Tuesday, July 28, 2009

What this Summer has taught me

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength" - Phil 4:12-13

This Summer, God took me on a trip to the Land of Nothingness.  He made me leave behind everything that I could possibly be proud of and took away tools that I used to get respect from people around me.  He gave me no job, no dreams, no one to lean on, no idea of what I will be doing in the matter of months. No luck of falling asleep when I need to, no control over my own heart, not a single skill that I can be proud of, not even a consistent and strong spiritual life that others can "model after".  I was trying to run after these things in dissatisfaction, but somehow, in the midst of all my weaknesses, God has taught me how to be content. 

The work of the Holy Spirit is pretty amazing. I still don't understand how I get it. I feel like I am hanging between the end of season 5 and the beginning of season 6 in Friends, if you know what I mean. There are still questions unanswered, but somehow I am content of where I am.  Finally, I am no longer anxious in my waiting but at peace as I wait, because I know that if God wants me to wait, He probably has a pretty darn good reason for it.  I feel happy, just like this song: 


"it takes some silence to make sound... "
and it took me a season of being in want to learn how to be content. 

Maybe I'll get this job tomorrow. Let's pray. 4pm. 

Taken a little out of the context, but borrowing Paul's words,
 "Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance."


Sunday, July 19, 2009

vanity...

My new hair was a little crazy but I finally got it under control after taking a shower and applying the korean product "PerfectFusion Silky relexer Smoothing Essence".  The curls this time are a lot smaller compared to last time: 


From Curly hair
I love my bangs in this picture.
(Mac book webcam can't beat my bro's camera)

I spent wayy too much this week, considering that I am a jobless college graduate. Bought 2 nice knives, a bamboo cutting board, friends came in town so we spent money eating, permed my hair, went to the outlet mall and bought things like 2 different color of the same dress (coz i couldn't decide which one i like more)... all within a week. =.= I need a job. 

This post was pretty worthless.  Thank you very much. 

Friday, July 10, 2009

Yet another 7am post...

I learned 2 facts today. 

I spent the last few hours of the night curling up on my bed agonizing over my heartbrokenness. How my heart was torn apart, this summer, this past semester, last spring break, 2 years ago... by different people, all of them my brothers and sisters. I am bitter. Bitter at how things never work out for me, bitter at stupid people saying stupid things, bitter at liars who think I'm too dumb to find out the truth.  

Then I remember listening to a sermon online by John Piper almost two years ago. The title of the sermon was Battling the unbelief of bitterness, something like that. Basically his thesis was we get bitter toward things/people because we don't trust God. We don't trust that the circumstance we are in happened in God's will. We think that we deserve things to happen the way we want them to happen. 

I realized that's how I think. I want MY way, and the way things are going on right now is just plain wrong. The way people are treating me is wrong. The way that no job opportunities are showing up is also wrong. I want my way to come true - meet someone who's 4 years older, get married when I am 22, get the citizenship and stay here forever, thus fulfilling the "American dream". But He said, 

" For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. " declares the Lord.  "As heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." 

I can keep being bitter and channel my rage towards those few people, or  I can choose to believe that in everything that is going on, God works for my best interest - because I love him, and I've been called for his greater purpose. even though, emotionally, I feel like I need to be hiding in a hole for a couple of days. 

For the first time in a very long time, I wanna go home. Where is home?  

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Insomia...

Here I am again - seems like I can no longer fall asleep before 5am anymore. Someone said it's coz I think too much and I am being too emo, but I just blame it on the lack of AC and the caffeine in all the drinks that were accessible to me during the day. Caffeine is in everything! Did you know that even decaf stuff still has caffeine in it?? and even that minimal amount affects me! GAH!!! 

I have been sitting on my bed job-searching starting from 1am. The thousands of postings on Craig's List do not have what I want to do but looking through it was really entertaining. There's a UVA faculty staff paying $8.50/hr for someone to look for an apartment for him. I would definitely take it if I had a car. 

Just because I did not want to feel like I have wasted all these time looking at job descriptions on websites, I just enlarged my search to tech supports in the hospital/clinics and applied for two of those in UVA.  Oh well, it was in one of the 3 things that this psyc prof. in HKU suggested me to do: 1. psyc research 2. any clinical experience 3. Non-profit and I guess that fits into number 2. 

The stupid mail program on my mac started downloading all my previous emails from my gmail account, which i started using the summer before i came to UVA. I had a lot of fun looking through those emails though, esp. the personal emails I used to send to my friends back in HK. They were once such an important part of my life. I was reading an email that I sent to my guitar teacher and that reminds me of how close I used to be with him and my other guitar friends - how we spent every saturday together, shopping in TST after guitar class, going on that tv show together... but I hardly talk to them anymore. And then I saw these email conversations I had with people I used to be close with during my first year - I haven't talked to some of them for three years.  I'm thinking, what if this happens again? What if three years later, I look back and think about all these people that I think I am so close to, only to find out that our relationship was a history?  Will I still care about these people once I'm back in Hong Kong?

Generally, when I leave one place to stay in the other (e.g. coming to school at the States, or going back to HK for breaks), I find myself not paying too much attention to people on the other side of the globe. Evidence: I call home 2 to 3 times a semester, I forget about replying emails from my cell group members when I'm at UVA, I don't like gchatting when I'm in hkg. I think this is a defense mechanism. It might be different when I know that I am leaving this place for good? I'm not too sure. I have been spending a lot of time thinking what would happen if I really have to go when October comes and I can't get a job I want. How am I gonna say goodbye to all these people here? They have been my second greatest source of joy, some of them, for the past four years. Well, actually, because I am such a sinner and my heart doesn't work the way it should be, some of the time people are THE greatest joy in my life. So,  I guess this is the perfect time for me to be reading Revelation, so that I can see its not about RIGHT NOW. I think I'll be okay. 

On another note, I was reading one of those old Calvary when Jonathan Chiu was the secretary. Ha, the days when I still read the entire calvary. I laughed when I saw this:    Sep 30    GCF GoodCleanFun Night . I guess I laughed because when you've been around this long, you would know immediately who came with that name. hahaha. 

It's 5:38am. I envy those who can wake up this early. 

Oh! I biked today. On the roads I mean. It was very scary and very tiring. 

Why am I not sleepy at all? I feel like I could go running. bleh. 

Thursday, July 2, 2009

It's ok if you don't understand this post

DUDE
That was pretty close...
I guess that was it? that was the end of the story? 

I'm trusting You, I'm holding onto You. 
=) 

For what do I have if I don't have you Jesus
What in this life could mean anymore
You are my rock
You are my glory
You are the lifter of my head 
 - Starfield, Cry in my heart