Merry Christmas!

I went after-Christmas returning(/shopping) with M and she mentioned this blog.
Almost forgot about this. A wee bit late... but hope you have had the
merriest of Christmases!

I stepped into Anthropologie today and saw these snow globes.
Last month, my housemate and I were brainstorming holiday crafts we could make and sell at our city's craft fair. Oh how time flies!

Nothing materialized, but snow globes was one of the few items we both liked. 
Did they take this DIY straight from Martha Stewart?
(like we were planning to do)

Initially, $18~40!!!
Currently on sale.
But really, easy DIY.

My Christmas consisted of eating dim sum with siblings at the nothing-closed-on-holidays Asian shopping plaza. It was so open for business it took an hour to get a table. Playing Uno and Trivial Pursuit before siblings have to go back to their own homes. Making lettuce wraps an whoopie pies for dinner guests. Watching Arthur Christmas... twice. (Great family movie!)

My new years resolution is to dress nicer.
More dresses and less alternating between two pairs of jeans all week.
Maybe if I look more presentable I will feel a bit more ready to take on the day.

(In college I would dress up for tests.)

Do you have a resolution? Or two?

Do you have any questions?

Another wedding. Another room to fill. 

Wanted: new housemate.

Seeking sweet bonhomie.

Has it been two months since I've sat in this seat asking these same questions?

Things to tell potential housemates about:
*Kitchen area is shared
*Cars in garage switch off each month
*Plenty of street parking
*Laundry machines in garage
*Utilities, internet, and household bills split
*Chores assigned
*Local transportation
*Gardening allowed
*Warn the house when bringing others over

Do I have any questions for you?
Blank stare.
What should I know?

Sleep/wake habits?
Lifestyle?
Current career?

What do you ask potential house(apartment)mates?

Stuff and Now

Here are pictures from my future garden (aka French Laundry's garden) mentioned before.

What is Yacon? Is it pronounced like bacon?
The roots are the featured food. Did you know peanuts do not come from trees?

I wish I could grow strawberries that I got to each before the birds and insects get to them.

Yum! Peppers! Last week I threw a chilli together in the slow cooker but misread the recipe- "1 or 2 canned chipotle peppers" was misinterpreted as "1 or 2 cans of chipotle peppers." Spicy mistake!

My favorite garden presence had to be the chickens. They were so fluffy and had funny tufts of feathers on their feet, like they were prepping for winter and already wearing their feather booties.

Other than that....

Congrats to the SF Giants who won the world series last night!

My brother challenged me to a duel... in weight loss. 

I'm not quite sure how to go about losing weight because I've never had to deal with this issue. Growing up I was always encouraged to gain weight. I suppose things change as you age.

The dream garden

A few months ago I ventured into the realm of gardening with a now half-dead peonies named Alex and now a few sprouting tomato sprouts. My old housemate successfully planted a large potful of basil that is now sagging from the weight of its giant-and-still-growing leaves, incredibly convenient for the occasional omelet and Italian dish. One day I hope to eat from my own garden. A trip for ingredients to make dinner would consist of a few steps into the yard with a pair of shears.

A few weeks ago I visited a home in San Jose to purchase some plant pots from a Craigslist posting. Just to give you an idea about the seller... I inquired if he had a compost bin for sale and he responded that he had just sold six and was now only down to one. Excuse me... when will you be selling your house? His garden boasted several fruit trees that looked ready for picking, a vegetable garden area (he decided not to plant this year), Hawaiian ginger (I've never seen ginger outside a grocery store before!), and plant hanging fragrant limes used for Thai curry. Oh how I admired his garden. I couldn't stop telling everyone about it and envisioning it as my dream backyard.

But then this past weekend, my brother took us to the French Laundry garden. Thomas Keller's garden has definitely taken the dream to new heights.

Snapped with my phone. 

I'll post more pictures later. 

Oh this thing

Oh yes, I have a blog...

A few months ago my brother took me biking in Calistoga. We pedaled through local neighborhoods and a vineyard while belting out showtunes without a care without a person in sight. A picture of happiness. ... In high school, my family rented bikes for a day and biked around Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada. It was quite the adventure when our path was cutoff by a festival and we found ourselves wheeling and carrying our tandems through a busy shopping area of the metropolitan town. Upon return from the trip I begged my parents for a bike and received one for my birthday. We lived on an intimidating steep hill. ... One morning I came downstairs for breakfast and asked my stepdad if the craigslist inquirers purchased any of the furniture and other posted items my parents planned to sell in preparation for their long move. He fiddled with his response in his head. Cautiously, he chose to responded in a jovial manner. They didn't purchase what we had intended to sell, but my bike was sold for $20. ... I have since spent many years without a bike in my life.

Guess what has finally arrived today?

I'll give you a haiku clue...

ring ring goes my bell
to fro the farmers market
pedal fast and brake

A BIKE!!!!

(the picture is a bike I saw in Taiwan, not mine)

New additions to my shopping list: bike basket and bell. :)

Oh happy happy. 

