Thursday, July 21, 2011

Hope and Fear

I was just thinking last night, why do we hope? Why do we hope and pray and dream of better outcome for our situations? The answer is plainly, because we fear. Would there be a need for hope if we do not fear? Would we still pray if we do not hope?

Hope and fear go together. Inseparable. Hand in hand.

But what is life without hope? *deepthoughtsmodeon.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

30 reasons why I love you...

1              You work out to keep looking HOT
2              You don't force me to work out
3              You like my cooking, no matter how bad they are
4              You say "I love you" every day, no matter what
5              You still take the trash out even though you come home late
6              You wash the dishes after I cook
7              You do the laundry when you have time
8              You don't force me to do laundry
9              You play with Pixie like he's a real human
10           You entertain my crazy emo moments
11           You aways listen to my rants about school or life in general
12           You love my family like they are your own
13           My family loves you so much
14           You put up with my obsession with ghost adventurer
15           and my obsession with reality show
16           You're always supportive of my work and studies
17           I love how much care you put into your hair
18           I love how savvy you are with finances
19           You're so diligent in taking care of our house
20           You don't mind waking up in the middle of the night to get me a glass of water
21           You remind me to keep up with our faith
22           You don't force me to cook everyday
23           I love how you're so into basketball and take the time to explain the rules to me
24           I love how unselfish you are
25           I love how you never forgot to put the toilet seat down
26           I love how efficient and prepared you are in everythig you do
27           I love how you smell after you shave
28           I love how you kiss me good night
29           I love that it only took me 5 minutes to create this list. That just shows how absolutely wonderful and lovely you are, and…
30           I love you because baby, you're a firework!


Happy birthday, darling.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Wonderful Quote

I remember reading this quote a long time ago.... so touching and empowering.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." (A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles", Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3])

Saturday, April 23, 2011

A.I.

Have you guys been keeping up with American Idol?

I haven't been watching it since I've been busy with school, but for my husband, AI is a must see show. I sometimes "watch" it with him on DVR. And by watching, I meant working on a school paper on my laptop next to him, in front of the TV. But last night, something broke my concentration: Haley Reinhart. Wow, that voice... and that song! Uuuu.. and that dress! Ok, now I'm hooked :)

Speaking of that dress, did you see how beautiful she looked? Oh and the dress... the dress! It's vintage and retro and looks really cool on her. I read that you can get it from StopStaring.com

 Haley Reinhart. Photo courtesy of Fox.

Haley is my fave in the show because she looks kinda like the character Angela from TV Series Bones.... but her performance last week was really great. Yep.... I guess I'll be watching the show more closely now. Go Haley!!! You got my vote :)

Monday, April 4, 2011

Busy busy busy

Have you ever felt like the more time you have, the less time you have for anything? It's like when you go on an extended vacation, you have all the things that you did not do while you were on your time off, and suddenly you realize that there are so many things to do?

I don't know if that makes sense. Maybe it's the result of procrastinating.

Anyway, I do feel overwhelmed lately with school, work, family, friends, and household chores. Especially with the tax season coming to a close! However, I found that as long as you make a list of things and just tackle it one by one, you'll be ok.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Cake

I suddenly have this urge to eat cake. Not just any cake.... but a small, beautiful, colorful cake without the calorie. Is there such a thing in this world?

Of course I turn to foodgawker to feast my eyes on the delicious pictures of cakes. The pictures on that blog are so pretty that sometimes I have to resist the temptation to lick the icing out of those pictures they post in there.

I wish I can make and decorate pretty cakes like these...







Yummy yum yum! :)

Bouquet Crush

How gorgeous is this bouquet from dWeddings? Yellow, green, and smears of white. Simple, romantic, and so sweet.

Source

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

This and that

Wow, school is super busy. Who knew that studying MBA can be so challenging and exhausting? It's taking so much of my time and energy that I really haven't had the time to write in this blog for the past three months.

Anyway, what's new? The weather has been kinda weird lately, which is causing many people to fall sick. Also, spring is coming up. So excited that the flowers are going to bloom and nature is going to regain its brilliant color. I can't wait to see the jacaranda trees with its gorgeous violet color decorating the streets again, especially along the 5 freeway along Santa Ana. It's pretty cool.

Daylight savings is coming up this week. Wow, time sure flies!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Anniversary

Last January 9th was my 6th anniversary of dating Mr.B exclusively. In a few months (in June) we will be celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary. I know it's still 5 months to go, but I love the idea of making this cute "little stitched Love Note":


Traditionally, the 2nd anniversary gift is cotton.  So how perfect would this love note be for the 2nd anniversary gift? You can find the DIY tutorial from Beverly's Flamingo Toes blog. I love all her tutorials. Beverly is so talented and generous with her ideas. This tutorial is so simple yet beautiful...

