* tiny but powerful *

Sorry for the long silence! I don't even have any excuses about being busy (except for maybe yesterday). Winter break has been nice and lazy. I've mostly been bumming around, reluctantly doing some shopping, and finally unpacking my room at home. The only other productive thing I've really done is update the Tmony website. Yesterday, I finally dropped off my violin bow at Ifshin's (for rehairing), had an appointment with my mom's doctor (for my back), and went to get my eyes checked (for the first time in four years) -- all things I should have done at the *beginning* of break, but alas.

I actually don't have much to say, but here's the Thankful List that I've been keeping for the past couple weeks. :)

- lazy days
- company while shopping (misery loves company...)
- the hilarious Pixar short about a singing/dancing/bouncing lamb ;)
- Tigger, in a movie preview: "You just can't argue with a word like fraught." (hahahaha)
- my first fitting appointment, and getting to see the progress on my Victorian and Ragtime dresses
- Victoria said that my makeshift petticoat (three layers to make the bell shape) will work perfectly
- short DL rehearsal
- the DL garment bag is cooool
- being introduced to Verde PMT (twice! but I ordered the same thing both times because I'm boring)
- good friends whom I trust
- good friends who trust me
- praying for them
- reading Eric's blog...always a blessing
- Eric always calls me on Christmas day
- e-cards from people I haven't talked to in awhile
- Chloe always so excited to play
- making smooshed potatoes!
- my mom's milk tea (far superior to anything from PMT places)
- thoughtful gifts from people who know me well
- finding cool old mementos and usable stuff as I unpack my boxes
- good discussions with people about the questions/points brought up by the anonymous commenter (my response to which is coming, by the way...)
- growing and being challenged in knowledge and in faith
- seeing other people grow...over days, months, years
- hearing about the *fun* that Tmony had on tour :)
- lunch with my dad (first time seeing him in months)
- my eyes only getting a little bit worse in the past four years
- not having to do that annoying air-puff glaucoma test (even though the new method with eye anesthetic drops was *weird*...)
- the optometrist being so nice and friendly
- Sister Act on TV...that movie makes me happy
- exciting news for Tmony!!
- lots of sleeeep
- God is good :)

Happy New Year's Eve!

"This road that we travel
May it be the straight and narrow
God, give us peace and grace from You."
- Jars of Clay, "This Road"

---
Recent Thankfulness:
- another bop dinner, this time with all 3 of us
- our hilarious fortune cookies (Melisa's: "Promote literacy. Buy a box of fortune cookies today." What??!)
- caroling with Tmony alumni...ah, the good ol' days
- our loyal fans sitting through all of it
- still having good pitch with each other
- resurrecting old songs and being amazed at what we could remember
- singing "Joy to the World" with Eric again!
- the cuuutest kids and their parents stopping to listen
- the scarf Kari got me for Christmas...so soft and so bluuuue! (Bryan: "It matches your blog!" Me: "Yeah, it's like my blog on a scarf.")
- Bryan's wake-up call when I overslept
- seeing Tmony off on their winter tour
- not having to go on tour this year
- early breakfast with Bryan, Kari, and Jenn (Kari: "Denny's has good food. It's not the same as real food, but it's good in its own right.")
- dorms closing on Sunday instead of Saturday
- my brother totally ROCKED his Psych class :-D
- going to church with Eric
- Brian letting me cook at his apartment (again)
- bop-casserole turned out yummier than the previous time
- dear friends who know me well and understand what faith is to me
- being home
- my aunt from HK being in town, which forces me to speak more Chinese
- sleep...lots of it
- having absolutely no schedule
- internet at home
- finally being DONE with GER's (stupid Area 4)
- good old-fashioned phone time
- actually braving a little Christmas shopping and having some success
- my brother's home! (this is where I wish I could steal the "pleased" smiley from Xanga)

Actually, I wonder if I *can* steal that smiley from Xanga... hmmmmm... lemme try...



WOOHOO! I CAN!! Muahahahaha...

"The principle runs through all life from top to bottom. ... Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in."
- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Whoever thinks that Christianity is just a crutch is gravely mistaken.

DONNNNNNNNE!!!
(edit: I guess that should be "DOOOOOOOONE!!!" DONNNNNNNNE would be bad vocal technique.)

I'm ALMOST done with finals...just this paper rewrite left (due tomorrow). Papers = POOP. But at least paper rewrites are better than new papers. Boo to WIM.

Recent Thankfulness:
- Chi-En's surprise notes on my computer desktop AND on my calendar for the new month (she wrote "smile because somebody loves you :)" on Dec. 1st so I'd find it when I turned the page)
- finding fabric for my Ragtime dress
- getting to read the SD2 essays
- finishing studying Ephesians in small group and really feeling like I know the book better
- seeing the amazing changes in Jasmin over the course of this quarter
- being on the Tmony Alumni side of things for the first time for a show
- TESTIMONY ROCKS! :-D Christmas Show was AWESOME
- Pablo was hilarious just *standing* there...
- Jenny's doing an amazing job as director
- God's faithfulness, and the Holy Spirit moving so powerfully
- successfully scheduling a time for Tmony alumni to go caroling
- finally finding a time to give TJ a singing lesson
- finally finding a time to help David (start to) put pictures up on his wall
- hot tea in the morning for my sore throat
- only getting mildly sick, in the midst of many, many sicker people
- finding my rain hat, which I lost a long time ago, hiding in an old purse
- Mindi/David coming by with a surprise homemade cookie delivery
- hearing Vienna Teng live for the first time!
- Vienna's opening act, Kyler England, was *amazing* too
- safety to cry (even though crying=booo)
- bop dinner! ("bops having dinner, not bops for dinner"...haha)

Everyone should come to the Testimony Christmas Show tonight!

"The Godfather IV: Christmas with the Family"
TONIGHT -- 9:00pm @ Toyon Lounge
with special guests, the Harmonics!
FREE Admission & FREE Food!

This article *did* make me happy this morning. (Well, except that I didn't read it in the morning. But I wanted to write that sentence.) It's really well-written and SO TRUE.

Thanks to Brian and Tracey for (independently) passing that on.