February 2012
1 post
“O Lord, calm the waves of this heart, calm its tempest! Calm yourself, O my...”
– 1000 World Prayers, Marcus Braybrooke via Sojourners
June 2010
3 posts
summer to-do list
- get over jet lag and re-adjust to a normal sleep pattern
- re-learn how to drive
- re-learn how to cook
- visit chicago! :D
- relax and rest (it’s kind of sad that i have to remind myself to do that)
- process and reflect on past 18 months in the philippines.
- figure out apple care so i can make use of the 3 year warranty i paid for almost 3 years ago and fix this dying laptop
summer reading list
- the irresistible revolution, shane claiborne
- the brothers karamazov, fyodor dostoeyevsky
- the problem of pain, cs lewis
- half the sky, nicholas kristof & sheryl wudunn
- white teeth, zadie smith
- culture making, andy crouch
- the omnivore’s dilemma, michael pollan
May 2010
1 post
in two hours...
…i leave for the airport!
it’s really coming to an end. paalam, pilipinas! i’m sure i’ll be back someday.
june 1st...
is fast approaching. that means i have less than 1 month…just about 26 days left in the philippines before i fly back to california.
everyday i’ve learned something new. each day i’m getting busier and busier as samaritana’s livelihood project continue to pick up its pace. i’m still homesick every now and then, and often think about going home, but also trying to be...
April 2010
1 post
life is weird lately, but in a good way...
- i went to california for one week to attend berkeley law’s admitted students events, obtain a visa for the philippines (something i should have done last december), and spend time with my family and friends. berkeley law helped subsidize the airfare…but soon, i will owe them thousands upon thousands of dollars.
- my future classmates are amazing =)
- in california, i ate of the...
February 2010
1 post
eating balut
when i first arrived here in the philippines last january, one of my goals was to avoid eating balut, one of the street foods. balut has been hyped up a lot by foreigners and filipinos alike. i thought it was completely disgusting, and i was determined complete my year and a half here without eating it.
but a lot has changed since last january, including my aversion to balut. under the influence...
January 2010
8 posts
“Anyone who ventures into cross-cultural missions without some kind of...”
– Thomas Hale, in “On Being A Missionary”
I guess that makes me nuts then. If I had read this book before I left, I probably would have saved myself a lot of grief. As I’m reading it now, I see that I learned a lot of the things that Hale talks about the hard way. Oh well, at least...
2009 In Pictures, Part I
Dama and I made red velvet cupcakes for the Samaritana community. They were delicious! One of the coolest parts of being in the Philippines has been spending time with Dama and her family. They are pretty awesome, and I’m thankful to have met them.
The women at Samaritana performing a special number during the International Christian Alliance on Prostitution conference. That conference...
2009 In Pictures, Part II
Samaritana’s ladies working on a mural. I think they had a lot of fun expressing their creative side.
I love everybody in this picture! Right next to me is Dotty Zens, known affectionately as “Mamita”. Her presence truly brings warmth into the lives of those who know her, and I think she gives the best, most reassuring hugs. Next to Dotty are Toni and Ferdi, a wonderful...
2009 In Pictures, Part III
When I see moments of happiness in the slums, I savor them. I try to remember these times when things get harder, which they inevitably do.
In June and July, I staffed for the Global Urban Trek- the very trip that brought me to Manila in the first place back in 2008. And they were such a fun bunch of people to be around. We prayed with and for each other, we asked (and tried to answer)...
2009 In Pictures, Part IV
In September, I attended my first (and hopefully not last) Filipino wedding. The ceremony was beautiful and I was thrilled to be one of the bridesmaids. One of my bridesmaid duties was pinning the veil on the bride’s hair during the ceremony. I was not informed until a few minutes before the ceremony began…haha, but it’s all good.
You cannot escape Karaoke in the...
2009 In Pictures, Part V
I came back home in mid-November and spent a lot of quality time with my parents. They are so cute. Someday I hope to have something like what they have with one another.
We stayed for a week in Oxnard at a beach house.
I’m not a poet, but even if I were, it would be utterly futile for me to describe how beautiful the sunsets were in Oxnard. And as I once mentioned, I don’t...
December 2009
1 post
"how have you changed? how have you grown? what...
many people have asked me these questions in some form or another. and i have actually just felt like being a hermit instead of answering them. i’ve spent some time journaling, processing, and thinking about my 10 months in the philippines…and this is what i have come up with.
the superficial:
1. i like korean pop now. i never thought the day would come, but it’s just so darn...
November 2009
5 posts
“We will not forgive you next time. You tell all your friends- don’t bring...”
– A Hong Kong police officer, shortly before releasing me from a very stressful 45-minute detainment.
So friends, there you have it. Don’t bring pepper spray to Hong Kong. But you probably knew that already =P
on gchat with sarah lam not too long ago...
Me: okay…well…would that also mean though, that it was God’s will for all of this hurt to happen? if God knows all things, plans all things….
Sarah: God’s will is a funny thing :) i’m sure you’ve been asking that question a lot with all the weather you’ve been having. i believe His greatest will is that you would know Him and be satisfied in...
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hello, olongapo!
Olongapo. Say it out loud. I like Olongapo and the way it rolls off my tongue. It’s about 3 hours north of Metro Manila by bus, near the ocean. And unlike Metro Manila, which is noisy, polluted, and congested, it’s very pretty in Olongapo. But I didn’t go to Olongapo because it’s pretty. I went to Olongapo to scout out Abaca paper for another of Samaritana’s...
1 tag
my brother and sister-in-law are awesome
I’m so lucky to have a brother who is as generous as he is brilliant (which is saying a lot, because my brother is probably a certified genius). Recently, i coerced convinced him and his lovely wife to finance 3 high-speed sewing machines for Samaritana’s livelihood project. And here they are:
These ladies are working on a shoulder bag that uses native Filipino fabric. The bags are...
October 2009
10 posts
"Sino crush mo?"
I had promised Rutchie and Beth that I’d stay overnight at Payatas for the past couple weeks, but things just kept coming up. Until yesterday.
I was pretty excited- I hadn’t been back to Payatas since the end of the Trek in August, and I missed the kids there.
When I first saw Airah and Aifah, it went something like this:
“Saan si Ate Jennifer?”
“Sa...
my little hero
Context: I’m playing Crab Soccer with Natalie and Phillip, my favorite 5 year olds. It’s just like real soccer, except you’re on your hands and legs like a crab. And then I accidentally kick the ball, and it hit Natalie’s head. She runs away, sobbing, into her dad’s arms. I’m feeling terrible. And the following conversation ensues:
Me: Phillip, do you think...
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“hey, i had a chance to give ur paper a quick overview while leila’s...”
– my best friend lynn, an english/psychology double major. that girl knows how to read super fast, analyze a text like none other, and is a darn good writer herself.
with stamps of approval from lynn and various other individuals, i just submitted 5 law school applications today.
now the question...
1 tag
i've been here for a while now
over 9 months now. it’s been “challenging but rewarding”. that’s what I say whenever people ask me how it’s been, which happens quite frequently. a lot has happened. some good, some bad, some crazy…
and I’ve never managed to update this thing. but a lot of people do update their blogs/tumblrs. so maybe I will too. maybe?
May 2009
1 post
1 tag
i'll be here for a while...
that’s what i end up saying a lot. because I will be here for a while. by here, I mean quezon city, the philippines. when I meet cool people, and then we try to find a day to hang out again, but nothing in the near future looks like a possibility, I say: “oh, that’s okay…i’ll be here for a while! We have plenty of time to hang out later.” when filipino people...