Ee Wen's Tales

My husband is a wonderful man

2012-02-01T19:21:00.001-10:00

Yes, he is! He is the anchor of my life. I always have a shoulder to cry on, strong hands that hold me to make me feel protected from all the bad things in the world, and a smile that ensures me I am the luckiest girl in the world.

Mr.L has done countless wonderful things for me and his family. He is so generous and giving that I feel like I'm Mr.Scrooge next to him. He is so selfless and he is willing to do everything for the people he loves. That is why I feel loved every day. Seriously, I cannot think of a day in the past 3 years that I don't feel loved by him. He makes it so clear through his actions, there's just no way I would second guess him.

Sometimes when getting off the couch was the last thing I wanted to do, I would ask him to bring me whatever I want (water, my blanket, the remote control, food) and he would always, always get off his side of the couch and go fetch me those things. And he never ever complained.

He is so hard working he gets up way early in the morning, sometimes before the sun comes up, and usually before I get up, to work or do his homework. He doesn't rest til dinner and after dinner he returns to his work while I watch my tv. He works so hard every day and I look like a bum by comparison.

Recently, he willingly learned how to cook from me. He usually doesn't care about what he eats and had never really cooked before. In fact, he is quite clueless when it comes to culinary. Now that I am pregnant and don't feel like cooking most of the time, he had helped me cooked a couple of meals. I was so pleased because it was my dream to cook with my husband. He made my favorite chinese chicken and mushroom soup from scratch and twice-baked potatoes.

I am impressed by his kindness and I grow to love him more and more every day. I am the luckiest woman alive! Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart!

His favorite thing. He talks to this bear all the time it is funny to watch.

A successful and delicious meal. Satisfied stomach, happy wife, successful husband.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I'm a pregger.

2012-01-30T10:53:00.000-10:00

Well, the stick showed it, and the ob/gyn confirmed it. So I guess I am officially pregnant now! The baby is in its week 7 and is the size of a blueberry. This week the baby is developing arms and legs. It's mind-boggling a 'thing' the size of a blueberry has hands and feet!

Wow, it sounds so surreal! When I took the pregnancy test, I was expecting it to show 'not pregnant' because I was so certain my period was just irregularly late. I was thinking that maybe because of my 'irregular period' I would have to go see a doctor to make sure that I can still get pregnant. So, when I saw the stick and it showed 'pregnant', I was speechless.

I am not exactly shocked by the result though. Mr.L and I were planning to get pregnant this year anyways. But to be pregnant on the first month of the new year after only two months of trying, I was really not expecting to be expecting so soon! Like I said, surreal! I can't feel a baby moving inside and my belly is still flat!

In the beginning, I had a lot of questions. Now, I have even more. I used to think that I know so much about being pregnant, going the labor, being a parent. I have many older cousins and friends who told me about what they went through so I thought I know enough about what needs to be known about pregnancy and life after pregnancy. This past week I realized I know jack!

I am still learning through friends and Internet about what to expect. Some advice I got are kinda weird but most are wonderful. A friend of mine, being a very superstitious Chinese, are always giving me all this crazy advise about not drinking cold water, no cold food, and no showering with tap water. It's mind-boggling that there are still people clinging on to the crazy traditions and follow them to a tee.

I love hearing birth stories. Especially the excruciating painful part. It scares me but I am intrigued at the same time. It's like watching the Kardashians show: even though it's painful to watch, I just can't take my eyes off. I am intrigued by water birth and I am leaning towards having my baby that way.

We had some important decisions to decide this week as well. At first we were faced with the insurance issues because I am graduating this June. We thought that the Student health plan that I have now will be terminated and I won't have an insurance. We found out that to extend the health plan, we need to pay $800 a month for it until the baby is born. That's like $2400 plus other copay stuff which will pretty much amount to about more than $5000. Too much money! So we had two options: 1. To extend my graduation til December so that I still get the student health plan for a cheap price ($400 per semester). 2. To go back to Malaysia and have my baby there after I graduate and then come back to the U.S. after my confinement period is over (of you don't know what confinement period is, I will talk more about it next time).

Both choices were no good. First choice: Are you kidding me? I am dying to finish school and the thought of graduating half a year later is killing me. I just can't go through with that. Seriously, I was devastated when Mr.L brought that up. I was like, how dare you ask me to stay back in school when I am so close to being done? I was so sad and furious (I swear it's the hormone). Second choice: while going back to Malaysia and give birth there for only $16 (yeap, this is not a typo) is fantastic, I know that I will be so sad if Mr.L misses his chance to witness the birth of his firstborn (well, maybe it's better if he doesn't witness the horrify look and the screaming and gnashing of teeth).

Only the first week and I was already stressed-out! We prayed about it and our prayer was answered. We called the health center and was told that even if I graduate in June, my insurance won't terminate immediately. In fact, I will be covered til the end of August. I love BYU! But we'll have to extend the insurance policy til October, so we'll have to pay the $800/month after August. This is a great news! We can totally afford that. That means I don't need to extend my graduation and I don't have to fly home with my big belly, suffer the jetlag, fly with a newborn back to the US by myself, and Mr.L won't have to miss his child's birth. Thank you, Lord!!

My morning sickness is not bad at all. I feel nauseated sometimes but the feeling is starting to fade. I am still tired all the time but I feel that I have more energy during the day now. I hope that this is a smooth and easy pregnancy. Hopefully the stress from my last semester of school wouldn't affect me much. I need a stress-free pregnancy.

Well, until next week.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000-10:00

Yay! The first day of Chinese New Year. This is the year of the dragon, which is probably the most auspicious year for the Chinese, since we Chinese are the descendants of the dragon.

Every year during this time I miss my family terribly. It's supposed to be a time for family gathering and I miss out on that every year ever since I moved to the U.S. Sigh. But next year I am pretty sure we will be home for Chinese New Year. Mr.L will be done with school and we might just fly back to Malaysia and live there for a few months...or years.

I just love all the superstitious stuff my family does for CNY. Every year nobody sweeps the floor during CNY, it is believed that you will sweep the fortune out the door. Then, we light the crazy loud fire crackers at midnight (every household does) and let the wrappings fall on the ground for the rest of the festival. CNY lasts for 15 days and we can visit friends and family for 15 solid days if we want to. The best thing about that is not only do we get to eat, drink, and be merry, we get MONEY for visiting them! Well, that is if we're still single. Once you're married, you lose that privilege to "earn" money. When I was small, I would always get a few hundred, sometimes up to a thousand ringgit. That's like college fund.

My least favorite time of CNY was when I was awaken early in the morning by my aunt's loud speaker. She would be playing CNY songs really really loudly (you can hear it a few doors down). That was her favorite thing to do. She saw it as her mission to irritate us out of bed so we would get out butt downstairs and eat the breakfast my grandma prepared. My grandma always cooked chicken soup with shiitake mushrooms and long life noodles. I love that tradition so much because grandma always put lots of red rice wine in the soup so it smelled super good. My cousins and I would always slurp the long noodles because we were not supposed to cut the noodles short so we could live a long and prosperous life.

My favorite part of CNY is watching the lion dance. The lion symbolized the monster called "Nian", which came to the Chinese village thousands of years ago to terrorize the Chinese people. The people were terrified of it at first but they found out about the weakness of "Nian". It was afraid of red color and loud noises. Therefore, the people painted their houses red and bang on gongs and plates and threw loud firecrackers at it to chase it away. The lion dance pretty much depicts that story but nowadays it is an auspicious thing to invite the lion to your house, and have it kowtow to you and your house. This means that good things will happen to your family.

Oh man, the more I talk about it the more I miss my family and CNY! I wish I could convey the feeling that I have for this special celebration adequately. But words are always not enough. I am so proud of my Chinese heritage.

Here's a video of the lion dance. Fast forwward to minute 1:40

Last post of the year! The review of 2011.

2011-12-31T09:13:00.000-10:00

2011 was a year of fun, learning, and growth. In retrospect, it was a wonderful year for us.

January: My sister came to visit and slept on our couch for about a month! We had so much fun while she was here. She celebrated her 24th birthday here too. My second semester in grad school started and this semester I got to co-teach a class with my mentor. It was the most nerve-racking experience ever!

sis's 24th birthday at a Japanese reataurant

February: Chinese New Year celebration with hubby at a Chinese hotpot restaurant. We call it "steamboat" in Malaysia. I was so happy to have found this restaurant. I loved the food! Also, because it is so expensive, it inspired me to buy my own portable electrical stove to make our own steamboat at home.

March: My 10-week teaching practicum came to an end. That was when I thought I was ready to be a full-on real teacher. Read about it here.

April: We celebrated our 2nd anniversary in Park City. Wow, two years! Mr.L celebrated his 25th! I threw a surprise party for him. The winter semester finally came to an end and I got all A's in my classes. Yay!

Vietnamese pho for our 2nd anniversary

May: We took a red-eye flight, traveled for more than 30 hours to get back to my home land. I was beyond ecstatic. It was the beginning of our three-month vacation. We visited Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia and an overrated city. We traveled to the historical city of Malacca. This was where Malaysia started. We also took a trip to Phuket, Thailand, where we did so many fun things and got food poisoning there.

Kuala Lumpur: Batu Caves

On a trishaw in the historic city of Malacca

Feeding our dead skin to the little fishies

Holding a gibbon baby at the floating houses in Phuket

June: Apart from spending a lot of quality time with my mom, we visited my cousins and stayed with them for a couple of weeks both in Sibu and Kuching. Then, we flew off to Singapore (another overrated city), and Bali Indonesia. Bali is a very unique place and I just love love love all the temples. A few things I DISLIKE about Bali are the constant pestering from the local hawkers everywhere we went, having to pay the airport security for leaving their country, and lastly, the constant smell of smoke and incense that they light everywhere on the road.

Merlion in Singapore

Having a sunset dinner on the beach in Bali

July: We visited my dad and my friends in Kota Kinabalu (love this place to death!) and went on a scary island hopping spree (imagine white water rafting in the ocean where the water rose as high as a few stories tall). Then we spent our last few days in Asia in Taiwan where I got sunburned.

This is why I love Taiwan.

A cool place called JiuFen in North Taipei

August: Came home to good ol' Utah. Mr.L's two siblings got married to their lovers. We traveled up and down Utah quite a bit this month too. Then, Mr.L's youngest brother entered the Missionary Training Center and we got to take him out to lunch and drop him off at the MTC curb. It was a crazy month!

Chantelle and Tyler's wedding

Tyler and Jordyn's wedding

September: School started and I started on my MA project to make a dictionary. Very uneventful month.

October: I had a meltdown because I hated teaching my class! I also thought that I would not be able to finish my 3 papers ever. When Halloween came around I decided I would go wild.

sugar skull grim reaper

November: More work and school. Then the Lord had mercy on me and gave me a Thanksgiving break that I absolutely needed. We went to Las Vegas and had a great dinner with my cousins at New York New York hotel. A week later, I celebrated my 26th birthday. Mr.L threw me a surprise party and I had absolutely no idea! It was the best birthday ever!

Thanksgiving in Las Vegas

My surprise birthday party. All of my good friends came. So fun!

December: Finals were over! The most horrible semester is finally behind me! We celebrated a great Christmas with Mr.L's mom and siblings. I enjoyed the slow-paced Christmas break when I could just be lazy and wake up whenever I wanted. Today we are celebrating the last day of the great 2011 and counting down to another great year. May 2012 be fabulous to everyone!

Story #358: Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-26T11:59:00.001-10:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I had a great time in Las Vegas with my cousins and their families. One of my cousins and her daughter flew in from Malaysia and they drove to Las Vegas with my other cousin and her family. It was so great to see them and get caught up on each other's life. This was the first time I celebrated Thanksgiving with my side of the family so it's pretty great. I also went on my first Black Friday sale. After our dinner at New York New York America restaurant, we took a stroll down the strip to look at some casinos and take pictures there. Then, just before midnight we went to the factory outlet mall to begin our 3 hour shopping. I got a pair of leather boots that I have wanted to get for quite some times for half off the original price. Score! Other than that, I seriously don't see the appeal of going shopping when you're sleepy and having to fight your way through the human traffic. I also felt like I was in China or the Philippines since I heard so much Mandarin being spoken and saw so many Filipinos there. In short, I'd rather go shopping when I am fully rested and was not hungry and cranky.

Now I can't wait for Christmas!!

Story #357: LIFE

2011-11-08T17:20:00.000-10:00

My goal to write a new post once a week is obviously not going to be reached. So I will just give you guys a quick update of what's up and what's new in our lives.

1. Life is busy, busy, busy for both Mr.L and me. Apart from going to school full-time (Mon to Thurs), we have a ton of homework to do for all of our classes. Work is also very demanding of our time, especially Mr.L's job (he's working really hard for his clients, on his own business website, and part time for Family Search). I am busy with lesson planning, teaching, grading, and meeting with students. I like my job but I think it is taking way too much attention and time that I'd rather spend on my MA Project.

Speaking of my job, it is getting a lot easier comparing to the beginning of the semester. I am getting to know my students better and built a good rapport in the class. I wish I could put more effort into teaching my students, but I feel like all of us are losing the motivation as the end of semester is drawing closer. There were some bad days when I just felt like quitting and say to my students "to hell with you!" But I never lose my patience with my students, which is kinda weird, cause they are not exactly my favorite people in the world, and MAN! do they complain about the homework I assigned them. Seriously, it's not bad at all. They should try doing my assignment! Anyways, I was counting the days til I am done with teaching for the semester. 14 more school days! I cannot wait!

2. My MA Project is coming along quite smoothly. I have compiled 10 sample dictionary entries ready to be pilot-tested. I am developing a survey to go along with the test. Also, Mr.L is helping me with building the dictionary website (which is the most important part of the test). Hopefully, I can get everything ready this week and send out the surveys to people. After all the compiling and pilot-testing, I will be able to work on the write-up, which I am pretty sure is going to be my biggest nightmare towards the end of the semester. This is seriously my toughest semester ever, hands down.

On top of my MA project, I have two other class projects that I have to do. I used to be able to write 5 major research papers (10-15 pages) for 5 different classes in one semester in my undergrad program, but for some reasons, writing two 15-pages long research papers seem so daunting now. I wonder if age has something to do with it!

3. We're trying to squeeze in a little bit of fun every weekend because, let's face it, life without fun is not worth living. I am happy to say that our weekends have been great so far. We went on drives in the canyon to watch the beautiful Fall leaves, went and did our first session at the Salt Lake temple on a snowy day, and went and watched Disney On Ice.

4. I've been going to bed before 10pm more and more frequently. Can you tell that life has taken its toll on me? I haven't been going to bed before 12am in the past few years (ever since I started college)! But I guess it's a good thing going to bed early. That means I get more sleep, and I'll be more rested, and be less cranky during the day, and be more productive. A blessing in disguise? Most likely.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I am excited about it. This year I am thankful for all the work that the Lord has blessed us with. K, this is probably a little bit too depressing but at one point when I felt like I was drowning in all the assignments, I wished for the world to end soon. I am thankful that the Lord did not listen to my stupid, whiny wish. Even though I am always complaining about how busy I am and how much I wish everything could be over, I am actually very thankful for a busy life. At least I am not bored! I feel a sense of accomplishment and confidence everytime I finish a seemingly way-too-difficult-for-Sharon task. I proved to myself that I could find a way to get things done if I had a will.

Story #356: It's him again!

