So glad I got the flowers. They turned out really pretty and they are indigenous to HK as opposed to flowers like narcissus and orchids that are flown in from other parts of Asia.

Chili paste

Got rid of all the seeds and it still turned out super spicy.

Cny eve

Apparently the goal is to get flowers that bloom on the first day of the new year.

CNY festivities

I guess there's no getting away from crowds during the new year, either here or back home.

When someone has the bug, they have the bug. It never goes away.

Resistance truly is futile.

Gearing up for the Year of the Rooster

Had friends over yesterday and it was a good reason to start cleaning for the new year.

Also amazing to have friends who have come to know me so well and who speak truth into my life. They don't let me get away with anything.

Deadlines

Will I meet my deadline? That is the question.

There's so much to be thankful for, but sometimes I kinda hate my job. Like right now.

Air plants my aunt gave me

Arrangement by me.

work life and illusions

I need to figure out a way to keep an even keel at work. I get angry when people treat my friends badly, and it throws me off my own life. And yes, bad things happen in the university. Seriously, why does the university have so many jerks?

something needs rethinking

I went on vacation and still feel tired. This qualifies as a WTF moment.

Childhood memories

Christmas gift

Phone stand. But I need to figure out how it works.

time travel

I was home for nine days and it felt like two months. That's not necessarily bad, but I feel like I was in a whole other world and now I have to get back to work.

It's okay, I just have to work like crazy for a month then I can take another short break.

Some of my aunts start to tell me stories, but they eventually tell those stories to one another. That is, they start telling me stories in English, then they switch to telling those stories to one another in Hokkien.

2017

With old friends. All of whom just wanted to get to bed.

Things old folks say

If someone curses you and you don't say anything in response, the curse goes back to them.

That's one way to stop a fight. Pretty smart.

Mini family trip

Ipoh

Things kids say

ReH: Why is she here? Isn't she supposed to live in a cold place?

My old care group

I really need to get plugged into a group again.

Christmas cookie

Went in to ask Boss a question, and came out with a little more clarity, and also disturbing news. My conclusion is that universities are not good at talking about gender issues or any kind of power inequality. His conclusion is that asshats--male and female--often end up in positions of power and there's not much we can do about it. I can't disagree with that. But he's also the sort of person who quietly tries to figure out how to make things as right as he can, so it's not as passive as it sounds.

Harapkan pagar, pagar yang makan nasi.

Oh, and Boss gave me one of the cookies he was going to hand out to his administrative staff. It's dairy free, luckily.

Yearies

What do you call the the friends who think about you when they realize that their family vacation is so awesome, fun, and relaxing that you really should be enjoying all of it with them? I don't know either.

But I want to be there as much as they want me to be there. Because I know that they know me and understand me, and that if they want me there, it's because they know I will enjoy it, and that they will also enjoy having me there too.

Being a kid for a bit

A few lessons from the year as it comes to a close:

-        It’s okay not to know how to do something. How I learned this?

o   Because mentors like T, Dav, and Chars stepped in to teach me stuff I didn’t know how to do, and I didn’t feel embarrassed or like I was a failure. It was okay not to know.

(Dav, in particular, is cheerleader extraordinaire.)

Isn't this a part of being a kid? Kids don't know how to do everything, but they can learn if they're taught.

-        It’s okay to be a kid. How I learned this?

o   Phi finding and organizing a discounted chicken dinner, or M bringing me along when she checks out a new sushi place.

o   Phi taking Heej and I around Tomorrowland, and us having fun despite our cynical academic selves. Heej really got into the ride where we had to shoot at targets. (But I got a higher score.)

o   Phi helping me unbuckle my seat belt at the Ironman ride.

I don’t need to always have it altogether or know everything. 

And it’s okay to take care of others because they will take care of themselves too. We just take turns doing it. It's not just one way.

Finally, thanks to Iv, whose VIP passes motivated Heej and I to play hooky. Oh, the delicious irony of teachers skipping out of work early to play during exams week.


Oh, and last thought: it mattered that we were physically acting like children. Our minds and bodies work together. I don't think I would have come to these realizations if I hadn't actually been playing. It's just like how the act of going to church on Sunday actually matters. God is not legalistic, but he did make us "whole," that is, with both our minds as well as our physical bodies and they work together. The Cartesian mind-body split diverts us from God's design.