Taking a short break from blogging because final exams are next week!
Update on further adventures during my one-month break after next week! :)
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Giggles before Bed..
*** Since I finished my stuttering paper tonight.. thought I'd treat myself to some funny on Whenparentstext.com. This website always reminds me of my parents and their texts to me. One day, I am going to submit their texts to the website. :)
Mom: We have snizzle falling from the sky!!
Me: Snizzle??
Mom: We have snizzle falling from the sky!!
Me: Snizzle??
Mom: A snowing drizzle!
________________________________________
________________________________________
Me: You don't make any sense!
Dad: I don't have to make cents, I make dollars.
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Mom: U watching the eagle?? She’s sleepin’
(15 minutes later)
Mom: WAKE UP MAMA!!!
(15 minutes later)
Mom: Baby chick alert! Papa eagle just brought a fish and left it! ;) Dad never brings me those…
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Very True.
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes.
- Charles R. Swindoll
- Charles R. Swindoll
Monday, April 4, 2011
The Unexpected-ness of Life.
A friend told me a story today about how her childhood friend passed away last week. She was out camping with a boyfriend and there was a terrible storm. They were sleeping in the tent when they heard a creaking noise outside. The boyfriend got out of the tent to see what was making the noise. All of a sudden, a tree crashed on the tent, killing the girl instantly. The boyfriend was spared.
Somehow or other, I guess it was her time. But it wasn't his.
We will never know what may or may not happen to us or the people we love, at any instant, and it's a scary thought. That story really puts things into perspective about how short/long life can be. And it's not really for us to decide.
It is because life is so crazy, and so unexpected and unpredictable, that you should take any chance you get to live it. I should not be so worked up about grad school. I just need to do the best I can, and strive to be excellent within my means, but not forget about living. I should still take the time and make phone calls to friends and family. I should remember birthdays and send out cards with sweet messages. I should enjoy a good ice cream every now and then to treat myself. I should tell my parents that I really appreciate all they have done for me, and that I love them. I should tell Dong how much he means to me. I should shower my bro and sis with some older sister TLC. I should take breaks from being stressed and enjoy my weekly dose of tv shows.
I should compliment people when they deserve it. Give support and encouragement when they need it. Help them whenever I can. Therefore, touch as many lives as I can as long as I am still alive.
Somehow or other, I guess it was her time. But it wasn't his.
We will never know what may or may not happen to us or the people we love, at any instant, and it's a scary thought. That story really puts things into perspective about how short/long life can be. And it's not really for us to decide.
It is because life is so crazy, and so unexpected and unpredictable, that you should take any chance you get to live it. I should not be so worked up about grad school. I just need to do the best I can, and strive to be excellent within my means, but not forget about living. I should still take the time and make phone calls to friends and family. I should remember birthdays and send out cards with sweet messages. I should enjoy a good ice cream every now and then to treat myself. I should tell my parents that I really appreciate all they have done for me, and that I love them. I should tell Dong how much he means to me. I should shower my bro and sis with some older sister TLC. I should take breaks from being stressed and enjoy my weekly dose of tv shows.
I should compliment people when they deserve it. Give support and encouragement when they need it. Help them whenever I can. Therefore, touch as many lives as I can as long as I am still alive.
What if we couldn't see?
I had a very eye-opening, eventful weekend this past weekend. It has made me really appreciate and be thankful for everything that is provided to me: My limbs, my working body, my eyesight, and all the rest of my intact senses.
I was fortunate enough to be a part of a blind person's daily experiences this past weekend, and I learned so much. Learning from a first hand account of someone who can't see, made me think about a lot how much we take our senses for granted. Walking in the mall with her and her guide-dog, was so interesting. I watched her "be in tune" with her dog leading the way, watched the way the dog maneuvered swiftly around people. I watched her giving instructions to the dog to "Follow" Dong and I or to go "Down" when she sat down waiting for us to finish our shopping. I asked her so many questions.. the nosy speech therapy person in me really wanted to be educated.
