"*Tong tong chang chang*!! [some crappy CNY tunes I can't stand] ~ cyberred

LOL You crack me up. Thanks for ya lurvely birthday and CNY card. Thanks to Miss Jess too for her CNY card! XD

Happy Chinese New Year, folks! While on the other side of the world, family members and friends are lazing around in their couches, eating, watching TV, eating, visiting friends, eating, collecting ang pows/money and eating, yours truly is hard at work and leading a life as if the Chinese New Year is just a myth. Apparently, the United States does not acknowledge Chinese New Year as a reasonable excuse for a vacation.

Buggah. So, don't let me hear you ungrateful Malaysians complain about a lack of national holidays, or I'll whoop all ya sorry suntanned [insert unladylike word]. *grin* Gotta love the ebonics touch.

To comfort myself, I did what any self-respecting international student/temporary resident in a foreign country would do in such a pitiful situation: EAT. Hey, if I have to miss out in my cultural celebration, it ain't gonna be food. With that said, here's the elected Chinese New Year dish of the year, which I bought from Chinatown, Chicago and enjoyed in the comforts of my home: Behold the delicious and mouth-waterin' Bak Chang!

Now, it's been years since I've indulged in such a simple masterpiece. Glutinuous rice, yellow lentils, pork meat, Chinese sausage, mushrooms and salted duck egg, wrapped up in leaves (pandan?) and steamed, allowing all the savory and sweet flavors in intermingle and be infused within. To top it up, ketchup and chilli sambal on the side for dipping. Ahhhh, the eating experience was glorious, indeed! For those of you who don't agree with me -just- because you have never tried eating this, keep ya thoughts to yahself. ;)

Now, if you would excuse me, I need to work off those calories in the gym. Gong Xi Fa Cai, everyone! May this new year bring you much joy and prosperity! Double that with God's blessing, amen!

~Groovy Chick signing off~

Birthday Celebration 2006

Thanks to all friends and family who shared my birthday celebration with kind greetings and showered me with generous gifts! I'm truly blessed with great people in my life. I was surprised by gifts I didn't expect ~ hand-knitted scarf from a work colleague, jacket-CD combo by my dear Brats [as seen in pic] and an iRiver FM transmitter by my college buddy to complement the Mp3 player my ex gave me (yahoo, I can now play Mp3s in my car). XD

Friday evening: Ate pad thai (yum!) at a Thai restaurant and hanged out with fellow interns/work colleagues at some grill & pub place. The place wasn't too smoky and I tasted various beers my colleagues were drinking (I don't drink but that doesn't stop me from "sampling" out of curiosity XD). I couldn't find much differences between the beers: All I get is bitter in the end. Bleh. I prefer drinking something sweet and more flavorful with just a little alcohol to add some kick, not the other way 'round!
Saturday/ whole day: Out of town ~ returned to campus to hang out with college buddies. Had my car serviced, bought random stuff for myself, hanged out at comic/book stores, and finally watched "The Exorcist of Emily Rose" on DVD (see next section for further comment)
Sunday/half day: Went to church in the morning and made my way home.

Phew......the weekend is almost over and I didn't get a chance to do anything! I mean, work/comic project-wise. Let's see how much I can get done today. (@_@)

But yeah, THANK YOU to everyone for making my birthday a blessing! The PMs, emails, phonecalls, SMS, e-cards, gifts and celebrations were awesome and reminded me how great it is to be alive! XD

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The Exorcism of Emily Rose

This isn't a joke. Something strange happened in my apartment few weeks ago. I woke up to a toasting/overheating smell in my apartment at 3 a.m. and had a hard time sleeping for the rest of the night. I told my friends the next day and they all went " (@_@);; Creepy! That's exactly what happened in the Exorcism of Emily Rose, right before she got possessed!" JUST GREAT. I hadn't watched the movie so I didn't clue into this connection until I watched the movie last night.

While I was slightly creeped out by how similar my experience was with the movie character, as a whole, I was surprised/impressed with how well-executed the movie was. I initially thought this movie was going to focus on sensationalizing the exorcism, just as how some previous movies have done. However, the message or rather, the questions, the movie brings forth was thought-provoking. [NOTE = Spoilers ahead]

I personally know very little about demon possession and have never witnessed one. I lean towards, "What's there not to believe, especially when there are such accounts in the Bible and when there are real life accounts of such experiences all over the world?" So, I'm not really concerned with whether it happens or not. I believe that it does.