I have high hopes for a new exercise routine incorporating my bicycle (hopefully this one will not involve injuries). Seeking biking buddies. I am very slow, but we all have to start somewhere, right? Have you seen this article? Click.

Prickly pear

I had a great day in the Napa area  few weeks ago. A short drive past the bridge, the fog clears and it's nothing beautiful, sunny wine country as far as the eye can see.

One day I may post my footage of the three-horned sheep. Another new discovery was a prickly pear cactus in an awesome garden next to our lunch spot parking lot.

..........

Tomorrow is Bark in the Park!
http://www.barksanjose.org/

Gangnam Style

My brother showed me this video over the weekend and though I have no idea what is going on (horses in Gangnam? what?), I can't really get the song (or silly dance) out of my head. Apparently Gangnam is a certain district in Korea. Good luck.

There's also a version where the girl sings but much less horse dancing.

So many icing choices! Cinnaholic Berkeley, CA

Dainty Tea Things

Things you can find at Lisa's Tea Treasures. Flowers, flowers everywhere. On the walls, on the cups, in your salad, on your dessert. If there is space, there will be a flower.

My old housemates and I are dusting off my dowry for a tea party this weekend.

Flowers please!

P.S. Did you know Felicity is on Netflix? Yay!

Fermented food

"Rule 36: Eat Some Food That Have Been Predigested by Bacteria or Fungi"
~Food Rules (Michael Pollan)

This sounds slightly absurd until I realized that foods that have been transformed by microorganisms include soy sauce, kimchi, yogurt, sourdough bread, sauerkraut, etc. Thank you Asian cooking! Which reminds me of that one time we drove to Vancouver, Canada to board our Alaskan cruise but found ourselves frantically driving through the foreign streets in search of Chinatown or atleast an Asian grocery store to buy a bottle of soy sauce for the trip. If grandma was going to be trapped on a boat for a week eating someone else's food she definitely needed to at least top everything with a couple splashes of soy sauce. Thank goodness our trek didn't take too long, we were in Vancouver.

Fresh Air recently had a story about fermented foods.
The Art of Fermentation

Foods with probiotics are supposed to help with digestion and your immune functions. At least that's what yogurt commercials advertise. This might conflict with Rules 8 and 11. You should read this book (the version with pictures!).

Are you ready?

[Aww this never got published?]

For the best day ever?!!?

Just went on a long hike with my old roommate along dusty trails, past thick bushes hiding bunnies, in front of a grazing deer, under a sky painted in fading majestic colors, over grassy hills like something from a children's fairytale with capes tied around our necks holding jars of fireflies for light to lead the way, along the small pond that was a potential marriage proposal location, outstretched hands brushing skinny yellow stalks as we walked, on the concrete sidewalks, to the car, over freeways to Sprouts leaving with bags filled with summer corn and other produce, down the street to Target, pushing a shopping cart down the Asian aisle to reach the last key ingredient.

Sweet chilli sauce.

You know where this is going right?

We made Jean's corn salsa.

It takes about a day for the flavors to mingle, get comfortable with each other and start absorbing each others tastes. By tomorrow they will be finishing each other's sentences, indistinguishable, one bowl of awesomeness to accompany lime sea salt tortilla chips.

And it will be the best day ever.
(Although, today was pretty great already.)

Hooray for Thursdays!

I love my local library!(just saying)

Flowers greeting you on the paved path.

The statue of the man eating a hamburger and reading on the bench.

Last year, the library started closing early on Thursdays due to budget issues.

Rushing can be such a pain.

But now, Thursdays are open until 9pm again!

Hooray for new stories all week!
(past 6pm)

About today

Things about today I'd like to forget:

A "good morning" that turned into bickering that later involved a "you drive me crazy" and "why is love a battlefield". How do corny pop lyrics weave themselves into my arguments so seamlessly? How can I ever take keep a serious face with a backstreet boy song being hummed in the back of my brain?

Actually backstreet boys was yesterday.

This is about today.

Maybe I don't want to fight, I just want an opportunity to sing some good ole' 90' s ballads.
I'm in so need of a karaoke night.

Things about today I'd like to remember:

* listening to sound clips from am audio diary of a girl born with cystic fibrosis from teenager years through college- her coughing, upbeat attitude while her parents worried and cried, and her realizations of though she will likely die soon she is alive right now and should just go with the flow right now.

* after years of searching, finally finding a pair of nude patent pumps that spare enough space for my disproportionate extra-large big toes. Yay christian siriano for payless! (I don't normally shop there but they have some impressively comfortable and cute shoes, if you don't mind man made materials)

* hearing a story about george foreman grills being some peoples' kitchen. Especially for low income and homeless people. Then hearing george foreman talk about about growing up hungry in a family of 7 kids. The happiness in his voice when he heard this news. After retiring from boxing he had a hard time making friends so he'd their bbqs. Hearing people compliment his food felt better than winning a boxing match. (My cooking might not be great yet but not everyone has 3 meals a day.)

* the feeling of hooray when I finished reading Genesis. Back on track to reading the bible in a year, except now it's bible in half a year.

