Madama Butterfly

Last thursday I went to an opera--Madama Butterfly.

This was a first for me, and I loved it! I love cultural experiences of all kinds. I have this whole list of cultural experiences that I wouuld like to do, and this was one of them. It was in San Francisco in their opera house, which I am told is one of the biggest in the nation. It was beautiful, I just love the whole atmosphere, the lights, architecture, the people of all variety...We sat in the far back but not a bad spot could still see everything. The story was beautiful, about a Japanese woman who marries an American. I do want to put out a warning, it was sad, was not expecting that. I just happened to have a very bad day proceeding this. It is a different concept than a musical in the sense that you are reading the words as you are listening and watching so it is a lot to take in but beautiful. I really enjoyed the orchestra. My next goal, is to go to the symphony!

Contentment

I talked some about my lessons learned this past summer which now seems but a distant memory, but I have been reassured and learned some since then. I felt left behind this summer with everyone I knew who went off on their adventures both near and far...here I was on my own struggling with contentment of where I was and currently am. God has spoken to me through several people with encouraging words reminding me that there is a purpose. One such person, a couple of months ago encouraged me with the example of Moses in the Bible in how God prepared him for His great purpose. I was again reminded of this in my OT class as we have been talking about Exodus. Everything in his life, even the little things are what made him be a leader and to accomplish God's task....
Another person who has inspired me, is and I know this is random, Adoniram Judson. He was one of the first people to go to Burma and translated the first Burmese Bible. I have been reading his biography for one of my classes. He struggled with the preparation process, just wanting to take action and to go. There were points in his life when he got sick and was forced to stay home and read and study. He was an intelligent man with a special ability for languages and pursued school, he also used his speaking ability to bring attention to the cause.
God has a purpose for putting us where we are!

Halo Halo

Halo Halo-- means mix mix in Tagalog. It is also a Filipino dessert which includes shaved ice, ice cream, red beans, little jello squares, corn or just an assortment of things. I had some last night and it brought me back to my childhood :)
In light of all this I have also decided that these words are a good description of my emotions right now. Within these past few months I have...said goodbye, made new friends...
...learned to rest, to trust, to open up and much more.
I am still learning and being stretched in different ways this semester. I am trying to embrace the change that has taken over my life. I am excited about what is ahead and trying to make the most of the right now.
Today I miss people both near and far.

Sunshine and Flowers

Amidst the craziness that is my life right now, I am enjoying the sunshine and all the wild flowers popping up everywhere! Today it is superbly beautiful. I just wish I could be outside in it all day but no, school has got me attached to my computer. So, I try to take advantage of the little spurts of time I can taken outside, like on Saturday we took a spontaneous picnic for lunch. Pictures in my next post. I do want to find a field of wild flowers to frolic in :). Anyone know of one?

Home

Home is a Memory


But most important of all,
Home is but a memory,
changing while you're gone,
Home is your imagination,
caught in images, in your mind or your photo album,
something you only remember if you pull that album off a shelf
or you think a homesick thought.
Home is just a dream, gone if you go back.

by: Edward Finn

This is written by a TCK from my readings for my capstone. I just ran across it again in my notes, I really identify with it.

New Places

Since my dear friends Christina and April both beat me to posting about our experience I will only put up but a few pictures from the places that we went and really reiterate that when a friend suggests a place, why not try it! The above is the amazing mocha from Bittersweet!

Capstone...Need I say more...

The next picture from Bizaar cafe is not posting for some reason :(. I was excited to be able to show April this place and how lucky we were to be able to observe some interesting people that came in there while at the same time totally focusing on our capstone:).

Change

CHANGE

How can you LOVE and HATE something all at the same time? This is how I feel about change which is coming up in the next couple of months for me. My life has been somewhat defined by change, yet somehow I still have a hard time with it. I know I will adjust and things will be GOOD, but they will be DIFFERENT and that's the part I have a hard time with. Even though I have said goodbye countless times to people that are very important to me throughout my life, it never gets easier. I don't deal with it well. One hard part about the upcoming change for me, is that I am the one being left behind, I'm usually the one that leaves, weird. Decisions are usually involved in change as well, I have a hard time with decisions and I am going to have to make some...

