Madness!

I’m counting down the minutes ’til the end of the day. And what a day it has been! It’s our first week back from summer break so everyone’s been coming in or calling in to pay tuition fees, and finding new schedules for their lessons and such. Of course, we get the occasional irate parent complaining about late fees, etc… Argh! All the phone lines were ringing simultaneously and I’ve been answering inquiries all day today, I sound like a broken record! Anyway, thank God that the day is almost done! I actually have a few minutes to spare before heading in to do a presentation. In about 14 hours, I’ll be doing this all over again… FUN! I know I complain, but I love being busy. I can’t wait for October though. I finally get to take an actual holiday in years! During the first week of October, I will be heading to New York, along with family, to attend a cousin’s wedding, and some R-n-R in NYC! I haven’t been back to NYC since 2002, so I’m really excited about this trip. The past few times I’ve traveled out-of-town were usually for gigs, so they weren’t really actual holidays. I wish I could stay longer, but I need to be back at work right away because of the new semester that’s starting in October. *sigh*

I have beef with Starbucks by the way, and it’s about the new cups for their cold drinks. They’re actually using some sort of material that’s 15% less plastic, but it’s not very flexible at all, I have a hard time sticking the straw through the lid! And the lids aren’t very secure at all. This is unacceptable! I’m about to write them an e-mail expressing my dissatisfaction with the new plastic cups. *throws a fist up in the air*

I still have to get my hands on a copy of Heroes Season 2 DVD. Season 3’s coming up in 2 weeks, and I’m very excited! Apparently, a lot of the characters that I thought were gone forever are returning this season, including Claude (The Invisible Man, a.k.a. Christopher Eccleston, a.k.a. Doctor Who! - did you see how I managed to bring it back to Doctor Who? LOL). Ahhh, geekdom…

I’m sitting here at Starbucks…

…freezing my buns off, when it’s completely the opposite outside - so hot! You should see me right now, I’m actually wearing a hoodie! LOL I think they overcompensated for how hot it is outside! LOL

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to worship at a different church. It was our joint church service with our mother church, North Long Beach Christian Fellowship, and our other sister mission churches, the Cambodian and Hispanic congregations. We always have our joint services every time there’s a 5th Sunday in a month. Since this time around, our church, Olive Christian, didn’t really have any major part in the service, I took the opportunity to go visit Calvary Chapel - La Habra where my friend Vanessa worships. As much as I love our church family in Long Beach (the mother church, Olive and the Cambodian and Hispanic congregations), it was actually quite refreshing to be among other believers outside of the walls of our church building. It’s very rare for me to really just go to a church and just sit there and soak in the Word. Yesterday was just that. I didn’t have to think about leading worship or the congregational singing. I just sat there and listened to the word of God. I felt recharged.

Earlier today, I got to hang out with one of my oldest (in length of time, not in age - haha) and dearest friends, Marnie. We had lunch and then watched a Filipino movie showing at one of the theatres in Pasadena. I rarely get to see her, but it’s always fun when I do get to see her. We usually try to meet up every-so-often, but we end up seeing each other once a year or every 6 months. LOL I really hope to get to spend more time with her, she’s one of my oldest friends, whom I’ve known since birth. I will definitely make an effort to see her more often.

The fan-girl in me…

… had a moment yesterday. I attempted to see New Kids on the Block at their signing at Best Buy in Burbank, CA. LOL I know, I know, such a fan-girl. I didn’t actually get to meet them since I didn’t know about the signing until I checked my e-mail at work some time around noon, and I received an e-mail with the subject-line, “Meet New Kids on the Block”. Don’t know why I got that e-mail the day of the actual signing… But anyway, the e-mail said that they were going to have a signing around 7pm, but you have to pre-order their new CD earlier that day to get a pass to meet them. So, I sat there thinking, “gee, thanks for sending me the e-mail the day of!” Anyway, I went about my business, trying to finish up stuff at work, then 5:30pm hits, I finished what I needed to do, that was when I got the urge to just hop in my car and drive over there, just to see what was going on. I got there and saw that the line for the signing went all around the building. From what I heard from some BB workers, these people have been in line since 3am! Crazy! Well, I walked into Best Buy just right before the New Kids came out, and almost got trampled on by a bunch of 30-somethings, screeching at the sight of them… It was hilarious and frightening at the same time! I thought I was among teenaged girls! (And I thought watching an ‘NSync concert among 14-15 year olds was insane!)

