The Truth About Fred

I have a stuffed orange dog named Fred. I take him everywhere with me. Fred has traveled the world with me... to Asia, to Europe, to Australia, across the country, to every family vacation, to youth camp, to church retreats… to Vancouver. There was a time when I was unable to sleep unless Fred was with me.

When asked about Fred’s history, I told people about having Fred since I was 2-years-old—a gift from a family friend. I never knew who that friend was… until recently.

While back in California this past time, I had the privilege of meeting this person. As it turns out, the story I have been telling everyone is false. Apparently, this wonderful orange dog was given to my older brother when he was born. At some point in time during our childhoods, I must have taken it (or even stolen it) from him.

I’m not sure where I got the story I’ve been telling people. Did I make it up as a child and believed it to be true? It’s funny how truth is lost in a child’s imagination and mere stories appear “true” even in adulthood.

I’m sorry for inadvertently lying to people.

Asian-American Article

Dick posted this article on Facebook™ today. It prompted a lot of interesting thoughts. Tell me what you think.

Click on link:
"Dear Michael Chang: You Ruined My Tennis Career. Thanks for Nothing."

July 4th in Canada!

July 1st was Canada Day. Then, three days later, it was United States' Independence Day.

Canada Day was basically non-eventful for me... just class in the morning, studying in the afternoon, and vegging out on the couch in the evening.

But July 4th was a blast! Thanks to my really wonderful landlords, I was given permission to throw a July 4th BBQ dinner in their backyard. I invited my church small group and some school friends, as well as a few random other friends. In total, we had 32 people at the BBQ. There was a ton of food because almost everyone brought some goodies... my favorites were Clement's mac and cheese with tuna and Lucia's frozen pineapple dessert. I still salivate thinking about all the yummy food we had.

It was great seeing everyone socialize and how people did not merely stick to their own little cliques, but made the effort to get to know "new" people. And it was fun seeing how my friends from different circles actually knew each other from even other circles.

This was the first time I threw a party in Vancouver. It was not as seamless as most of my LA events due to a lack of resources, but I still had a really great time. I felt blessed by my friends' presence and their efforts in setting up, grilling and cleaning up.

But I still miss my LA friends. =)

UK Trip Updates

Detailed UK ministry trip updates are now being sent though email. If you're not already on my emailing list and would like to receive these updates, please let me know and I will put you on the list.

Thanks for your prayers!

Wen

My hair is pretty long now... over 20 inches. In regards to my hair, I get compliments on a fairly regular basis because it's long, straight and usually shiny. I'm also constantly asked what kind of products I use in my hair and how I care for it. Here is what I've been doing for at least 15 years:

Products: Head and Shoulders shampoo (for normal hair), whatever conditioner that can be purchased with a coupon from Costco. (No mousse, no hairspray, no gel, no leave-in conditioner.)

Process: Shampoo only the scalp area. Rinse thoroughly. Use about two pumps of conditioner only on the bottom half of my hair. Leave conditioner on while I soap up. Rinse off conditioner while rinsing off soap. Squeeze out as much water from my hair as possible with my hands. Pin up or tie up hair when toweling off. Do not towel dry. Wrap hair in a towel or turban. Leave hair in turban for at least 15 minutes. If in a rush, blow dry hair. If not, air dry.

Special Notes: I usually only wash my hair once every two days. I also get my hair trimmed at least every 3 months.

15+ years is a long time. But that's basically what I've been doing with my hair for years. I used to have light brown highlights but I eventually stopped because it was (1) too expensive and too time-consuming to keep maintaining, and (2) Locks of Love does not accept bleached hair.

In the last few months, I kept seeing infomercials for Wen by Chaz Dean. It's a hair cleansing product to be used in lieu of shampooing and conditioning. It's called a "hair cleansing conditioner." The infomercial features Melissa Gilbert (Laura Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie) as the host, and other celebrities like Jane Seymour, Jennie Garth and Ming-Na Wen. The first few times I watched the infomercial, it seemed like a scam... washing your hair without shampoo?!?!?!? It just didn't seem right.

