Happy Holidays!

the 25th may have passed but the Christmas Season ain't over yet!

Happy Holidays from me to you! :)

look who came to town last night!

taylor hicks was here and i saw him perform live last night! yays! what a performer!

last day at the office for the year

my last day at the office for the year and still, the gifts still keeps on piling up!

latest picture of my desk's christmas stash --

it keeps changing everyday

christmas gift stash on my office desk -- all it needs now is a christmas tree!

christmas shopping

christmas is coming soon!

yipee!

i lift them up to you

i was feeling a bit lonely this afternoon and a little bit stressed because i was thinking too much about the situation here at our house. so i decided to go out for a while and my feet led me to the church. when i realized that i was on my way to church, i felt that and understood that when i'm in trouble, without knowing how, i feel that the Lord is calling me to come to Him so he can hear my troubles and to let me unburden it all to Him. this afternoon, when i was kneeling at church, i realized that i must always truly lean on God in everything because He is always there, ready to hear us and take our troubles away. amazingly, after i said that I need Him to fix this problem and that i lift all my worries to Him, i felt light and a little bit in peace. and there i know, one way or the other, the Lord will give us a solution to this quandary.

I love you, Lord
and i thank you, Lord
all my troubles, i lift to you
knowing you'll be there to
guide us through the right thing.
thank you, Lord.
Amen.

hell

there must be a different interpretation of hell for every person. for a few, hell is what the war has shown them. others say it is love that has gone sour or unrequited. but for me, this day, hell is the presence of my housemates whom we can't talk to and get along well with. hell is having them know that we want the place to ourselves, and as the people who found the place in the first place, we have the right to ask them to move, but are doing nothing. hell is thinking that they have stated that they'll be moving by the end of summer, then end of september, but still, until now, they are still here. hell is feeling that they are just waiting for their big sister to overwhelm us and prolong their stay until we will be the ones who are forced to leave. hell is hearing the matter-of-fact voice of the youngest and hell is the illogical reasoning of the brother. the big sis i have no problems with. actually, she is the best of them all. but altogether, it is still hell for me today...

i once lived here

looking back at my first experience of traveling outside the country, i can't help but think that i've always been lucky and blessed. after graduation, i took a seven-month long vacation to prepare for the board exam. during those times, i was wishing to have a job that would, even just once, let me travel to a new place. right after my board exam, i got a job as a research assistant/student and in six-month's time, i was told to ready my bag and leave for a month to work at UK! wow, my prayers were answered. even being alone on my first trip out and a little scared, it didn't take away the fun and the excitement of being in a new place.

today, i think of it again and smile. it had been years but still, the memories are clear and at times, i want to go back. today, i want to say that i once lived here.

st. chad's.

my teacher was kind enough to lend me his place for a month to save on accommodations.

assissi house. cherry hinton road.

on my second trip here, E and I lived in a student housing. what i love about the place is that each person has a room and bath. the living room has a fireplace and the windows big (but always closed because it was winter and freezing cold).

downing place. earth sciences.

i once did my research here.

i walked the halls and enjoyed a couple of happy hours and stayed late in the library

or computer room.

teacher's advice

kahlan, before i leave for the us, i need to talk to you.

damn! i'm not finished with my thesis yet! how am i gonna tell him that?!

sit down there. ok, let's see. what i'm going to say is really important so listen to me carefully, especially since this is coming from a guy. huh? what is he talking about?! you know, when i guy doesn't like a girl, whatever come-ons the girl has given, he will never, ever reply or take the time to entertain her! but in your case, he took your number, he texts you, he emails you! so i say, Go for it! he likes you!

-this from my teacher a year and a half ago regarding shoeshine

holiday mode

finally! i've finished my year's obligation to my boss -- that is, to present my work's preliminary results to the geological community. after waiting for another day because we ran out of time in my session yesterday, they've given me a few minutes this afternoon to present . i'm glad that my officemates and even friends and classmates from the university stayed to lend me their support. finally, i'm done and i can have a little relaxation time. i'm taking it slowly from now on so that my stress level will lower down *lol*

on a lighter note, readable has finally shown her face after arriving from her us stint two months ago. it was fun to see her again and hear her talk about what she'd done and how they learned to use the dishwasher, bread toaster and basin drain! hahaha she also showed us her new laptop and the pictures she took. they were all amazing and i'm so happy for her because in a way, what she'd shown us, has given us a first-hand look at how to live in america! amazing! :)

guess what i saw

guess what i saw early this morning on my way to work?

a full arc of rainbow! with its second layer! wow! how i wish i could just go to the ends of it and find the pot of gold buried underneath it.

yeah, i still believe in magic.

what will you be?

if the world comes to war again, what will you do or be when that time comes?

i have been asking myself that ever since i was a kid and finished reading Sweet Valley's The Wakefield Legacy. there, one of jessica and elizabeth's ancestor was a brave nurse imprisoned in a pow camp during the world war II. she became a secret correspondent to the navy outside, hiding her stolen radio, reporting significant changes in the camp while doing their laundry.

anyway, that was a good story and made me think, "what would i be if i were caught in a war?" will i be an informer, a nurse (will i stand the blood that will come my way?), or a soldier? will i carry a bayonet or arms just like my forefathers did when faced with enemies? or will i be a coward, just standing by waiting for the war to finish, cowering in the dark -- hiding?

i won't know until that happens but it's an event i wouldn't wish in my lifetime or anybody else's. there are a lot of wars going on around. as everyone would agree, nobody's a winner and everybody's a loser. too much damage done, too much lives lost for nothing. i believe that peace must come from each of us, within ourselves first and then let us share that peace and give it a chance to take effect. too much has been given, it is time to take stock and start all over.

but as if, it is an easy task to do. all i can do now is pray for peace and reconciliation, and the safety of those involved, one way or the other, in wars or conflicts.

lucky day

thank God! it's been a happy, lucky day for me :)

i WON the grand price at the alumni association's annual bingo event last night! wahoo!

(now i can pay my credit card! yipee!)