things to work on when i finish this semester
-finish photo book
-finish quilt
-throw all all unnecessaries
-ebay luxuries
-breathe
-exercise for my future
-buy new shorts
-bake an arkload of cookies
-buy shirts that fit
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
...
if we think we'll be satisfied with what we COULD have,
they we're already failing ourselves by not being content with what we DO have.
they we're already failing ourselves by not being content with what we DO have.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
untitled
if one person (who only speaks chinese) starts to argue with another person (who only speaks hindi, ordu, samoan), what good is that? it's nothing but a circle without end.
yet, we say love is a language. a language without need to be interpretted.
a language that is felt.
seen.
experienced.
in the end, love never fails.
lets stop arguing in those human tongues and spread the love. a real love worth giving. worth dying for.
and in the end, when all is said and done, ... the greatest of these will remain.
yet, we say love is a language. a language without need to be interpretted.
a language that is felt.
seen.
experienced.
in the end, love never fails.
lets stop arguing in those human tongues and spread the love. a real love worth giving. worth dying for.
and in the end, when all is said and done, ... the greatest of these will remain.
Friday, March 27, 2009
bird eating bird
today we had a photoshoot at a nearby abandoned factory. in one of the buildings, it was musty and dark and torn apart. i heard wings flutter
and i saw a brown bird, perhaps a hawk, carrying in their claws a dead pigeon. it flew by right in front of my eyes.
and i saw a brown bird, perhaps a hawk, carrying in their claws a dead pigeon. it flew by right in front of my eyes.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
nopes
so we've agreed not to post our first round of engagement photos until the couple sees them first.
just wanted to blog a little something.
when you get a chance to spend time with a couple, any little or greater amount of time, you can easily tell if they're being cheesy, or simply in love.
for sure, they were in love.
=]
just wanted to blog a little something.
when you get a chance to spend time with a couple, any little or greater amount of time, you can easily tell if they're being cheesy, or simply in love.
for sure, they were in love.
=]
Monday, March 9, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
wrongful arrests anyone?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/nyregion/18about.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
after all those fees, perhaps nyc could buy me a new one of these:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/570162-REG/Nikon_25444_D700_SLR_Digital_Camera.html
after all those fees, perhaps nyc could buy me a new one of these:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/570162-REG/Nikon_25444_D700_SLR_Digital_Camera.html
Friday, February 13, 2009
just like you and me
her name was ann.
just like any other mother or woman or person you'd meet. 'normal'. talks 'fine'. conscientious, open, yearning for company. aware of the world and herself. friendly.
in different clothes, in her own clothes, would've blended in in a daycare center, lunch aid, office worker, tutor, next door neighbor.
but she too is without a home, as of a few weeks ago.
"i havent eaten chicken in a dog's age".
every time we meet someone new at the train station, a new face, a new scent, a new heart, i can't help but think to myself, "one day, I could be wearing this persons' shoes."
what drives me? what drives you?
you should have told her mang. it's not about the c_______. there's a greater love that is out there, a more beautiful love that holds on and never lets go. something that quenches the thirsty, satiates the starving, completes the soul.
tell it to her. she's just like you and me.
just like any other mother or woman or person you'd meet. 'normal'. talks 'fine'. conscientious, open, yearning for company. aware of the world and herself. friendly.
in different clothes, in her own clothes, would've blended in in a daycare center, lunch aid, office worker, tutor, next door neighbor.
but she too is without a home, as of a few weeks ago.
"i havent eaten chicken in a dog's age".
every time we meet someone new at the train station, a new face, a new scent, a new heart, i can't help but think to myself, "one day, I could be wearing this persons' shoes."
what drives me? what drives you?
you should have told her mang. it's not about the c_______. there's a greater love that is out there, a more beautiful love that holds on and never lets go. something that quenches the thirsty, satiates the starving, completes the soul.
tell it to her. she's just like you and me.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
its not okay, it's perfect
Made some new friends tonight. Probably three times my age, their bodies a few pounds heavier, and their lungs a few shades darker.
Their names were Mark and Carol.