* most importantly, next time I wear this dress to work, or anywhere, wear a slip.

Bag Lady Inspiration

 

Inspiration can be found in the most unexpected of places. 

I haven't found a tablecloth that contrasts with white plates without turning the setting too dark. I considered purchasing burlap and cutting it into placemats but that might be to scratchy on the hands. No scratchy scratchy thank you!

 

Image Sources: oliveloafdesign, texturezine

The Bag Lady Papers: The Priceless Experience of Losing It All

 By Alexandra Penney


After purchasing some thick brown packaging paper I almost gave up on all wrapping paper (until I recently realized it is a nice way to get patterns/pretty colors in a banner and other paper crafts, much more economical than scrapbook paper.Brown packaging paper on the table might feel slightly Macaroni Grill, but I LOVE doodling while eating there. Tablecloth for next dinner party has been determined. Thanks Bag Lady!


Actually Alexandra Penney is anything but a bag lady. 

Quite an adventurous life. She spent a year in her twenties living in Europe traveling the continent. Other titles included beauty editor at Glamour magazine, Editor-in-Chief at Self magazine, painter, photographer, professor at FIT, fish mongerer, one of the originators of the Pink Ribbon campaign for breast cancer awareness, author, sexpert. After this book, I am convinced she was Candace Bushnell's inspiration for Carrie Bradshaw. This book was actually about a woman who had invested all her money in Bernie Madoff, lost it ALL when the truth about his Ponzi scheme came to light and confronting her lifelong fear of becoming a bag lady.

One of freelance jobs she picked up after realizing her financial stability had been pulled out from under her amidst the great recession was writing a blog for the daily beast. Link.

You can read most of the book on Google books. Link.

Happy Sausage

Happy Sausage.

What a funny magazine.

I didn't know there were so many things to write about sausages...
...how to incorporate sausages in every meal
...ways to prepare sausage
...various types of salami
...people who make homemade sausage

Published in Hong Kong.

Is it normal to eat a corn dog at 3pm there? Does that constitute an afternoon snack?

Kitty in Taiwanderful

Finally uploaded some pictures from my trip earlier this year.

This is my Ohana.

Happy Friday!

Ready for your closeup?

People do the darnedest things to get on television.
I think it would be interesting to work on a reality tv show,
to see the behind-the-scenes...
all the crew capturing and directing the s
that entertain the rest of us.

Would you ever be on a reality show or news segment?

Asian talk shows are crazy.
There is a always a room filled with enough people to make any fire marshall sweat.
They are always playing games and making celebrities and layman alike do ridiculous things,
all emphasized by silly sound effects.

I walked by this somewhere in Taipei...

Ready for your closeup?

Privet House

New plate set acquired!

I thought I was a modern chic kind of girl and end up with something simple, sleek, with clean lines like my old housemate's square plates. As if they had been folded, a crease made from the center square of the plate to its four corners. Apparently, I am well on my way in the inevitable unconscious process of becoming my mother. Vintage aesthetic rules. Am I only a few years away from bordering my walls with a floral print?

Target is finishing up it's housewares collaboration with Privet House.
I found a great deal on a set of plates, bowls and cups. I probably would have skipped home if I didn't have to drive shop far. Am I embracing this change?

Check out the collection before it's gone.
Privet House, The Shops at Target : Target


Privet House

"A charming Connecticut shop with locations in the sleepy hamlet of Warren in the hills of Litchfield County and in the bustling town of Greenwich in Fairfield County, Privet House bills itself as ‘An Emporium of Home Goods, Antiques and Curiosities’. "

Sounds like the opening to a fairytale or a fabulous adventure. Check out their website.

http://privethouse.com/

Bet You Can't

Bet you can't lick your nose with your tongue.

But 

I know someone who can.

Silly puppy.

Chilewich

For my next event, I'm debating between pulling out the super floral-tastic china (minus tea pot?) my mom gave me years ago as "my future wedding gift" for a tea party or to do a fancy dinner party. FYI, fancy to me doesn't mean foie gras and caviar, it simply means I'm not using paper plates.

My church moved. It is now dangerously close to a shopping center. I am suddenly spending much more time browsing Sur la Table, Crate and Barrel and Z Gallerie. 

I was quite set on a tea party until one Sunday at Sur la Table I chanced to pull out a drawer and meet these cute poppy napkin rings on clearance.

Here is a similar one at Sur La Table. Link.

This was my gateway into the world of table settings. Aiya. I have entered the rabbit hole.

Next, I'd like some place mats. (Mind you, I don't have plates, but perhaps I will probably get there.) 

My criteria: I'd like something that isn't cotton, something I can clean with the swipe of a damp rag.

Perhaps there are other options, but all I can think about is Chilewich. Especially the Dahlia. I'm a bit hesitant at $10 each, but I haven't seen anything else like it. If paired well with contrasting colors, they can be quite stunning. Don't you agree?