2011-10-08T07:48:00.000-10:00

Today was laundry day again. Remember that little boy we saw last time? If you don't, go here to read about him. Anyways, we saw him again! He was coming from an opposite direction this time. He was wearing a kid's size police uniform. I tried talking to him, but he ignored me. All I can say is his mom taught him well. When we were in the laundry room, I realized I forgot to bring my BYU ID card so I ran back to our apartment to get it. Yeap, I ran, cause it was freezing outside. I almost rolled down the stairs. That's the story for another day. As I was running back to the laundry room, I heard someone blowing a whistle. I knew, by my instinct, that it was that little boy blowing his whistle on me. I didn't turn back to look cause I just wanted to get the laundry done. As I was running, I heard running footsteps behind me and the whistle kept being blown. I was secretly happy that I outran him. When I got into the laundry room, I told Mr.L that the little boy was chasing after me. Sure enough, he ran in, blowing his whistle.

I am starting to like going to the laundry mat now. It seemed that there were always fun little incident like that every time we went.

Story #356: Meltdown

2011-10-02T12:19:00.001-10:00

Yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, I had a few meltdowns. I don't know what was causing me to be so anger-proned but I was not my best self the past few days. I was tired and stressed-out. I was helping out at my friend's activity (for her MA project) at the ELC. I was there from 4pm til about 9pm (even though I was paid by the ELC, I was only paid for 2 hours of my work). Though I had fun helping out (I was doing some background/body swap editing on PhotoShop), I felt so tired. I talked to my friend after the activity and she told me this was one of the last things she had to do for her project.

I was SCARED when I heard that. My goal is to graduate in June and that means I need to get my project done by February so I can defend in April, and then finish my coursework in June and graduate. I was overcome with a feeling of inadequacy (I think grad school make people feel that way all the time) and fear that I will not be able to my project done in time. Curse my professor for telling me to wait til Fall to start (he wouldn't answer my questions when I emailed him from Malaysia in the summer. He told me that I will know what I need to do when I take his classes in Fall)! Fall is here and I was finally able to get my questions answered (those questions I asked him in the emails were yes/no question. He only needed to tell me yes or no and then I would have been able to carry out my project while vacationing in Asia). WHY would he have waited for months to tell me what I needed to hear? Sometimes I REALLY REALLY want to freaking curse him!!

I think that one of the reasons I was suddenly overwhelmed and stressed-out was that I put all the deadlines of all the research papers (yea, on top of my MA project, I still have 2 other papers to do, and a ton of stuff to grade for my students) and assignments on google calendar and when I saw that there are A LOT of things due in the next couple of months (something is due every week), I panicked. Then I saw how messy my apartment was, I freaked out. A thought crossed my mind: I want to quit school. I am DONE with school!

That was what I wanted in the past few days. But I know deep down that I would regret that. I am so close to graduating and a few more months of hell isn't going to get in my way.

Thank God for general conference week because not only did I hear so many things that were meant for me to hear, I was also able to put things in perspective, picked up the pieces, and get to work again.

Story #355: Saturday rambling

2011-09-24T12:13:00.001-10:00

Went to the laundry room to get our clothes with Mr.L. Saw a little boy about 4-5 years old playing by himself on the playground next to the laundry room. Wondered where his parents were and if it was fun to play on the slide alone. Left the laundry room, proceeded back to our apartment, and saw the boy walking past us rather quickly towards his house. Observed that his eyes were glued on me as he ran past me. Asked Mr.L why the boy stared at me and he replied in a whisper, "cause we're stranger." The boy started picking up his pace and turned his head sideway to see what we were whispering about. It was too comical not to laugh so we laughed out loud. Upon hearing our laughter, the boy turned around and said, "what are you laughing at?". That only provoked us to laugh louder. He took off running towards his house. I felt like a meanie. But kids are funny. Hopefully we get to be called to the nursery again.

My Saturday has been good so far. What about yours?

Story #354: Everything is going to be OK

2011-09-16T08:58:00.000-10:00

Sometimes when I let my mind wander, different images and memories of me making a fool of myself would start popping into my mind. Everytime and embarrassing image float across my mind, I would try to block it out by saying, "AAAAAAAA!!!" or "STOP!" Because I often said it out loud, I usually startled my husband in the other room and he would jump and ask, "What, what?" to which I always replied, "nothing".

I had a particular bad day two weeks ago. I felt like I had made a fool of myself big time, rejected, incompetent, and most of all, a failure. I was suddenly really scared of everything. I was scared to be alone, I was scared to be with people, I was scared to go outside. In essence, I was depressed. My sweet husband and his shoulders to cry on made me feel a whole lot better. One thing he said that I thought was truly a word of wisdom is "At least the worst is over." He was right. The worst was over, I faced my fear and I was surprised that things are turning out a lot better than I had anticipated. He also found me a quote that I absolutely adore: "No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap" by Carrie P. Snow. She was right! I took a nap and when I woke up I was ready to take on the challenges laying ahead.

The other day I was talking to a friend, expressing how daunting some things in life seem to me. I also told her about my fear of public speaking, being the center of attention in front of people I don't know well, and showing up on a photo shoot all nervous. Though I have had similar conversation with other people and have received incredible advice and encouragement, what my friend said to me that day was by far the most powerful. She simply said, "Everything will be over in an hour" (she was of course referring to teaching). And just like that it calmed me and somehow that simple little phrase took root in my heart. I noticed that as I remind myself that whatever my fear for something might be, it will soon become the past. Once the storm passes, the sky will clear up and the sun will shine (if it's still daytime).

Everyday everyone is fighting a battle of their own. To those who can't see the rainbow after the storm, just have faith that in a matter of a few hours or days or months the storm will be over.
And take a nap sometimes :)

Mr.L took this when I was taking a nap.

Story #353: Hoorah! More changes!

2011-08-24T17:18:00.006-10:00

Are you bored with all my talks about changes lately? Sorry! But that's what my life is about right now.

While I was tweeting a couple of days ago, I saw a tweet that made me so excited. Jasmine Star, the ultimate wedding photographer, tweeted that one of her video workshops on CreativeLive is now on sale. I emailed the tweet to myself for fear that I would forget about it if I don't send myself a reminder. I finally found time to sit down and watch a free clip of it [the course cost $119 after the discount and I still don't have the money for it :( ]

I learned A LOT from her and about her. I loved that she had a humble beginning in her photography career too! That gives me hope. Maybe I can be as successful as she is one day. I really like Jasmine as a person. I feel like I get to know her so well through her blog. I am an avid reader! I loved the way she told her story. She is funny and so willing to share her knowledge and experience. I love mentors like that (I call her my mentor even though she doesn't even know it).

One of the things that she talked about that I felt like I should definitely start doing is that photographers should blog more about things that are beyond just photography on their photography site. How curious! I always used to think that my photography blog is just a tool for me to showcase only my works, no personal life. I didn't like the idea of sharing my personal life with my potential clients (they'd think that I am too boring!). I am afraid of being judged. I am afraid of putting myself out there for people to see how uncool I am. Well, I guess I don't have to blog about my insecurity. But what about my tangents??? I go off on way too many tangents way too often. People don't like long-winded people. But I know that Jasmine is right (yea, we're totally on the first names basis), I need to start blogging more about my personal life on my photography blog. My clients need to know me as me, not just as some strangers whom they might consider hiring for their weddings.

I guess that instead of writing separate posts, I can just use some of my posts here on this blog on my photography blog too, something not as personal as pouring out my heart and soul I guess.

Therefore, it won't be a surprise if you see two similar posts on this site and my photography site in the future.

Story #352: Mr.K leaves on a mission

2011-08-24T14:06:00.007-10:00

I like to think of life as a series of adventures.

Today my youngest bro-in-law, Mr.L's youngest bro, my mom-in-law's toughest son (he is BUFF! and she was in labor for 27 hours when she gave birth to him) went to the Mission Training Center (MTC) for the LDS church. His new adventure as a missionary starts today. How I envy him! I want to go to Sapporo, Japan too! What? You thought I was gonna say I envy him cause I want to go on a mission too? NOOOO!! Mission is way too hard for me! I have a fragile heart. I can't stand people belittling my beliefs, judging my actions all the time, and making fun of my religion. I would die of stress, and hypertension. I would die of heartache to see the members of the church being ridiculed for their love for our church. I leave the spreading of the good news (gospel) to the tough ones.

Mr.K, my bro-in-law, has always been a good example to me. When we were living together in a household, I am always amazed by how big his heart and his appetite are. He studies his scriptures everyday, goes to bed early, does all of his homework, and go to church early every Sunday. Who does that, right? Go to bed early? Go to church early? I don't even get to church on time! He also eats A LOT! I guess for a growing teen, that's normal. Oh, and he lifts weight like it's nobody's business. 45 pound dumbbells?? I can't even lift them with my two hands!

He's like a brother to me. We banter a lot, make fun of each other, teach each other, and admire each other. Okay, don't take it the wrong way. I admire his testimony in the gospel and the way he lives his life in accordance to the commandments of the Lord. And I would like to think that he admires me for my beauty. HAHAHA!!! Well, he told me that he would marry me if Mr.L leaves me one day (as a joke, of course!).

So it was nice that we got to pick him up from the Salt Lake airport, took him out for his "last supper" (as Mr.L called it) at Golden Corale, and drove him to the Provo temple for a couple of pictures before dropping him off at the curb at the MTC. So long for two years, Mr.K! Have a wonderful adventure in Japan!

Story #351: Like Crazy!

2011-08-20T06:17:00.010-10:00

Today I saw this trailer on somebody's blog. After watching it, I immediately decided that I HAVE TO, NEED TO, WANT TO watch it when it comes out in October.

It reminded me of when I was dating Mr.L. I loved him but I was so scared that our love wasn't gonna last. BECAUSE OF MY STUDENT VISA! I didn't really believe in long distance relationship and in the back of my mind the image of us breaking up over the phone or the internet (via skype) was constantly playing, over and over, when I found myself alone in the guest room at his house. So I can relate to those two lovebirds in the movie. In fact, I could relate to them so well that I cried watching the trailer. And I still feel like crying thinking about the trailer. I seriously am a faucet!

When I showed Mr.L the trailer, he was all, "another chick flick". SO unromantic!!!! No matter though, WE are still going to see it when it comes out.

Enjoy the trailer. It is stunning!

UPDATE: I changed the youtube video because I realized it wasn't the one that I wanted to share.

BTW, if you haven't voted on which photoshop effect you like yet, go here to help me decide :)

Story #350: Behind my lens

2011-08-18T09:21:00.008-10:00

So I have posted some bridal pictures of my sister-in-law here. I am really proud of the pictures! I have always been the biggest fan of soft, low contrast images. I like the feeling of dreaminess they invoke. I think those images are not only classy and elegant, they also exude femininity. Those are all the feelings I want my photography to be and my clients to have. After all, who doesn't love timeless portraits?

Like I mentioned in the previous post (here), there are some changes happening over there on my photography blog. If you have been following my blog, you'd notice that I have taken out the slideshow on top of my blog, changed the font, enlarged the size of the images, and also tweaked my editing methods a little.

Although these changes are subtle, I feel that my blog has become so much cleaner and simpler, and that actually makes my photos pop (duh!). There will be more changes coming soon. I am taking it slow because I have been so busy (remember the two weddings, the mission farewell, the move, and everything in between?). But I am going to be changing the look of my photography website and blog entirely (hopefully very soon. If not, by 2012).

Even though photography is my side job now, I am hoping to get my website and blog out there so I can eventually do more of more of it. So if you like my photography, tell your friends about it, tweet about it, pin it (pinterest), like it, share it everywhere! *wink wink* I will definitely consider travelling to different destinations (per my clients' request) when I am done with school. For now, just Utah/Salt Lake County + occasionally Washington County.

I have to also rethink my marketing strategy, my pricing (I've been doing way too much for what I am being paid for), and continue to practice shooting in certain lighting. I most definitely need to start being less shy around new acquaintances or my clients. I am always scared to death the day before a shoot and I often feel like running away so that I don't have to go to a shoot. Sometimes I get so nervous that I wish my ceiling would fall down and crush me so I don't have to go meet my clients (not that I have a lot). I know! I know! Too extreme!!! But that's just to show you how afraid I am even though I may look calm from the outside. If you are a potential client, don't be scared off by my scarediness (I love to make up new words), I still do a great job!

Everytime I go to a shoot, I first say 50 prayers that I don't mess up and that people would like me and tell their friends to hire me (I just want to get hired! Can you tell I am desperate?). Then I chant "you are great, you are awesome, your photos rock, you rock!" Sometimes I would sing to myself really loudly, in the car, songs that go up very high, til my voice crack. And I would laugh and feel better. By this point you're probably like, "this girl ain't normal!" I AM!!! I promise!

Okay, I have gone on way too many tangents and deviated from what I am supposed to be posting this time!

I need your help deciding something (yea, I can be quite indecisive sometimes. Like whether I should stay here in Toquerville for a couple more days or just drive up to Provo today. I have been debating with myself about this for about a week! Oh, you're like that too? High five!).

I would like you to vote on the pictures you like below. There are 3 sets of them (set a, b, and c). These three sets are edited differently, namely the temperature of the image, the saturation, the contrast, and some other stuff. I like all of them for different reasons and I do have my favorite, but I just want to see if you guys have the same favorite. Perhaps I will base my new editing methods off of the set that gets the most votes. OR maybe we can meet in the middle :)

A) Pink

B) Less pink, more green

C) A bit more muted and "white"

More examples? No problem!

A) Pink

B) Less pink, more green

C) Muted, more "white"

Obviously the same editing style used on different pictures will give different looks to the photos. Just go with your instinct and vote on the one that pleases your eyes the most.

MAHALO!!! Thank you so much!

Story #349: Period

2011-08-15T12:53:00.008-10:00

One of the lectures I always get from my mom over the phone or in person is "Do not drink cold water." I hear the lecture so many times that I can not only memorize it but I can also know when I will hear it exactly.

So you want a piece of this lecture? I know you don't want to be lectured but I know you are also curious as to WHY she nags me on such a small matter.

Before I go into the lecture (well, not verbatim, but maybe some main points that she made), let me just tell you this: I don't just hear this from my mom. I hear this from my close friends in Malaysia, friends from Taiwan, male friends, my dad, my cousins, my aunts, my students, and random strangers I meet in Asia.

So what is the big deal?

When I am experiencing cramps during my period, the first thing I do is whining about it to anybody who is around me. The responds I get here in the US is "take this (whatever it is) pill", which I never do because I don't like to pop pills into my mouth and my body. I don't even take birth control pills despite the fact that Mr.L and I do not intend to have any kids until I'm done with school. TMI~!

When I was in Malaysia in the past three months, ALL responds I get are "don't drink cold water" or "Do you drink cold water normally? Don't EVER drink cold water!" Cold drinks can, supposedly, cause cramps and mess up your menstrual cycle. And when that happens, "You cannot get pregnant easily!" (in the words of my mama). And "it can cause you to have irregular menstrual cycle." Last but not least, the classic, "you can get cancer if bad blood circulation cause you not to be able to dump all your 'dirty blood'".

WHAT???????????????? You're raising your eye-brows, aren't you? Or shaking your head. I know. What scientific proof can anyone give to sustain this belief? I am still searching for a Chinese medicine report on this that's translated into English. But I can't find any! I found some forums that talks about this in Chinese but I want a Western doctor or researcher to verify it cause I just want to be able to prove/dispute that drinking cold water on a daily basis is not good for women (and not just Chinese women). If there's no strong scientific evidence to prove that then I don't want to be following it (and I can hear myself retort "there are ghosts and there are no solid scientific evidence, apart from some sound waves which doesn't really mean anything, to back it up).

I went online an searched for this topic "why can't women drink cold water during their period". I know, asking a question to google as if it is a human. This is what I found that I thought was a not-so-bad explanation.

