Monday, October 31, 2011

Mind Blown

But I guess that it's such a small world I should not even be surprised. Even so, mind is blown.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Leaf Rose and Other Stuffs

Many of you know that I love crafts and DIY projects. I don't think I've ever posted about any of my projects though... so I'll start now! :) YAY!

I haven't had much time to do crafts lately because of school and work, but I did a lot over the summer and I'll go through them one by one, all retro-flashback-style. I don't have any tutorials written either, but I will practice doing that eventually because I'd love to one day have a large following of other craftaholics. For now I'll just photo-spew my adventures!

I had a bit of time to do one project today - Leaf Roses from DesignSponge! I didn't have the brilliant red maple leaves like the ones in the tutorial because the ones near our house are all dried and crackly - so I made do with some yellow linden and a red mulberry leaves.

Pictures! ---

 
Materials: scissors, floral tape, 12 total of maple, mulberry, and linden leaves.
Progress shot! I only took one.. it was too difficult to hold everything in place.
Almost done! This is when you're supposed to start taping.
Yay!

Ok, so the final product doesn't look as pretty as the roses by Kate, but I'm happy!! I plan to undertake this project next: a Netbook Book Cover. As a sidenote: I dislike that it's called a "Man Craft". I like netbooks and books and hot glue guns too!!!! :( Boo.

The Netbook Book Case!

I went to the MIT bookstore loading dock sale today, and got a few books that I plan to use for this. I have to say, the covers are definitely not as cool as this one of the man fighting a bear. But the titles are beautiful.

This describes my life. 
This too. Though I'm really not that fashionable. 

And I have to share some of the pictures in the FashionEast book!!

So this is where all those stripey skirts
from summer are coming from!
Beautiful!
This is the inside cover -- sooo pretty!

That's the end of my crafting adventures for today. I have more in my arsenal that I want to share, and so many more that I want to undertake!! Ahhh too much!!! That is what Pinterest is for. But this is it for now. Stay tuned and good night!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Chejil -- 8 Body Types

I learned about something new recently -- chejil. From Anna's blog,
"For a long while, according to findings in Oriental Medicine, humans were classified as one of four body "constitutions" or chejil. One's chejil is determined from birth and is distinguished by the relative size and strength of one's organs. In turn, one's chejil influences one's appearance, temperment, physiology, and pathology. A specially trained hauisa, is able to determine your chejil based on your pulse."
I am an avid self-diagnoser. I've diagnosed myself with a multitude of really strange diseases and disorders, as some of you know well... So naturally, when Anna told me about this I immediately started to diagnose myself as one of the chejil.

So far, these are the ones that seem to be most descriptive of me:
http://www.8bodytype.com/en/board2/8_pul.html
http://www.8bodytype.com/en/board2/8_pan.html
Overall things that are beneficial for me:
- Seafood!!!! (YES) Leafy veggies. White rice. Cucumbers, cabbage, chocolate and bananas, pineapples. 
Things to avoid:
- Potatoes. Chicken?? (noooo) Ginseng, honey, apples.

Interesting facts:
One of the things I DIDN'T want to see on that list: Coffee and Tea. Apparently it's harmful for a pulmotonia type, so I hope I'm not that. The pulmotonic also should not have vitamins A, B, C, and D (HAHAHAHA), old fillings, or any other types of medications, and using saunas. The pancreotonic also should avoid living in red rooms, and is prone to sterility.

Ok, so this was a fun exercise, but I hope I'm none of the above. Bahah! I do like my seafood, but I also like my coffee and tea and saunas, thank you very much. But I understand where the idea of chejil come from, and I think it's probably very true and something that I should be more aware of. So FINE. I'll lay off some of those to-be-avoided foods. It will be an experiment. YAY EXPERIMENTS

Thursday, October 20, 2011

From Maple's Post

Bible Emergency Numbers:

When in sorrow, call John 14
When men fail you, call Psalm 27
When you have sinned, call Psalm 51
When you worry, call Matthew 6:19-34
When you are in danger, call Psalm 91
When your faith needs stirring, call Hebrew 11
When you are lonely and fearful, call Psalm 23
When you grow bitter and critical, call 1 Cor 13
When you feel down and out, call Romans 8:31-39
When you want peace and rest, call Matthew 11:25-30
When the world seems bigger than God, call Psalm 90
When you want Christian assurance, call Romans 8:1-30
When you leave home for labor or travel, call Psalm 121
When your prayers grow narrow and selfish, call Psalm 67
When you want courage for a task, call Joshua 1
When you think of investments/returns, call Mark 10
How to get along with fellowmen, call Romans 12
For invention/opportunity, call Isaiah 56
For Paul's secret to happiness, call Col 3:12-17
For idea of Christianity, call 2 Cor 5:15-19
If you are depressed, call Psalm 27
If you want to be fruitful, call John 15
If your pocketbook is empty, call Psalm 37
If you're losing confidence in people, call 1 Cor 13
If people seem unkind, call John 15
If discouraged about your work, call Psalm 126
If you find the world growing small, and you great, call Psalm 19


