I am at the tail end of one of the busiest weeks of school that I can remember in my life and happy to take a blogging break. Although I think I remember one week my junior year of college fall semester that I was more sleep deprived and caffeine fueled and overloaded with work than I am now. The difference being that I am 7 years older now and can't pull all nighters anymore, lest I forget where I am, crash the car, and start some sort of city-wide disaster while driving to school.
So I wasn't that helpful over Thanksgiving this year because of all the work I had to do, but my siblings sure were. Check out my sister's blog here for an account of how awesome it was in the Chen/Sheu/Chun household. I must say, food is a love language in our family and it was mightily poured out on us!
When you don't live locally from your family, the nature of the visits always change. I realized this long ago when I went away to college, but it's becoming more evident to me as I get older. Every time I spend time with loved ones, I realize something new about myself and get a fresh perspective on who I am because of how much my loved ones have affected me. And I count myself lucky to say that I think their influence has been mostly good. It's also always fun to observe little quirky things about your parents and see if you're like that too. For example, at the end of our trip, we were joking about my mom's addiction to email and how my siblings are equally obsessive about certain things, like a new Wii game or facebook. I quickly agreed that this was the case for me too- but then couldn't think of a single example for an addiction of mine. In fact, I think I'm sort of the opposite. I don't have the attention span to do anything for too long or I will get bored real quick. Maybe it's some form of adult ADD. I could also have my Dad's love-to-work, can't sit still sort of thing. But then again there are lots of times when I sit real still when I should be working (i.e. practicing).
Our families affect us so much as people and its fascinating to see how we as individuals take some of those traits that are passed down to us and make them our own. As we grow older, self-discovery is an inevitable thing that helps us gain perspective about who we really are and why we are where we are in life. When I last spent time with my in-laws in New Jersey, we did what has now become a habit when we get together with Paul's mom and sister- sit on the floor, share prayer requests, hold hands, and pray out loud together. Usually, the prayer session ends with crying, hugging, and verbal "I love you"s. This kind of expressiveness is something that my family culturally is not accustomed to, so at first I used to think that the extreme intimacy of spiritual sharing and verbally declaring our love for each other in a family was really weird. Now I am blessed and thankful for it every time, and I can see the way that their closeness has shaped Paul's faith and is reflected in how very expressive he is with his thoughts and emotions. I also saw the way he enjoyed our time this weekend with my family and the comfort and ease with which everybody interacts. It's a beautiful thing to share, and when we grow our own family someday (keyword is someday), I hope we'll be able to pass down the good from both.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Two years
Our two-year wedding anniversary came and went and I didn't get a chance to blog some of my thoughts. It was on a Tuesday this year and since I have a Tuesday night class, it was hard to be able to go out and celebrate. We did manage to have a nice brunch though and celebrate in our own small ways, and are planning to take a short camping trip once the semester ends- but it was nothing like the somewhat extravagant trip (for us) to Palm Springs that we made for our one-year, complete with multiple spa treatments and mineral water soaks.
I suppose that right now we are in the middle of a challenging season. Paul has been out of work for about a month now, and me being a student have no real form of income besides the one little teaching job that I have. Money is tight and hearing about the economic crisis, along with the coming holiday season which is supposed to tank for retailers, it seems that a lot of people we know are generally in a money-saving mode. When we found out that Paul was losing his job, it came as a big jolt when we realized that the steady income would be pulled out from under us. This resulted in me freaking out for about a day, then brainstorming our options on how to stretch a dollar.
One of the first things we did was go to trim the ways that we spend money on food. Basically this means not splurging on a Friday night meal out, staying in and cooking more, stretching one meal into two, and learning to trim the grocery list of things that are not necessary. This has resulted in a big lifestyle shift since we love eating out...but, it has also really opened the doors to lots of yummy homemade meals made with TLC by my very own house husband! We don't spend a lot of money on ingredients, but so far everything has been delicious. I never thought I'd see the day where Paul would make kim-chi jigae for me (he's more of a beef and grill or pizza sort of guy, and Korean men traditionally don't cook much), but hey, spam is cheap. I've also tried hard to surpress my monthly shopping urges, we don't drive if its not absolutely necessary, we only watch movies at home, and we're trying to persuade Aiko to get a job.