On the other hand I do love change, the exciting possibilities, dreams being realized, new people and places!

the simple

So I sit here at work...I like to get here early, well I like to get most places early. I'm cutting out these pronunciation game cards for my students and I have decided...
~I like cutting up or out things, I find it therapeutic, something mindless to do as you think. As a teacher I have spent much time cutting out things, especially when I taught in an elementary school. I also like to do crafty things which involves cutting things up or it should and is something I don't really do here often.
~Another therapeutic activity for me I find especially on a beautiful sunshiney day like this, is to drive with the windows down while playing your music very loud. Some singing along might just be involved with this :)

Sidenote: If you have a chance listen to OneRepublic their new album, Waking Up. I am obsessed with it, the music is amazing! Also, you have to listen to it loud and in your car, it really adds to it, or you can just ride with me in my car sometime to have a listen!

Sugar Free

I made it!! One week without sugar, to clarify, it wasn't complete sugar. It was basically dessert, candy, sweet breakfast foods, anything of that sort. I wasn't sure if I could do it or make it especially when I realized that this would be one of the weekends where I have class and basically depend on sugar to get me through and am tempted by the chocolate. Take that, cadbury eggs, or not to mention the various cakes, cookies, woodys that was offered to me, you did not win! To celebrate I am going to go buy a cadbury creme egg, my favorite candy of all time!

Insight

I came across this quote in my studies on TCKs (third culture kids), the subject of which I am writing my capstone on for my masters. This quote was used to help describe them and their identity.

"I am a part of all that I have met."

~Tennyson

It made me stop and reflect and think on it for a bit...I like it.

Jiaozi

I love jiaozi(Chinese dumplings)or as people here like to call them potstickers. There is something about that last name that really bothers me. Anyways, last Saturday my family and a friend went to an amazing place in the city.



Before I even tried the food I knew I loved it, the atmosphere(felt like I was in China), the fact that it is a little hole in the wall, the workers there, and even the wait for our table. We tried maybe 5 different kinds, including the specialty of the place, soup dumplings. So good, I can't even describe, it had the usual pork filling with a little pocket of soup that dispenses into your mouth with amazing flavor. I tried to upload another picture of this but it won't let me :(. After eating our fill of dumplings, they come around and give you this sugar coated puff of amazingness. All this to say, you should go there and if you do let me know I will go with you!

small hopes

Tonight I watched Emma, the new BBC version. It was four hours long, that's right! I'm a big Jane Austen fan, have been since first picking up the book Pride and Prejudice in high school. Emma is second to P&J in my favorites of Austen's books. I love the stories, the time period,the characters and aside from that I think Austen has so many timeless themes threaded throughout her stories.
Near the end of the movie tonight as Emma started to have her dreams realized, someone made a comment but her hopes were so small. It was late so I'm pretty sure that's what she said. This was near the end when Emma got to see the ocean for the first time which was one of her biggest dreams, it also helped that the man she loved brought her there :). So, it got me thinking although her hope of seeing the sea seemed easy, to those of us looking from the outside, it was a big hope for her and really important. All of her dreams came true...
Do dreams come true in reality?

Something New

Here goes, I am going to try this and see what happens. I have enjoyed reading my friend's blogs recently and find my self thinking some days, if I were to blog this is what I would say. In light of turning 29 very recently, which was a VERY depressing day for me, I decided to try something new while sharing other new adventures along the way.

First one that I would like to share that happened on Tuesday. I set out early in the morning having the whole day free for some major reading and went to study at a coffee shop. Cibo in Sausalito was my first destination. Referred to by a friend I was excited about the great coffee they have there. It was a cute place, perfect for a little coffee date with someone but quickly discovered not a place to study. It was just a little too loud, the seating wasn't great and expensive meter parking. After staying for a bit, I went on to La Coppa in downtown Mill Valley, another place I had been wanting to try. Also cute but with very limited to no seating inside. I had my eye on a little corner seat outside however but after waiting on my cappuccino for 20 minutes I lost it to another customer. I sat at another table outside, not comfortable and the coffee less than outstanding. A lady did stop to discuss my computer with me for a while, so that was fun. I decided to move on, this time to the Mill Valley Library, free, quite, and beautiful! I will continue my search for the perfect coffee shop study spot another day.