But then, I remembered how I always thought it was necessary to use a foaming face wash until my facialist told me to use Cetaphil, a totally non-foaming skin cleanser. My face is much clearer now—only getting the occasional acne.

So, after reading many online reviews, I decided to give Wen a try (the fig one). I even sent a bottle to Carolyn. Anyway, I've used it twice now. I'm happy to report that I actually like it a lot. Even after the first time, my hair seemed softer and easier to manage.

However, the whole washing business takes a lot longer now—thus making my shower a whole lot longer. The product needs to be massaged in for several minutes, then allowed to settle for another few minutes before rinsing. It also takes a lot of the product each time. With my hair as long as it is, I use about 40 pumps each time. And the stuff is not cheap.

Anyway, I usually don't endorse products (especially in writing), but I gotta say that I actually like Wen. I will keep using it until my current supply runs out.

Has anyone else heard of or tried Wen? I'm just curious what others think.

Whew! That was a lot just on hair. Sorry for boring the guys. =)

My Third Home

My first home is Los Angeles. Since August 2007, Vancouver has become my second home. And with flying between the two cities, the airports are now my third home.

Once again, I find myself sitting in the Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Even the customs agent I had today remembered that I was from LA before I handed him my passport and customs form! He told me that he will soon remember my name! (For those of you who don't know... when flying from Canada to the States, U.S. customs is in the Canadian airport before even boarding the plane.)

Today, I have extra time in my third home. I was going to take the bus to the airport, which would have taken over an hour, but my landlord insisted on driving me. Therefore, it only took 20 minutes to get to the airport. Furthermore, I just checked my flight status and it seems that my flight is delayed by 34 minutes.

That gives me extra time to sit in the Alaska Airlines Boardroom before I have to get to the departure gate.

Someone told me recently that she has such a busy life that traveling by plane is the only time she gets to slow down (sitting in an airport waiting for a flight and sitting in a plane). I'm beginning to feel that way about my life too.

How ironic! Traveling is the one thing that can slow down life. Anyone else find this odd?

By the way, YVR is the only airport I know of that is advertisement-free. I love it. It's so beautiful... especially the aboriginal displays that you walk past when you first arrive at the airport before going through Canadian customs.

UK Trip Update

Our team had Meeting #2 on Monday night. Once again, it was a great meeting. But my favorite part was taking photos at the end. Even though this was an unofficial part of the meeting, this is when we got to goof off a little bit and get to know each other in a more non-businesslike setting. I love that this whole team is so much fun and quick to laugh.


Here are some parts of the official meeting that I enjoyed the most:

• Kenelm shared the song "Remain" (by Starfield) with us during our opening devotional and prayer time. He shared about feeling inadequate and about learning rely on God. What a lesson we all need to keep learning!
• Derek shared his personal testimony of learning about God and seeing His blessings unfold in miraculous ways. It's awesome how God touches our minds and our hearts in just the precise ways we need Him to do so.
• Our discussion of which workshop topics to tackle and lead at the youth camp was really eye-opening about each team members. I learned a little more about each of their interests, challenges and expertise in our discussion. It was absolutely delightful.

As for new prayer requests:

• We're still looking for a camp speaker for the younger track (ages 11-14). If we can't find anyone, it may be me. If it is me, it will be a scary, but wonderful, experience.
• Some of my team members have expressed worries about financial funding. I am blessed to have some very generous friends and family. I'm hoping that if I surpass the amount that I personally need, any other extra donations can go to help my team.
• Our team will be working with Calgary and UK people. Due to distance, busy schedules and unfamiliarity, we've been having problems with reaching each other. This is a bit frustrating.
  

Thanks for your prayers. Please continue to remember us as you pray each day.