"During their menstrual period women should avoid cold foods and eat more warm foods. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that heat promotes blood circulation while the cold slows it down. Eating cold foods not only hinders digestion but also harms the body's yangqi (me: you know, that whole yin and yang thing? it plays a big part in Chinese medicine), causing the production of internal cold, which causes stagnation. It will slow down the circulation of blood, causing a lack of blood and even dysmenorrhea. Therefore even during hot summers, menstruating women should not have cold drinks or cold foods like pears, water chestnuts, wax gourds, etc."

This is found here.

Then I found this and I literally laughed out loud. This is totally what I was taught growing up! I remember thinking "WTF" when I had had it about not washing my hair!

"wash hair during period

by kiekyon » Wed Mar 15, 2006 3:55 am

i received this via email. can't help wondering if it is true?

It has been a traditional theory that ladies are not supposed to wash their hair during their period.

But there are no solutions to the question why?

The victim will only realise at their later stage of their life, facing the symptoms of breast and ovary cancer.

Today ladies still wash their hair during their period with the thinking that they will be safe if they blow dry their hair. But this will not prevent them from getting the cancer. Please read the article below:

A well known Taiwanese medical professor specialise in cancer research based on a Japanese university did a survey on 30,000 pre cancer patients. She found these patients are very choosy in their food, wash their hair during their period and carry heavy object and drink cold drinks. This will course the incomplete of ovulation and the remaining menses will turn into toxic and the imbalance of hormone will lead to ovary and breast cancer. During the research she found the method of prevention to these cancer diseases. The secrets are:

- One must change their lifestyle and eating habits.

- Do not wash our hair while having period, do not wash your hair just for the cooling effect and contraction of ovary.

- Excessive bleeding must be investigated by a gynae.

- No cold drinks.

- If you feel drowsy, breast expansion and constipation, these are the early symptoms of ovary or breast cancer. (me: I have never heard this before but I seriously have had it with people who make up stuff to scare people! Should I go get myself examined by the doctor?? What if I don't and I have cancer???)

To prevent use:

- Black sugar
- Chinese lotus (leng ngau)
- Carrot and Barley

Boil to soup and drink. This is one of the best prevention."

You can find this here. Read the responds. They are hilarious.

I know that Western medicine isn't the answer to everything and doesn't have the answer to many things. But I also do not want to be a superstitious person who believe in something that has no correct and clear explanation of. When it comes to my health, I want to be wise about it and not believe in some traditional notions that have no solid foundation in either Eastern or Western medicine. I do think that drinking cold water affects my menstrual cycle (speaking from experience here) but nobody can prove that drinking cold water is the source of cancers among women! I just want some explanations as to why I can't do this or I can't do that during a certain period of my life.

I will continue to search for the answer and find out for myself if all these things that I was taught and are taught to all Chinese women since who-knows-when are true. For me, this is not just a matter of faith.

update: According to this article, I am experiencing a type of irregular menstrual cycle called "cold in the blood".

What's "cold in the blood"?

"Cold in the Blood. A woman suffering from cycles that become longer and longer apart with scanty dark colored blood may be suffering from cold in the blood. Generally she will also experience abdominal pain which feels better with a heating pad. She would also probably suffer from cold feet and hands. This usually comes from internal invasion of cold, or overeating cold, raw foods or exposure to cold during a period."

Of the 7 ways to keep your menstrual cycle regular suggested by the article, three of them are related to cold water. No cold drinks, no cold food (ice cream, raw veges, raw fruits), and no immersing yourself in cold water (rain or go swimming).

It seems like apart from the yin and yang and the Qi explanation, there really isn't any Western explanation for it. I guess if you believe in Qi and that kind of stuff (like my mother-in-law and her mom and step-dad do), then you can probably accept this notion of not drinking cold water and no cold shower during your menstrual period. As for me, I'm staying away from all the cold stuff.

Story #348: Changes

2011-08-05T12:16:00.004-10:00

Hello sweets,

I'm back. I'm ready for real life after a long vacation.

I have 2 weddings to attend in the next five days. Both weddings are from the same family. My husband's family. Crazy, right? I'm shooting my sister-in-law, Chantelle's wedding. This means, go and check out my photography website in the next couple of weeks for pretty photos. On the side note, I am very nervous. First real wedding (paid) shoot by me, alone. It's pretty daunting. I hope I do well. I'll probably blog more about my shooting experience next time I blog. if you're interested in my behind-the-scene shooting stories, I'm happy to tell you all about it.

I'm still having jetlag. Why, oh why does it take me so long to get over it? I woke up at 5am this morning. I guess it's a good thing to arise early (I used to wake up at like 12pm when I was on my trips). I got a lot of things done before noon. Laundry, wedding presents shopping, some random shopping for myself, and having breakfast at a Vietnamese restaurant by myself. Mr.L was gone, tubing with his friends and their wives. I didn't go because I was feeling a bit sick. I got sick during the last week of our trip, when I was in Taiwan. Yup, still not fully recovered yet.

I meant this to be a short post (just telling you guys that I am back and I have not abandoned this blog. But I'm the queen of tangent, so that's not likely going to happen. I WILL be improving the blog, revamp it or something, and start doing weekly posts on some stuff. Sorry I'm being so vague. I actually haven't figured out entirely what I want to do with the blog yet. I know I want to blog more. I know I want to change the layout of my blog because I am sick of this one already. I know I want to show more of the things in my personal life. But I don't have a clear cut direction for the blog yet. Any ideas are welcomed! Oh, btw, there will be some changes to my photography website as well. I am pretty excited about the change and my goal is to shoot more wedding pictures.

I'll be posting the pictures of my Taiwan trip on Facebook soon (hopefully after the weddings). So, check that out too.

I'm going to go take a nap, or maybe just roll around on my mother-in-law's bed (I know it sounds weird but we're staying at her house before school starts and her room is the only place in the house cool enough in the afternoon to get me to fall asleep. and she kept telling me to sleep there). Check back soon, I have tons to share (about our three-month trip, the weddings, our new apartment, my new semester, my first time teaching a class all by myself, and a lot of other exciting (or not) things in my life.

With that, I'll leave you with my favorite picture of the trip.

watching sunset at Jimbaran beach, Bali, Indonesia

Story #347: Big Apple donuts

2011-06-03T22:12:00.001-10:00

One of my favorite things to eat in Provo was Krispy Kreme's donuts. I like the softness of the donuts that they have. But I always felt like they could have done more to the donuts.

I first came across Big Apple donuts in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia in 2008 after I came home from Hawaii. I was impressed by the beautiful art design on the donuts. I wanted to eat every single one they had. After I left, I searched everywhere in Utah, hoping to find something similar. Krispy Kreme was the closest thing to it. I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I love Krispy Kreme. But I wanted more. I wanted nice, cute art work on the donuts, not just some colorful sprinkles. So I was really excited to ear Big Apple donuts again. I am so glad they have it in Miri. Sadly, the donuts themselves were not as fluffy as Krispy Kreme's. If only they could mix Big Apple donuts art work into Krispy Kreme's donuts. That would be perfect!!

By the way, Big Apple originated in Malaysia. At first I thought it came all the way from NYC but after talking to my friends in the US about it and seeing the "what are you shmoking" look on their faces, I looked online and found out I was wrong. The brand is misleading!!

I have yet to try out the donutshi but they look like they are really tasty and they are so cute! I'll try them out the next time I go to Big Apple donuts again.

Story #346: Mr.L Birthday

2011-04-21T12:27:00.005-10:00

I am done with my one and only final so I am done with the semester. Actually, I'm done with the 1st year of grad school. So now I am just chilling at home, TRYING to clean up and pack for our trip and move out of our apartment, doing exercises (I go to the gym on campus with my friend everyday over the past 2 days. and we did pilates at my place today!), trying to finish the food in our fridge and freezer, researching for random things, photoshop-ing Mr.L's siblings' engagement pictures, and rolling around on my bed.

Life is pretty great when you don't have to work or go to school. Well, at least for a while it feels great. I am sure it gets pretty mundane after a week.

I noticed that I haven't blogged a lot ever since this semester started. I know I blog about random things once in a while, but I feel like I haven't really blog about the fun things that happened because I talked about them on Facebook. So, I am going to blog about what happened a couple of weeks ago: Mr.L's birthday.

Mr.L's turned 25!

I threw him a party because I didn't do anything special with him the past 3 birthdays he had. The birthday he had after he came back to Hawaii from his mission was celebrated with his roommates and me at Cheesecake Factory (one of his house mates had his birthday that same day and had some giftcards for that restaurant. I don't think I even got him anything. The two birthdays after that were celebrated with his mom and family. I didn't really do anything special for him.

So I decided he deserves to have a good time on his birthday and that going to a restaurant to eat just wasn't going to cut it. I had this elaborate plan for about 2 weeks and my perfect plan was interrupted when one of his class ended a week earlier than I had anticipated. So I had to do everything on the day of his birthday while he went to school for a few hours. I shopped for his cake, some donuts, presents, and food while he was at school and came home to hide them so that he wouldn't find them. Some of the things like his birthday cake and the mini cupcakes were not easy to hide at all! I placed them at the bottom shelf and put fruits and stuff around them to hide them from sight. I was so worried that he would go look for food in there and find them. Luckily, he wasn't really a scavenger.

The hardest part was to sneak a box of pizza past him. I didn't want to get the pizza early because I didn't want to serve cold pizza. So I went out and bought it after my group meeting at around 4pm that day. L was home playing Halo. When I got home I opened the door to see what he was doing and decided I could maybe sneak the pizza past him. So I said hi to him and pretended that I had left something out in the car. Then I went out, got the pizza, pop my head back in the house to see if he was noticing me, and brought the pizza in (right under his nose) and hid it in the oven. He wasn't even a teensy bit suspicious.

Oh, I also hid his presents in the mailbox. I wanted him to think that I wasn't getting him anything. That was one of my plan to draw him out of the house so his siblings could come in. I had asked them to hide upstairs and park their cars far away from our apartment. They were really smart too. Instead of hiding right upstairs of our apartment, they hid in the one next to our block. I was so thankful that they thought of doing that because our upstairs neighbor's kid was playing outside on the staircase and he talked to L and L turned around and talked to him too. He would have totally seen his siblings if they had hidden up there.

Having him leave the apartment was the hardest. I got all dressed up, making him think that we were going out to a restaurant to celebrate. Then I pretended I received a phone call from his mom telling me to ask him to go out to the mail to check for his present. This was when he started to suspect. He was like "Don't tell me my mom came all the way up here for my birthday" and he started looking out the window to try to see her car. I was all, "No! She told me to tell you. Just go look!" He didn't buy it. So I was like, "Actually, I got some presents for you and I put them in the mailbox." He finally decided to go check it out even though he smelled something fishy.

So while he was gone his siblings sneaked in and i brought out all the food and bubbles. When he came, we all yelled "surprise!" and ya da ya da. It was awesome because he was surprised, even though not as surprised as I had thought. Still, it was great. Great food, awesome cheesecake, he got lots of presents, and we played Rock Band.

Story #345: Going home doesn't sound like such a good idea anymore

2011-04-17T14:05:00.003-10:00

I am stressed. Not from finals or my research papers, but from the thought of going home. Why?

Well, there are a few sources:

1. packing. It is stressful. I tried packing today and my goal to bring only a hand-carry bag is not going to happen. I seriously tried to bring only 15 pieces of clothing, including 2 pairs of jeans. So I think I will go over my clothes again and reduce as many as I can so I can bring only a carry-on.

Question: Can I bring one carry-on bag, my purse, and a camera bag? Cause I thought we can only bring a carry-on and a personal bag and that's it.

Question 2: We booked an international flight and will be having a layover in LA for 5 hours on our way to Malaysia. So, would we have to pay for checked bags since it's an international flight? Would we have to pay for checked bags from Las Vegas to LA? It's a connecting flight and it is included in the whole flight package.

2. The thought of meeting with my high school friends is daunting! First of all, I have gained some weight. Not as skinny as a toothpick anymore. Second, they are all so tiny. Like Lia tiny. Very cute and skinny. So I would look like a giant next to them (which is why I hate being next to Lia in a picture, I always look HUGE!!). Sorry, Lia, I love you. I just hate me.

3. My friends are Chinese. That means they can be quite blunt. I am sure they WILL point out all my un-perfections. Wait, some of them already have! I am not saying that I need to live up to their expectations, but yea, there are things that just can't be shrugged off so easily.

So, I am dedicating the two weeks before I hop on the plane to detoxing, exercising, and healthy-dieting. Sounds so hard. I am not even sure if I can do any of it. Wish me luck!

Story #344: Teaching never felt so good

2011-03-27T18:33:00.006-10:00

I love my students. Now that I am no longer their teacher, I feel that I can say that without putting a jinx on it. You know, sometimes when you say you love something, and after a while you find out how rotten that thing/person is because you've jinxed it.

Ok, so my practicum is over. 10 weeks flew by pretty fast. I remember dreading teaching a bunch of students who are my age or older than I am. I was so worried that they would mock my English and ask me some questions about grammar that I have no clue how to answer. I was half-right. They did ask me grammar-related questions that I didn't know how to answer (I turned to my mentoring teacher, instead. Very sleek, am I not?), but they did not mock me or distrust me because I am not a native speaker of English. *speaking of native speaker, on the day I presented my senior paper at BYUH, one of my professors came and told me that I spoke like a native. My other professor overheard it and he was like "What? You said she sounded like a native American?" That professor was Dr.Han. No, Dr. Han, he meant I spoke like a native speaker of English, not American Indian.

So my students gave me great feedback about my teaching. All of them said that they loved my teaching style and they thought I was really smart and funny and creative. There were a few of them that said I was perfect. I was more than flattered. I wanted to scream on the top on my lungs on the tallest building of the world that I love being a teacher. I don't want to jinx it because this was the first class I taught and they loved me because they were all really kind and sweet Mormons.

Anywho, we had a farewell party and although it was a short party, it was awesome. These are my sweet students. I look like a pregnant lady in this picture and my face is so fat that my eyes appeared to be slits! I hate me.

Story #343: Fall-out Shelter

2011-03-18T06:48:00.003-10:00

This morning I got on Facebook and saw Michelle Branch's status talking about the nuclear radiation cloud that has reached Southern California. I started to panic. What if we inhaled the nuclear gas and started growing cancer? What if our babies were born missing an eye or an arm? Or worse, born with 8 arms?!

Then I thought about our food storage. Sadly, we don't really have any food storage. We do have a few bags of potato pearls that can be made into mashed potatoes in less than a minute. But that won't be enough! If we have to stay in the house for more than a month, we'll need to buy bottled water, lots of canned food, lots of grains, lots of frozen food, and lots of medicine. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Utah is too close to California! Maybe I'll just hurry and finish school and move to Florida.

I told Mr.L the news (my source is Michelle Branch) and he said we should build a bomb shelter and live in it for 30 years, like Blast From the Past. Have any of you seen that movie? It's one of my favorite! I watched it so many times and I still laugh about it. But hey, it is not so funny now! If we do have to live in a bomb shelter, I will make sure that I bring lots and lots of movies and download like 100 TV shows and series. I am not watching one movie, upside down for 30 years!

Let's hope everything will be fine in the end and some of us won't end up having alien-like babies.

Story #342: The light bulb was on!

2011-03-17T14:34:00.004-10:00

It's that time of the month again. I am constantly craving for food. All kinds of food. I was craving dim sum so I made myself some shao mai and turnip cake. But I was also craving something fruity, like frozen yogurt and parfait. So I tried to make some frozen yogurt last night.

I used strawberry yogurt and cut some strawberries and kiwi fruits. Then I just mixed them together and put it in the freezer. I thought it was going to turn out awesome! Wrong. When I took it out of the fridge it was frozen solid (what was I expecting, anyway?) so I put it in the fridge overnight. This morning, I took a bit from it and it was so sour! Too much fruit I assume. So I fed it to Mr.L. hahaha...