Anyway, I didn’t get to meet them, but I did get a good glimpse of them, albeit 20-feet away, especially Jonathan, who is my fave, since he stood up a couple of times. But, it brought back a lot of my high school memories back when I was in Toronto (I had the tapes and the pullout posters from the teeny-bopper mags like BOP! and Tiger Beat - LOL), I felt like I was 15 all over again! LOL But even though I didn’t get to meet them, I was very entertained just watching the whole spectacle, seeing grown women crying because they had just met their fave New Kid! And some of them even brought their kids along! It’s a family affair! I’ll probably be seeing the same thing on Nov. 26th. Can’t wait… LOL

“I think it’s time for me to make a change…”

One of my favourite parables in the Bible is the one about the Prodigal son in Luke 15. I think it’s one of the most moving portraits of God’s unconditional love. Every time I hear this song from FFH, I keep imagining the prodigal son singing this song. I also think about those who have strayed from walking with Christ, and hoping that someday they would actually realize that they need to change before they fall so far away from God.

LITTLE CHANGE by FFH (Far From Home)

You’ve seen it all before
You open up the door and I just turn away
Walk the other way
You offer so much more
than I could ever ask for
But I say thanks anyway
I go on and on alone
Make believing I can make it on my own

(Chorus)

I think it’s time for me to make a change
And start walking back to you
Before I go so far away
That I can’t hardly see you
Reaching out,
calling the prodigal I said I’d never be
Now what I need is a little change

I’ve played the game before
But now the game is
taking more than I can give
And I’m dying to give in
But you’re holding out for me
But what you’re holding out for me
I can barely see
Because my visions’ so dim
I try, but I can only hardly recognize
This light that should be blinding my eyes.

(Repeat Chorus)

He wants his preciousss role again…

While I’m still holding out hope for the possibility that they would cast James McAvoy (my favourite Scot, next to Billy Boyd) as the young Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, casting for Gollum is still up in the air as well because as of now, they haven’t formally offered it to Andy Serkis, Gollum/Smeagol himself! Argh! C’mon now! This is a no-brainer! They have to bring back Andy to play Gollum! I’m already ecstatic that Ian McKellen is back on board, they need another familiar face, it’s what the public wants (well, it’s what I want. LOL).

Now, about casting Thranduil (Legolas’ father), may I suggest Jason Isaacs? My only reservations would be that he would look so much like his Harry Potter character, Lucius Malfoy, when he dons that blond wig! LOL Other than that, I think it would be a very good casting move.

*steps off her geek soapbox*

“I want my preciousss role again…” ARTICLE HERE

Umm…huh?!

All weekend long, I’ve been frustrated with my laptop. “Why?” you ask. Well, a virus infiltrated it. And the worst part, and I’m not really proud of it, it’s all my fault! I tried to download something from the internet, and that’s what I get! Argh! I tried calling Dell’s technical support and ask them to walk me through reformatting my laptop. However, they said that since I bought the laptop at Best Buy, they have a deal with Best Buy that all tech support of all comps bought at Best Buy would be done by their “Geek Squad”. So, I tried calling Best Buy’s Geek Squad and asked if they could walk me through reformatting my laptop, and guess what they told me? Call Dell’s technical support! Ummm… OK. I mentioned to the lady on the other end of the line that I had already done that and they suggested that I call Best Buy. I asked her what to do at this point, so she suggested that I should take my laptop into a Best Buy store and ask them to reformat it for me. However, it would not be covered by the Performance Warranty that I purchased when I first bought my laptop. I should ask if it would be covered by the Manufacturer’s Warranty. OK, all this song-and-dance it’s a bit frustrating. I just need someone to help me reformat my laptop. After an hour on the phone (on hold, most of the time), I decided to take matters into my own hands and did a System Restore on my laptop. Thank the Lord, it looks like it worked! I couldn’t believe I spent an hour on the phone, and I didn’t get any help at all, and all I did was a click of the mouse, and it seemed to have fixed (I’m thinking temporarily) the problem! I really hope the problem won’t come back (Lord, please.).

