Berta Potts

Lord, why can't i just be a professional housewife? (minus the lifetime commitment and intimacy) why do i have to continue on through this drudgery that is graduate school.. and then enter the work force??

today, my boss asked me to go across to his unit and check on his laundry. so i did. i even folded his towels and matched his socks (even if he didn't ask me to). and of course (politely avoided his boxers... bleh~)

why can't we all just do what we LOVE and make money doing it???

maybe i could just be a Berta (Two and a Half Men):

the jolly large house keeper who shows tough love to the men in the house by cooking, cleaning, and making wise cracks about their bad decisions...


or maybe a Pepper Potts (Iron Man):

a professional grade personal assistant/secretary/maid who secretly loves her hott boss.

or a doubtfire....

my favorite childhood movie.
i love the silly, cool old hag so much!!


oh boy, how i would love my life....

steadfastness

the day i was most stressed by work, i heard the best sermon in the car on the way home. Francis really hit it home for me about learning to be steadfast. What he says:

Steadfastness is patience. Steadfastness is when you have a weight on you and you keep holding up that weight. It is endurance. We want to say; "God get rid of this weight so then I can just relax". But you don't persevere unless there is weight and pressure on you. And you want to quit when it gets more difficult. So most of us pray God, get rid of that weight. We don't pray asking for God to make our lives a little more difficult so that you could develop steadfastness.

why? because we care about our comfort far more than we care about our character. Most days we don't think about our character. we think i just want to be happy; hoping all our problems will go away. we get frustrated when something is going wrong because we aren't thinking about how it will build us into more Godly, more steadfast people with strong character.

God wants us to be Holy. He wants us to be this steadfast person. Instead of being frustrated at hardship, if we were really concerned about character we could obey James 1: consider it all joy when you encounter these trials. here is an opportunity to get stronger.


We rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. - Romans 5:3-4

let's snuggle

Pastor Jay mentioned last night that he always refers to sports analogies because everything in life can be explained through sports. at that moment i thought that, for me, anything and everything in life can be made analogous to human relationships.

i find myself writing about relationships between friends, family, and dating. but how often do i assess and write about my intimate relationship with God our Father? (not much, spank me.)

so today i snuggled with Jesus. (no... not a buff latino guy. i mean God) But I really spent time in my bed, wrapped in the warmth of my blanket talking to God. I thought, how easy is it to set aside time to do this everyday? Easy enough! If Jesus was my boyfriend, he would be pretty mad that I don't spend much intimate time with him like this. We would probably have broken up by now... or found others to emotionally lean on (cheat on with)... NG! not good at all....

My goals:
1. more intimate snuggle time with God (prayful life)
2. more reflecting on the Word (reading + sermon listening)
3. finishing up all the reading for Leadership Bible studies
4. taking importance away from meaningless things (fb/twitter/k-pop)

i must say, i am actually really excited for these coming changes in the next few weeks..


파이팅 to all of us who are in preparation for Resurrection Sunday!

mad skillz

so my boss usually has me do normal life things for him at work.. such as going to the deli for a pastrami sandwich, or taking his dog out to pee/poo. he recently introduced me to playing catch with his yellow lab using this big sack toy, good for throwing (since they are soft-mouthed dogs meant to retrieve birds).

today i threw the toy too high and it got stuck in a tree... i was panicking and looking around for a really big ladder... i was even tempted to wave down the firetruck that was nonchalantly driving by at that moment... but then. it struck me. all my training was finally going to pay off!!

i ran to my car for that official NFL football sitting in the trunk and unleashed my skillz to knock the toy back down to earth. success! (i was so very excited that a masculine fist pump escaped from within me)

Hallelujah! our coaches would be proud....

the no excuses truth

reposted.. cuz sometimes we all need a reminder to make the right decision...

my personal picks from the bestseller "he's just not that into you" for all you confused/frustrated ladies (who may or may not be denial right now).

1. He's just not that into you if... he's not asking you out.
(because if he likes you, trust me, he will ask you out.)

the excuse: but he gave me his number...
men for the most part, like to pursue women. they like knowing if they can catch you. they feel rewarded when they do... especially when the chase is a long one.

the bottom line:
-if you have to be the agressor... he's just not that into you.
-don't get tricked into asking him out. if he likes you, he will do the asking.