He hated it. He hated sour food. But I don't really want it to go to waste so all afternoon I was thinking of how to make it edible. Suddenly, I had a great idea! I mixed a couple of handfuls of Honey Bunches of Oats in and added some honey to it. I turned the fro yo' into a parfait!

I am a genius! And now I am happily eating my healthy breakfast/dessert/snack while I am writing this.

Good day!

Story #341: Even before the beginning of my summer trip

2011-03-10T19:20:00.003-10:00

I am getting more and more excited about my trip back to Malaysia as the days go by. I've been telling everyone about it: my students, my classmates, my family, my friends at church, my friends in Malaysia, and whoever who cares to listen.

The sad thing is we'll be spending lots of $$ when we go back.

Let me go off on a tangent for a bit:

K, I admit that I am very stingy when it comes to spending $. Wait, I am not (I have no problem with shopping). But I feel this guilt that won't go away for days after I spend the $ (it doesn't matter what the $ is spent on:grocery, clothes, books, eating-out, trips). I want the guilt to go away so bad that sometimes I just returned the things I bought(usually my clothes) or I kept telling Mr.L that we need to stop eating out so much (which is about 2 times a week or more sometimes depending on what's left in the fridge or if I get off work 10 minutes later than normal).

K, back to the main story:

So I am very excited about going home because I will be back for 3 months! We will be visiting many places in Malaysia (sadly, I can count with one hand how many places I have been to in Malaysia). My country has so much to offer and I never cared about local tourism until I left. This time we plan to visit Penang (where there are lots of good Malaysian Chinese food), Kuala Lumpur (the capital: basically like all the other capital cities in the world--fun, but not my type), Malacca (the first city that we study in our Malaysian history--this was where the country started), and of course my hometown in the Borneo.

We will also go visit Singapore, Hanoi, Vietnam., Taiwan, and Hong Kong. At first we thought about going to Bali (you know how Eat, Love, Pray can do to you) but I am paranoid about terrorist attacks that happen a few times there in the past 5 years. It is also over saturated by loud Australian (and maybe quite a lot of Americans too)tourists. When I told my cousin about my fear of running into some crazy terrorists there, she told me to show my Malaysian passport and tell them to take my American husband instead. I know that was really awful, but she was just joking. Sorry if I offend anyone.

Anyways, I am super excited to go home and the more I think about it the more I feel like quitting school! There are several things I'll have to do before going home though. For example, I need to do some exercise to make my thighs and tummy smaller so I won't look like a giant next to my super tiny friends. Oh, I'll also have to make sure I only bring 15 pieces of clothing and 2 pairs of shoes for the trip. Hmm...that's a bit hard. I brought half of my closet on the trip to California, and that was only for less than 2 weeks. Hopefully I won't be tempted to bring every piece of clothing I own when I start packing. I always worried that I might need something that I didn't pack.

All right, I need to go back to my boring assignment. Let's look forward to a great summer!

Story #340: I'm a zombie.

2011-03-03T20:43:00.004-10:00

Another weekend without any plans. This is so unlike me! Last year we went to different events and places every weekend. I used to detest wasting my weekends cooped up at home doing nothing, I wanted to go out and see things. Now, I just feel like staying home watching Naruto and read books. What is wrong with me?!

Recently, I've lost my motivation to do well in my classes. There's a voice in my head that says, "Now that you're in the MA program, you don't have to work so hard anymore. Just produce mediocre works, procrastinate til the very last minute, and skip classes once in a while so you can take naps." And now, instead of doing my homework that's due first thing in the morning, I am here, blogging about nothing important. What is wrong with me?!

I feel like a zombie. I don't feel like going to my classes and work, cooking, shopping, going out with my friends. I just want to stay home, sleep, eat chips, lay on the couch and watch Naruto. I am turning into a pig @_@!!!!

Is there a way to snap out of this? I am beginning to think that I am turning into a recluse/meaningless old fart.

Story #339: I got in!

2011-02-24T06:08:00.002-10:00

I got accepted to the TESOL MA program! I am so relieved! Thank you, Lord!

No more wondering what I would do if I don't get in. Now I just need to get a head start on the dictionary-making project and graduate on time (too many of my friends postpone their graduation because they weren't able to finish their project and defend it on time).

Wish me luck!

Story #338:The troubles that Facebook brought me

2011-02-23T18:57:00.003-10:00

K, first off, I'd just like to say that I usually don't do this -- writing about some people that annoy me on my blog (cause you never know who's reading!). But recently I read some comments and Facebook status that makes me wonder why people say what they say on Facebook. Personally, I like Facebook just cause it is the easiest way for me to communicate and keep in touch with people (everybody is on Facebook, even my mom! and it's just easier to add people on Facebook than trying to remember their email address), but I think it has become a tool for people to vent and bad-mouth others.

I admit that sometimes I feel so emotional and annoyed about something or someone that I would actually put it on my Facebook status. But I usually do so in Chinese, since I less friends who can read chinese so I thought maybe less damage is done. Lately, I've seen an increase of some of my acquaintances (some of them still in high school and some of them barely graduated from high school) who posted some really petty/nasty status on the Facebook. One of them talked about photography in particular, saying how nowadays photoshop is so over-used that everybody must edit their pictures before uploading them. Then she said something about somebody's photography who uses photoshop so much that the pictures turned out "butt-ugly". My first thought was, "I hope she's not talking about me!" Then, I thought, "There's no way she is talking about me!" Then I thought, "If she is talking about me then she must be a prideful and ungrateful little b***h". But my final thought is she isn't talking about me. I mean, hey...I don't overuse photoshop. I don't use photoshop enough! On the defense on whoever the girl is talking about (I kinda know who she is talking about), the editing softwares that everybody seems to be using now (piknik or whatever) is not really photoshop. You photoshop only when you are using the real Adobe Photoshop! I felt like commenting on her wall and say "Girl, don't criticize others when you don't even know how to use this word properly!" But of course I never will do so...unless if I find out she really is attacking me!

Tonight, I came across a status posted by this other girl who said something like "OHMYHOLYCRAP!!!! freakin people and their engagements!!!!!!!!!!!! wow." Normally, I wouldn't have cared. Some people just have a hard time with people being engaged, even though I think that they should be used to it by now, given that they are born and raised in Utah. Anywho...the reason I was a little pissed about what she said is she had ALWAYS been posting bitter posts like this and my sister-in-law happened to be engaged just recently, and she is a friend of our family. So, my first impression is she is talking about Chantelle! And so I thought, "What the crap, so and so, just cause you can't get Tyler(my bro-in-law), doesn't mean you need to be jealous about his sister!" I still think she's talking about Chantelle, but I might be wrong. Even if she's not talking about Chantelle, I don't understand why she gets all upset about people getting engaged!

I don't know why I even added these high-schoolers on my Facebook. Well, I know. They were my models when I was starting out and my neighbors in Toquerville. But I would never have thought that they were so mean-spirited! Again, I really don't like high-schoolers.And oh, I read so many crap that my high-school cousins posted on their Facebook as well. What is wrong with the high-schoolers?? I don't think I was ever like that! Maybe I was, I just never had Facebook to broadcast the annoyance caused by my teenage hormones.

Story #337: Books

2011-02-22T10:52:00.003-10:00

I had a quiet long weekend. For the most part, we stayed home like hermits, totally unaware of what was going on outside of our small apartment. We missed BYU basketball games and plays and whatever else they had going on on campus.

I was happy just to read. I finished 2 books in 3 days, which was a record for me. I didn't read Persuasion because I couldn't bring myself to! I like Jane Austin's characters because they are so complicated and well-developed. But her stories are a little...cliche. I guess I shouldn't judge this book because I haven't read it but I just couldn't get pass page 2. I'll give it another try next time.

This time I read a book by Lisa See caalled "Peony In Love." The title was very uninteresting but the story was the opposite. It was so weird and interesting. Although the theme of this book is like her other books where she talked about the ancient Chinese women and their lives in the world of men, this book was narrated from the point of view of a female ghost.

The second book I read was Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol." I could not put the book down after I started reading it. It was amazing. Totally thrilling and smart. The only thing that was kind of a let-down was this book was a lot like his "Da Vinci Code." But I loved it nonetheless. It's brilliantly written.

Recently, somebody introduced me the books called "Room" and "The Good Earth". I wonder if any of you have read these books and what is your opinion on them.

What about giving me some suggestions as to what books to buy so I could bring it on the plane with me when I go home?

Story #336: Homeward bound

2011-02-20T07:59:00.002-10:00

Hooray~ We bought our tickets to Malaysia last night! I am so excited!!! I am finally going home again. I can't wait to travel around in Asia and eat good food from home. Oh man!!!!!!! I really can't wait.

Story #335: My plan for the long weekend

2011-02-17T18:01:00.003-10:00

This is going to be a long weekend because I've got nothing planned for it. I turn in 5 assignments tomorrow. I will probably be done with my lesson planning for next week by tomorrow as well.

So...what should I do?

Hiking? meh...

ice-skating? ugh...

movies? it's all right...

lay in bed for most of the day and read? Sounds like fun! Ok. I'll do just that. I checked out 3 books, including "Persuasion" ( @_@ ). On second thought, maybe I will skip Jane Austin this weekend.

Happy Weekend!

Story #334: It's going to be the best weekend!

2011-02-11T15:08:00.007-10:00

This weekend, I will be hanging out with my best friend: Chinese food:)

1. Tonight, I am making turnip cake. It's one of the Teochew food that I miss from back home. It takes a long time to make because it involves extended time of steaming and cooling. But I have been craving it for months and I finally decided to make it (I finally got around to buying some rice flour).

2. Tomorrow for dinner I will be making Siu Mai, one of the items in Chinese dim sum. Since the closest restaurant that serves dim sum is in Salt Lake, I figure I'll try making some just for the fun of it. I am not sure how it would turn out but I got a really neat video that teaches people how to make those little dumplings.

3. On Sunday night, I am inviting Mr.L's siblings over for the Chinese hot pot. The portable electric stove that I purchased online got here yesterday. I can't wait to show them what chinese hot pot is all about. Hopefully there won't be any complaints about cooking your own food at the table. I am super excited about it!

Because this past week had been pretty crappy for me (lots of stress and boredom), I have decided to cheer myself up with food. Mr.L is too busy playing Halo. But I am happy because I get to the things I like to do by myself :)

And I have a date with Naruto tonight. I've already watched about 130 episodes in a week!

Happy Weekend~

Story #333: 2011 Calendar

2011-01-21T14:49:00.004-10:00

I've gotten two 2011 calendars for my Christmas/New Year presents last/this year. As much as I love calendars, I wish I had made and designed my own. I love personalizing and having an excuse to blow up my pictures and use them in a meaningful way. Hence, I am sorting through my travel pictures for year 2010. I have decided to make my own calendars from now on. Now I just need to find a website or service where I can actually make the calendar. Anybody knows any?

These are just some of the images I decide to use in my calendar

Story #332: On being happy

2011-01-07T13:58:00.004-10:00

Sometimes I am afraid to be happy. I always think that happiness is short-lived and if you are too happy, some bad forces will give you a taste of sadness really soon. When I told his family that I don't have anything to fast for, they were all "Oops, you're gonna jinx it. Trials will be at the door soon." That's further confirmation that I shouldn't be too content and comfortable about myself and my life. Isn't that sad? But as sad as it sounds and as much as I know that I shouldn't, when I am really excited about something, I want to hide my happiness.

I have been really stressed-out about getting into the TESOL master program here at BYU. I am enrolled in the TESOL certificate program, which is what everyone has to do before going into the MA program. But in order to get in the MA program, I'll have to do well in all of my classes, the GRE, and have a really good proposal for my Master's thesis/project. I went to my professor just now and showed him my proposal. To my surprise, he loved it. After reading my proposal he told me he's excited to work with me on the project and we can be co-authors for the dictionary I propose to create. He even said that my GRE score is good enough and that he wouldn't worry so much if he was me. Well, I was ecstatic. Sounded like I am about to be accepted into the program!

But I had to stop myself from bursting into a song because I remember I had the same "great feeling" the last time I applied for a job as a sales assistant at the PCC. I didn't get the job even though I was pretty sure I would get it. From then on, every time I have a "great feeling" about something, I tell myself not to be too happy or else some evil forces will be envious and want to destroy any ounce of happiness I've got.

However, deep inside my heart I refuse to believe that that is the case! I want to be able to laugh and burst into songs when I am happy about something. I especially want to scream "YAHOOOOOOOO" on top of my lungs when my professor told me he liked my idea. I mean, why shouldn't I? I believe that I should be modest and always remember that sometimes things are not absolute and final yet, but I believe that I should also be able to tell people about it and not hide my happiness because I am afraid to lose it. I believe that even if things don't work out the way I want them to, it will work out in some other miraculous way.

If you don't have a roof over your head when it rains, you can always use an umbrella.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Story #331: Let me introduce you to...

2011-01-06T13:24:00.004-10:00

Xiao Bei.

short for Xiao Bao Bei,

which means little bundle of joy in Mandarin.

We got him at Disneyland.

He was the first thing I saw when I went in the store and I fell in love with it instantly.

It is so tiny, it's like a baby.

At this point, I am admitting that I want to have babies soon.

Not too soon though... just soon enough.

At the same time I think this is prove enough that I am not ready for a baby either.

I love a stuffed toy because there's no real commitment and late night baby-sitting.

Xiao Bei brought Mr.L and I so much laughter.

It's insane how that can be, right?

How can a stuffed animal give us so much joy?

Well, for one, we can't keep animals in our apartment, and that elevates the status of a stuffed toy in our lives.

Last night when I was in the bathroom getting ready for bed I heard Mr.L giggling and laughing to himself in our bedroom.

I went in the room and found him laying on the bed with our new stuffed Pooh bear and having the greatest time of his life.

I was all "What the...?"

So he showed me a dance he invented for Pooh.

I laughed so hard too.

We are so easily entertained.

I love my husband.

He's the best.

I love Xiao Bei too.

He truly is a bundle of joy--constantly smiling and very much unlike a real-life baby.

Story #330: An old fart's soul searching

2011-01-04T19:05:00.003-10:00

Yesterday as I was being nosy on Facebook, checking out an old friend's profile, I came across a comment her older brother left on her wall. It caught my attention because a)I know him, b)I empathize with what he said. He said, probably jokingly, that he his living his life vicariously thought his younger sister (8 years younger)'s life because he has become "an old fart." Whether he was joking or not, it hit me that I am slowly becoming an old fart too!

When I was in a teenager, I picture my life to be glamorous--living in a penthouse in NYC and go to party every night til I hit 35. I can't say that I have a boring life because it is actually quite interesting (I go places every few months, how boring can my life get?) But sometimes I am envious of my single friends who are making tough choices and deciding who to marry. Gosh! sometimes I am secretly envious of my mother-in-law who still goes to singles dance. I am nuts!!

I probably shouldn't confess here since Mr.L will definitely read this. But I am not complaining about my life or him. I enjoy being me and I love being married to a gorgeous and awesome husband. I just resent the fact that I am getting older and not having any energy left to make new friends and be a social butterfly like my sister (jeez louis, she talks on the phone like constantly with friends from across the world, and she has more friends here in Provo than I do!). It's probably an excuse and I should probably kick myself and count my blessings. I just don't want to be an old fart and live vicariously through others :( I know I don't have to. I need a good cold shower from heaven to wake me up and remind me of how blessed I am.