She told me about her experiences when at guide-dog school where she had to learn how to manage the dog and form a connection with them. She talked about how during the last day of the program, she and the dog walked around New York city together. She said that she always has to depend on people and hold their arms when walking but with a guide-dog she can do it all on her own, depending less on people. She said that in school, she memorizes the route that she is supposed to take to walk from class to class, or from class to home. And after a few times of walking the route, her dog remembers it too. When she gets lost, she waits for someone to pass to ask the way she should go. When I asked her how she finds an empty seat in class she said that she goes there early enough so that there are plenty of empty seats, if not she just asks. But now, her dog has actually learned to lead her to an empty seat when they walk into class. She talked about how she can feel people staring at her a times and she can hear comments people make about her and her dog. She says she's got used to it, and sometimes it's hurtful but people just don't understand. She talked about her professor and how he told her she didn't have to do the group research project because "it will be difficult for her" and then later when she insisted to try first, he said to her group members "take care of her, she has special disability" - that really infuriated her. And I understand why. 'Normal' people tend to underestimate those who are different, or who has a disability. We think we're doing them a favor by giving them special treatment, but really all they want is to be treated like everyone else. They are just as capable as anyone else, as long as they have the right support.
She also talked about how some Asian restaurants are really not receptive to guide-dogs in restaurants, but American restaurants are better. That later then led to the discussion of how in Asia, the public views people with disability differently and don't know how to deal with them. In America, it is the government's responsibility to provide for people with disabilities, to give them any assistance they need. But in Asia, you are segregated if you have a disability, and you have limited opportunity of living a regular life.
When we were shopping together, I described the color and pattern of the clothing that she thought felt comfortable. I picked out the size of jeans that she wanted. I helped swipe her credit card, and she taught me how to hold her hand loosely while she signed on the line of the credit card machine. I learned from Dong and started being more aware of our surroundings, where there were steps, or obstacles in the way. I learned so much from her that day. I learned that people who are blind do SMS, and they just want to be seen as regular people. Even though they can't see, doesn't mean they can't have ambition, or should be treated any differently.
Thank you Soo for educating me. :) I admire you, your life, and all that you strive to be.
I was fortunate enough to be a part of a blind person's daily experiences this past weekend, and I learned so much. Learning from a first hand account of someone who can't see, made me think about a lot how much we take our senses for granted. Walking in the mall with her and her guide-dog, was so interesting. I watched her "be in tune" with her dog leading the way, watched the way the dog maneuvered swiftly around people. I watched her giving instructions to the dog to "Follow" Dong and I or to go "Down" when she sat down waiting for us to finish our shopping. I asked her so many questions.. the nosy speech therapy person in me really wanted to be educated.
She told me about her experiences when at guide-dog school where she had to learn how to manage the dog and form a connection with them. She talked about how during the last day of the program, she and the dog walked around New York city together. She said that she always has to depend on people and hold their arms when walking but with a guide-dog she can do it all on her own, depending less on people. She said that in school, she memorizes the route that she is supposed to take to walk from class to class, or from class to home. And after a few times of walking the route, her dog remembers it too. When she gets lost, she waits for someone to pass to ask the way she should go. When I asked her how she finds an empty seat in class she said that she goes there early enough so that there are plenty of empty seats, if not she just asks. But now, her dog has actually learned to lead her to an empty seat when they walk into class. She talked about how she can feel people staring at her a times and she can hear comments people make about her and her dog. She says she's got used to it, and sometimes it's hurtful but people just don't understand. She talked about her professor and how he told her she didn't have to do the group research project because "it will be difficult for her" and then later when she insisted to try first, he said to her group members "take care of her, she has special disability" - that really infuriated her. And I understand why. 'Normal' people tend to underestimate those who are different, or who has a disability. We think we're doing them a favor by giving them special treatment, but really all they want is to be treated like everyone else. They are just as capable as anyone else, as long as they have the right support.
She also talked about how some Asian restaurants are really not receptive to guide-dogs in restaurants, but American restaurants are better. That later then led to the discussion of how in Asia, the public views people with disability differently and don't know how to deal with them. In America, it is the government's responsibility to provide for people with disabilities, to give them any assistance they need. But in Asia, you are segregated if you have a disability, and you have limited opportunity of living a regular life.
When we were shopping together, I described the color and pattern of the clothing that she thought felt comfortable. I picked out the size of jeans that she wanted. I helped swipe her credit card, and she taught me how to hold her hand loosely while she signed on the line of the credit card machine. I learned from Dong and started being more aware of our surroundings, where there were steps, or obstacles in the way. I learned so much from her that day. I learned that people who are blind do SMS, and they just want to be seen as regular people. Even though they can't see, doesn't mean they can't have ambition, or should be treated any differently.
Thank you Soo for educating me. :) I admire you, your life, and all that you strive to be.
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