Many people say that money issues are the number one source of grief within marriages. Knowing that, we entered this season of unemployment hoping that we could actually remember it as one of our sweetest. And I can't say that that hasn't been the case. We often cuddle up on the couch with a fuzzy blanket and snuggly dog in our little apartment and feel that we couldn't ask for anything more in life. I'm learning that there are very few things that money can buy that can make the joy of our little family any sweeter.
I suppose that right now we are in the middle of a challenging season. Paul has been out of work for about a month now, and me being a student have no real form of income besides the one little teaching job that I have. Money is tight and hearing about the economic crisis, along with the coming holiday season which is supposed to tank for retailers, it seems that a lot of people we know are generally in a money-saving mode. When we found out that Paul was losing his job, it came as a big jolt when we realized that the steady income would be pulled out from under us. This resulted in me freaking out for about a day, then brainstorming our options on how to stretch a dollar.
One of the first things we did was go to trim the ways that we spend money on food. Basically this means not splurging on a Friday night meal out, staying in and cooking more, stretching one meal into two, and learning to trim the grocery list of things that are not necessary. This has resulted in a big lifestyle shift since we love eating out...but, it has also really opened the doors to lots of yummy homemade meals made with TLC by my very own house husband! We don't spend a lot of money on ingredients, but so far everything has been delicious. I never thought I'd see the day where Paul would make kim-chi jigae for me (he's more of a beef and grill or pizza sort of guy, and Korean men traditionally don't cook much), but hey, spam is cheap. I've also tried hard to surpress my monthly shopping urges, we don't drive if its not absolutely necessary, we only watch movies at home, and we're trying to persuade Aiko to get a job.
Many people say that money issues are the number one source of grief within marriages. Knowing that, we entered this season of unemployment hoping that we could actually remember it as one of our sweetest. And I can't say that that hasn't been the case. We often cuddle up on the couch with a fuzzy blanket and snuggly dog in our little apartment and feel that we couldn't ask for anything more in life. I'm learning that there are very few things that money can buy that can make the joy of our little family any sweeter.
Friday, November 7, 2008
New candidate for the White House
The search is on by the Obama family for the new First Puppy.
The press is abuzz with speculation. What kind of dog will they get? The American Kennel Club is hoping they'll get a rescue dog, and has even offered to pick one out for them. There are lots of factors at play here which will be scrutinized like any other political decision. Pure-bred dogs are equated with elitism. Rescue dogs are usually mutts. And, Melia is allergic to dogs, so a dog that is part poodle is high in the running since it would be hypo-allergenic. Rumor has it that the Obamas are considering the goldendoodle, which is like a retriever with bad hair, or a cockapoo, a classic fru-fru sort of dog. Have I got the perfect candidate for the White House.
Being part poodle, she's hypo-allergenic. She's good with kids and loves to snuggle. Her father was a rescue dog. As the only black puppy in her litter, she's dealt with the struggles of her color. All her other white brothers and sisters used to push her out of the feeding zone, but she persevered. She's a mutt, just like Barack called himself at yesterday's press conference. She's overcome barriers and brings people together- dog haters, cat lovers, scared parents. Even Paul's grandma likes her. We think Sasha and Melia would love her.
The only problem is that we would never give her up. But Aiko dreams of one day getting to Washington. The warm weather out here gets monotonous.
The press is abuzz with speculation. What kind of dog will they get? The American Kennel Club is hoping they'll get a rescue dog, and has even offered to pick one out for them. There are lots of factors at play here which will be scrutinized like any other political decision. Pure-bred dogs are equated with elitism. Rescue dogs are usually mutts. And, Melia is allergic to dogs, so a dog that is part poodle is high in the running since it would be hypo-allergenic. Rumor has it that the Obamas are considering the goldendoodle, which is like a retriever with bad hair, or a cockapoo, a classic fru-fru sort of dog. Have I got the perfect candidate for the White House.