Anyways, I went to my first class of the semester today and I will be starting my student teaching next week! I am so nervous about it. Why do I get so antsy about things?? I need to, like Dale Carnegie said, stop worrying and start living. I really should start reading that self-help book. I am reading Eat, Pray, Love these few days and I think I need to do some kind of soul-searching like Elizabeth did, only I am turning to my Heavenly Father and not just some great power in the universe.

Dear friends, I'll be back to let you know how my soul-searching goes. I promise you that I will not live vicariously through others and I won't be envious of my sister or my mother-in-law anymore.

Story #329: Happy 2011

2011-01-03T13:23:00.004-10:00

When life gets crazy and busy, my blog usually suffers. I need to be more diligent in updating my blog. It's one of my New Year's resolution. Unlike Facebook, this blog is a lot more personal to me. Even though it is no longer private (you don't need an invite to read it), there aren't many people who know about its existence (since I don't advertise it on Facebook like I do my poor photography blog, which has not been updated since forever ago!). This blog is probably the closest to a journal for me (after high school I stopped keeping a journal altogether. That's a story for another day).

2010 was a great year for me and Mr.L. Let's see what we have accomplished:

-- I got my Visual Technologies certificate from Dixie State College (technically, I'm a designer!)

-- We went on our Honeymoon (after almost a year of being married) to San Francisco.

-- We celebrated our first Anniversary in a car workshop (our Ford Taurus was so old it decided to break down on one of the most important days of the year), and Zion National Park.

--We moved out of my mother-in-law's big house into a small apartment in Provo.

--We started school at BYU (me) and UVU (Mr.L).

-- I FINALLY got a job! (an ESL tutor)

-- We went on a couple of road trips and saw several National Parks

-- I spent my first white Thanksgiving (with a lot of white people and a lot of snow:))

-- I took the GRE test and did okay.

-- I finished my first semester at BYU and got a 3.8 for my GPA.

-- We bought our second car (a wonderful Hyundai Sonata 2010)

-- I got to see my mom and my sister again after almost 2 years! Yay!

-- We spent a fabulous Christmas and New Year in 3 states (California, Utah, and Nevada).

In 2011, I believe it is going to be another wonderful year filled with busy schedules and lots of fun events. My New Year's Resolution? To lose weight and eat healthily. & To live a better life (spiritually, emotionally, and physically). I don't want to set too many goals this year since a lot of my goals from last year are still not yet achieved. One needs to aim low shoot high, right?

Story #328: A request.

2010-12-13T14:15:00.004-10:00

Dear friends,

Would any of you happen to know where I can get cute glasses such as these (with cup-holders)? I fell crazily in love with these and I am dying to make some hot chocolate in see-through glasses. The only see-through glasses I have are wine-glasses. So please help!

Story #327: Articles of Syntax

2010-12-09T20:02:00.003-10:00

I am taking a break from studying for my finals and GRE (sheesh...studying for 3 tests at the same time isn't fun! I feel like my brain has been sliced into 3 parts, one for each test) because I feel like my brain needs to digest all the information I fed it in the last few days. I was just reviewing on one of the topics in my syntax class, human sentence processing mechanism. Apparantly, we only have so much working memory and processing overload occurs if too much info is stuffed in a sentence. Right now, I feel exactly that. Overload. Instead of doing something fun like watch a movie, I chose to read the "articles of syntax" that my brilliant professor wrote. It made me happy. You can skip it, but it's pretty funny(especially no.13). For me, at least. Ahh... I love being a Mormon linguistics student.

c/o the brilliant Dr. Lonsdale, proving that linguists really do have a sense of humour. Even if we're the only ones who understand our jokes.

We believe in the phrasal category node, in her daughter the bar-level node, and in her daughter the basic category node.
We believe that a tree will be graded on the merits of its own structure, and not by influence exerted on the grader.

We believe that, through the XP template, all constituents may be diagrammed, by obedience to the first principles and constraints of attachment.

We believe that the first principles and constraints of attachment are: first, subcategorizationof heads for their arguments; second: attachment of specifiersto the phrasal category node; third: attachment of complements to the bar-level node.
We believe that a student must be inspired by desire, by motivation and by the actual drawing of phrase-structure trees under the supervision of teachers and TA’s, to succeed in piecing together phrase-markers and working out the transformations thereof.

We believe in the same organization that exists in any language’s syntax: namely, subjects, predicates, objects, constituents, clauses, sentences, and so forth.
We believe in the transformations of: wh-movement, verb raising, auxiliary inversion, verb-particle movement, do-insertion, and so on.
We believe the phrase-structure tree to be the structure of language as far as it is diagrammed correctly; we also believe parts of speech to tag the words of language.
We believe all the syntax we have learned, all that we now learn, and we believe that we will yet learn many great and important things pertaining to the syntax of languages.
We believe in the nature of surface structure and in the restoration of deep structure; that transformations can traced back, and that empty categories can be re-filled and receive their original contents.
We claim the privilege of doing homework according to the assignments given by our professor, and allow all fellow students the same privilege: let us do our homework how, where, and when we must.
We believe in being subject to X-bar, subcategorizationconstraints, cooccurrencerestrictions and constituency judgments; in determining, projecting, and leveraging part-of-speech tags.
We believe in being careful, patient, methodical, and in properly labeling every node. Indeed, we may say we follow the exhortation of Dr. Lonsdale: we diagram all constituents, we have diagrammed many sentences, and we hope to be able to diagram any sentence. If there is any sentence in any language that is complete, grammatical, and well-formed we seek to diagram these sentences.

Story #326: Thanksgiving + My birthday + Everything in between

2010-12-05T11:29:00.009-10:00

I haven't blogged about my life in a while. Life is pretty crazy towards the end of the year, I must say. I've been sick a lot lately as well, making life a little more challenging. I am writing this post just for the sake of recording what's been going on in our lives (do you ever read your old blog entries? I do).

Thanksgiving week: We went to Mr.L's uncle's house in Bluffdale for the Thanksgiving dinner. It was really fun because we got to see almost everybody from his dad's side of the family. I met them for the first time last year during Thanksgiving in San Antonio and I love them so much! You can read more about my last Thanksgiving in Texas here, here, and here (I love Texas!). So it was really nice to see all the cute cousins, the aunts and uncles, and the grandparents. We had really good food too! I love greenbean casserole. I need to learn how to make it. I brought my potato casserole to the dinner. Of course, we had turkey as well.

I wish I had taken more pictures but I was so busy eating and being lazy to take more than I wanted to. I did took some time to do a mini-photo shoot with one of the aunt's family. It was really challenging because it was crazy cold and the snow was like more than a foot deep. Everybody did well though. Forcing your smile and look completely happy and natural isn't the easiest thing when it's only 7 degree outside.

We went back to St.George the day after Thanksgiving to visit Mr.L's mom. I had forgotten how dry St.George was. My cough took a bad turn when I was down there for the weekend. I even coughed blood! I am better now though, don't worry. We also went to Las Vegas because I was DYING to shop at H&M and I knew they had new clothes coming in a couple of weeks prior to Thanksgiving. I didn't do any Black Friday shopping because I couldn't wake up so early.

The biggest Christmas tree that I saw so far. I love how you can also see a palm tree in the background. Vegas is cool!

Oh...I forgot to mention we had a Christmas photo shoot that day too before we drove down to SG.

On the day we were coming back to Provo, it snowed really bad in Southern Utah, mostly Cedar City. Normally it took us only about 3 and a half hour to drive back but it took us more than 7 hours that day. The road was terrible. It was icy and there were a few cars sliding off the road too. We were caught in the middle of the blizzard and the visibility was like 0! We also had to climb some elevation and we lost day light really early too. I was praying the whole time that we don't get in any accident or had to turn back. I was super stressed because I was sick, tired, scared, and had 2 assignments due that I hadn't completely finished and a presentation the next day. It was not a great Sunday for me.

On my birthday (Tuesday 11.30), Mr.L had to stay at school pretty much the whole day and I had a meeting to go to for my other presentation on Wednesday (2 presentation in a week is not fun!). So we didn't really celebrate it, except going to a Vietnamese noodle house for the BEST pho ever! Actually, we did have an early birthday celebration when we were in SG. So I wasn't sad that on the actual day of my birthday we didn't do anything elaborate. I did regret not to bake myself a cupcake though. I had bought these cute cupcake liners (animal pattern) and candles (animal patterns as well) from Etsy just so that I could bake some cupcakes for my birthday. Oh well, there's always other occasion I guess.

I can't believe I only have one more week of school and 2 finals left. I am so glad that despite my heavy procrastination this semester, I am able to turn in all of my assignments on time and got good grades on most of them. Now I only need to study for the finals and take the GRE before I leave Utah for California for the Christmas break. Time needs to slow down a little!

I've done almost all of my Christmas shopping, returned the books to the library before the due date, and finished designing our Christmas card. Man, I really am on top of everything! haha...

I am signing off now, good luck to all of you who are having your finals and if I don't come back for another blog post, Merry Christmas!!

Please wish me luck in my GRE test!!

Story #325: Disney On Ice

2010-11-14T10:46:00.010-10:00

"You're dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway." Walt Disney.

I usually don't start my post with a quote but this post is special. It's about Mickey Mouse and Disney! I grew up watching Disney cartoons and movies. I remember watching most of the movies in both Mandarin and in English multiple times, and trying to memorize the songs. The one movie that I watched the most was The Little Mermaid. I swear I must have watched it over 50 times. One school break when I was 13 or 14, I was at my dad's house and out of boredom I watched The Little Mermaid over and over every single day when he went to work and I'd got no place to go. Disney Channel was my favorite channel out of the 80 plus channels we got at home.

My first time to Disneyland was with my friends Julie and Rory. It was one of the funnest trip I have taken. I loved Disneyland SO SO much and Mr.L even proposed to me there! I am so excited to visit the magical park again this Christmas with my mom and my sister.

Yesterday, we went to Salt Lake to watch the Disney on Ice show. It was fantastic. Totally worth the money (not that it's expensive) and we got the second row seats too. I almost cried when I saw Mickey and his friends coming out on their skates. That's how passionate I am about Mickey. I've waited for years to see Disney on Ice and it truly was a dream come true (cliche or not).

There were four mini shows of different Disney movies. The first one was Lion King, then Lilo and Stitch, then The Little Mermaid (woohoo~~), and finally, Peter Pan. I loved them all and it was fun to sing along to those familiar songs in the movies, except Lilo and Stitch. I got mostly videos because they did a better job capturing the essence of the show.

go here to view one of my videos too. I had so many more videos but it's super hard to upload them on anywhere! Youtube is especially terrible!

Story #324: My next project: Stop Motion Film

2010-11-08T11:30:00.004-10:00

Stop motion film has always been fascinating for me. I love the idea of it and I love the creativity behind it. I am so excited to be doing something similar with my friend, Vicky, soon. I'll also be doing something like that with Mr.L. I really can't wait for these projects to be done!!

If you don't know what stop motion movie is, take a look at the two videos below. They are so fun and creative! Basically, you'll need to come up with a concept, use many props, take thousands of pictures, and make them into a film. It'll be a lot of work but I think it'll be worth the time and effort. I am looking for songs to go with the films now. If you know of any songs with really light and happy beat, let me know!!

Simply Bloom photography. These 2 ladies are my favorite photographers. They are so creative and artistic. I love all their images! And this stop motion film was just fabulous!

The Girls with Glasses --Summer Bellessa (she's the editor for Eliza magazine. She's a Mormon and a model. I interviewed her in 2008 when I was in Hawaii. She's really nice!) and Brooke White (she's a Mormon too, and she was in the American Idol show with David Archuleta. I love her voice and her songs!).

Story #323: I am crazy about shoes.

2010-11-02T06:52:00.004-10:00

No kidding. I have about 25 pairs of shoes if I am not mistaken. I have no space to put them in my tiny apartment but I still can't stop buying them! They complete my look. They complete my life. It's the one most important fashion accessory in the world!

Even since this summer I was looking for these 2 pairs of shoes.

I couldn't find them anywhere!!! More accurately, I couldn't find any cute ones because I am so picky when it comes to shoes. It's like searching for the perfect soul mate, the perfect match. It's about the looks (however shallow we may sound, we just can't deny that we have to be attracted to the outward appearance of someone, or something before we decide we want the relationship), the match, the feel, and *ahem* the price! As much as I love shoes, I wouldn't spend $100 on one!

It was so much easier to find cute shoes in Malaysia. Oh my, all the varieties we have there. But since I am in the US, my taste for shoes have become more Americanized. I can't really stand bows on the shoes, or sparklies, or whatever else they put on the shoes to make them look cutesy on cute Asians.

Anyhoo...I found these 2 perfect pairs of shoes at UrbanOutfitter online store. So precious! They were like the last few pairs and they barely had my size! and oh...they are like more than 50% off too! These 2 pairs of shoes were originally $50 dollars each. When I got them they were only $19! Yes I do have to pay for the shipping, but it's still so stinking cheap!!

Oh, the oxford are so comfy! The sandal was a little tight for my right foot (cause I got a size 6.5 instead of my original 7 size feet!), but still cute and good.

Love love love!

Story #322: Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T17:11:00.003-10:00

My Halloween this year was fun! We carved a pumpkin, went to the pumpkin patch for the hayride, got a free pumpkin, bought some last minute costume with cost us less than $20 dollars (for both Mr.L and me!), went to the ward Halloween party, ate lots of candies, won the costume contest (yay!!! $5 gift card to Cold Stone), and watched Home Alone 2.

For more pictures, go to my Facebook page.

The weekend was so much fun that I am dreading Monday. bleh~ Can't wait for school to be over!!!

On a lighter note, I can start playing Christmas songs now :)

Story #321: These are some of my favorite things...

2010-10-30T08:51:00.008-10:00

Whoa!!! It's already the end of October! I never cease to amazed by how fast time passes. After this weekend, Halloween will be over officially! I am not terribly sad about it because it just means that the semester is getting closer to an end and Thanksgiving and Christmas season is about to begin! Woohoo~~

Sadly though, I will be getting more and more stressed out in the next couple of months. There's the final exams, final projects, and GRE! ugh...I don't even want to think about them. But I can't stop thinking about them at the same time!!! If only my English is better and I know a lot more vocabularies than I already have. GRE is my bane. *cry* How do you guys release stress???? Any suggestions??

Anyways, I have an itch lately. An itch to shop!!!! What to shop for? Well, the sky's the limit! I want to shop for home decor stuff, baking stuff, winter clothing, and skin care stuff. I am compiling a Christmas shopping list and a Christmas wishlist. If you don't know what to get me, stay tuned for the Christmas wishlist when I'm done with it. *LOL* I feel like Christmas is just an excuse to spend $$$! Who makes the rule that you have to get Christmas presents for people and vice versa???

Oh, this is one of the things I came across on the world wide web today while online shopping. It is the coolest light ever!! If there is an intruder at your house while your back is turned or when you're in the kitchen cooking, you will be able to see his/her reflection from it! It's only 25 GBP, and you can find it here.

I also came across this at the H&M online store in UK. It stinks that they don't do shipping in the U.S and I think they only sell clothing in the U.S and not home stuff. I love the purple and the sparklies, so extravagant and classy! The best thing about it is everything is so cheap at H&M!!

I also love this chandelier light! It's so quirky and young. It's small so it's perfect for my small apartment. Urban Outfitters has some of the coolest home furnishing stuff! I also love love love their beddings. They are so romantic and girlie. Ruffles. I can't get enough of them.

I need to go get ready for the Halloween party tonight. See you when I'm back!!

Story #320: Today, I am...

2010-10-21T14:11:00.002-10:00

Today

I am updating my Twitter like crazy.

15 updates in less than a few hours.

What do I have so much to say?

I don't know either.

