lovely Tahoe

here i am...um...taking a break. yeah...it was a refreshing, premeditated little break. =P more photos here & here...

Um. I'm not really sure what to say...lots going on lately...but what to blog? my mind's a blank. Guess i should say something about this past weekend's activities.

Sunny days, blue skies, good snow & pretty lake = great weekend!
Just came back from the annual Canaan Tahoe trip. The snow was surprisingly good (at least not icy) and it was great to zoom down the mountain on Friday at kirkwood when hardly anyone was there. Went to heavenly on saturday....lots more crowded, but still pretty fun. And really, you can't beat those views of the lake. I've sent so many emails about and for the trip, that I really have nothing else to say about it! haha But I guess I'll mention a few things that stick out in my mind.

- Clement (17) said to me, "You've been awake longer than I've been alive." So I did the calculations....and it's TRUE!! That makes me feel SO old. But i guess i haven't been ASLEEP longer than he's been alive...that makes me feel slightly better.
- Never bring oreos or cookies in your backpack while boarding/skiing unless you want crumbs. But it's a good idea to bring your own backpack when boarding/skiing (or at least, carry your own H2O & food).
- Heavenly really does have as many flat trails as i remembered (way too many!). it'd be a good idea to invest in some poles if i ever go back.
- Going in the singles line to get on the lifts is not that bad. First of all, it's a LOT faster. But it was nice to ride in a chair by myself too. It gave me time to look at the views & appreciate God's beautiful creation...it was like a moment of peace in the midst of all the activity. And sometimes chat with strangers next to me. Plus, if i fell getting off the lift, no one i knew was around to see me. =P haha
- Telephone charades is a lot more fun for the ppl at the front (or the organizer...hehe)
- Long road trips are so much fun in a caravan with walkie talkies & lots of snacks. :)
- Oh yeah. and it's a good idea to reapply sunscreen sometime during the day when it's sunny, cuz now i've got like a 5 o'clock shadow!

It was really fun and I can't remember ever laughing that much, but I'm glad it's over (and i'm not so sure i'd volunteer to help with it again either). Now maybe life will be less hectic...? But with europe trip planning and taxes looming before me, i don't think that's too likely. *sigh* And is it strange that i wanna go back up after this next snow storm and don't wanna at the same time?

back to the basics

So...i'm sick. It started Sunday, but it's not a really really bad sick (ie. bronchitis, fever, throw up, etc)...just coughing-sneezing-running nose-tired sick. so i pretty much took the day off today and have been sleeping off and on all day. So refreshing! I cancelled all my usual weekly engagements (mainly working out & small group) and have just holed up all week long (except for an ill-advised attempt to work at the office yesterday which has set me back and kept me home again). Ahhhhh! how i miss sleep. Sleep is good. And so often taken for granted and only given as much time as is left after a busy day. Maybe I need to start making it a priority and requiring 8 hr/night.

Unfortunately, since i'm sick, my parents have been forcing me to drink all kinds of weird concoctions, which they call Chinese herbal remedies (6 different kinds so far!). I don't know how my sister and brother can get out of it simply by refusing. That just never seems to work for me! I say I don't want it and a) they get mad...so i cave or b) they get upset...so i cave. Either way, I cave!!!! =P Thankfully, if it's truly nasty, then I can really refuse and they'll let me off the hook. So far, this bout hasn't required me drinking anything actually sickening. Altho, one of them has started to nauseate me. *bleh*

My favorite remedy for a sore throat/cough? 甘草 [pronounced Gan1 Cao3] (*gasp* yes! it's a chinese herb!) But it's really soothing and it always does the trick.

And now i believe it's time for another nap!

video gem

sick at home catching up on blogs and found this highly entertaining video on guavadoll's post. if you've got 15 mins, it's well worth it. :)

happy valentine's day!

Check out this great post that illustrates what love is. (based on 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

communication disconnects

I was amazed to discover today how hard it can be to communicate. As I sat in the meeting that dragged 1/2 hr over schedule and barely addressed half of the topics on the agenda...I watched in bemusement as 5 other attendees (all men) argued passionately over what initialization needs to occur first, blah blah blah. lots of shouting...In the end, it was finally determined that they were all in violent agreement (at least on the basic idea). =P And I felt like we'd finally gotten to the same point of agreement that most of us had had before we walked in!! I have a feeling we're gonna be having many more fun meetings like this too. *sigh*

Anyhow, it got me thinking of 2 things:
1) Is there anything I'm that passionate about? but that's not a new question. just one that i don't have a satisfactory answer for yet.

2) Coming from different backgrounds and experiences Really hinders communication. Even if you're talking about the same thing, you can be talking about completely different aspects of it in a different context! So how do you get to the point where you're all on the same page?

thank goodness for Stevens Creek!

Whenever I'm driving home on 85S, I tend to blank out. I'm watching where I'm going of course! But my brain's not fully connected to my eyes and it's wandered off a bit on its own...until i pass the Stevens Creek overpass and all of a sudden, I don't know why, but i'm jolted back to reality and experience a moment of panic as i wonder if i just missed my exit! But nope...that was just Stevens Creek...De Anza is the next one. Whew! So yes, i gotta say it. thank goodness for Stevens Creek! =P