Chilewich specializes in modern decor and also makes woven rectangular and square place mats.
You can find their stuff at Sur la Table, Crate and Barrel, and other places.
Or just go to their website: http://www.chilewich.com/

  Source: Pinterest

Friday pick me up

Yes, it's a bit Disney/tween-bop sounding. Ever since the wedding I've had this song stuck in my head. Whenever I need a jolt of energy this song makes me tap my toes and wish I was home so I can jump around and dance full out.

Good Time - Owl City ft. Carly Rae Jepsen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpfSEZLuWxY

I expect to be blasting this at the movie theatre tonight. Can't wait.

(But if that isn't your thing and would like to start your weekend off by sulking try

Bauhaus- All We Ever Wanted Was Everything
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44-OubTdPFE

You can go back to the first song when you're ready.)

Things I didn't know about Bridal Showers

Whoops! Never posted this. I feel like I can finally breathe because the bridal shower and roommate search are finally complete and done with. Now time to just look forward to the wedding and all the moving!

I've been perusing quite a number of bridal shower books lately in preparation of one I will be co-hosting at the end of the month week(!). Research research brainstorm and more research is my current mantra till it comes to crunch time and transforms to JUST DO IT!

Bridal showers I have attended have all been pretty similar so I want to find new ideas and traditions I might not have encountered thus far.

Here are some things I did not know:

Purpose
* The purpose of the bridal shower is to "shower" the bride/couple with gifts and items she/they may need for their new life. (I don't know how much lingerie couples really "need" but most couples these days tend to already have a lot of their household goods and tend to cater their registries toward larger items like furniture, the honeymoon trip and donations to charities.)

* Though called a bridal shower, they can be co-ed with the bride and groom in attendance.

Unlimited Party Potential
* The Maid of Honor typically hosts a bridal shower, but anybody can host a bridal shower. One book said that immediate family members should not host (what if the bride's sister is the maid of honor?).

* This means a bride can have multiple showers. Yay more gift showering! (This kind of makes sense because a bride might have different groups of friends.)

* Bridesmaids should attend all the bridal showers, which means they should give at least a small gift at each shower.

* The party can be a surprise party. It helps if the bride decides who to invite so you don't miss out on anyone. To make it a surprise, invite the bride to go out to dinner, grab drinks or go to someone's birthday party and surprise her then. It's nice to give an occasion where the bride will be dressed up so she doesn't feel under-dressed compared to attendees. (One book said to make the guest list with the bride's mother. What if she's lives out of town and you don't know her?)

Attendees
* This should be a given, but all people invited to the shower SHOULD be invited to the wedding.

* Invite the bride and groom's mother and female siblings. (Whoops!)

Budget
* If co-hosting, you need to talk with other co-hosts about budget. (The B-word)

* If some people are unable to spend as much, ask more well-off co-hosts to chip in more or split up duties and each person can pay however much they want for the specific duties they signed up for (e.g. if someone is unemployed with ample time and enjoys cooking, they can be in charge of food and make cheaper dishes from scratch whereas someone with more disposable income may have the event catered.)

* You don't want someone to shy from hosting simply because of budget. The event does not have to be over-the-top.


Gifts
* Gifts do not have to just be lingerie or kitchenware.

* Everyone can pool money together for a large gift- bigger registry item, honeymoon excursion, etc.

* The host can choose a theme for the gifts.

* Around the Clock - I do not quite understand this, but it was mentioned in a couple sources. Host designates different guests a different time slot to purchase "Around the Clock Gifts". You imagine what the couple will be doing and what they would need for your designated time slot either on the honeymoon or in regular life.
     - Morning slot gifts might include coffee appliances, bathrobes, etc.;
     - Afternoon gifts might include items for the beach (towels, sandals, sunscreen, portable chairs), activity items (travel book, camera, foreign language dictionary, etc.);
     - Evening gifts might include champagne glasses, wine, robes, lingerie, etc.

* Make sure someone is writing down who gave what during the shower for thank you cards. You can write them directly on the greeting card so the bride will never forget.

* I've never seen this done but a couple sources said it's tradition that someone secretly writes down funny expressions that the bride says while opening gifts then reads it aloud to everyone under the title "Things The Bride Will Say On Wedding Night". (yikes!)

New Ideas I Think are Swell!
* If the bride plans on sending out Thank You cards to guests for gifts- have an activity where everyone writes their addresses on envelopes, toss envelopes in a bag, do a drawing for a prize. Now you have pre-addressed envelopes so you don't have to worry about gathering that info. (We're just doing e-mail so this will have to be archived.)

* Possible surprise party option- have the groom bring the bride to a presidential suite of a hotel where everyone is ready to surprise her. Have the party in the suite (beautiful room, great view), stay up late and spend the night because the room is rented for the night. (This would have been a great idea if the bridal shower and bachelorette party are on the same day or combined. Might be awkward if everyone isn't invited to both parties.)

Bella Boo

Flecks of dry, sunburned skin aren't my only souvenirs from a weekend with the dogs-
I finally uploaded the pictures!

3 girls. 4 dogs.

This is Bella.
Alice affectionately calls her "Bella Boo".