First saw Carol smoking on the steps of the train station lobby area on Albany. Heavy set, filthy clothes and her winter hat had nearly covered up her tired eyes. She was puffing her favorite merchandise-- Newports. On the occasional passerby, Carol will say "hey, want to buy some cigarettes? I have Newports." She's so well-connected in our New Brunswick neighborhood that she has a tab, (that's right, a TAB) for her cigarettes at a nearby convenient store. She said the owner's name was 'Carl', and she paid off the tab once a month. She's a girlfriend, a TCNJ alum of '75, and a long-winded storyteller.
Mark was hiding in the corner, settled down between the metal gate and the blue ATM. His possessions were few, whatever was in his heavy winter jacket, and a few cups of 'beverages'. Yes, non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks alike. He was quiet fellow, his eyes were a dull blue, and his face was fiercely wrinkled. He looked atleast sixty. When he smiles, his front teeth are nowhere to be seen. But he had something that many people value, something I felt like if I were homeless, this would be the first thing in my back pocket-- a sense of humor.
Andrew and Dan and I were just hanging out, like young adults on a cold winter night. Andrew had a friend who was homeless that hung around here for years, but was nowhere to be seen. According to Mark, this friend Wes had a seizure around Christmas Day, and was sent to the nearby Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. So we decided to go and pay him a visit with our new friends.
Andrew's station wagon smelled old and homey when we first got in. When we stepped out of the car, it smelled like an awkward marriage of chocolate, urine, and cigarette smoke. We grabbed a wheel chair for Carol, and wheeled on up to the 7th floor. Wes wasn't awake.
We sat in the visitor's room listening to Carol's stories and talking about religion and the odd jobs that they carried over the years. Mark opened up one of the magazines on strokes and, using it like a serving plate, poured out a bag of crunchy fritos onto the magazine spread. He was grateful for the little things, telling us we didn't have to share food with him.
In reality, who are we to not share? We're spoiled, pampered, selfish materialistic asian american children who wouldn't blink twice at spending $10 at Noodle Gourmet when $3.00 could buy a new selection of socks for a homeless man's blistered feet. We take the luxuries for granted when some people's basics are not a *cell phone and a *laptop, but rather five Daily Targums to lay on the ground and have something clean to sleep on at night.
Mark tried to rescue us from one of Carol's long winded stories (long winded as in 30+ minutes for a single story) by telling Carol there was someone around the corner who was calling her name because they wanted to buy cigarettes from her. Note, we're still on the 7th floor of the RWJUH and it's nearly 1am. And of course, no one was shopping for ciggys.
----
When we were leaving, we walked by our hospitalized friend's room, and he was AWAKE! When We gathered around to pray for him, Andrew asked if it was okay to say a prayer before we left. He looked up and spoke softly, "No, it's not okay.... It's perfect."
That was our night.
Their names were Mark and Carol.
First saw Carol smoking on the steps of the train station lobby area on Albany. Heavy set, filthy clothes and her winter hat had nearly covered up her tired eyes. She was puffing her favorite merchandise-- Newports. On the occasional passerby, Carol will say "hey, want to buy some cigarettes? I have Newports." She's so well-connected in our New Brunswick neighborhood that she has a tab, (that's right, a TAB) for her cigarettes at a nearby convenient store. She said the owner's name was 'Carl', and she paid off the tab once a month. She's a girlfriend, a TCNJ alum of '75, and a long-winded storyteller.
Mark was hiding in the corner, settled down between the metal gate and the blue ATM. His possessions were few, whatever was in his heavy winter jacket, and a few cups of 'beverages'. Yes, non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks alike. He was quiet fellow, his eyes were a dull blue, and his face was fiercely wrinkled. He looked atleast sixty. When he smiles, his front teeth are nowhere to be seen. But he had something that many people value, something I felt like if I were homeless, this would be the first thing in my back pocket-- a sense of humor.
Andrew and Dan and I were just hanging out, like young adults on a cold winter night. Andrew had a friend who was homeless that hung around here for years, but was nowhere to be seen. According to Mark, this friend Wes had a seizure around Christmas Day, and was sent to the nearby Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. So we decided to go and pay him a visit with our new friends.
Andrew's station wagon smelled old and homey when we first got in. When we stepped out of the car, it smelled like an awkward marriage of chocolate, urine, and cigarette smoke. We grabbed a wheel chair for Carol, and wheeled on up to the 7th floor. Wes wasn't awake.