2. he's just not that into you if... he's not calling you.
(men know how to use the phone.)

the bottom line:
if he's not calling you, it's because you are not on his mind.
"busy" is another word for "asshole". "asshole" is another word for the guy you're dating.

3. he's just not that into you if... he's not dating you.
("hanging out" is not dating.)

so many gray, murky areas of vagueness, mystery, and no questions asked. dudes love this time because that's when they get to pretend they're not really dating you. they also get to pretend they're not really responsible for your feelings.

the excuse: "It's better than nothing".
really? is better than nothing what we're going for now? why should you feel honored for getting scraps of his time? any guy who can wait two weeks to see you is just not that into you. better than nothing is not good enough for you!

bottom line:
-"i don't want to be in a serious relationship" truly means "i don't want to be in a serious relationship with YOU".


5. he's just not that into you if... he only want to see you when he's drunk.
(if he likes you, he'll want to see you when his judgment isn't impaired.)

bottom line:
-drinking and drug use are not the path to one's innermost feelings.
-bad boys are actually bad.
-you deserve to be with someone who doesn't have to get loaded to be around you.

6. he's just not that into you if... he doesn't want to marry you.
(simple as that.)


8. he's just not that into you if... he's disappeared on you.
(sometimes you have to get closure all by yourself.)
he's gone. poof. vanished into thin air. well, there's no mixed message here...

the excuse: "but can't i at least yell at him"?
in the short term it might feel good to call someone and yell at him. but in the long run, you will have wished that you had not given him that much credit for ruining your life. or even your day. let someone else expend that kind of energy on him.

don't ask yourself what you did wrong or how you could have done it differently. don't waste your valuable heart and mind trying to figure out why he did what he did. the only thing you need to know is that it's really good news: He's gone. Hallelujah.

bottom line:
-no answer is your answer.
-don't give him the chance to reject you again.
-let his mother yell at him. you're too busy.
-there's no mystery. he's gone and he wasn't good enough for you.


11. he's just not that into you if... he's a selfish jerk, a bully, or a really big freak.
(if you really love someone, you want to do things to make that person happy.)

bottom line:
-you deserve to be with someone who is nice to you all the time.
-make a space in your life for the glorious things you deserve.
-have faith. what other choice is there?


Standard Suggestions:
(let's all read this aloud together now...)

1. I WILL NOT GO OUT WITH A MAN WHO HASN'T ASKED ME OUT FIRST.
2. I WILL NOT GO OUT WITH A MAN WHO KEEPS ME WAITING BY THE PHONE.
3. I WILL NOT DATE A MAN WHO ISN'T SURE HE WANTS TO DATE ME.
4. I WILL NOT DATE A MAN WHO MAKES ME FEEL UNDESIRABLE.
5. I WILL NOT DATE A MAN WHO DRINKS OR DEOS DRUGES TO AN EXTANT THAT MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE.
6. I WILL NOT BE WITH A MAN WHO'S AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT OUR FUTURE.
7. I WILL NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, SPEND MY PRESCIOUS TIME WITH A MAN WHO HAS ALREADY REJECTED ME.
8. I WILL NOT DATE A MAN WHO IS NOT CLEARLY A GOOD, KIND, LOVING PERSON.

my 백인 picks

recently inspired by someone's so called "opposites attract" post, i would also like to share my opinion about the dynamic white men of our time who inspire in me, a little bit of giddy giggly gayness:


intellectual suaveness:
colin firth


edward norton



sexy confidence:
michael buble


pierce brosnan



bad ass kick ass-ness:
bruce willis


gerard butler


Tebow:



sensitive masculinity:
brendan fraser



all of the above-ness:
hugh jackman


a rugged...


