Life is like a Teacup

...To be filled to the brim and enjoyed with friends. 

And, I might add, paired with tasty munchies like stroop waffles.

Stroop waffles and one of my favorite Anthro mugs

(This is a picture-heavy post)

One of my all-time favorite things is afternoon tea.

I first had afternoon tea while I was studying abroad in London. Ever since, I've loved trying out different places, but going out for it can be expensive. I knew that I wanted to have a tea party for my birthday this year so I figured that maybe instead of going out, I could just hold one of my own.

Well, this idea circled around in my mind until it burst, and instead of just one, I ended up having two tea parties.

Tea and teacup collection

The Spread, Day 1: Zucchini bread, finger sandwiches, Irish Tea Cake, cookies and stroop waffles, apple rose tarts, cinnamon scones by my roommate Leigh. Not pictured: cheese platter, fruits

The Spread, Day 2: Zucchini bread, finger sandwiches, cookies and stroop waffles, fruit, apple rose tarts, cinnamon scones by my roommate Leigh. Not pictured: cheese platter with more than 10 pounds of cheese that friends brought, crepe cake

Finger sandwiches: tuna salad and cucumber, egg salad, salmon and cucumber, and cucumber sandwiches

Stroop waffles and LU milk chocolate cookies

There was definitely a lot of preparation that went into both, but I think it was a lot of fun and totally worth it! During my Clinton Crib days, I had the chance to help host several festivities with my housemates including a Mad Hatter Tea Party, an Election-themed Party, and more. I think those helped prepare me for hosting on my own. I also enjoy planning and putting things together, so figuring when and how to make everything was a logistical jigsaw puzzle that I had fun solving.

Other fun things - this also gave me a chance to try out some things that I've been wanting to do for a long time, like making a crepe cake, apple rose tarts, and giant paper flowers. And I got to use the Cricut to make a bunch of goodies!

Cake 1, Irish Tea Cake 

Cake 2, 26-layer vanilla crepe cake 

Apple rose tarts with cherry preserves

Giant tissue paper flowers

Paper teacup favor

Paper teacup favors

Design a teacup-nametag

I think the best part, though, was being able to celebrate with so many friends in such a personal way. I've thought for a while about how strange birthdays can be. Isn't it so strange that we usually celebrate by having others treat us? When really our birthdays are a remembrance of how blessed we already are and of how much others have given to us, whether that's family or mentors or friends? And perhaps another natural response, then, would be to give out to others in return as celebration? I definitely enjoy receiving gifts and getting treated to nice things, and I also understand and love that someone's birthday is a time to appreciate and celebrate how much they mean to you - but for me this year, it became a challenge to give rather than to just receive.

As much fun as it can be to go out to fancy places together, it was so precious to me that I was able to serve my friends in doing some of the things that I enjoy most.

Dearly beloved friends

Far and near, old and new

They're too cute! 

Some time ago, I wrote about how my family's house reminded me of dumplings - filled with love and joy. I can't help but think of it again. I hope that this house has been a dumpling house, and I hope that I can learn to grow more and more in helping to make one so.

Thank you, friends who could make it and friends who could not but celebrated with me nonetheless!

Happy new year!

I thought it only appropriate to celebrate the new year (and break the almost 1-year hiatus on this blog) with an appreciation post about orchids.

ORCHIDS!!! They're so interesting! There are so many types! I'm sure there are many many other plants out there that are MUCH more diverse and interesting, but recently this has taken the forefront of my attention for two reasons: 

These two friends!

David got me an orchid sometime ago in 2013(?), and it bloomed beautifully for the whole summer. In the fall, it went to sleep and then hibernated for the whole year. Over the course of time, it lost a few leaves and roots, though at some point I think it grew an entire new leaf (which I then probably killed...). A few days ago he got me the mini orchid, the double stemmed one in the front. I still kept the original orchid all this time because I've heard that they sometimes regrow. Although I had almost given up on it (and admittedly kind of forgot to water it after I left it in the living room), I saw this after putting the two together: 

Baby stem!!!!

The leaves aren't looking so great, and the roots aren't all super happy, but Momma orchid has begun to sprout again! Here you can see a new little stem coming out for air. Not only that but it's sprouting more roots as well! Here's another angle: 

Can you see the tiny root on the bottom of the picture?

Plants are so cool. I just realized my previous post from last year was also about plants, somewhat. 

In the spirit of orchid-appreciation, here are some other cool orchids from around the world and internets!! (So some of them may not be correctly labeled, sorry)

White egret orchid

Orchis Italica

Ballerina orchid

Another set of dancing ladies orchid

Laughing bumblebee orchid

Flying duck orchid

Dove orchid

Another bird orchid

Bat orchid

A collection of monkey orchids

Tiger/Lion orchid

This looks like the same one flipped upside down - cheetah orchid?? 

And here are some impatiens that I thought were orchids... maybe I'll do an impatiens appreciation post another day! 

Parrot impatiens

Dancing lady impatiens

One monthish anniversary

It's now been over a month since I've been in London! Which made me wonder, what exactly does "anniversary" mean? Doesn't the word have the root for "year"? Which is strange then, because why do we have "month anniversaries" and so on? Shouldn't it be like... mensisary... or something like that. I don't know Latin. :/ But I am learning Hebrew! Now the one word most on my mind is dagesh. Really, for some reason I just keep saying it in my head - like its a dageshary.