She's an older dog with joint and pain issues.
She didn't get to go on the sun(burning)ny hike with us
so we took her for a stroll around the hilly neighborhood.

I think we wore her out.
She quietly laid down in every store we entered,
waiting while we shopped.

Sami girl would be trying to jump into everyone's laps, sniff all the merchandise, sneeze all over things, and make that chirpy, whiny noise when she wants to leave.
I asked Jbear when Sami will settle down and he assures me it comes with age.

Bella almost didn't make it.
She laid down right on the sidewalk to take a break on our trek home.
We were devising a plan on how to carry her back uphill
(she isn't a small dog)
but lucky for us she's a trooper
and made it back without us.

Wafels and Dinges

"All the world is a wafel and all of us are merely dinges."

Before this past weekend, I couldn't recall the last time I had a waffle.

I never thought too much about waffles after my waffle maker was dropped in college.

Then it was one of the bride's few bridal shower requests.
We planned to borrow a waffle maker, but being the paranoid planner that I am,
my risk mitigation plan included purchasing a backup waffle maker... just in case.

Of course, our friend came through, the Belgian waffles were delicious.
My waffle maker was set to go back to the store.

But then
I received a package

of Spekuloos.

A ridiculous name, but a wondrous invention.

 A Belgian boy in my first grade class
had a mother who made the most wonderful windmill cookies.
This spread captures the gingerbread goodness of those times.

A friend in NYC was sweet enough to surprise me with a jar
and raved about it as a topping for waffles. Belgian waffles.

(with whipped cream of course)

A waffle truck in NYC called Wafels and Dinges sells it.

Image Source & Website:

www.wafelsanddinges.com/

History:  

http://www.wafelsanddinges.com/images/history.pdf

Thanks Nicole!

(Yes, I'm keeping the waffle maker!)

FYI: Trader Joes sells a version too.
Speculoos cookie butter.

Scrapbook hustle

The bridal shower I've been planning for 1.5 months is ALMOST here. Strange to think something I've been fixated on for so long is so close.

One of the activities we decided on was a combination of some things I came across in my research- write down blessings for the bride and her future, create a book with pictures of fond moments from the past with the bride and associated favorite memories. It's fun reflecting back, going through old pictures, and seeing how we've changed. I decided my favorite memory was when she dropped her smoothie on the floor and tried to salvage what she could of the smoothie puddle. Scooping up the strawberry goodness with the cup lid. Oh, did I mention we were in a parking lot? I might have fallen on the ground laughing.

Since she's from the east coast she has quite a few school friends and childhood friends that probably can't fly out to attend. This blessing book is a perfect opportunity to incorporate all the special people who couldn't be at the bridal shower. Those people had to email me everything by Wednesday. Yup, I practically assembled an entire scrapbook in one night. That's hustle.

Sneek peek. =)

The spin is in

I listened to this story awhile ago on This American Life
The Fix Is In (2000)

About an international price-fixing conspiracy for lysine and other amino acids that are used in food production. One of the executives involved ended up spilling it to the FBI because he figured the FBI is quite savvy and would figure it out while he was under investigation for something else. Eventually, he comes to the realization that the FBI probably wouldn't have discovered it and being an informant is a really big hassle.

Hollywood turned the story into a comedy starring Matt Damon.
The Informant (2009)

Source: www.moviewallpaper.net

Blockbuster in Sunnyvale is going out of business and I picked up a copy for 99 cents.
It's pretty funny. I think it helps hearing the radio story so you don't miss any subtleties in the movie.

The movie portrayed Mark Whitacre as confident, talkative, a bit aloof, not a very good listener (especially to his lawyers) and a compulsive liar that nearly destroyed his company. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder but still sentenced to federal prison for embezzlement (a practice that may have been common among executives at the company).

You would think after that unpleasant portrait was disseminated into the public he wouldn't be able to get a job... but he's currently COO of another company.

The movie didn't get great reviews but I still enjoyed it.

Marriage 5 - Entrusted

Continuation of notes from the marriage seminar.

 answersingenesis.org

In The Fear of God
The New International Version of Ephesians 5:21 says we are submissive out of obedience and the King James Version of Ephesians 5:21 says we are submissive "in the fear of God."

God is omniscient, He is all-knowing and very aware. God is paying attention. If you don't treat others well, you will need to answer to God. We will be held accountable for how we treated each other in the context of marriage.

Responsible to God
We have accountability for how we treat each other in fear of God. We have a Responsibility to God.

One day,

God may ask you,

"How did you care for the one I entrusted to you?"

Doing Life Together + 1
When considering marriage, most people decide that the person they are set to marry is the person who they want to do life with. The two parties decide they want to do life together, but there is a third party. God.


The Marriage Ceremony
At this point the speaker gives a demonstration of this great deal God has entrusted to each of us and how He is a member of the marriage too. He pulled up a couple that had been married longer than most in the crowd and positioned them as they stood before the officiator on their wedding day. 

