us. So he would walk around making us pose and was to our service. The funniest part was when Shannon was purchasing her "goose" squash, he wanted to pay for it.

Back to my main topic- PUMPKINS. I love pumpkins. I love fall when I can have pumpkins galore! Drop a comment if you have any favorite pumpkin recipes!

quickie

2007-10-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

Living in the inland empire has made me appreciate the stores around me like Marshalls and Target. Surprisingly I have nicely adapted not having a Neimans nor a higher end Nordy's around. (I don't consider the Riverside Nordstrom to be of any value.) Shopping at Marshalls and Target has spoiled with me with amazing prices like Forever 21, but with better quality. I also appreciate how they are close by so I can drop in during a lunch break or a late night fix. I don't know much about what's the "in-style" fashion. Due to my weight gain, I usually purchase whatever I can fit into that doesn't make me look huge.

My friend Sarah and I went to Target last Wednesday for a walk in the store. This fall's collection at Target is adorable. We found some adorable dresses with bright colors and a variety of soft textures. Sarah bought the cutest blue sweater dress with a chinese collar that has 8 black buttons crawling up her collar from her bust area. The cornflower blue is very concentrated and exudes attention. The slim fit is sexy and the buttons add a touch of innocence. If I was skinny enough to wear this dress, I would buy it in every color. I didn't purchase it because I am aware certain styles can not be worn at this physical state I'm in. Yes, I am very conscious to the public's opinion. This blue dress flowered Sarah with multiple compliments and a friend asked her if she could buy the same dress!

The dress I purchased is a silk beige tunic with black pattern on the knee area. It looks very posh and clean. It matched my new short bob very well. The best thing about these sexy dresses were that they cost only $20. Both dresses could pass if they were Anthropologie items that would cost at leaset $150. This is not my first time where I have found an amazing dress at Target. I have bought my turquouise dress for my engagement pictures. So- go check out Target for a quick fix for a cute fall dress!

Who should I strip?

2007-10-12T21:49:00.000-07:00

Yesteryday I invited my girlfriends to attend Jars of Clay concert with some people from church. When we are given our seating arrangements, I noticed that I was not sitting with the girlfriends I had invited. They were sitting from a different row and I was to sit next to my husband. I tried to see if we could sit altogether, but there were not enough sits to seat us in one row. Therefore, I asked my husband to trade seats so I could sit with the girlfriends I had invited instead of sitting with my husband.

This request probably would not be a big deal before I was married. This request might not be a big deal if it was for the first time. This request might not be an issue for you. However, I have observed whenever I invite guests, I tend to put their comfort level more of a priority than my husband's. I do not want the transition of marriage to neglect my relationships. My husband and I both know that small instances such as these are out of the kindness and the desire of my heart to be with my friends.

However, yesterday instance hit me. If I were to do this repeatedly, would it be wrong? How many times will it take before he gets angry? I know if he did this to me, I would be upset. So is it fair to treat him because he is being thoughtful and understanding? Or are females okay to act like this?

I am confessing that I have been doing this over and over. In the midst of it, I have a million thoughts of guilt. Sometimes I regret inviting my friends. I feel like I am being a bad wife, even though my husband doesn't care. Other times I am so glad I invested in my friends because we got to strenthen our friendships.

Furthermore, as I sit here, I can recall the family dynamics growing up. When we had guests over at the house, my parents put me 2nd to the attention of their guests. My parents always went out of their way to make their guests feel pampered and had to ignore our wishes to do so. We ate the guests' preference, we visited where the guests' wanted to see, and etc. Their actions never made me feel like I was less loved, but it did make me feel less cared for in those specific moments. I knew I had to sacrifice a certain time period only because after the guests left, I would be the queen of the house. Hence, maybe my actions stem from the way my family treated me.

I don't want to have to choose anyone for keeps nor anyone to strip from my activities. I am an extravert who is a pleaser. I want to make both sides happy. Is reality different from my idea of happiness? Maybe someday be able to invite my friends to all the events, but feel total secure that they don't need my 100% attention. Most importantly, all this supplements to my recognition to how amazing my husband is and more love to him.

*Check out Jars of Clay Christmas CD! www.jarsofclay.com

Taking my W off

2007-10-11T00:43:00.000-07:00

In the month of September, I traveled riding in a car, metro, and airplane. It is amazing how we can explore so much with the means of transportation. September was fun packed with weekends spent in Lake Arrowhead, Las Vegas, and New York. From staying at a humble little wood cabin to a 5 star suite, I treated myself to self indulgence. Self indulgence to seeing what I like (O show), eating what I like (Gramercy Tavern), and hearing what I like (East Hampton Beach) wore my body out!

Self indulgence is a priority in my journey. If I don't listen to my cravings and desires, I get restless and uninspired. Along with serving other people and a higher being, we must take care of our needs. I think its harmless to satisfy yourself as long it doesn't hurt you and those around you. (The word "hurt" is another whole conversation for those who are post-modern thinkers.) Its critical to balance self indulgence with self sacrifice.

Self indulgence comes in various forms and shapes. In the month of september, I gave into all my physical indulgences by traveling. October came and I desired for rest. I wanted to stay at home. I wanted to sleep. I wanted silence. Finally, my first free came today, Wednesday. I slept in, ate whatever I wanted and went back to sleep. I'm usually not a napper, but it was really REALLY nice. I can't express how good my brain felt unattached from my career, my family issues, and endless worries. After my nap, I got my favorite goodness: a massage! *Shar's hot stone massage in Redlands is a reasonable place to go. To top off my perfect day I exercised walking around at Party plus and target for a halloween costume.

My day off was a sweet indulgence to relaxation. Every woman needs her day off. A day to take off her outer shell and not feel guilty about it. A day to disengage so that tomorrow can be engaged.