Mmm... waking up in London every morning - I don't see the Monument outside my window, or hear the Big Ben chiming every hour, but wow the feeling is quite amazing. This is actually the view from outside my window ~

That big building on the left is an office - every night there are people working on computers there... kind of bothersome because I like leaving the window curtains open usually :/

Yesterday I went to the Royal Ballet showing of Sleeping Beauty ~ ahhh it was so fantastic! Even though we had a terrible view (i.e. no view) from our standing seats and I had a huge coughing fit towards the end :P The security guard man (like police officer man) was nice enough to let us take over some other seats (well, he tried but then the real seat holders arrived) and we ended up standing a bit higher and got a great panoramic view ~ God provides! :D

Anyway, seeing it reminded me of how much I love dance... I can't say I remember much of dancing itself - who will after 10 years - but returning to it 2 years ago at Wellesley, I was reminded again of its finesse, its difficulty, and once again appreciated a dancer's extreme discipline, grace, and strength that flourish into the ethereal beauty that you see on stage. True performance is when one forgets oneself in the act - when one pours out everything, all energy and fervor, to recreate and share with those watching the beauty that one feels in one's heart. Maybe those of you who've also performed can feel a slight murmur of agreement on this, whether it was dance, or music, or sport, or whatever else. But performance isn't the only word... performance is just another extension of Expression - expression of self, of story, of means of expression, and so on.

Beauty... I was wondering to myself some other day - do we deem something beautiful because it brings us joy, or is it because it is beautiful that it brings us joy? Do we define beauty, or does Beauty define us? Maybe in this world, we do hold the labeler, but is it not the Author of beauty who "labels" us first and allows us to see that there is more? Because where does our sense of beauty come from anyway?

I read the most beautiful chapter in If yesterday... I wish I could write it all out here for you all to read too, but I don't want to break any copyright issues (not even Google Books has any previews on it, and even Amazon has only the first introduction page available) and because of that, EVERYONE SHOULD GO BUY IT! :D And read it for yourself :) Highly highly recommended. For those who have it, it was chapter 2 ~ every word jabbed at me, and by no coincidence, I had been thinking of those exact things, to the phrase, just moments earlier. And no, I don't think it's because I somehow remembered reading it months before...

More importantly, I highly highly x infinity recommend reading this ~ it's got much better stuff. :) In all my foolishness and impatience and distrust, how I despised wisdom and sought after the temperamental and chased after other lovers - there is a Lover who takes me back with such love and grace... there is a Faithful Father, who runs after me who knows how many times, and embraces this too-often astray daughter of His... That is Beauty.

Ok, I am off to make chicken now. Chicken is so wonderful - so versatile! Maybe because it's so bland. But that's what makes it so great! There's probably much to be learned from that. Hahah ~ ahhh I love cooking... And little by little, I'm sure (hoping) it does get better and it's not just me getting more used to it.

Autumn <3

[The H2O in the atmosphere] is raining [down from altitudes where they have been condensed into clouds]

I like using the word pregnant, though I probably should not because I am a female and it can be shocking or confusing when heard in the wrong context. But in either case, I've been feeling pregnant - expectant - anticipating what there is to come. With nervousness too... and some fear that should not be there. It's so relaxing to watch the raindrops fall into puddles, the soft ripples they create, the plops and blips and dollops of water that they produce. It's calming.

I've been reading Authentic Beauty, courtesy of Helen. :) I read Captivating over the break, and there are many many parallels... hahaha - why? Because they are founded on the same truth, written with love by both authors, with the same ultimate desire to glorify God by perhaps helping some young woman out there to realize just a bit more how her identity and worth and joy is based solely in Christ... It makes me so happy to see their love for God and for others, their earnest hope that girls and women alike fully embrace their true Lover and Love and the truth that He speaks instead of the trash that is thrown at them by the World.

How many are there who hurt so much, have been scarred so deeply, feel beyond hope?  How many are there who naively, or confidently, or desperately place their joys, security, and hope in careers, relationships, or things, only to have these precious treasures of their hearts abandoned, ripped apart and thrown at their faces, shredded and tossed to the wind? How many, how long, how much more? It's so heartbreaking... so much when I see it in my own life, when I see it in my friends' lives, when I realize that there are so many more who suffer through this in silence, who don't know that there is more, that the One makes this possible wants so much for them to see His love for them, to embrace His sacrifice for them, to give their all to Him because He can and will hold it more securely than they can imagine, that He can give them this only Truth and this only Life. WAH!



Delight yourself in the LORD
       and he will give you the desires of your heart.
- Proverbs 37:4

Why does this work?  Because when you fully delight yourself in the LORD, your desires will be His desires, your love what He loves... and how much does God love to give good gifts to those He loves and who love Him?

On the way back

(buses have wifi now! ahhh!)

Mmm all in all it's been a great weekend... a true retreat into the city that turned up many things that I would never have expected.

I realized many of the blessings of going to Wellesley this weekend.. haha! That's kind of ironic - I originally was so looking forward to this trip as a retreat away from Wellesley, and now that I look back, it's become something that's helped me to appreciate it all the more... interesting.

Had so many great conversations these few days... strange and wonderful to catch up with home friends, meet their new friends and click with even newer friends - and that in itself was a strange experience. Clicking with others. Not that it's never happened. Actually, I think that's what brings about friendships - clicking! Ahh so many realizations through that too..

I wonder, how strong am I really? If I am strong at all? How long could I stand firm, if I can stand firm at all? One more reason to love Wellesley...

Other reasons include being able to eat without being judged (most of the time), and being able to talk to like minded individuals about things of frivolous matter in an intellecual way (like fashion and shoes. although the former includes the latter, the latter is also in a category by itself). And more.

The trees outside are so beautiful! Mother Nature is finally shedding her summer veil... Interesting how its Mother Nature and Father Time.

Etiquette is important.