Being part poodle, she's hypo-allergenic. She's good with kids and loves to snuggle. Her father was a rescue dog. As the only black puppy in her litter, she's dealt with the struggles of her color. All her other white brothers and sisters used to push her out of the feeding zone, but she persevered. She's a mutt, just like Barack called himself at yesterday's press conference. She's overcome barriers and brings people together- dog haters, cat lovers, scared parents. Even Paul's grandma likes her. We think Sasha and Melia would love her.
The only problem is that we would never give her up. But Aiko dreams of one day getting to Washington. The warm weather out here gets monotonous.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
America!
I have always had a deep love for the story that is American history.
I anticipated that this could happen, hoped and prayed that it would, and yet when I heard the projection on NPR while driving home from school tonight, I couldn't help but feel a huge wave of emotion come over me. Relief, disbelief, pride, humility, joy, and anxiety. Tears streaming down my face, I drove through the streets of downtown LA marveling at the stories and journeys that have made our country what it is and the President that will represent them beginning in 2009.
For the last 8 years, I have not felt pride for the only country I have ever called home. I haven't felt that our government was functioning wisely or honestly. Every trip I've taken abroad, I've had conversations about the incredulity that others have felt toward our policies. A distancing from politics in my own life occurred, a cynicism developed, an excuse formed in my mind that it doesn't matter much anyway. A long journey from the younger version of me that once considered a career in government service, spent a summer registering new citizens to vote, and organizing election monitoring.
And now I feel as though I've reawakened. An amazing thing has happened in our country today that proves that America is never static. We can judge a candidate fairly, we can think for ourselves about what is best for our nation, and we are still the land of the free and the home of the brave. Free because we spoke today for a candidate that we believe represents our story, and brave because we stood up for him despite the opposition's attempt to otherize and distort him.
Barack Obama is a brilliant, eloquent, amazingly gifted man, but he is not our savior. He will not make all our problems go away. But he has fought to achieve an extraordinary moment in extraordinary times, and the pride I feel to be a part of this moment has overwhelmed me in a way that I did not expect. That my own father, a 1st generation Taiwanese immigrant, saw in this African-American candidate a man worth casting his vote for after years of telling me that votes cast in California don't matter, so much so that he would bring his ballot with him on a business trip to China and mail it from distant shores so that his vote would be counted- that tells me that something amazing has occurred. We are still a country that is righting the wrongs of our past and making the world stop and wonder at the endless possibilities that could occur on our shores.
God, bless America.
I anticipated that this could happen, hoped and prayed that it would, and yet when I heard the projection on NPR while driving home from school tonight, I couldn't help but feel a huge wave of emotion come over me. Relief, disbelief, pride, humility, joy, and anxiety. Tears streaming down my face, I drove through the streets of downtown LA marveling at the stories and journeys that have made our country what it is and the President that will represent them beginning in 2009.
For the last 8 years, I have not felt pride for the only country I have ever called home. I haven't felt that our government was functioning wisely or honestly. Every trip I've taken abroad, I've had conversations about the incredulity that others have felt toward our policies. A distancing from politics in my own life occurred, a cynicism developed, an excuse formed in my mind that it doesn't matter much anyway. A long journey from the younger version of me that once considered a career in government service, spent a summer registering new citizens to vote, and organizing election monitoring.
And now I feel as though I've reawakened. An amazing thing has happened in our country today that proves that America is never static. We can judge a candidate fairly, we can think for ourselves about what is best for our nation, and we are still the land of the free and the home of the brave. Free because we spoke today for a candidate that we believe represents our story, and brave because we stood up for him despite the opposition's attempt to otherize and distort him.
Barack Obama is a brilliant, eloquent, amazingly gifted man, but he is not our savior. He will not make all our problems go away. But he has fought to achieve an extraordinary moment in extraordinary times, and the pride I feel to be a part of this moment has overwhelmed me in a way that I did not expect. That my own father, a 1st generation Taiwanese immigrant, saw in this African-American candidate a man worth casting his vote for after years of telling me that votes cast in California don't matter, so much so that he would bring his ballot with him on a business trip to China and mail it from distant shores so that his vote would be counted- that tells me that something amazing has occurred. We are still a country that is righting the wrongs of our past and making the world stop and wonder at the endless possibilities that could occur on our shores.
God, bless America.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Who poked me?
