just wanted to say...

HAPPY 20TH BIRTHDAY JOANNA! (phew... it's still your birthday!)
the years of friendship, i will never forget... so glad that God is taking good care of you! =) much love for ya always... =)

oooo... so, it's friday. and i think i blogged tuesday...
so much has happened... basically, our apt flooded AGAIN... stupid hot water heater from upstairs (don't worry, i still love you guys @ apt 7) =) but yeah, this is the SECOND time in two months... flooding. why am I always there during floods? twice at NTCBC, when I was in Beijing this summer... it flooded, and twice here... wow. =)

and then yesterday... way to blow an exam. i feel so stupid. it was my ONLY midterm... while people who had 2 or 3 were definitely way more stressed... and i blew my ONE and ONLY. i don't think i did well at all... no confidence walking out of the exam.. and i left some parts blank. but i got to do nothing last night as a reward for just being done... (oh, mind you... the exam was only 10%)

so this morning, i had to wake up at 7:45am to do readings b/c i had a group project meeting at 9am. who schedules meetings so early when we don't have school!! hahaha.. well, maybe it's just me who's school-less on fridays.... but still. so tiring to wake up on a FRIDAY morning when i know i have no class.

at least i went swimming... swim count: 10 laps! YES! =)

ha... somehow it feels like i have no life now. the absurdity of blogging twice in one day...
i just thought i'd share a thought from my favourite singer... Josh Groban
i've been feeling a bit down and the first thing i thought of was listening to this song because it gives me insight on what God does in my life...

You Raise Me Up
When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary
When troubles come and my heart burdeend be
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence
Until you come and sit a while with me

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up... to more than I can be

... He is my source of strength when I am weak... He lifts me up out of the valley I may feel I am in... but most importantly, He reminds me that He really is all that I really need...

wow... people do read my blog. this one i will keep short though.. =)

i'm sore right now 'cuz last night i played intramurals rec volleyball... ouchie... =) if you know me from Peoples' days... I used to fall soo soo soo much! and apparently, i still do... but that's just me... =)
before i came home, i just couldn't decide whether i should go swimming or not... i decided not to because it's just too cold outside... but that shouldn't be an excuse... =( i NEED to workout more regularly... well, too late now... i'm already at home...
and now, i'm feeling boggled down with time management... i'm supposed to finish readings for tonight's night class... and then finish my research proposal for an essay (that's due tomorrow morning but it's more than 10% done)... and then read a PSYC article for posting an online reaction paper tomorrow before 12pm... AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, STUDY FOR MY MIDTERM ON THURSDAY! where does all the time go?
- let's just say, yesterday, i made watercress ("sai yeung choy") soup and shared it with 311... made me feel like... i'm really a "see lai" (or a motherly figure) for those who don't understand. but yeah, i love taking care of the guys upstairs, or queenie... maybe even more so than taking care of my own housemates. it's harder and harder though b/c i think i'll know less and less of incoming frosh... i am feeling quite old even though some 2nd years are older than me... (*cough* like queenie *cough*)
- i also played volleyball at night
- finally moved my fish from a glass jar to their tank... and in the process, almost lost two fish to the floor...
-read ALL the people's blogs that i know... AND posted yesterday's crazy long one...

but... i think that's all the procrastinating i did... (hahah... sure)... well, hopefully, more updating tomorrow...

hey.. =) do people still blog? i have no idea.... i know i haven't been blogging nor have i had time to check other people's blogs... so if you do come to this, please tag me.

