A couple weeks until I’m back in Hong Kong for four months. It’s hard to believe this year flew by so quickly. The last month have been busy with both school work and personal activities. I can honestly say I’ve been going to a lot of parties, and playing a lot of Quidditch (not enough!) Yes, I have been playing Quidditch and hopefully, fingers crossed- I’ll be playing on the school team this fall playing against other colleges.

Do you ever ask yourself whether you’re content with life or happy with life? The last few months I’ve definitely been happy. Sure I’ve missed home and there are many moments where I’ve questioned a lot of things but in general, living in the moment, is good. Maybe I’m talking on impulse, who knows. I’m not really sure where I’m going with this, but I guess currently, I’ve got quite a few things on my mind. Things that doesn’t have easy answers to, or perhaps somethings in which I’ll never get the answer or the results that I want but life moves on.

Here’s my thought for the day:

There are too many things in life that are already complicated, if you make it more complicated by thinking too much about it, you’re only putting more pressure and stress on yourself. Okay I’ll admit, I think too little about things or at least try not to think about things. Maybe it’ll come back and bite me in the ass but in the mean time, go, enjoy yourself, do whatever you want to do and throw yourself out there. How’s that for a thought?

Throw yourself out there in the unknown forest. Don’t think about the bears that might be hiding somewhere behind the trees. When they come chasing after you, then worry about it.

That might not have made any sense whatsoever. but that was fun.

My last post was not so much a post as in copy and pasting my work into an entry. For those who got a chance to read it, thanks! I hope you enjoyed it. Dad, I loved that you read it and commented on it. It’s been a while since I’ve updated everyone about my life and what I’ve been doing recently. God’s blessed me with a lot and most definitely keeps me on my toe with his surprises.

As many of you might know, I’m studying at in Boston and am enjoying myself. It is a very different environment that Hong Kong and as much as people say this is a city- compared to HK, it is still quite the suburb area. Well okay, maybe I am exaggerating but shops and restaurants here close by 10pm and bars are 21+ so there is no where I can hang out after 9:30pm! Not even a coffee shop…. so that is a downer really. The weather is also one of the unique aspects of Boston. As many of us would say, the weather is very ADHD. It changes from hour to hour, day by day and even the weather forecast can’t always predict what will happen the next day. To my surprise, it hasn’t been snowing as much as I thought it would be but my campus is located in one of the windiest corners of Boston!

School is going well, I am enjoying my classes for the most part. This is the final week before Spring Break and I have got tons of papers and a really hard midterm but I know with God’s strength and help, I will be able to get through it. At the end of the week, I am flying to California to visit Brian, Karie and Polly. Three of my good friends from Cambodia last year. I am looking forward to having some fellowship with each other, baking, walking around exploring San Jose and San Francisco and relaxing for a week away from the cold and school!

Besides school, I have met some great friends in and out of college. I have met friends who know the city of Boston and its been nice being able to explore when I have time. One of the best times in Boston is getting together with a friend and being able to sit or walk around talking for hours. Perhaps that is similar to my life in HK, except in HK we’d be sitting in a bar or a lounge till early hours in the morning!

This semester, I joined one of my friends as a co-host on the underground radio station of my college. We air every Sunday night from 6-8pm Boston time. Our show is called Young Fire Radio, with an hour of contemporary christian music and pop culture talk (or whatever we are interested in and want to talk about!) and the second hour of urban hip hop R&B christian gospel. The last 15 minutes is the old rush segment playing old gospel goodies. It has been a blast co-hosting with my friend, I am getting more comfortable in the studio whether it be playing music or talking in the microphone. It is definitely one of my highlights every week.

Please check us out and tune in for our show!
http://youngfireradio.tumblr.com

Facebook: Young Fire Radio on WECB.EMERSON.EDU

Tune in at http://wecb.emerson.edu

I don’t want to keep you much longer but I do want to end up something my co-host Miss Liz and I were talking about last night on the show. As you all know, Tiger Woods has been on the media for weeks, months now! I feel like it’s been forever and he is still constantly the attention of CNN. I was surfing around the other night and came across parts of his apology. This part in particular caught my attention and reminded me of our own lives.

I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn’t apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn’t have to go far to find them.

Think about it. Does that apply to you? I know when I read it, I thought about all the moments that I convinced myself normal rules don’t apply. Honestly, I probably break those rules at least once every day. Isn’t it ironic that we learn these core values ever since Kindergarden and yet we consciously make excuses and do what we maybe should not be doing?