I finally convinced Paul to rejoin facebook. It stemmed from me shouting out random things about our friends that I knew and he didn't. Like, "Hey guess what! So and so are engaged!" or "Did you know that this person moved to this place?" or "Let's go to this thing that's happening at this place on Friday night." Every time he would ask, "How did you know that?" and I would respond loudly, "FACEBOOK!"
This was followed by Paul asking me lots of funny questions about how it works. Such as:
"So if this person requested me to be their friend, does that mean they can see me?"
"What does wall-to-wall mean?"
"Why did they poke me? That's not very nice."
Now I don't update my status every single day, or constantly update and change everything on my profile, but it's pretty crazy how many people are on it these days. I think I know people from virtually every circle of friends I have ever had on facebook. I do value it for certain reasons, if not for the extremely impersonal way of keeping track of people these days. But seriously- I suppose that if people don't really call other people anymore just to say hello, and if even a personal email is hard to come by these days, blogging and facebook have replaced all other more personal forms of communication, and if you hold out on either, there is a whole world of contact that you are not a part of. How did we come to this?
I've realized that I really like impersonal forms of communication too. I like that sort of voyeuristic way of keeping tabs on people I haven't talked to in eons and probably would not ever think of calling up personally. I like that element of surprise when you find out someone you know is doing something totally bizzare with their careers (like a very shy high school classmate I discovered is now a hand model!). In short, I suppose I like knowing what people are up to, think about, or are doing with themselves without having to ask them them about it personally. I don't really think that's a good thing.
Maybe I should actually commend Paul for holding out this long.
This was followed by Paul asking me lots of funny questions about how it works. Such as:
"So if this person requested me to be their friend, does that mean they can see me?"
"What does wall-to-wall mean?"
"Why did they poke me? That's not very nice."
Now I don't update my status every single day, or constantly update and change everything on my profile, but it's pretty crazy how many people are on it these days. I think I know people from virtually every circle of friends I have ever had on facebook. I do value it for certain reasons, if not for the extremely impersonal way of keeping track of people these days. But seriously- I suppose that if people don't really call other people anymore just to say hello, and if even a personal email is hard to come by these days, blogging and facebook have replaced all other more personal forms of communication, and if you hold out on either, there is a whole world of contact that you are not a part of. How did we come to this?
I've realized that I really like impersonal forms of communication too. I like that sort of voyeuristic way of keeping tabs on people I haven't talked to in eons and probably would not ever think of calling up personally. I like that element of surprise when you find out someone you know is doing something totally bizzare with their careers (like a very shy high school classmate I discovered is now a hand model!). In short, I suppose I like knowing what people are up to, think about, or are doing with themselves without having to ask them them about it personally. I don't really think that's a good thing.
Maybe I should actually commend Paul for holding out this long.
Monday, September 22, 2008
An update on life
Life has been whizzing by. With school in full swing, I haven't been blogging as often as I used to. But here are some fun things that happened this month.
I turned 27. Paul took me to Providence for my birthday. It was unbelievable. Might be the best meal I have ever had. I think the foie gras ravioli with truffle shavings sealed the deal for me. This is also the place where they make the world's best chocolate chip cookies and Paul had the waiter bring me a box full of them to take home at the end of the meal. Score!
The SDGQ had its first two full-length concerts! Here we are at San Marcos Lutheran Church. This was a great crowd and even gave us a standing ovation. It's a lot of fun to play with these guys- they are all really wonderful people.
I gave a solo recital at Point Loma Nazarene University, a small Christian college in San Diego that has a special place in my heart. It isn't because their campus overlooks the ocean, although that certainly doesn't hurt. The students that I've met are appreciative and gracious, and the faculty is wonderful as well. I played a full-length recital in their beautiful hall on Friday night. Boy, was it tiring. By the second piece I really needed a water break and a massage. Overall, I think it went pretty well. The audience was small but sweet and I sold a few CD's too. And with a little bit of sucking in, I somehow I managed to fit into this dress, which I wore for our Chinese wedding banquet in 2006. I haven't been able to fit into it since we left NY. Magically, I've lost 5 pounds since we've moved to LA, which doesn't make any sense to me since all we do is eat!