Just the things that I think to myself, I guess.

and I think a lot. about a lot of stuff. about random stuff.

If you have Twitter, add me. I need an audience.

But not a big audience like Facebook.

I only add close friends because though I disclose a lot about my personal life,

I kinda cherish my privacy too.

Hence, only close friends. that I like.

I am studying for my quiz tomorrow.

There's a lot to cover. Like a month worth of lessons.

I hope I do well.

I get very stressed out and I worry about the smallest things.

At work today

A girl from Taiwan told me she can't read my handwriting

because they are so squiggly.

I think she almost said messy.

Very smartly, I asked her if the paper that I wrote on was for her or her teacher.

She said her teacher.

And I said, very pointedly,

THEN, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT READING IT.

YOUR TEACHER CAN DEFINITELY READ IT.

Why do I get offended?

Well, I am not really offended.

I just thought her comment unnecessary.

Anyhoo...

I watched the Truman Show last night.

Weird movie.

I don't know what to think of it.

It's just weird.

Oh, I forgot to mention one thing.

I went back to the specialist today for my blood tests and stuff.

He told me that I have a SUPER strong kidney

and that everything is normal for me.

Why do I still feel tugging and slight ache on my bladder then?

No idea.

Must not be something serious.

Don't worry about it.

Alrighty then. I came home happy that I am healthy

even though nobody can tell me why I had severe diarrhea and fever about a week ago

and why my bladder is still hurting.

Today

I listened to

3 Rounds and A Sound

by Blind Pilot.

It makes me happy.

because I am in love.

Now I am going back to my studies.

Peace out.

Story #319: Lenka

2010-10-19T07:17:00.004-10:00

Do you know this lass?

Lenka is her name. She's from Australia.

I LOVE her voice and her songs!

My favorite song of hers is "The Show."

The words of her songs speak to me

and the music video was really funny!

This song and the music video inspired me to do a stop-motion movie.

I am so excited about it.

It's going to be great!

Story #318: Provo Canyon and me being sick

2010-10-17T05:35:00.005-10:00

This weekend I felt terrible. I got food poisoning and had to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes. No kidding. I couldn't eat anything without feeling like I want to throw up. Luckily I didn't throw up even once. I slept for a long time because I had a fever as well. I used 4 covers because I felt so dang cold. On top of all that my lower back and my thighs were killing me. They hurt so bad that I couldn't turn or move my body. I suspect it was my high heel boots that I wore to school that day that caused the aches. Man, those boots...no mercy.

Because of the sickness I had to miss a meeting with my friend just returned from her mission! And what made me feel worse was I got a 78 in my syntax and morphology class. 78! Blasted 78! I think that is a C. I got wrong on 2 big questions that were 6 points each along with a few small ones that were only 1 point each. What made me so mad was the professor didn't even bother to indicate how many points each question was. I would've tried so much harder if I only knew those were 6 points each.

Well, thanks to my husband who restlessly nursed me back to health (he seriously lost sleep over me, and did the chores, took me to the doctor who said it wasn't food poisoning and that I didn't have a fever and didn't give me any medicine to take, got me medicines from the drug store, cooked me congee, gave me a blessing, and rocked me to sleep), I felt so much better the next morning. In fact, no more diarrhea!

We went to Provo Canyon to see the beautiful autumn scenery and took some pictures of ourselves. I love autumn. It's just beautiful and the weather was perfect. I wish it's like this all year long!

I posted our photo shoot picture on Facebook but here are some that are just the scenery pictures of Provo Canyon. Enjoy!

Story #317: Today, I feel...

2010-10-11T08:39:00.005-10:00

please note: this is not a poem

Today I am feeling blah.

I have a midterm, which I am not fully prepared for, in a couple of hours.

I gave a presentation this morning

and I was so nervous I swear I had bit my tongue, though I can't feel the pain

I think they are right about panic being the best anesthesia.

I am super sleepy because I just ate a fat lunch:

mash potato with butter and bacon bits,

chips and home-made salsa.

I feel like taking a long well-deserved nap.

but I can't!

because right after the midterm I'll have to rush to work,

where I would meet some foreign students that are sweet

and some that are ungrateful and think I can't DO English because I look Asian.

Hello! I am your tutor. I CAN do English.

I hope the work can end sooner

so I can come home to cook Diang Biang Ngu,

a succulent Fuzhou dish I have been craving for...

ever since I came back to the US.

It will be my first attempt and I hope I get it right.

I am so excited it.

Food = my first love after Mr.L

Alrighty then, I'll peace out now and talk to you later :)

Story #316: International Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

2010-10-09T10:58:00.025-10:00

*This is going to be a long post. Mostly because of the pictures :) Read my about my experience and my thoughts too!!

I can't believe it's already been a week since we took the weekend trip to Albuquerque.

Time really does go by faster when you are busy.

Anyways, this trip was planned a year ago when I found out about the annual International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.

I love love love hot air balloons and to have to wait a year to see it was killing me!

So I decided I would go this year. one of my best decisions ever!

To drive 10 hour a day was sort of overwhelming at first and I almost forgo the decision to go.

The whole trip took us about 20 hours round trip. In 3 days. Crazy, right?

Fortunately, both Mr. L and I are the kind of people who do not mind driving long distance.

It was actually really fun because we were stuck with each other and so we got to spend time together and talked.

The journey to Albuquerque wasn't as interesting as our return trip. We just wanted to get to our hotel ASAP so we drove non-stop, except when we had to fill up gas and stuff. I even brought my homework with me! Stupid assignments that were due the day after I got back!

The south west side of Utah was really truly barren. It wasn't a pretty sight.

We had to go through Utah, Colorado, and Arizona to get to Albuquerque.

Of all the remote areas we drove past, I think I like Colorado the best. We drove past some big sunflower farms there. Unfortunately, they had already harvested the sunflower seeds so all the sunflowers were basically dead on the field. Nonetheless it was still pretty amazing to see SO many sunflowers. You do know that my favorite flower is sunflower, right? Just wondering.

When we arrived in one of the smaller cities in New Mexico, I felt like I was no longer in USA.

There were so many Hispanic people and Native Americans. I didn't even see any white people around.

Also, there were trash all over the ground, even on the road.

It was as if everybody just decided that the roads were their garbage cans.

It wasn't the prettiest sight but it did open my eyes to something that I had never seen before. I don't feel so bad throwing stuff on the road now. haha... I never do anyways. You get fined if you littered in Malaysia. Not that it stopped everybody, but it definitely ingrained in me a habit to never throw stuff anywhere other than the trash cans.

Ok, back to the International Balloon Fiesta. It was spectacular. I must say this is definitely the prettiest sight. Imagine more than 100 hot air balloon ascending to the sky all at once.

We were at the field since 5am and it was magnificent to watch the sunrise when the first balloons took off into the sky.

We didn't go on the balloon ride because it was frickin' 350 dollars per person!

I had a lot of fun watching the balloons from the ground. The weather was perfect too!

It was educating to see how the balloons were filled up with air and how by using fire the balloons slowly raised to the air.

At first I was kinda disappointed because I thought all the hot air balloons would bear some kind of advertising banners, like the ones with Krispy Kreme, All State, and Wells Fargo.

But I was pleasantly surprised to see so many cute balloons with different size and shapes.

My favorite was the stork carrying the baby one.

I also love the pigs can fly one, and of course, Darth Vader one as well.

Here are the pictures of the fiesta! So cool, right?? You guys should TOTALLY go see it.

Oh I forgot to mention, they had a glow-in-the-dark-balloons event, which they parked the balloons on the ground but lit the candles so that the balloons looked like they were glowing.

We didn't get to see that one because it was so dang windy and the storm was coming in.

But we stayed and watched the fireworks show.

It was like July 4th all over again.

It was amazing.

As you can tell from this picture, sometimes I look scary when I am excited

To the prisoners of wars and soldiers missing in action, you're not forgotten.

The next morning when we were leaving Albuquerque to go home, this was what we saw.

So much fun. I wish I could be there every year :) Check back later for our Old Town Albuquerque exploration!

Story #315: Sneak Peek of NM Balloon Fiesta

2010-10-05T16:27:00.003-10:00

I went to New Mexico for the International Balloon Fiesta last weekend and here's a sneak peek of the event. I'll be back to post more pictures :)

Story #314: No Arms, No Legs, No worries :)

2010-10-05T06:47:00.003-10:00

This is a wake-up call for me. Please watch it. It really is worth your time.

Story #313: About books

2010-09-28T17:49:00.008-10:00

I know that I have been complaining a lot about how busy I am lately. But I guess I really am not that busy if I can still make time to read books (for leisure purpose, not for school). I must admit that reading for the sole purpose of entertainment hasn't really been my forte. I get distracted way too easily and I get bored really really fast.

I was an avid Chinese love novel reader though. When I was 12, I picked up my first Chinese novel (you know, those ones about a guy and a girl falling in love and live happily ever after kind). I fell in love with those kinds of novels. It seemed as if everybody I knew was reading novels like that too. My sister, my best friend, my classmates, and my mom. Like most Chinese students in Malaysia, I did not pick up any English story books until I was about 17 (did I mortify anybody?). From then on, I never picked up any Chinese novels anymore. As a result, my English writing and reading skills are better than my Chinese reading and writing skills. Isn't that weird? When people ask me what my native language is, I usually say it's Mandarin. But what if I can't even write and read as well in my native language as my third language? Ok, that's not really what I wanted to talk about when I started this post. I was trying to talk about some of the books I read recently. I always go off on a tangent. Sorry.

Anyways, I read 3 books in the last 3 weeks. The first book was called "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See. It's a story about a Chinese lady in ancient China and her best friend. I have always been interested in books like these. I love to read about women in China in the ancient days. I felt that if I can know about their lives in general, then I can probably understand my grandmother a little bit more. Their lives fascinates me. I like to imagine my grandma as a young girl, about my age or younger than me, and the choices she made that shaped her whole life. I am always on the look out for books written about Chinese people in different places, but I definitely love stories about Chinese people in ancient China the best. This book is very well-written. I loved it and I learned a lot from it. It's cool that Lisa See write about "Nu Shu" in this book because it was something so foreign to me and it's like discovering some ancient ways of living. "Nu Shu" is a kind of handwriting that women used back in the days when they weren't allowed to go to school. After reading this book, I did a research and found out that the last person who knew "Nu Shu" had died. Anyway, this book was a good read.

The second book I read was "Message In a Bottle." I talked about it in one of my past posts so I won't talk about it anymore. However, it is a GREAT story. I love it so much.

The last book I finished was "A Thousand Splendid Suns." This is my second time reading it. I love love love it! It has a good ending, so it's good. But that's not the only reason why this is a good book. The book is about women in Afghanistan in the present days (1950s to 2000). It was a story about 2 women of different generations and how their path crossed because of the war, religion, and political issues in their country. The first time I read the book I couldn't understand why the book was named so. But this time I finally figured out why. A Thousand Splendid Suns is one of the lines in a poem by an old Afghan poet. However, this line in the poem doesn't mean the same thing as the title of the book, it was just used as the title. In their language, Noor means Sun, and Noor is usually the name of a girl (in Malay too! That's how I made the connection). And since the book is about the lives of the women in Afghanistan, I came to the conclusion that the title sun in the title means women. Hence, A Thousand Splendid Suns (Noor [women]). Ok, I know some of you might be rolling your eyes now, but when I finally realized that it was a big moment for me. It's like I've been enlightened! My point is this book is fantastic. I love it and I think I will read it again someday. It's just that good. It opened my eyes to so many things that I was ignorant about. It made me count my blessings for being born in a country where women are not being looked down or frown upon by law and by their parents and society. It made me want to help fight for women rights and understand why some people are so feministic (is that even a word?).

I am glad I am finally picking up books and reading them for fun, for insight, and for me.

Story #312: I wanna go home...

2010-09-25T17:10:00.003-10:00

I am having some serious home sickness lately. I guess coming down with a flu makes the home sickness a lot more serious.

I've been entertaining with the idea of going home for several months next summer. It's a GREAT idea. I am saving every penny I can spare for the trip home. It's fricking $1500 dollars round trip per person. But I don't really care. Now that I've gotten a job, the trip doesn't seem so impossible anymore.

There are just a couple of things that might prevent me from going home:

The school may require me to take some lame classes next summer and ruin my happiness.

and

Backstreet Boys's concert in SLC next June, which coincidentally is on the month I am planning to go home. Should I wait after their concert to go home? Is that even a choice?? My whole teenage years had been spent on dreaming about meeting Nick Carter one day! Home, BSB, home, BSB, home...

HOME!

Story #311: Message In A Bottle

2010-09-17T14:18:00.004-10:00

I am crying as I am writing this.

Please don't be alarmed. Nothing bad happened to me or in my life. I just get very emotional sometimes, especially after reading a good book.

When I was a teenager, I loved collecting posters. I'd collect posters of Sailormoon, Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, and occasionally, posters of some movies. One of the first movie posters I collected and pasted on my wall was "Message In A Bottle." I was drawn to it because of the image of two lovers cuddling on the beach next to a bonfire. It was such a nice capture. For some reasons that I can't think of now, I never got around to watching the movie. Until recently.

I can't even begin to describe how much the movie, the story, has affected me. It is easily my favorite movie. I cried and cried after the movie was long over. It was such a beautiful story. There's no need for me to summarize the movie because you'll have to see it to be able to understand. I loved it for its uniqueness. The whole message-in-a-bottle thing was so romantic. There's mysterious element to it, which to me, is a huge plus. The ending was unpredictable as well. I thought I had it figured out. I thought it was one of those cliches. But I was taken by surprise and I guess I was somehow in denial. I didn't believe what I saw. But the ending was perfect for the story. I couldn't think of a better ending for it.

Today I finished reading the book. Again, I bawled long after I closed the book. There was so much emotion. The story was beautiful, though somewhat different than the book. I mean, the movie changed a lot of the details. There was a lot of flashbacks in the book, but none in the movie. The way the main female character found the main male character was different as well. But the plots was pretty much the same and equally captivating. When the book ended, I felt like I was in mourning. I cried and cried for those two main character. I love the story so so much. There was so much love, passion, and romance. It was as if I was there. I know what was going on with the two love birds. I wanted to help them so bad! My heart ache for their loss and I smiled lots of times for their union. Everything was so symbolic in the book -- the bottles, the sailing boat.

If you haven't seen the movie, see it. If you haven't read the book, read it. I think it will forever be a special book to me. So special that I don't know how to describe why I love it so much. I guess by watching or reading the story, you'll be able to get what I mean. Sorry for doing such a poor job describing it.

Story #310: Being inspired.

2010-09-16T19:21:00.004-10:00

So I was notified again (this is the 6th time) that one of my pictures is being showcased on somebody's collection on Etsy. Obviously, there's a girl out there that really loves my photography.

This is her 3rd feature of my picture. Anyways, while browsing through her collections, I was inspired by other people's art.

and then....

a great idea hit me. I can take some artistic pictures and make them into postcards or calendar for my own use! Actually, I have SO MANY pictures that I took when I was bored that I really loved but never really showed them anywhere. I can use those pictures and make my own Calendar. My my...I love personalizing, customizing, making something uniquely ME.

While I was thinking of making my 2011 calendar, I remembered all the other projects that I said I wanted to do but didn't get around to do them. I feel so guilty! I need to do them!!! I think if I don't do them I am doing myself injustice because I am letting my talents go to waste! Actually, I don't really have talents in sewing or craft-making, I just wish I do.

Ok. I will do them. I promise. It might just take me a couple of years to get around to doing them. But eventually, they will be done. I swear.

Story #309: An uneventful, yet happy life.