First he stood by the wife and spoke to the husband.
When you got married to your wife, did you realize that she is a creation of God? God only created one of her in the whole world and God is crazy about her. God loves greatly her and wants you to give her everything He wants her life to be. So when you married her, you weren't entering a pact to do life together, it was a pact with God. God is entrusting her to you.

He turns to stand by the husband and spoke something similar to the wife.

The Pronouncement
During the traditional pronouncement at the end of the wedding ceremony, the officiant says something along the lines of

"By the authority committed to me by _[governing body]_, I declare that _[person A]_ and _[person B]_ are now husband and wife, according to the ordinance of God, and the law of this state: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Those whom God hath joined together, let no man put asunder."

"Those whom God hath joined together, let no one put asunder." means let no one come between to harm or destroy this union. This includes the people in the audience, people outside of the marriage, but also the two people within the marriage.

After the part the officiator pronounces them husband and wife, they are told you may kiss the bride.

Lesson: God entrusted you with your spouse and you will be held accountable with how you treat him/her.

Marriage 4 - Terrible Petition

Continuation of my notes from the marriage seminar.

answersingenesis.org

Women Remember everything.
Somehow, women are able to remember everything. This includes sins, times they were wronged, and disappointments. They are able to recount all these things.

The speaker has seen this happen many times. Slowly the individual become less thoughtful, less giving, less patient and become more distant because something has happened in the marriage. Something happened, some event, and one individual is unwilling to free the other person from the sin.

Many things will happen in a marriage (and any relationship). Some bad. But there is a beautiful thing called "Forgiveness."

A Terrible Petition
There is a portion in the Lord's Prayer that goes:

"[LORD] forgive us of our sins 

as we have forgiven those those who sin against us"

This section is also called A Terrible Petition*.
 If we don't forgive, it brings into question if we are truly forgiven.

----------

Footnote: 

*I didn't write down much about the Terrible Petition, so I looked elsewhere online. I found this site that elaborated a bit more.

We all know to pray and confess our sins and we will be forgiven by the grace of God. But it doesn't stop there, the second line sounds like the way God treats us is tied to how we treat others. If we do not forgive others, God does not forgive you. Augustine called this part in the Lord's Prayer "a Terrible Petition" because if we pray the Lord's Prayer with an unforgiving heart, you are cursing yourself to not be forgiven. Preacher Charles Spurgeon described this as signing your own "death warrant".

Being unforgiving can lead to a whole host problems such as trapping yourself in feelings of resentment and bitterness, grudges, broken relationships, imprisoning yourself with addictions, creating a barrier between you and God, not living life as God had intended, hindering others' emotional and spiritual health, not welcoming God's blessings and forgiveness in your own life, becoming an enemy of God, and living an unfulfilled life.

Choose to forgive as an act of free will. Pray for the other person and do not judge them.

Marriage 3 - It Takes One

Continuation of my notes from the marriage seminar.

answersingenesis.org

It Takes 1.

Most people say it takes two to make a marriage work. If one person gives up or messes up really bad, some people the marriage won't work and divorce is the only course of action. Irreconcilable differences? Hear that one before?

The speaker believed
it only takes ONE person to save the marriage.

Divorce is Allowed but God Hates it.
Divorce came from rabbinical law, surprisingly from God. Though God created marriage and hates divorce, He also created divorce for certain situations and for those people who are too selfish to reconcile. Remember the point in the previous notes about SELFISHNESS? It's quite a problem.

Before Choosing Divorce, Try Being Nice.
The speaker recounted a story of a woman from his church who came in for a counseling session. Her husband was a drinker who was rarely home, always out in the bars drinking after work, and came home to pass out. Other people really liked her husband but this was a tough life for her, she rarely saw him. She was left to run the household, care for the kids and she this was her daily life for years. She wanted a divorce. Though she came in for counseling, what she really wanted was blessing for a divorce.

There have been a few situations when the speaker did end up agreeing for divorce for some of the couples, many people would hear her story and tell her she needs to leave him, but his response was different. Boy was she surprised when his advice to her was the treat him nicer. Not just treat him nicer, but to talk to him and ask him about the kids. She was furious! She disappeared for a few months and stopped showing up at church.

About 8 months later she came in for another counseling session. She admitted to being very upset and angry at the him (the speaker) for months. He had stolen her exit, her easy way out. One day she decided to try some of the things he suggested. She woke up early to make her husband breakfast, because morning was the only time she could meet with him, served him breakfast, asked him advice about some things and followed through with his answer. Slowly they talked more and she brought up the kids. Though he was not around much, he still cared about his kids. She told him that the kids needed his help and he came home after work instead of going to the bar to help with the family. Eventually, he stopped going to the bar and coming home every night.


Lesson: Treat your spouse as gold even if they are undeserving.

Be determined to treat the other person like gold, whether they are worthy or not.

Treat others the way God wanted them to be treated. 