We've settled on a church, we think... NewSong Community Church, which a new friend of mine from school introduced us to. So far, it has been awesome. They are really living out a few of the important things we look for in a church- multi-ethnicity, strong teaching from the word, social justice, and community. We are hoping to join a commnity group soon.
And there's home life. We had a pretty chill weekend after my recital, and recovered from all the driving to SD we've been doing lately. We had an awesome brunch at Comme Ca, discovered The Farmer's Market, cleaned the apt a bit, and made our monthly Costco run.
Paul works from home now and loves it. Here he is being super productive.
I turned 27. Paul took me to Providence for my birthday. It was unbelievable. Might be the best meal I have ever had. I think the foie gras ravioli with truffle shavings sealed the deal for me. This is also the place where they make the world's best chocolate chip cookies and Paul had the waiter bring me a box full of them to take home at the end of the meal. Score!
The SDGQ had its first two full-length concerts! Here we are at San Marcos Lutheran Church. This was a great crowd and even gave us a standing ovation. It's a lot of fun to play with these guys- they are all really wonderful people.
I gave a solo recital at Point Loma Nazarene University, a small Christian college in San Diego that has a special place in my heart. It isn't because their campus overlooks the ocean, although that certainly doesn't hurt. The students that I've met are appreciative and gracious, and the faculty is wonderful as well. I played a full-length recital in their beautiful hall on Friday night. Boy, was it tiring. By the second piece I really needed a water break and a massage. Overall, I think it went pretty well. The audience was small but sweet and I sold a few CD's too. And with a little bit of sucking in, I somehow I managed to fit into this dress, which I wore for our Chinese wedding banquet in 2006. I haven't been able to fit into it since we left NY. Magically, I've lost 5 pounds since we've moved to LA, which doesn't make any sense to me since all we do is eat!
We've settled on a church, we think... NewSong Community Church, which a new friend of mine from school introduced us to. So far, it has been awesome. They are really living out a few of the important things we look for in a church- multi-ethnicity, strong teaching from the word, social justice, and community. We are hoping to join a commnity group soon.
And there's home life. We had a pretty chill weekend after my recital, and recovered from all the driving to SD we've been doing lately. We had an awesome brunch at Comme Ca, discovered The Farmer's Market, cleaned the apt a bit, and made our monthly Costco run.
Paul works from home now and loves it. Here he is being super productive.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Will the minivan reach the White House?
I usually choose not to blog about politics, mostly because I don't want to offend anyone. But I can hold it no longer. I've been in a pretty angry mood this week and it's for one reason: Sarah Palin.
Yes, you've heard all the commentary and heard all the speeches. The debate swirling around her is centered on a number of issues- inexperience, gender, privacy of family. I had to really sort out what I disliked most about her. Was it the sarcastic one-liners, the parading of the baby around stage, the joke about the pit bull, the fact that she has no idea what a VP actually does? The feeling that I got as I watched her speak that I was in the middle of "Mean Girls- 20th Reunion"? That this woman could possibly be elected as second in command of our armed forces and nuclear arsenals when she just received her passport in 2006 and has visited just 4 countries? (I wonder if Canada was one of them.)
And I realized that I am a sexist. I dislike her because she is a woman. An underqualified woman that takes the feminist movement back 30 years. A woman that undermines everything that well-qualified, intelligent, educated women have fought so hard to achieve. That her inexperience and lack of knowledge about everything that one in her position should know make women in power out to be laughable. And that is a disgrace.
Women in this country have worked too hard to allow someone as inexperienced as Palin into the White House. To think that Hillary voters will be won over is offensive. I can barely believe that she had the audacity to reference Hillary, as if she had something in common with her besides X chromosomes. Hillary's battle was long and courageous, and those 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling were a result of her tenacity and determination and not from being hand-picked by her party to be its personal cheerleader. But to have Palin come along and claim that she will be the one to shatter the ceiling when she possesses zilch of Hillary's education and experience makes me sad beyond belief.