We sat in the visitor's room listening to Carol's stories and talking about religion and the odd jobs that they carried over the years. Mark opened up one of the magazines on strokes and, using it like a serving plate, poured out a bag of crunchy fritos onto the magazine spread. He was grateful for the little things, telling us we didn't have to share food with him.
In reality, who are we to not share? We're spoiled, pampered, selfish materialistic asian american children who wouldn't blink twice at spending $10 at Noodle Gourmet when $3.00 could buy a new selection of socks for a homeless man's blistered feet. We take the luxuries for granted when some people's basics are not a *cell phone and a *laptop, but rather five Daily Targums to lay on the ground and have something clean to sleep on at night.
Mark tried to rescue us from one of Carol's long winded stories (long winded as in 30+ minutes for a single story) by telling Carol there was someone around the corner who was calling her name because they wanted to buy cigarettes from her. Note, we're still on the 7th floor of the RWJUH and it's nearly 1am. And of course, no one was shopping for ciggys.
----
When we were leaving, we walked by our hospitalized friend's room, and he was AWAKE! When We gathered around to pray for him, Andrew asked if it was okay to say a prayer before we left. He looked up and spoke softly, "No, it's not okay.... It's perfect."
That was our night.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
thinking evil
(respective translations)
NKJV 1 cor 13:5b "thinks evil"
ESV 1 cor 13:5b "resentful"
and in the NIV 1 cor 13:5b, Love "...keeps no record of wrong."
since all are translations create one circular idea, it's saying what love is NOT. if we as christians stand in our own shoes and say that Christ is love, and we strive to show others a genuine love, than we must work towards not keeping records of wrong. that means holding grudges with people who hurt us deeply. people who we feel like have made those scars on our hearts over the years, wounds we swore would take years to heal. it's not about pushing it aside and getting over it quickly, it's not about running from it and putting it behind us.
sometimes its about accepting the fact that those very hurts really aren't that big of a deal afterall. heartbreaks and heartaches, sour rumors, backstabbing and judgement over another person. those things are serious, they are real issues, but in the end, after we cool it and suck up our own pride, we realize that they weren't that big of a deal anyways. so what if you don't get the apology that you feel you rightly deserve, life is so much beyond waiting and wishing to be 'made right'. they'll deal with it in their own time, if not you, someOne so much bigger.
but definitely there is no easy way to 'keep no record of wrong'. doesn't mean it's not something we can't work towards. striving to live a life of genuine love. of forgiveness, acceptance. peace. a peace that overwhelms us, that flows through our veins and every relationship we create and take part in. something we constantly work on.
it don't mean we have to be buddy buddy with everyone, but to live in peace, do what you must do to be in that peace. no one is too far from redemption, if Christ's blood covered us all, who are we to hold something against others?
NKJV 1 cor 13:5b "thinks evil"
ESV 1 cor 13:5b "resentful"
and in the NIV 1 cor 13:5b, Love "...keeps no record of wrong."
since all are translations create one circular idea, it's saying what love is NOT. if we as christians stand in our own shoes and say that Christ is love, and we strive to show others a genuine love, than we must work towards not keeping records of wrong. that means holding grudges with people who hurt us deeply. people who we feel like have made those scars on our hearts over the years, wounds we swore would take years to heal. it's not about pushing it aside and getting over it quickly, it's not about running from it and putting it behind us.
sometimes its about accepting the fact that those very hurts really aren't that big of a deal afterall. heartbreaks and heartaches, sour rumors, backstabbing and judgement over another person. those things are serious, they are real issues, but in the end, after we cool it and suck up our own pride, we realize that they weren't that big of a deal anyways. so what if you don't get the apology that you feel you rightly deserve, life is so much beyond waiting and wishing to be 'made right'. they'll deal with it in their own time, if not you, someOne so much bigger.
but definitely there is no easy way to 'keep no record of wrong'. doesn't mean it's not something we can't work towards. striving to live a life of genuine love. of forgiveness, acceptance. peace. a peace that overwhelms us, that flows through our veins and every relationship we create and take part in. something we constantly work on.
it don't mean we have to be buddy buddy with everyone, but to live in peace, do what you must do to be in that peace. no one is too far from redemption, if Christ's blood covered us all, who are we to hold something against others?
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