“I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me.” How often do you tell yourself, oh I’ve worked hard today so I deserved this and that no matter what happens or what the consequences are? It’s times like these when I need to remind myself that everything I do is for God’s glory. God will bless us and give us glory in his time and in his ways.

Lord I thank you for all your blessings. I thank you for always constantly being with even when I am feeling homesick, even when I fall into temptation knowing full well of what I should not be done. I pray for everyone who is stressed with school and midterms this week, that you would be with us and give us patience and wisdom to finish everything we need to do. Father God, I want to be a fig tree filled with fruit. I want to cry out to you in public so that everyone may know your good works and your unconditional love.

2445 word narrative essay written in 2010 for a class prompt “a time in our lives we wanted to speak out”. This story has since led me to live in Cambodia for a year, and will always have a special place in my heart for Cambodia.

A country that has struggled so much through the years, and is still in the process of rebuilding. Yet, Cambodians are some of the kindest. Not to mention, the food is amazing! Click below to read.

The Little Red Riding Hood

 

 

Hello!

It has been a long time. Well, I guess it’s only been over a month but it feels like a long time since I’ve written. I was home in Hong Kong for christmas and new year. I had a great holiday seeing friends, relaxing, and enjoying my own room. Every morning when I woke up, I felt a rush of peacefulness just looking out the window and seeing the harbor, IFC, Wan Chai Convention Center, all of TST.. basically… an awesome view. I’m up on the 58th floor, so you can imagine how much I can see!

God blessed me with a sudden trip to El Nido, Palawan Philippines as well. My friend’s family was going for about five days and I was able to tag along. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world and I could not give up the chance to go! I am really thankful for my parents to let me go and for my friend’s family to take me in for five days. I got a chance to see ICM’s new ministry in El Nido town.

Although Cambodia was only about seven months ago, it feels like it’s been a long time and going to Philippines in a way reminded me of it. We went to the villages, we walked around in the heat, we did a bit of field work and research you could say. Seeing the kids run around in the villages was quite refreshing. The language barrier prevented us from talking, but here’s the beauty of it all… the non-verbal communication is unbeatable. I love their beautiful eyes, their gorgeous smile, something about it just pokes at my heart every time I think about it. Especially in a place like El Nido, to be able to go from seeing a poor under developed village to a resort consisting of 51 islands and beaches. God’s creation is magnificent. The stars were uncountable.

Christmas break went by quite quickly and by the time I knew it, I was back in Boston. School started last week and I’ve been trying to get settled again. Classes starting to get busy, hopefully doesn’t get too bad! I am getting more involved, or you can say, involved in campus activities this semester so it will be a busy semester. I am looking forward to keeping myself occupied though.

I’ll update my new activities as they start!

Here I am, 6 in the morning staring into my computer screen wondering where the past few months have gone. Or perhaps where the last six hours have gone. I have class at 10 AM, then I head to the airport at 2 PM and on the plane at 5 PM to LA… followed by a plane to Hong Kong. A two day trip.

It sucks taking that long to get home, I don’t think many people understand that. Sorry let me rephrase that, I know lots of people here in Emerson that doesn’t understand what its like to go to college half where across the world. Wait, what am I saying? I sound like I’m complaining but I’m really not. It’s just the “I haven’t slept at all” mind talking.

This has been a good semester. I’ve really enjoyed being back in school. My classes have been great, and I don’t want to admit this but it was bittersweet after the last class of some of them. I have met great friends and now that I am leaving for Christmas, I can say that I will miss my friends here in Boston. I am really thankful for the friends I have met. My close friends here in Emerson are from all over the world and that to me, is so special. Some may say we have an “international clique”, maybe that’s true but hey, we get along, we click, we just happen to be good friends!

No, I have not gotten use to the weather. The snow is beautiful when I’m sitting inside looking out at the white weather but I still don’t like being out in it freezing my ears and nose off. I still want to brag that I live on the windiest corner of Boston. Boylston and Tremont. You try walking from Chinatown to Emerson! It’s crazy!

Anyhow, I am not looking forward to the long trip home but I will be home soon. I am anxious to see my family and friends. I can’t wait to eat all the food I’ve been craving, go to bars, clubs and drink legally, and to go to my home church!

Good morning.