2010-09-16T10:38:00.004-10:00

Life's been pretty darn uneventful lately. In summer, we would try to do something fun and outdoor-sy every week. But now that school has started, we basically have no time for such luxury we called "fun." We don't even watch as much TV now! And our RockBand set is just sitting there waiting for dust to accumulate.

Ever since my undergraduate years I have been wanting to go to grad school. For some strange reasons, I thought that's what I would enjoy. I can't say that I have made a mistake of going to grad school. But it just isn't easy-breezy anymore. There's so much reading every single day. It seems like I can never keep up with my reading assignments even if I study on the weekends! I am thinking of just getting my TESOL certificate and not going to get my MA TESOL. I am not in the MA program yet anyways, so it should be pretty easy to back out. By the way, unlike most masters programs, the BYU TESOL department divided the graduate program into two parts. One is TESOL cert (2 semesters) and one is MA TESOL (2 semesters). Everybody who wants to get their master's in TESOL must go through the cert program first.

I really am in a dilemma now. I don't think I like teaching at all. But it seems like TESOL is a great option for me if I am going home one day. If it only takes one more year to get my MA, I might as well do it, right? sigh~

One good thing about TESOL is since I am in the program, I am qualified to be a tutor at the English Learning Center (ELC). It is kind of a part of BYU, but not really. I started the job this week and I found out that my pay rate is $14.25! I was expecting only minimum wage or maybe 9 dollars. I only have to work 11 hours per week, so that gives me about 3 hours each day at the ELC. I had a really good time meeting and working with students from all over the world. This is the first job that I am actually very very very happy with. Pretty much no complain!

I am keeping very busy and am pushing myself really hard to do well in all the things I do. I try to cook new dish often, do pilate and yoga every other night, have Family Home Evening with Mr.L every week, practice playing piano everyday, and I even checked out some books from Provo library for leisure reading. I feel pretty great even though my life isn't as exciting and all over the place as it used to be.

Story #308: I just want to do something!

2010-09-11T19:40:00.002-10:00

I have a strong urge to learn how to speak gibberish. Gosh! I am so bored. Give me something to do, something to write about, something that has nothing to do with school. Gah...school sucks the life out of me.

"Determination and perseverance bring good fruit and bright future!" *chant, chant, chant, chant, chant*

I need weddings, pilates, good books, laksa, and a good song to make me happy. So, please get married and invite me. Or hire me to be your photographer. Lend me some money so I can fly home to bask in some family love and eat great food. Recommend me some good books, like "A Chinese Cinderella", or "The Kite Runner", and some songs, such as Iron and Wine's "Flightless bird, American Mouth". And come do some yoga and pilate with me at my house.

Story #307: Featured :)

2010-09-07T20:10:00.004-10:00

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! I am so happy!!! Two people contacted me on Etsy recently to let me know that they are featuring two of my photos on their Etsy collection. I know this is different from being published on a magazine but it made me so happy to know that there are actually people who love my photography!

You can see those features here and here: look for sfenella :)

And I've also gotten some serious inquiries about doing a wedding and photo shoots. Usually, I had to do something for free or search for models who would do trade-for-work. I am so glad people take me seriously and think of me as a photographer. All the hard work I put into my websites and photography is finally bearing some fruits. Thank you to all of you who helped me spread the words around because I know I couldn't have come so far without your encouragement and help.

I am so busy with school now but I'll be back soon!

Story #306: Music

2010-08-29T12:06:00.006-10:00

Kate Vogele is someone I'll be listening to for a long time. Her music rocks! I love love love her style, lyrics, and of course, music. I discovered her unintentionally after listening to S.H.E's 爱就爱了(S.H.E is a popular girl group in Taiwan by the way). I realized S.H.E were doing the cover for Kate's song, "Angel" so I had a listen to it and it blew my mind. I love both versions but Kate's voice stayed in my mind for weeks.

This week I rented the series that I used to watch when I was at BYU-Hawaii. It was called "One Tree Hill." I watched 3 seasons of it and stopped watching it for years until recently when I had an itch to watch some American TV series again. I of course started from "Gossip Girl" and then went back to "One Tree Hill." I found out that they are still filming the series and it's in it's 8th season now! So I rented season 5 from Netflix and started my road down One Tree Hill again. In this season, Kate Vogele was in a few of the beginning episodes and she of course played as a young and talented song-writer, singer girl. She sang more great songs that I love and I decided to tell about her to everyone I know. Great things are supposed to be shared, right?

Story #305: Road trip (Wyoming, Montana, Alberta, British Columbia)

2010-08-22T10:40:00.006-10:00

This road trip took us to several of the most beautiful national parks in North America.

We went first to Grand Teton, then Yellowstone, then Glacier National Park, then up to Calgary for a night, then off to Banff National Park in Alberta and Yoho National Park in British Columbia, Canada.

All I have to say about this trip is it was eye-opening... and lots of driving!

I enjoyed every bit of the trip. From the driving to the sight-seeing and to the camping.

Everything is fun with Mr.L around. for real.

We camped out only at Grand Teton and Yellowstone. The rest of the nights were spent in hotels, and in the car for one particular night when we drove the whole 18 hour home. Mr. L and I took turn driving. I've never driven for so far and so long. It was kinda fun to drive long distance on wide empty roads, but kinda stressful to drive on windy narrow roads. One thing that made the driving durable was the conversations we had. I think the best thing about road trip isn't the destination, but the journey there.

We packed a ton of instant foods for the trip.

We got lots of mashed potato pearls, the kind that they sell at the bishop's warehouse, that you can just add hot water to it and it tastes soooo good. It is my favorite kind of mashed potato. It's light and delicious.

I also insisted on bringing healthy foods, such as salad and fruits for the road. I pre-cut the iceberg lettuce and put it in the zip-lock bag, then I cooked some hard-boiled eggs in the morning of our trip and put them in a container in our big cooler, and I also made sure we brought bacon bits. Bacon bits are like the essential addition to most of our meals -- salad and mashed potatoes. Of course, we brought crackers and bread for our chicken soup. So basically we have healthy and good meal every single day while we were on the road! I didn't even have problems with constipation like I did on so many other trips. pardon my brutal honesty and the mention of something gross.

My favorite part of the trip was Yellowstone and a botanical garden in Banff, Canada. I really loved the two lakes that we saw in Canada too. So gorgeous and serene. I also la-la-la-love the waterfalls in Glacier National Park.

Albeit tiring, this trip has helped me fall in love with nature all over again.

I also discovered that camping isn't all that inconvenient and annoying anymore because we were actually able to get electricity for our hot pot, bathroom to use at anytime, and air mattress was just as good as real bed.

I forgot to take pictures of our tent I was too busy cooking when Mr.L set up the tent.

But out tent was so great! It was spacious it can fit up to 5 people! and we brought our pillows and covers as well as sleeping bags.

Seriously, our car was packed! from food to accommodation to toiletries to clothing.

I guess for me camping isn't just about bring the bare necessity, it's about trying to be as comfortable as I can so I don't hate it. I did it. I enjoy camping now, as long as I get to not sleep on the ground and have access to bathrooms whenever I want.

After so much talking about the trip, here's some pictures for you to see. I will be posting all of the pictures on Facebook just cause it is a pain to post pictures here. So come to my facebook to see more of the pictures!

The Grand Teton, Wyoming

One of the many glaciers at the Glacier National Park,Montana

Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone, Wyoming

Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Alberta

Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park, British Columbia.

Story #304:I am back!

2010-08-19T16:51:00.005-10:00

Hi peeps! How's your week?

Mine was so much fun, so much driving, so much instant food,

so much nature, and so much sight-seeing.

I've taken about 1000 pics in about a week.

I would've taken more if I weren't in the car so much.

Oh ya, our road trip took us to Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Calgary, Banff, and Yoho National Park in Canada.

We drove an average of 6 hours a day.

By the time we saw everything we wanted to see, we couldn't wait to come home.

I just got done sorting through all the pictures but I haven't uploaded them yet.

So you'll have to wait til next blog post to hear all about our road trip.

At the mean time, I am obsessed with this treasure I found.

I think I found it in a wedding site called Project Wedding or something like that.

It is soooooooo cute and I really really want one.

My problem is I am not a fan of sugar cookie at all. not one bit.

I guess that shouldn't stop me since I can make other kinds of cookies and use them.

All right, I am getting it.

check it out here!

Story #303: Southern Utah weekend

2010-08-11T10:28:00.006-10:00

Last weekend, I skipped class (the class talks about nothing important anyways),

and drove the 3 hour back to our beloved Toquerville and St.George.

St.George was okay, Toquerville was fantabulous!

I got to see my buddies, Max and Nikki.

Max still smells as bad and Nikki seemed to be so quiet.

I'm sure Max still remembers me even after the 2 month absence.

I fed him the dog treats I bought when I still lived there (I wonder if anyone ever feeds them the treats, there were still a whole bag there), and he showed me some tricks I taught him (sitting and jumping).

Oh...it was so good to see them.

Of course, there's my sweet mother-in-law, my two bro-in-laws, and our old bedroom.

Having our own space is great, but I sure miss the company of my mother-in-law

and the opportunity to make fun of Kendall.

It was so nice to see our neighbors at church too,

and my sunbeams!!!

They still remember me!

They were one of the reasons I am so sad to leave Toquerville.

I don't have small buddies like that here anymore.

It feels like I am deprived of human presence in my life here.

well, except Mr.L who, to me, is like a zombie, anyways.

We had to go to St.George, just cause Mr.L's only friend lived there.

Actually, he has more friends than just Paul,

but it seems like he only hangs out with Paul.

We also did two fun photo shoots when we were there.

One in Toquerville at our friend's house (with pond, hammock, dock, and swings!),

and one at a park in St.George.

I seriously love styled photo shoot.

I love the effort and all the props that make a photo shoot stand out and fun.

It's funny how I LOVE doing all these even though I am not paid to do them.

What is wrong with me?!

I hope to do more styled photo shoot like these ones in the future

(when I have more $$ to buy props, and when I have more time to handmade some props).

On the day we came home, it was Mr.L's grandma's birthday celebration.

We celebrated it at my mother-in-law's house.

So all the little cousins and aunts and uncles came too.

It was so good to see everybody again. and the food was GREAT!

I miss not having to cook on Sundays. my sweet mother-in-law was the one who cooked for the whole family on Sundays.

Question.

So now that almost everyone on my FB has a photo album, entitled "Summer 2010" or something like that.

Should I follow the trend and post my pictures on FB too?

The reason I feel tempted to do that is I want to share some pictures with my friends who don't come to my blog.

But at the same time I felt that if I do share, I lost some kind of privacy,

especially now that I am getting more friend requests

and add people whom I have never seen in my life.

It's to get my business name out there.

So...what's a girl to do??? Advice, anyone?

Sand Hallow reservoir. There's nowhere in the world that has such dense blue sky. Only in Southern Utah. The blue looks so pretty against the red rocks.

It rained pretty dang hard when we were there.

The lightning struck pretty close to our home, in our neighbor's yard.

A ditch was formed.

The tree that was struck by the tree that morning. Our whole house shook.

The pipe that goes a long the hill in Toquerville. It's one of my favorite spot.

It's right by the main road and it is ALWAYS cold no matter how hot the day was

and no matter how long it was exposed to the scorching sun.

The photoshoot in Toquerville.

I cannot stress enough how pretty Toquerville is.

So many nice spots for pictures.

St.George Photo shoot @

Vernon Worthlin (sp?) Park.

An ice-cream truck drove by so we decided to take some pics using it as our backdrop.

Story #302:Ahh...the field of purple that makes my heart sing

2010-08-05T18:28:00.007-10:00

On the same day that we went tubing in Provo Canyon, Mr.L and I went

to the Lavender farm in Mona.

Because I have so many friends in Europe (most of them are my high school friends who went there for college) and I go to some Chinese forums where hundreds of Chinese students in Europe post their pictures every single day, I came to know and fall in love with lavender farms.

every summer, everyone and their dog posts pictures about their trip to Lavender Farm in UK/France. Imagine all the purples and all the fragrant in the air!

Fortunately since there's a Young Living lavender farm here in Northern Utah,

we don't have to fly to France to see the lavender farms there.

Few weeks ago when we called to make a reservation for a tour, we were told that we need to make a reservation at least a couple of days before we go to the farm.

So this time, we tried to call to make an appointment earlier.

Mr. L called and we were told that the lavender had been harvested. can you imagine my disappointment?

There were still some more lavender left, only they were not going to be purple purple.

I decided to take the chance to just drive down to the farm without making any reservation and hope that I'll be able to see some lavenders.

And I did.

So I am quite happy.

Now I am ready to die. kidding!!

a little girl who happened to be at the farm visitor center for a wedding reception

I love dragonfly!! I don't see them very often here.

Story #301: Ingrid and Katie. And Grooveshark

2010-08-04T10:31:00.005-10:00

Do you guys know who Ingrid Michaelson is?

I came upon her music by chance and have fell in love with every single song she sung.

Actually, I've only heard 3 albums of hers but they are all so good.

Her voice is calming for me and most of her music is soothing and light and make me happy.

It is so hard to find songs like that anymore.

I mean, Taylor Swift and Colbie Caillat made good music too, but their songs are too popular and are played on every channel almost everyday.

I think Ingrid's songs are fresh and are just what I need at the moment when I have more than 10 tabs open on my browser trying to get inspiration on my up coming styled photoshoots.

What about Katie Melua? Do you like her music?

I came upon her music by chance as well.

I love reading other people's blogs because I get new info all the time and sometimes I stumble upon the things I love so much that I would not have otherwise known if I hadn't read their blog.

It is good to not know what you're missing because you're content with just what you know most of the time.

But finding things that you love is so much more liberating than being satisfied with just what you know. That's why I love exploring.

sorry I side-tracked a little.

Anyways, Katie Melua has a really good voice.

The kind that I like.

The kind that I don't mind to listen to all day long.

Her song "Just Like Heaven," is my favorite.

Go have a listen on Grooveshark.

Speaking of Grooveshark, it's now my favorite internet radio.

I used to like Pandora. I still do, on my iphone.

The Pandora radio on the internet is pretty annoying sometimes.

I hate it when ads are involved.

Even though it is a good feature that it finds similar artist and genre of songs for you, sometimes I just want to listen to one artist's songs!

So I am so glad I found Grooveshark...through my usual blog reading :)

Do you have any music or artist that you might want to recommend me listen to??

Please suggest.

Story #300: Photoshoot

2010-08-03T14:41:00.006-10:00

Remember the Mommy Model competition I was in last year?
Thanks to all of your votes I was one of the runner-ups and so I got a free photo shoot this year.

So in the end of June I got the photoshoot done.

I always thought that I love modeling, I mean I love to take self-portrait when I first got my point-and-shoot camera, and loved it when people asked me to model for them.
But modeling is actually pretty hard and sometimes tedious.

My smiles looked forced after 3 seconds.

Even though I often direct people on their posing while I am shooting, I actually am not very good at posing.

My body can only do like 2 different poses and that's it.

Modeling is definitely not as glamorous as it looks. I mean, who truly enjoys wearing heels that they can barely walk in and climb in a train or jump in the air?

Maybe Lady Gaga does, but for normal people like me, it isn't a treat.

Because I am so fickle and indecisive and contradict myself most of the time,

I'll have to say that I do like it when I get to do something like that once in a while.

C'mon! I get to have free pictures that are professionally done and an excuse to dress up!

I just don't like it as much as some people who do it professionally.

At this particular shoot, I was injured. Well, bleeding counts as injury, no?

Anywho...I scratch my hand on a super old + rusty train coach.

My skin split open and out came the blood. Quite a lot of blood. It even stained my jeans a little.