a few things that i've really wanted to tag for a while...
1) THANKSGIVING
- Honestly, i had one of the best thanksgivings of my life... well, a lonely one but a good one... my only regret is not being able to spend Friday night with Abby, Gen, Queenie, Kwan, Adrian and Sam at St. Louis for wings, though I did go to to an Evangelistic Meeting instead planned by my dad with all these HK actors/actresses from HK. So that was pretty cool... I got to sit in the second row b/c of VIP tickets...
- So that was Friday... on Saturday, my whole family went to pick up the HK actors/actresses and CCM people to drive them to the airport, so that was pretty cool too! But it was excruciatingly early. Then my sister and I went to eat A&W breakfast and Chapters at Bayview Village. I can't remember the last time I was there, but I know it didn't look like that!! I think we ate lunch as a family... oh, we did at Kennedy & Hwy 7... but then I just came home and worked on my notes for the 50% Seminar Presentation for the rest of the day... at night, I was home alone.... my sister was at Henry's... my mom and dad had gone to someone's retirement dinner... and I was home alone. I didn't really feel like going out... (Josh and Sam know the reason why... hahah) but I eventually wandered to Ralph's house (w/ Aaron, Emily, Ken and Justin) around 9pm to watch Eternal Sunshine of a Hopeless Mind or something like that... it is quite a good movie... though I can't recall at this moment what it was about... oh... i do... it was quite good. Then afterwards, James and I had a good talk... it was good. =)
- Sunday... wow... that was a PACKED day... i woke up and went to morning service @ 8:30, then to Sunday School... and I saw Shirley and Peter who came with Peggy to church... then off to Promenade with Jackie, Eric and Robert, Adrian, Abby, Kenneth... (am I missing anyone?) to get Peggy a present... I liked her present... =) Then, off to Boston Pizza with Will, Esther and Sam... and guess who Esther and Will saw in the parking lot? MY DAD... so I went into T&T to find him and there he was!! =) It was good... I didn't see my dad almost all weekend 'cuz of the EM stuff and dinners... Lunch was good... shared a Rib Dinner with Sam... oh... ribs! Afterwards, I went to James Fong's house to work on the seminar presentation w/ him and Emmanuel for like 3 straight hours... And all that happened before 6pm! So then I just went home to eat dinner with my dad who was home alone... so that works out b/c finally, I get to spend time with him and he brought me to eat Shanghainese food... (I think)... it was something I've been craving for a while... and after dinner... to Adrian's house... =)

To begin sharing about Adrian's house was really the highlight of my weekend... it was intentionally set up so that Peoples' people could get together and share about our present lives. I was just thinking (during the Friday and Saturday nights that I was home alone) about how we (as in people) never really get to talk anymore and SHARE about our lives. Since I came back from Asia this summer, I've only met up with friends to go eat, eat, eat, or occasionally play. I really wanted to do some sharing. I remember how I used to come back from 1st year and I could almost always depend on going to Adrian's house for sharing. But that has slowly faded... so yeah, I'm soo glad that we got to get together. I saw people cry... I saw people smile... I saw people just share... and that made me SO SO SO SO HAPPY. I know that I needed to share stuff on my mind... and more importantly, I wanted to know what was happening with MY FRIENDS! I was sad that we couldn't reach some people... that some people I wished I could see couldn't be there... but God had already blessed me so much by that evening. I'm so glad to see the way my friends are getting involved... it mades me SMILE to know that God is still using us no matter where we are, what university we're at... it makes me SMILE to remember that there is a God watching over each one of us... it makes me SMILE to know that I can always share those things with all of you. I luf you guys! (Even Durie and Samantha...who I don't know that well...) PLUS, we gotta eat cake for Brent & Panda's birthdays! WohOO!

- Monday, wasn't THAT interesting... but I got to dim sum with my only baby "nephew"... (it's a complicated background) but that evening, I really got to spend time with my family to eat dinner and share... I think it's been like at least 6 years since we've sat together and shared. I don't know about how it is at your homes, but I'm jealous of family dinners. I really am. But honestly, I know that wherever we are (i.e. my dad, my mom, my sister)... I really pray that God continues to really strengthen us in our relationship with Him.

I'm too tired to blog right now... I feel like I should be reading instead... haha... I'll write more in the next few days. I'm trying to avoid MSN. =)

Luf ya all. Please leave me a comment if you actually come to read this.. =) *smooches*