Anyway, enough of my laptop woes. I’m gonna get some dinner. Watching Anthony Bourdain eating authentic Chinese food (in China, of course) is making me really hungry. I love his show, by the way, and Samantha Brown’s as well. I like pretty much every show that the Travel Channel airs. Yes, even Bizarre Foods! LOL

I feel like I’ve been gone so long…

I’m contemplating on whether I should go to the gym after work or head on over to Starbucks and prepare my lesson plan for Sunday school. I am feeling a bit sluggish today, partly because of the weather, and partly because laziness is slowly creeping in. Maybe I’ll study for a bit and then head over to the gym, they close late anyway.

I’m really excited about starting up our Wednesday Bible study again. We took a bit of a break right after the two weddings (April’s and Babie’s), and somehow it seemed like we were going to be on hiatus… permanently. But, praise God that He didn’t allow that to happen and impressed upon the heart of Pastor Rico Almiranez (PCC-Fountain Valley) to help us get it started again. I do miss our old set-up, doing inductive Bible study. However, I see how it can be a bit of a deterrent to others who are not part of our little circle. It would be hard for someone to kind of join in, and could completely get lost in what we’re talking about. We’re hoping that this new set-up would be a bit more “seeker-friendly”, since we are doing more of topical discussions which are relevant to what we’re going through as young adults/adults, and its practical applications. We’ve even brought back “praise and worship” time, which is nice because it helps us focus on Christ and be in tune with the Holy Spirit. Not to mention the fact that I’m starting to play my guitar again! It’s been collecting dust for the past few months! I pray that God will continue to give us the desire and the commitment, as well as give us the opportunity to invite people to come and join us, especially those who are seeking for more than what this world can offer.

Last Sunday, I, along with Cat, her parents, and Lawrence, was able to spend lunch with good friends/family that I haven’t seen in a while. April and Jeremy were down here in the So Cal area from their honeymoon in Malaysia, so we got to spend lunch with them, along with Babie and Mike, whom I haven’t seen in a while as well. It’s always nice to see good friends and spend time with them even if only for a little bit. These people are definitely a blessing to me, as they have been used by God, in one way or another, in encouraging me in my walk with Him.

For my brothers and sisters, I would like to share some prayer requests, if I may:

• Papers – most of you know what this is all about. Continue to pray for God’s will, and for patience on my part.

• Teaching Sunday school – I’ve been asked to take over the junior high and high school class. Pray for commitment on my part, and the kids’ desire to learn more about God.

• Finances – God always provides. Pray that I will continue to trust that He will provide, and to be a good steward of what He has already provided, and to live within my means (which is not always easy, especially in this materialistic world)and lastly (and people will be shocked that I’m being open about this):

• God’s will for me as far as a partner in life is concerned. To be honest, I haven’t really been praying about this and I haven’t felt the urgency, until now. Although, I have to say, I’m not desperate, but if it’s God’s will that I be married, I pray that He will continue to prepare me and whoever He has in store for me, until He feels that it’s time for us to meet. (Okay, ya’ll can pick up your jaws off the floor! LOL)

Before I forget, tomorrow is my cousin Emmeline’s (a.k.a. “Nini”) birthday. Happy Birthday, Ni! Have fun in the Philippines!

Nov 26 - rendezvous with NKOTB at the Staples Center! (Thanks, Sherry!)

I chopped off my hair.

Check it…

Got bored with my long hair. I think they took off almost 8 inches. It feels a lot healthier. I might keep it like this for a while.

Someone send me to Comic-Con!

Here’s the schedule for Comic-Con this year. Thursday, July 24th is the day!

12:00-1:00 Doctor Who—Writer Russell T Davies (Doctor Who), executive producer Julie Gardner (Torchwood), and writer Steven Moffat (Doctor Who) discuss their creative process and experience working on the BBC’s Doctor Who—Britain’s most successful sci-fi franchise—with exclusive clips and a Q&A session. Ballroom 20

1:00-2:00 Torchwood—Writer Russell T Davies (Doctor Who), executive producer Julie Gardner (Torchwood), writer Steven Moffat (Doctor Who), and actors John Barrowman, Gareth David-Lloyd, Naoko Mori and Burn Gorman discuss their creative process and experience on working on BBC America’s highest-rated show ever—Torchwood— followed by a Q&A session. Ballroom 20

John Barrowman and Co. are gonna be there! And Burn Gorman who played Owen in Torchwood! I love him!

Check these guys out! They are insane!



Brit-boys who can spit. The best of both worlds, indeed.