And that's where we see how hard it is even today to be a woman in leadership. We put all of our political leaders under scrutiny. But if you are a minority or a woman, you still have to work twice as hard to get to the level of authority that white men have had in our country for over 200 years. If you are going to help run our country, show me that you know anything about the issues that matter- the economy, health care, the housing crisis, foreign policy. Being the closest state to Russia is a pathetic excuse for foreign policy experience. And being the governor of a small state that has requested nearly $750 million in special spending from Washington during her two years in office while keeping state taxes low for residents is an easy way to win popularity.
I believe that one of those 18 million cracks was for me, and I will keep working as hard as I can to shatter the ceiling in my own way. But thanks to Sarah Palin, women will need to work doubly hard all over again to prove that we can be chosen for positions of leadership because we are qualified, hard-working, educated people, and not just because we are women. Palin's candidacy is the result of foolish political strategy and the GOP's desparate attempt to reach evangelical and small-town voters. Thanks Karl Rove, but no thanks.
I refuse to vote for a candidate that is unqualified to run our country, even if she is a woman, a Christian, a mother, pro-life, or the president of the PTA. The thought that Palin could be next in line to the most powerful job in the world makes me scared beyond belief. Hope that sports journalism experience will come in handy when you're sitting down with Ahmadinejad.
I also can't believe that people at the RNC were wearing "My VP is a Hottie!" buttons. Who in the world decided that it would be a good idea to duplicate those? Who ARE these people?
Vote Obama.
Yes, you've heard all the commentary and heard all the speeches. The debate swirling around her is centered on a number of issues- inexperience, gender, privacy of family. I had to really sort out what I disliked most about her. Was it the sarcastic one-liners, the parading of the baby around stage, the joke about the pit bull, the fact that she has no idea what a VP actually does? The feeling that I got as I watched her speak that I was in the middle of "Mean Girls- 20th Reunion"? That this woman could possibly be elected as second in command of our armed forces and nuclear arsenals when she just received her passport in 2006 and has visited just 4 countries? (I wonder if Canada was one of them.)
And I realized that I am a sexist. I dislike her because she is a woman. An underqualified woman that takes the feminist movement back 30 years. A woman that undermines everything that well-qualified, intelligent, educated women have fought so hard to achieve. That her inexperience and lack of knowledge about everything that one in her position should know make women in power out to be laughable. And that is a disgrace.
Women in this country have worked too hard to allow someone as inexperienced as Palin into the White House. To think that Hillary voters will be won over is offensive. I can barely believe that she had the audacity to reference Hillary, as if she had something in common with her besides X chromosomes. Hillary's battle was long and courageous, and those 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling were a result of her tenacity and determination and not from being hand-picked by her party to be its personal cheerleader. But to have Palin come along and claim that she will be the one to shatter the ceiling when she possesses zilch of Hillary's education and experience makes me sad beyond belief.
And that's where we see how hard it is even today to be a woman in leadership. We put all of our political leaders under scrutiny. But if you are a minority or a woman, you still have to work twice as hard to get to the level of authority that white men have had in our country for over 200 years. If you are going to help run our country, show me that you know anything about the issues that matter- the economy, health care, the housing crisis, foreign policy. Being the closest state to Russia is a pathetic excuse for foreign policy experience. And being the governor of a small state that has requested nearly $750 million in special spending from Washington during her two years in office while keeping state taxes low for residents is an easy way to win popularity.
I believe that one of those 18 million cracks was for me, and I will keep working as hard as I can to shatter the ceiling in my own way. But thanks to Sarah Palin, women will need to work doubly hard all over again to prove that we can be chosen for positions of leadership because we are qualified, hard-working, educated people, and not just because we are women. Palin's candidacy is the result of foolish political strategy and the GOP's desparate attempt to reach evangelical and small-town voters. Thanks Karl Rove, but no thanks.
I refuse to vote for a candidate that is unqualified to run our country, even if she is a woman, a Christian, a mother, pro-life, or the president of the PTA. The thought that Palin could be next in line to the most powerful job in the world makes me scared beyond belief. Hope that sports journalism experience will come in handy when you're sitting down with Ahmadinejad.
I also can't believe that people at the RNC were wearing "My VP is a Hottie!" buttons. Who in the world decided that it would be a good idea to duplicate those? Who ARE these people?
Vote Obama.
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