teaching children early

if you give a pig a pancake,

he'll want some syrup to go with it.

you'll give him some of your maple syrup.

he'll probably get all sticky,

so he'll want to take a bath.

he'll ask you for some bubbles.

when you give him bubbles,

he'll probably ask you for a toy.

you'll have to find your rubber duck.

the duck will remind him of the farm where he was born.

he might feel homesick and want to visit his family.

he'll want you to come too.

he'll look through your closet for a suitcase.....

etc, etc, etc.

hmm...

don't people say that.... men are pigs?

hehe
be careful ladies! pigs always want more than just pancakes....

happy love day! (or S.A.D. day)

a slow fast

julie and i are cereal monsters. our costco case of soy milk has been completey depleted within 2 weeks time and our cupboard has 1 box of cereal out of 7 left standing... so, are we ridiculously koo koo for coco puffs? or is there something else going on???

our TLC (small group) has been on a group 40 day fast to practice in line with Pastor Danny's sermon about a fasted life style. and so from Jan 7 to Feb 16, each of us has dedicated to sacrifice something in our lives that we are dependent on... but that may not necessarily be good for us because it is a "weight" that holds us back from running "the race" with all of our might.

For me, i decided on a couple things in my life that i had begun to take too much earthly pleasure in but were unnecessary for my well-being.

1. dessert & sweets. (my recent dependence on these for happiness had become quite unhealthy)

2. facebook (it was dominating my thinking and honestly just became a frivolous waste of time)

3. dating (talking about and thinking about relationships; just too much)

#3, i've failed at utterly. at one point i couldn't even quantify this goal, so i gave up on it. it's harder to control my thoughts and my tongue than i thought, especially in social situations when the conversation always ends up being about people, love, and relationships.

another thing (and here is where the cereal story comes in) is that no matter how hard i try to "give something up" i am so weak. as humans, we have natural survival tactics that allow us to adapt to our environments. hence, the sugary cake-like delights have been substituted with cereal and boba drinks. --- if this fast is about the heart, then i need to re-assess and re-adjust my thinking because i am really starting to enjoy my sweet, sweet Lucky Charms... =/

as Pastor Danny spoke about this past Sunday, you cannot expect change by filling hungry bellies up with food. there is still a spiritual desolateness within that needs to be filled up with the Truth, with God.

so, Phileo-α, just ONE more week left until deliverance! let's remind ourselves why we are even doing this in the first place and take joy in it! i hope we've really learned a lot about how freeing it is to deny ourselves physical and earthly pleasures in order to commune with God on a more spiritual level.

Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. ✝ Matthew 4:4

wicked witches

i dreamt that i was superman.

i was gracefully flying around the world, enjoying the sights with the use of my physical prowess.

when suddenly a pack of wild witches began to chase me and chase me. the thought of being caught filled me with a sense of dread. and i didn't know why. even if i knew that these fears were unwarranted.

i tried to dive deeply into the ocean, i tried to zoom in between large sky scrapers in Tokyo and Hong Kong...

i even told myself that i could fly out of the earth's orbit and spin the earth backwards if i wanted to, and witches probably couldn't do that. but for some reason, i could not follow through. i tried reassuring myself of this, but to no avail. i kept second guessing myself and i just could not speed away in the lightning quick manner that i normally would.

i didn't know what they would do to me, or when they would finally catch me... so i was filled with such anxiety. all i could do was keep running away until i woke up, deeply dissatisfied with myself.

my analysis of this vivid dream:
1. these were left over visuals from the time i sat there and watched Shrek Forever After 3 times in a row and the imagery of the wicked green witches chasing down ogres really stayed with me, i guess.

2. it may be a physical representation of my mental state these days. as superman: a recognition of my self-worth and yet, a clear signifier of the inability to deliver myself from the things/people that force me to question my strength, dignity, and self-esteem.... ultimately, an illustration of my lack of control.

happy lunar new year!

the best time of the year to be Asian is now.

1. we receive free money for something as simple as a bow.
2. we can call a Mulligan for the mistakes made in January.
3. second chance to redeem your failing ways (i.e.New Year's resolutions)

so, let's start over.

this Rabbit year:

1. i will not whine or complain.

2. i will live with a positive attitude/outlook on life.

3. i will open my eyes even to the smallest of blessings and be more grateful for everything.

4. i will put in more effort to be diligent in my studies and disciplined to focus on the race.

so... bring it on large dancing dragon head.

i'm ready to face the (real) new year.

-jo