Theme: Don't Be Fair, Be Great
There is a common theme in the bible- treat others good when they are good but also treat them good when they are bad, love the unlovely, forgive others not because they asked to be forgiven but because God requires it. This is contrary to the world's culture and the Fairness Doctrine. I think this is a good thing to consider in all relationships (there would be a lot less bullies in the world). But this is most important in the marriage relationship, because your two most important relationships are with God and your spouse.

What we think of about our spouse can make them or break them.

Marriage 2 - Submission

Continuation of my notes from the marriage seminar.

answersingenesis.org

All of us are born with Adamic Nature
Somehow within the first ten words a child says, he or she will suddenly start saying the word "mine." Which parents teach their kids this? No one, yet somehow every child knows. This is natural. It's human nature.

Paul says we should recognize our natural selfish nature.
Don't feed it --> Reckon it dead --> Adopt the nature of Christ

Current Lessons in Love
Even men who do not attend church or consider themselves Christian, somehow all know the part of the Bible that goes "Wives, submit to your husbands." In the last few generations everyone teaching about love in the marital relationship starts at Ephesians 5:22. Wives submit to your husband. Husbands love your wife.

The speaker thinks the lessons should start the verse before.

Ephesians 5:21
(Two versions of the same verse)
Submit to one another out of obedience to God. (NIV)
Submitting yourselves to one another out of fear of God. (KJV)

Definition of Submissive
Arrange yourself under
Prioritize that person you are submissive to

"Submission" is not really a word that is glorified in our culture, submissive is not something people tend to put on their resumes, but it is a beautiful thing. We have marriage relationships with the potential for God's design to be fulfilled and for both parties to be joyful, but it requires submission.

Lesson:  See your spouse as more important than yourself.

When we suppress SELFISHNESS --SELFLESSNESS rises to the top.

Prioritize the other person.

Next time: Does it take two to dance?

Kids are mean

[I saw something online about people getting depressed or disappointed about their lives because they see pictures of pretty homes, happy children and read cute stories of picture perfect family lives on other people's blogs.]

Don't be deceived by cute kids on blogs.
Kids can be rather mean.
A reminder from one of my old travel pictures.

These artists were playing some interesting instruments at a tourist park in Taiwan.

After each song they would ask the audience, mostly made up of school children on field trips, if they had any questions. (I think it was implied the questions were to be about the music or instruments.)

The only question they got every time were kids asking if the guy on the right was a girl or a boy.

His fellow musician is totally not helping.

Marriage Part 1 - Adamic Law

[1.5 weeks later...]
It's FRIDAY! (technically Saturday)
I made it to the end of the week and I am still ALIVE!

Do you hear that?
It is the quiet before the storm... the time is fast approaching... brace yourself. for. wedding season.

I am going to my first wedding of 2012 tomorrow! I am so excited for the couple!

Speaking of weddings, which I hear often lead to marriage, I attended a marriage seminar tonight. Yes, I know I am not married.

Since I told my housemate I was planning on typing up my notes I figured I'd share some things I learned here with you too.
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Adam + Eve (& Adamic Nature)


Adam + Eve = 1st Marriage Ever.
Adam noticed the animals in pairs of two. Wait a minute, something was missing. God created Eve to be a partner to Adam. He saw her and his response was probably "Wow, for me?". They had everything at their disposal. God gave them everything they could need. But then....

Adam + Eve Mess Things Up for All of Mankind
Adam and Eve lived in the garden and God provided everything freely except fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. There was ONE thing the humans were not allowed to do. Guess what they did?


Temptation: You Can Be Your Own God
The temptation given to Adam and Eve were once you eat the fruit of knowledge, you will know good and evil, even though God forbade it, you will be like God, you can be your own God.  

Human Relationship with God Changed
The moment they bit that apple, humans' relationship with God changed. They were banished from the garden. Humans were imperfect, committed the first sin, many more to follow.


Adam + Eve = 1st Dysfunctional Marriage
Can you imagine how Adam and Eve looked leaving the garden? Adam probably was still accusing Eve of being the reason he ate the fruit and they are getting kicked out of their perfect home and she was probably pointing a finger at him or the snake partaking in the bickering and making excuses. Well, things were not looking good.


The 1st Dysfunctional Family
Adam and Eve had some kids and one of them murdered his brother. No matter what era you are in, that family sounds like it has problems. The first family in human history was also the world's first dysfunctional family. Human history is not looking so good in the realm of marriage. 

It is hard to find examples of good marriages and family situations in the Old Testament. Let's look at some key figures: 
1) Abraham - "father of the nations" - had a wife named Sarah but also slept with and had children with Sarah's servant Hagar
2) Solomon - "wrote the book of love" - you'd think this guy would know how to love his wife, but that may have been tough because he had 700 wives and 300 concubines
3) David - "a man after God's own heart" - great guy, but had that affair with Bathsheba, got her pregnant, tried to hide it, may have tried to get her husband killed, he also had some pretty rotten children

Dysfuntional Family -- is a result of the Fall of Man --from desiring to be my own god -- which can be summed up in one word. SELFISHNESS. 


The speaker referred to this as human's Adamic nature.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/

Next time: Ephesians 5:21

Prayer Hands

You ever notice how prayer hands look like a high-five?