Since I am such a professional model(you know I'm jk, right?) I made no sign of pain. I didn't even wince!

I even joke that I have super high pain treshold that I prefer needles to medicine. While Mr.L went and buy a first-aid kit (he's sweet like that), we did half of this shoot.

I am automatically entered into the competition because I'm a runner-up and all.

So please come and vote for me like you did last year. I am not sure when exactly is the voting date (she changes it everytime), but I will definitely keep you posted.

I hope i win this year because look at my shoes.

It's a WINNER!

Oh, the contest is based on the shoes, not looks of the model.

So I think I should be able to win because my shoes are so hot!

If I don't, it's okay. But it would be nice if I do (you know what I'm sayin'???)

That's my photographer friend, Emily. She's very talented and gave me a ton of tips. She inspires me. I love her!!

It's not easy to climb up to the coach. I had to stand on Mr.L's thigh and had him pushed me up. A lot of sweat went into that. haha..

Story #299: Tubing at Provo Canyon, near-death experience

2010-08-02T18:00:00.005-10:00

I've always wanted to go tubing so I tried it last Saturday. It was my first time and I had no idea what was going on and what tubing was really about. I went in my jeans short (no.1 sign that I have no idea what was going on) and instead of putting on my contacts, I decided I would wear my glasses (sign no.2 that I am an amateur). Everyone who has ever done it told me it's awesome and so much fun. It's true. It was fun for the most part. But it wasn't fun when the current swept me and my tube towards the bank into some branches poking out, tipped my tube and flipped me into the freezing water (below 40degree) and washed my glasses away.

It happened too quickly. It was only about 10 minutes into the 2 hour journey when we hit a rapid and I got separated from Mr.L and swept into the branch. The current was pretty strong and the river was flowing fast. I did a somersault in the water. Actually, the current pushed me around. It didn't feel good losing control and not being able to stand your ground. As my tube floated away from me (and so was Mr.L), all I could do was try to reach out my hands so he could grab me or I could grab my tube. The air was knocked out of me and I could not move my arms and legs in the cold water. It was the closest I have ever felt to death. If that's death, I don't think I like it! I definitely don't want to die drowning. It's a painful and ugly death. But I couldn't help feeling that way as I was pushed under water several times.

Mr.L was being carried away too fast. I felt like I was chasing him in the water but I couldn't reach him no matter how fast and how hard I kicked the water. As I was watching him and my tube drifted away, I had a panic attack, I thought there was no way anyone could save me because of the rapid and the current. I opened my mouth to breath in more air but instead of taking in air, I let out screams, desperate screams. In less than 2 minutes I felt so close to hell. The freezing water was hell! It felt like forever before Mr.L jumped in the water to push me towards the bank and we climbed out of the water. I was shivering like crazy and the shock didn't leave me till after I have rested and calmed down.

We still had about an hour and a half of a journey until we get to the area where we were supposed to get off the tube. So I had to get back on the tube and in the river. This time I grabbed Mr.L's feet like holding on to a lifesaver. We should have done that earlier but we learn as we went. We managed to figure out how to avoid being pushed towards the bank and how to stay on the safe side of the rapids. Despite the numbing cold on my butt (actually I peed a couple of times in the tube. Yep I was sitting in my pee the whole time. Don't judge. You don't know how cold that was and I had to go like really bad. I know, sad for the people who have to use my tube after. But what do you expect, right? River water isn't ever clean anyways), I was able to enjoy the trip down the river.

The fear disappeared rather quickly and I enjoyed looking at the beautiful sceneries (Provo Canyon is really really beautiful). I love the pine trees on the mountain side and the sky was covered with clouds (which made it a rather cool day). There were many people who fished in the river. The river wasn't that deep, for the most part it was only about knee-height.

I think I will go back there and go tubing again. What don't kill you only make you stronger, right? I am rather optimistic about the next time we go because we definitely learnt from our mistakes this time and know what to do next time.

Here are some pictures I took after we got out of the river. I didn't have my iphone with me, which was a good thing, or it might be dead by now.

On our way to Vivian Park in Provo Canyon

A hot dog stand that we ate at. I love all the bottle caps at the counter.

Story #298: Lagoon

2010-07-29T12:34:00.007-10:00

Our friends came to visit last weekend and we went to Lagoon and had a blast. It was so nice to see you guys (Chris, June, Paul, Nikki) again!!

Lagoon was fun, but not Disneyland-fun. I think that comparison is inevitable once you've been to both. It was built back in the 50s I think so there was a ride that was super old and made of wood, but still working. There were also some old/pioneer-period looking buildings in the park, which I thought was pretty cool.

Lagoon was, to me, a little too expensive and it's lame that some of the fun things cost extra. There were many roller coasters though. That was pretty much what we did, one roller-coaster ride after another. I think I am roller-coastered out.

Oh, I even cried after a super scary ride. I hate the Wicked ride. I think people who like it are either suicidal or have problem feeling. I screamed from the beginning of the ride to the end of it. It got on my nerve and I was either not ready for it to start or to end that my tears burst out after the ride came to a sudden halt. I think watching Final Destination also helped fueled the fright.

Anywho, I did have some fun despite the puke-y sick feeling I had after riding a kid's swing ride. Geez...spinning in cirlces over and over and over. Seriously, what is the fun in that? And how can little children feel normal after riding it? My favorite ride were the roller coaster called "Bat" and the Rattle Snake Rapids. Anything involving water is great in a hot summer day. I did not mind getting wet. In fact, I wished we went to Seven Peaks instead of Lagoon.

I am loving summer now. We have got so many activities planned. I wish summer can last a little longer than last year because summer is actually more fun this year.

There was a bird show on the day we went. It was pretty cool. The guy said they were one of the best shows in Vegas and one of their parrots, a singing parrot, is the only bird that has ever performed in front the Queen of England.

Story #297: This Is The Place

2010-07-25T16:10:00.008-10:00

On Pioneer Day (July 24th), Mr.L and I went to This Is The Place Heritage Park to enjoy some "pioneer fun".I think that the pioneers are like the symbol of the state of Utah, just like the hippies are (sort of) the symbol of San Francisco. I had a great time at the park despite the 100 degree summer heat. The park was bigger than I had anticipated. My favorite part of the day was the Native American show. I've always wanted to see them dance and do their awesome ritual and what not. I love their costumes too. I may or may not be an American Indian for Halloween :)

p.s these pictures are not in chronological order.

p.p.s I found the cutest pillows ever! They have a lot of different ones in the gift shop. They are all like almost $30 so I think I may just get a sewing machine and make my own! It will be a fun project.

The small plan of the heritage park

Ancient stove at Brigham Young's farmhouse.

Silk cocoons from the worms that were brought back from France by the missionaries.

The exterior of Brigham Young's farmhouse. He used it as a guest house or for the missionaries to stay when they came to visit. He himself never slept there.

At the Museum of the Quilt.

One of the cute pillows I mentioned. This one might be really challenging to make. I've never sewn anything round like that.

This is going to be my project. I love it so super much!

The hospital back in the day. Why is Mr.L carrying a purse?? Cause he loves me and offered to carry it when I told him the semi-metal strap burns my shoulder.

Those lamps are so cool!

This is one of my favorite drawings.

Pulling a cart in the middle of a summer afternoon is not easy. Respect the pioneers!

Native American village

These chair/mat were very sturdy. Not comfortable, but sturdy.

They cooked inside of the tent too.

This was the Mormon Battalion station. We were educated on the clothes that those men wore when they were in the Mormon Battalion.

Carousel. Real horse carousel.

Tilling the ground is not fun to do.

This reminded me of the movie "Joseph Smith."

I found a small green apple. Oh, Brigham Young was famous for the apples he planted. Some of them could weigh up to a pound!

"Mail must go through, rider optional" LOL

Farm animals are cute, but they smell so bad! I gagged a few times walking past the farm.

The chief. He was originally from North Dakota and was as he called himself, a "Lamanite of BYU." He teaches Native American history in Arizona.

The butterfly dance, originated from Lousiana.

I love his wings!

When I asked if I could take a picture with him he said, "You're very pretty."

Totally made my day.

Brigham Young Academy

These were the actresses singing and gossiping about some girl who wore her dress a little too short and exposed her ankle. It was pretty funny.

Interesting looking candies. I never had one. I didn't try one either.

My hair color is kinda like this tail of the racoon.

They had their own currency??? SO bizarre!

The map of Texas, Oregon, and California back then

The Bank

This train takes you around the park and you can get off at any designated stops. It even has real smoke coming out.

How was your Pioneer day?

I'll be back with pictures from Lagoon! See you soon :)

Story #296: Julie and Julia

2010-07-22T07:50:00.004-10:00

It is strange how people get so emotionally attached to a certain movie or book or drama series that it feels like there's a hole or something is missing once that movie/book/drama series ends. I am like that ALL the time. I get attached to things way too easily and I get very emotional as well.

Just recently, I watched "Julie and Julia" for the second time. I felt a deep connection with the two real life characters and this movie became personal to me.The first time I watched it it was like a introduction to me. Like me being introduced to Julia Child and Julie Powell for the first time. And I was told of their stories. The second time was different. Their stories connected with me in a different way. I felt like I know them. I felt like we can be best friends because of our love for cooking. The first time, I didn't see that kind of a connection. I saw them like an outsider. This time, I feel everything they feel. I cried when Julia got her cookbook published. I cried with her when she cried after receiving a letter from her sister, I cried when Paul was interrogated by the government people. I cried when Julie's stuffed chicken fell on the kitchen floor. I felt their feelings. Isn't it strange? It is strange, and I think I am going crazy!! I even have a picture of me and Mr.L in the bathtub full of bubbles just like Julia and Paul did. And I am going to make my first Boeuf Bouguignon, Julia Child style. And I am going to buy her cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

In many ways I feel that Julia and I are very much alike. In the movie, when Julia first went to Paris, she wasn't sure what she should do. She went into hat-making, thinking that was what she liked. Then, she learned to play bridge and got bored at it. In the end, she found her passion: cooking. I was like that. I thought I want to be a writer and work for a magazine. But I really don't enjoy writing about anything in particular. I wrote stories but am not exactly sure I love writing anymore. When I first got married and moved to St.George, I didn't know what I should do. I have no passion for work...any sort of work. I went into computer programming and graphic design, thinking that's what I want to do. I don't mind doing it for fun and I am glad I have the skill, but I don't LOVE it. Then, I took piano lesson, thinking I would do so well, but I am not passionate for it. I love that I know and can play music now, but I don't love it enough to practice everyday. After much exploring and trying things out, I think I found my passion. I love photography. I love cooking. But I am PASSIONATE about traveling. I can do that for a living. I can do that everyday! That's my goal now. I will travel as much as I can, photograph anything I want, and cook all the good food I love.

Julie and I are very similar too. In the movie she said that she always start things but never finish them. I am like that. Look at my stories. I never finish any of them, except one. I went into card making and got all the supplies and tools and I made like 5 cards. Now my supplies are sitting in the corner of the room, filled with dust. I started my photography business and I already feel like quitting or just let it rot. She blamed her inability to finish something on ADD. I did too! I totally did. I even got an online ADD test thing that says I am 93% suffering from ADD. I often blame my inability to do housework on my ADD. Julie did that too. When she was in a bad mood and everything started to go wrong in the kitchen, she snapped at her husband, got in fights with him, and drove her husband out of the house. I was like that too, only my husband hasn't left the house yet. At one point she blamed that her kitchen was too small to cook in. I do that almost everyday. "Stupid counter. Stupid BYU Housing. Stupid kitchen stove!! I hate my life! How the F do I cook in this stupid space?!" That's what I always say. I broke down crying like a baby while cooking too. And I also have a blog about food!

I don't think I am obsessed with Julia Child or Julie Powell. They are not like my fantasy friends. They are not my muse. And I am sure a lot of people feel the same way I do about these two women, that we are somehow similar and connected through the movie. I do think that sometimes some movies/books help you to come to term with yourself or see yourself more clearly. It is like by knowing some stranger's life story gives you an insight of your own. And if a person was lost in life but found some kind of purpose in his/her life through watching a movie or read a book, then I think it's something worth celebrating.

In conclusion, I love how by watching "Julie and Julia" I feel like life is truly great and filled with opportunities. Nothing is impossible. Everything is possible.

Story #295: Exploring Salt Lake (2)

2010-07-19T16:19:00.007-10:00

This past Saturday I was planning to go up to Salt Lake to a bridal fair at La Caille, a really nice French restaurant. But I woke up feeling like I hadn't rested all night and decided I didn't want to go to Salt Lake. Then I had a brilliant idea. I wanted to see the Lavender farm at the Young Living Farm south of Provo. Mr.L looked up the information about the park and chatted with one of their agent online and found out that we needed to make a reservation before we could tour their farm. Boo!!! So I got frustrated and fell asleep watching Mr.L played Rock Band.

About an hour later, I woke up from my nap, rested. Mr. L said, "Let's go." And I was like ??? He said he wanted to take me to some places up in Salt Lake. He refused to tell me what those places were. Surprises, he said. So I very happily changed and got ready to go. It was a SUPER hot day. But I had SO MUCH fun. I had been complaining about Provo ever since we moved up. Boring, as I always say. But Salt Lake is different. It's fun. Like Las Vegas was fun when I complain about St.George.

So we drove up to Salt Lake, Sugar House to be exact. The first place he took me to was the Sugar House Park, which had a big lake in the middle, built with concrete. This park used to be a penitentiary. There were so many seagulls here, which was weird. Aren't seagulls supposed to be on the beach? There were a lot of geese and ducks too. There were bird poop and feathers everywhere on the sidewalk. The park was pretty big, with lots of trees and some really nice spots for pictures. I was thinking of taking some clients there for portraits next time.

The second place we went to was the Liberty Park close to the Sugar House Park. There was a British classic car show there. It wasn't the greatest but it's nice to see some old cars.

At the Liberty Park, there were the Green House and Tracy Aviary. I didn;t go in the green house but we went to the aviary. I wasn't expecting the aviary to be great but I was pleasantly surprised. I loved it. I had a blast in there. I love to see birds and their colorful feathers. They are some fascinating creatures. However, I don't like to get close to them. I have heard stories about birds picking the eyes out of people before. I loved the bird show. I even raised my hands when they asked for volunteers to let the bird fly onto our arms. The bird took a long time to finally fly towards my arm but landed for like not even a second before taking off for Mr. L's head and the tree behind him. The presenter also asked if I wanted to have a close up picture of the owl with my "fancy" camera. Naturally I said yes and he made a gesture and the owl flew towards me. More accurately, the owl flew towards him who was crouching behind me. I was ecstatic!

This Is The Place heritage park was the last surprise for the day. I kept asking Mr. L "what is this place?" and he kept saying "This Is The Place." And I was getting annoyed when I saw the name of the park. So this park is called "This Is The Place." This was the place where Brigham Young said that the Mormon pioneers should settle down. I imagine it must be tough for those pioneers to look around this place that was once a desert wasteland. They had never planted crops in places like this. It was truly a miracle that they prospered. We didn't go inside the main "city" because we were tired and we planned to come back on Pioneer Day next week. According to the brochure, they have a real haunted house in there and they have some pretty neat stuff going on for Halloween. I can't wait for October now!

On our way home to Provo, before our car broke down in the middle of the pedestrian crossing and in front of the traffic lights, we swung by the Capitol. While waiting for our car to be towed (I love AAA by the way), I saw this poor horse. I seriously dislike it when people drive the horse around the city and in the summer when it is SO friggin hot. The horse looked so pitiful. No water, full sun, and surrounded by cars.

Salt Lake, I am so glad you are so close to Provo. I am so glad you are not 3 hours away. I am so glad I am going back next week to visit :)