What I'm MORE interested in is "Why does this happen?" Is it similar to the reason why God allowed Satan to torment Job, a faithful and God-fearing man (Book of Job)? How can God use something so awful for good? How can an exorcism fail? How is it that the power of God's Spirit failed during the casting out of demons? "Why would God allow such a thing to happen?"

The movie did a great job suggesting the Christian explanation through Emily's letter to Father Moore -- "People say that God is dead, but how can they believe that when I show them the Devil?" This point of view suggest that God allowed this to happen to Emily so that people will be aware of a spiritual realm the modern world has downplayed many times. I am at peace with this point of view as it just made sense to me. God allowed this exorcism to go "wrong" for a higher purpose.

The other thing I found fascinating about this movie was the court scene. The arguments between the prosecutor and defendant attorney stoled the attention of yours truly, a Law & Order/CSI buff (hehehehe). Instead of merely disproving the medical/scientific opinions of Emily, the defendant took on the burden of offering the alternative explanation - a spiritual battle. Defendant attorney, Erin Burner, nailed it in her closing speech. "Facts leave no room for reasonable doubt. This trial isn't about facts. It's about possibilities."

Finally, the verdict on Father Moore blew me away - "Guilty but free." This may seem strange for some but I think it summarizes the core beliefs of the Christian faith beautifully. We are all sinners who are guilty but we are forgiven and set free by God through Jesus Christ. It makes me consider the wounds on Emily's pierced hands, which mirror the wounds of Christ - signifying the sacrifice made for the greater good of all mankind.

All in all, I find Exorcism of Emily Rose an outstanding movie as I felt it adequately offered the audience a balance of two different point of views at the end (i.e. the believer and the skeptic). It makes us all question our capability to rationalize and wonder whether the senses we acknowledge (sight, taste, hearing, smell and touch) are all there is to it. What about our 6th sense...the spiritual sense, if such a thing exists? I lean towards "Just because you can't see something, doesn't mean it isn't there" and yet, there is no fear or anxiety in facing this possibility because I firmly believe that God is Loving and is in Full Control.

The death of a snowman....

I don't get it. The snow came in inches by mid November and now, it's gone in January? The weather in midwest USA never makes sense, I tell ya.

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Even vegetables suffer freak accidents....

"What on earth is that ugly orange thingy," you ask me. Pardon me for my lousy photo catch but then again, you didn't buy me a sophisticated digital camera for my birthday. Hehe. At work, while I was bagging some carrots for palate cleansing, I came across this little baby carrot with a huge gaping hole cored through its length. Poor dude got screwed alright.

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Ah the sweet sweet sight of organization...

After struggling for so many years and finally having the time these last few months, I've succeeded in organizing my artworks into nice folders each labelled according to category with published pieces on the left pocket and drafts/rough sketches on the right. The only thing missing is the alphabetical order. I can now die in peace in the bliss of organization and order.

Sometimes I wonder whether I'm related to Adrian Monk in some way. [Don't know Monk? Sheesh....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detective_Monk]

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Just defended: A graduate student's dream

I forgot to add this to my previous entry but this was the unofficial sign my lab group used for celebrations. I know Maria S. stuck this on the back of her car and gleefully drove around campus after her defense. Designed by yours truly. :)

Exactly one year ago, I believe I was fretting over my incomplete research project, how much time would be needed to complete my thesis writeup, the possibility of experimental failure, the urgency to apply for OPT, whether I could make the start day of my internship without upsetting INS, my frustrations with one of my professor, and deciding my defense date.

I was a nervous wreck and hated being who I am then. I believed that I had little worth, and nothing would go right. I could only beg and plead for God's mercy to end my misery somehow and soon.

By mid-2005, I had completed my defense and started my internship.
By September, my thesis was approved after a few more editings.
By December, I had the thesis printed and bound. I handed over my office keys and lab books/papers.

2005 ends a major event in my life. I may need to work with my professor to get some papers published in the new year but the storm is finally over. Thank you God for reminding me of your love throughout the grief, frustration and pain. Thank you to all my friends from FSHN, TheBrats, CAA/CAO and ICF for prayers and support~ *hugs*

I can now move on with life and pick up what's left of my trodden down self-esteem.

Goodbye 2005, Hello 2006.