 

Source: prayinghandsclipart.com/

I personally do the fingers folded method, but this way, prayer is like a prolonged, slow-motion high-five. Nice way to say "Hey, what's up" to a friend.

Currently Coveting

I apologize for my latest burst of book-worming.

Fueled by my current read by The Bloggess (sigh, also a book) and her tales of loathing,
this post is about someone who might make me tense up, narrow my eyes and heart beat faster.

His name is John Harrison.

[insert Fight Club chant]

He and his white coat, kind eyes, circle glasses and charming pastel polka-dot bow ties. Wipe that smug "my life is so much better than yours" smile off your face.

I've never met him but I know all I need to know to be slightly very extremely jealous.

You see, 

Mr. jolly John "I only eat with a golden spoon" Harrison

is Dreyer's Official Ice Cream Taster.

Source: dreyers.com

Yes, it is a real position.
And John Harrison has it.

Okay, jealousy is not a good feeling but I'm sure I'm not the only one that just discovered he possesses your dream job. Admission, this is probably not my dream job anymore since my body started rebelling against consuming large quantities of dairy; I can see myself (and everyone within a five-foot radius) getting rather uncomfortable everyday. But for the five-year-old version of me, this would have been my dream job back when and my diet was primarily ice cream, a bite or two whatever my parents forced me to eat, washed down with a few bowls of ice cream. Is there a cookie taster position anywhere? I would take it in a heartbeat (I hope it includes a gym membership).

Actually, if I go into cookie tasting I have no qualms with John.
Thank you Mr. John Harrison for keeping my Dreyer's ice cream tasting delicious
(and all the extra weight you probably gained in the name of quality control).

You can learn more about Mr. John Harrison and his job here.

Chocolates in Asia I wish were sold in the States

This week's photo challenge: Chocolate reminded me of something I've been wanting to say for some time.

Why are these things not available in the States?
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AMICELLI by Dove

Every time I visit Taiwan I try to find some Amicelli.

Amicelli are small individually wrapped wafer rolls filled with hazelnut chocolate, also known as bits of heaven wrapped in a wafer roll (in my world). A bit on the pricier end but I REALLY LIKE HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE so it's a real treat. They are made by Dove but I have not seen them in the U.S.

But Dove chocolate is headquartered in New Jersey!

Yes, why would Dove deny Americans of this delicious treat? Why doesn't CocaCola sell Qoo here? Why can't 7-11 be the hub for all bill-paying activity? Why can't my potato chips taste like a hamburger with ketchup or a steak covered in black pepper sauce with a side of mashed potatoes? Why can't I have a local bookstore that is 7 floors tall? Why can't all receipts also double up as lottery tickets? Sometimes you have to travel the world to realize the US isn't the only place with great ideas and even though we are in the land of plenty we still don't have it all.

At least the Bay Area is finally getting a Uniqlo. My brother introduced me to this brand when we were in Japan. I remember stopping by the store in NYC a few years back and wishing I had one in my backyard. Uniqlo is like the Gap of Japan, lots of pretty basics, cute print t-shirts, and fun collaborations with designers like Jill Sanders, Vena Cava, Orla Kiely. Yippee!

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Rich Matcha Chocolate by Meiji

My housemate went to Japan earlier this year and brought back Meiji rich matcha chocolate bars. Similar in appearance to a Hershey's chocolate bar, except think of a white chocolate bar flavored with matcha and only 10% of white chocolate's typical sweetness. Not super sophisticated or beautifully packaged but all I can say is YUM! Such a huge fan of matcha green tea and it's smoky, dry flavor.

She said she could only find them in the 7-11 stores around Japan.

I had high hopes of returning from Taiwan with a years worth of this stuff. When I was in Taiwan, every time I passed by a 7-11 (which appear about every other block in the bigger cities) I peeked inside hoping to spot some in the candy aisle. There were quite a few Meiji products, but only milk chocolate and dark chocolate bars. No matcha green tea bars! I scoured Taipei. Grocery stores, 7-11's, family marts (another common convenience store), department stores... NADA!

Sigh.

I shouldn't have gobbled up the one from Japan so quickly.

I was hoping to bring some back from Taiwan as souvenirs for others because they are delicious, cheap (the airport ate half my spending money before I could cross customs), easy to carry, I haven't seen them in America and who DOESN'T like them? Sigh. Pineapple cakes, mochi, taro cakes, black charcoal face wash, cheap tights and funny hello kitty glasses were the only plunder I brought back from my trip. I hate giving people things they could easily find in their local Asian supermarket. (Bulky boxes also end up being smashed in my luggage and do not very pretty gifts.)

My brother returned from Taiwan a week after me and look what he brought back for me!

He said he found it in a grocery store.

I shall ration it for a year... or week. Whatever comes first.

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Any candies you wish were available in the US?
FYI - No one is allowed to say Smarties (I'm looking at you Canadians) because M&M's are clearly superior. Clearly.

Don't get me started on ice cream flavors.

 

challenge: chocolate