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Verses of the past few days

Psalm 27:14 Link
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 51:12 Link
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Verse of the Day

Jeremiah 29:11 Link
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Other thoughts -

I dreamed last night that I was a white man, and father of two little boys. One of them had some eye poop that was bothering him, and I didn't know how to help him get it off. Then while struggling to help him, I realized that I also didn't know how to get rid of my own eye poop. We both felt very lost and confused. But my little boy was so cute! *squeeee* I still remember his face pretty distinctly. I have no idea who the mother was though, and my other little boy was a baby. Why am I dreaming about these things??

Wireframing tools

List of places to look for Wireframing Tools:



One day I will write my own reviews.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Verse of the day

Proverbs 19:20-21 [link]
Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. 

Other thoughts -

I'm excited to get started in my balloon making adventures (inspired by the balloon master Nancy)! Right now I've only made a dog, flower, and bunny. This is my ultimate goal:

Balloon Tardis [link]
I would love to make it interactive too. You'll be able to walk in, see the flashing lights and hear the vroomvrooms, and of course, it'd be bigger on the inside. Like this one, but not edible, which does make it slightly less cool.

Linlin, sometimes I think about getting a tumblr just to reblog you. But then I realize it takes too much time. So here you go, I'm reblogging you a different way. :)

---- edit ----

Here's another one!

Twisted And Radically Designed Inflated Structure [link]   
So appreciating the name.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Slow morning

We're having a slow morning today. No regular meeting, and there are technicians coming around to check our building and facilities. 

The news that's been going around about Steve Jobs - it's quite surprising to me how strongly people are affected by his death - myself included. This man really did change the world. It's amazing what one person can do. 

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Undeserved Love

How deep the Father's love for us

Ever since I can remember, from early elementary on, I tried hard to be loved by those around me - friends, teachers, family, even strangers. I even remember bringing snacks for the kids at my table just to curry their favor. A people-pleaser at heart.

I also linked love with favor and approval - i.e. if somebody was disappointed in me, in my head that meant their love for me was gone. Of course, this would inevitably happen, and I interpreted this as growing evidence that I was therefore unlovable. So as the years passed, I built a thick wall of callousness around myself. I told myself that I didn't need the approval of others, and I really believed it. I began to dissociate myself from others, not necessarily in an antisocial way, but in an aloof and disconnected way, where I could prevent myself from ever losing their love and approval. I reasoned to myself, however unconsciously, that if I don't let anyone close, then I can't get hurt. If I don't let others see my faults and know my insecurities, then I won't lose anything. If I don't invest, I won't be hurt. If I don't take a leap of faith, then I can't fall.
If I don't try, I can never fail.
So that became one of the core philosophies that I carried across all aspects of my life, and it infused my relationships, my work, my studies, my spiritual walk...

Praise the Lord, for he had no plans for me to stay this way. He blessed me with my family, who love through thick and thin, who know more of my faults than I care to think about, and who care more for my good than my comfort. And he blessed me with dear friends who know and love me beyond my closely guarded surface, who stick through hardships and challenge me to grow, who can show their love in truth through both approval and disapproval. Little by little through the years, the walls have been torn away. It's scary to be vulnerable, but that's where true fellowship begins.


As much as I'd like to be and try to be, I'm not a reflective person by nature. My instinct is to think just of the present, ignoring both past and future. I'm definitely a present-oriented hedonist. Reflection takes time and effort, and all too often unearths pain, guilt, and regret. But I forget that it unearths many more treasures, and deepens joy and gratitude. With remembrance comes gratitude, and with gratitude comes praise.

Praise that Lord. We cannot curry God's love - it's poured down on us, completely undeserved. There's nothing we can do to add to it, and nothing we can do to deplete it. His love is not shown simply through approval, but through gentle and firm discipline. This is a philosophy that has not infused my life, but one that I hope and pray is taking deeper hold each day.

How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that he should give his only Son to make a wretch his treasure.

Monday, October 3, 2011

From Gospel Centered Discipleship:
"Know this—it is the gospel that allows you to be real. It admits us all as sinners and establishes us all as saints... Be real. Admit where you are and what you are. This will allow others to minister to you, and you to minister to others."
How true this is.. and how not evident in my life.

God does not change, and He has promised to change me.