...gentleman.


surely opposites do attract because... it seems i have an inkling towards tall, very built, very buff, very cut, brunettes with small mouths, thin lips, loving ways, debonair attitudes, humble confidence, big brown eyes, big (yet not too sharp) noses, thick low brows, and giant brains~



er, non-sequiturs for honorable mention:

DHoward:

don't judge me!!

i can't help my biological make up. its the chemical attraction!

plz change.

this is just a suggestion to all of those blogspotters that i religiously follow:

please change your settings so that commenting is quicker and easier!! when i'm leaving something stupid for you, my snickering gets cut short by that word verification thing... what a buzz kill... its an option that can be turned off my friends!!

go here:


and click NO:


thanks. i promise to leave more comments for you! hehe

banana rama ding dong

why oh why does it have to be so difficult to get into shape?? why can't it be attractive and sexy to be pudgy and slightly overweight!?

i'm sure girls were saying the same thing 1000 years ago, but in reverse: "why oh why does it have to be so hard to find food and eat and get fat?!why can't it be attractive and sexy to be underweight and slightly starved?! "

with that said, i am soooo committing food pron right now. yes. i am eating a banana while flipping through pictures of porto's danishes and desserts... oh my good Lord almighty, cream pan who are you and why??!

sigh.

when will you be eaten by me portos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?
when!!!!!


oh dear Jesus, Mary, Joseph, save me from my own gluttonous heart!!!


um....baker, will you marry me??
...and then fill my pregnant belly with your baked goods!!???

ovary explosion.

Why Tim Tebow is a rare treasure of a man...
(super + that he fits all of my non-negotiables):


1. the man knows how to pray.


2. the man loves children & missions abroad.


3. the man loves to laugh!



4. the man knows how to say NO to the ladies.


5. the man can throw a football. (very necessary~)



6. the man is basically a caveman.



7. the man can carry this fatman, therefore he can carry me.
(and spin me on his finger like a pizza)


8. the man is willing to sacrifice himself.



9. the man knows his Bible. and boasts only of Christ! oh the humility!


10. who cares so much about why he's not the greatest offensive QB in the NFL... look at all of his other attributes!

and if he will have me, i am willing to make an exception for his younger than me age... but only because he is twice my weight (245 lbs!!), 10 times holier (Scriptural eye blacks), and 1000 times better at football than me (88 TD's!).

Tebow makes ovaries weep... 

and marriage so sweet!

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8


Haiti, hold on to hope!!!

give more gifts!

as i am someone who loves having options, i don't get why people think giving gift cards is such a bad idea as a token or appreciation or love?

some say that it's very thoughtless and a cop out gift, but i say nay! firstly, a gift card is a ticket to freedom and happiness! tis much better than receiving a useless gift! and tis more thoughtful than cash, i suppose. but i don't know anyone who would complain or refuse cash...

i feel great pleasure when i am at the check out line and i can slide my fresh target gift card for a mini shopping spree!!! even if i end up purchasing more unnecessary thing than usual.... free cookies and cereal and nailpolish, oh my! or knowing that my Nordstrom's beauty products will be taken care of for the next season is awesome too! i guess the trick then, is to getting the right gift card for the right person...

i'm a super practicalist when it comes to receiving. i prefer not to get cards or flowers as expressions of love because staring at withering flowers is just depressing and reminds me of the transience of life in general; and cards are only funny when read the first time. pretty much, all useless to me. (i believe words of affirmation are enough to satiate my hunger for affection. besides, words are cheaper and can last an infinite amount of time!) i don't even like to waste money on wrapping gifts when it's just going to get torn up and thrown away...

i do, however, try to consider that others might really enjoy receiving cards or flowers or watever... because i can't force my personal standards on others, now can i? so, please, do inform me if you love the blabber written in cards, or enjoy freshly cut flowers from jia's jia's florist. i will do my best to accommodate to your happiness. :)

tiger

this year, i will not let anything hold me down.
this year, i will not let anyone hold me back.
not even me...




twenty. ten.
we've been waiting for you~


Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

amber - 311

What is friendship?

i've been exploring this idea in the fleeting months of 2009 and i think i've come close to an answer... friendship is pretty much an all encompassing kind of relationship between people. it's a mix of little bit of dating, a lotta bit of family, a little bit of co-workers, and a little bit of marriage all rolled up into one. i realized recently that for a truly healthy and committed friendship, it takes amazing amounts of affirmation, affection, appreciation, change, effort, time, compromise, understanding, selflessness, forgiveness, and love....