Friday, January 7, 2011

Persistent

per·sist·ent/pərˈsistənt/Adjective

1. Continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.
2. Characterized by a specified habitual behavior pattern, esp. a dishonest or undesirable one. 

Whether we realize it or not, life offers us countless opportunities to be successful. It is the hard work that we put in that prepares us to take that opportunity and turn it into something of value. Without hard work and preparation, the opportunities will go to waste.

Persistence. A word that used to terrify me for fear of being found too aggressive. Me? Aggressive? More like passive aggressive. I'm very much a people-pleaser, so when someone says 'no', I usually say 'ok' and walk away. But how is that going to help me get what I want? So my sister encourages me (ok, it was more like a demand) to be persistent in my approach. Don't take no, and just keep finding a way to get what I need to get. So far I'm still getting a 'no', but I feel that things are starting to change. So... hopefully.... hopefully my persistence will pay off.

Monday, January 3, 2011

New Year, New Beginning, New Crossroads.


Time passes by so quickly. Suddenly it is already the 3rd day of the new year. As always, the end of a year prompts many people to make new resolution for the new year. My resolution is to be more healthy. In particular, I'm going to try to got on board with the "meatless mondays" program that everyone's talking about. Not sure if I'll also do the "tofu thursday" yet. I guess we'll see :)

What other good new year resolutions out there? My friend Cindy has a good one: she tries to master one new skill per year. I remember a few years ago she took up drumming, which is pretty cool. I think she said this year she wants to learn to play the violin. Hmm... I think my resolution for 2010 was master playing the guitar, but that didn't happen quite yet, so I guess I still need to push myself to do that. Yep, time to put away all the holiday decorations, and dust off the guitar that I stashed away in the far corners of my room, and start strumming again. So that's my second resolution. The third one is kinda hard. I really want to stop wasting time. Time is so precious. There's  so much to do and so little time, so this year, I will manage my time better and be more productive. So there you have it. My three new year resolutions.

By the way, here's a very inspiring article from one of my favorite writers, Paolo Coelho about.... life and living it your way.

1] The path begins with a crossroads. There you can stop and think what direction to follow. But don’t spend too much time thinking or you’ll never leave the spot. Reflect a lot on the choices that lie ahead, but once you have taken the first step, forget the crossroads for ever or else you will always torture yourself with the useless question: “did I take the right path?”
2] The path doesn’t last for ever. It is a blessing to travel the path for some time, but one day it will come to an end, so always be prepared to take leave of it at any moment. However enraptured you may be at certain landscapes, or scared whenever you have to make a great effort to go ahead, don’t get too used to anything. Neither to the hours of euphoria, nor to the endless days when everything seems so difficult and progress is so slow. Don’t forget that sooner or later an angel will appear and your journey will reach an end.
3] Honor your path. It was your choice, your decision, and just as you respect the ground you step on, that ground will respect your feet. Always do what is best to conserve and keep your path and it will do the same for you.
4] Be well equipped. Carry a small rake, a spade, a penknife. Understand that penknives are no use for dry leaves, and rakes are useless for herbs that are deep-rooted. Know also what tool to use at each moment. And take care of them, because they are your best allies.
5] The path goes forward and backward. At times you have to go back because something was lost, or else a message to be delivered was forgotten in your pocket. A well tended path enables you to go back without any great problems.
6] Take care of the path before you take care of what is around you. Attention and concentration are fundamental. Don’t be distracted by the dry leaves at the edges or by the way that others are looking after their paths. Use your energy to tend and conserve the ground that accepts your steps.
7] Be patient. Sometimes the same tasks have to be repeated, like tearing up weeds or closing holes that appear after unexpected rain. Don’t let that annoy you – that is part of the journey. Even though you are tired, even though certain tasks are repeated so often, be patient.
8] Paths cross. People can tell what the weather is like. Listen to advice, and make your own decisions. You alone are responsible for the path that was entrusted to you.
9] Nature follows its own rules. In this way, you have to be prepared for sudden changes in the fall, slippery ice in winter, the temptations of flowers in spring, thirst and showers in the summer. Make the most of each of these seasons, and don’t complain about their characteristics.
10] Make your path a mirror of yourself. By no means let yourself be influenced by the way that others care for their paths. You have your soul to listen to, and the birds to tell what your soul is saying. Let your stories be beautiful and pleasant to everything around you. Above all, let the stories that your soul tells during the journey be echoed at each and every second of the path.
11] Love your path. Without this, nothing makes any sense.


So let's start 2011 with positive attitude and a smile, for we all know that when we smile, the world smiles with us.