i'm not trying to boast or show off (can't help it if you feel envious though), i must wholeheartedly admit that i am grateful for my two best friends. (and yes, the best is very necessary). and although we have our little stints and moments of frustration with each other, i know that we're in it to win it! home run!!! take it all the way to the bank!!! hibachi!! (k, you get the point...)

it makes my heart so glad knowing that we can adjust, change, and be accommodating to stay a part of each other's lives. (as we get older, it's really hard to stay in touch with people and the numbers dwindle to a handful. am i right??) we share in each other's struggles, no matter how big or how small. we share in each other's successes and joys! we rebuke each other. we really love and accept each other wholly....

wait.... do i even need to make an effort to find a husband at this point? writing this makes me realize that instead, my efforts should be in keeping other men from coming in and stealing these two away from me! my gawd, i've been playing the wrong field this whole time!!

so back to my point.... i believe what we have is singley unique. we 3 are a real tripod. therefore: my next idea is that we should have a lil wedding to make our life-marriage official. hahah! or can we at least cut a cake on a special day each year so we can remind ourselves of this commitment??

2010. you are going to be a great, great year.


♥, julsjesjoys

santa baby

dear santa,

i normally don't ever want anything for christmas, (but you know how it is when you have no one to give you presents, you suddenly want so many things!) so this year i decided to try writing a childish letter of request a try.... excuse the lateness but this is what i think i want and what i know i need!


because i can't reach anything in my closet! my calves hurt from jumping for my robe everyday. please have pity on my smallness =/


because i want a really cool/clever clock for my cool/clever room!



a cute 2010 planner because mine is running out of months!!



because i saw this yoshiblade infomercial and now i want to cut things with it! i promise to cook more if i have this awesome knife!!



.... i would like this exact oufit. so i can wear it every year on christmas. and frolic in the snow. oh, and i would like to look like that too. body and face. thx!


and lastly, just wanted to throw in a luxury item that i know you (or i) can't afford, but thought i'd give it a try cuz i been a real good girl this year!!


p.s. if all i get is lumps of coal, i'm gonna come after you old man!!

my last will & testament

if i ever happen to unexpectedly leave this earth:

i would like to bequeath all of my belongings firstly to jessica & julie. they may take apart anything and everything and duke it out amongst themselves. they have first dibs on all of my clothes, make up, and room's furnishings. they may visit and sleep in my bed ever so often... or just live in my room if they want (although it might be kind of creepy after my untimely death...)

Anyone who wants it may have a gah we, bah we, bo tournament for my macbook. But, they must keep a picture of me as their desktop background... muhaha

please give all of my books to the college students that need them. i have tons of them. the magazines can go to the next bride to be from church.

oh! and also, please return all of my library books, as i do not want to take overdue fees to the grave.

please give my healthy organs to whoever needs them most. preferably to someone with much youth and little monetary funds. *give my heart to someone who'll take good care of it!!

oh, and don't go through any of the memory boxes in my closet. i look ugly and fat in those pictures. and i sound stupid in those letters/cards. please just throw them away or burn them... i don't even know why i keep so many things from my past. i should burn them myself asap.

give my car to my brother... or one of my younger cousins. they can do what they want with it for all i care!

all of my savings and $$ can be given to my mother to pay for my funeral fees. although, i do not want to waste $$$ on flowers or a fancy wake thing. i'm gone. let me go. cremate me and throw my ashes in the pacific ocean. or.... just throw a huge party with an open bar so everyone can have fun and spend the whole night telling stories (about me and my awesomeness of course!). send a mass facebook invitation to all my "so-called" fb friends to see who actually comes! it would be kind of like the wedding i always wanted... but for me and Jesus!

it would be kind of cool for one of my best friends to write me an obituary in the paper... hint hint!

please delete and deactivate all of my email/fb/blog sites. cuz thats seriously a creepy reminder of someone who once was. (i believe jess/julie know my password.)

thank you. that is all.


here's to a long life hoping this will never gets used!!

time is tickin'~

these days, i've been going to sleep without setting an alarm (yay for vaca!!) but when i wake up in the morning, i feel so disoriented because i don't have a sense of time. then i realized that i really need a clock in my room! then i looked online and there are so many cute ones... but why are clocks so expensive??? oh! it's because they are like little treasures that hold tons of big secrets of all the things they've seen in a room...



i absolutely love this! i used to love cuckoo clocks when i was young. remember the ones everyone had? the little people would go around and music would play? i would sit there and watch every single hour... cuckoos make me feel so nostalgic....



i like this because it's cute. like a 5th grade art project... however, i don't like it b/c it makes me feel like a teacher. and i don't ever want to be a teacher ever again.



i know it's kinda ugly.. but ever since that super funny got milk commercial (where she finds out her ring is really a cubic??!!) i've always wanted this in my kitchen! so the cat's eye can follow me around... hehe



this is just adorable.... i would go to sleep with a smile on my face. and count sheep! (although i would only make it to sheep #4...)


oh dear, how i love all things naturally nautical. one day, when i am old and rich, i will sail around the world with my handsome salt & peppery haired husband in a little yacht and wake up to this clock every morning and be sooo happy~!



this one is just silly, but kinda cheesy and cute. i can never not like mermaids...


who knew my quest to find the perfect clock for my room would take me on a stroll through memory lane?? i guess i really do love clocks!!
^_^

freeeedom...

TO DO after finals week:

1. finally watch 500 days of summer
2. go to target many, many times
3. spends hours at the gym every. single. day.
4. plan & prepare house for parties to be thrown.
5. spend hours doing my nails.
6. read tons of books that i have on hold at the library.
7. watch a million netflix dvds to make up for 3 months of wasting it..
8. video chat every night. (guilt freee)
9. research airplane tickets~
10. finish and send out my grad school applications!!!!


i can't waiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!

beneficiaries

Last week Pastor Jimmy gave a good sermon about seeing people for who they are, through the eyes of God. sermon here.

He mentioned how these days, everyone is out for themselves; especially when it comes to relationships with others. People want to be around those that they benefit from.... that they receive what they need from. (How sad is it that I have been on both receiving ends of that???) He even mentioned how some girls only hang out with girls who are uglier than them, so that they feel good about being pretty in comparison (talk about vanity, gosh!)

Anyways... that got me thinking about the company that i choose to keep... And I conclude that my friends are generally more attractive and awesomer than me. so much so that i find myself always telling people (i.e. guys): "oh yeah, yeah they're holler for sure". meaning, yes, you will find them attractive inside and out. but they ain't no hollaback girls, if you know what i mean...

now, when i think about my two bestest best friends... it simply comes down to this: I genuinely believe Jes is a better version of the person that I am, and Juls is a better version of the person I wish I could be. this is probably why we're gonna be life long friends. hee hee ( i feel so gaycheesy right now...)


<3

cuddle closer - it's non negotiable

ah, rainy days. cause rainy hearts...

i realized today that i haven't been (unconditionally) single in the month of december since.... 2001? wow. i guess my heart always had something going on....

but this winter of 2009, i stand alone. and i am colder and wiser. (literally & figuratively)

so, in lieu of a nice cozy, romantic winter entry, i will write about what cozy, romantic ideas i have about the next person that comes into my life (hopefully by next winter so i won't freeze my heart out).

GAM non-negotiables:
1. true disciple. (with a true walk)
2. trustworthy & honest. (does what he says and says what he does.)
3. genuinely good hearted. (it hurts for him to hurt others...)
4. assertive/mindful/considerate. (good noonchi & high emotional intelligence)
5. passionate. (about something worthy.. and hopefully makes mad $$$ doing it.. hee hee~)
6. giving. (in all ways, but esp. with quality time and emotional sharing)
7. same sense of humor (please?)
8. devoted (eyes wholly on me) & protective ( like a doberman/rottweiler mix~)
9. socialized (no cavemen allowed!).. but not flirty.

not too much to ask i dare say...

let's have faith that this exists out there somewhere... =/

happy winter!