little munchkin friends
two days ago, i FINALLY slapped on my bathing suit and went for a swim. yep, at sava. too bad it was indoors. it was nothing compared to my SoCal pool days, but nevertheless, i was happy to play fish in the sea again. midway through my first lap, i was stopped by two little munchkins. "can we swim with you?" she asked. i looked up, pulled back my googles, and saw her sparkle with her chubby cheeks. she was a darling. her name was cynthia, 10, with her sister aileen, 8.5. i told them that i intended to do several laps, and that i'd stay behind while they led. well, although they "rested" several times and waited for me to return at the edge of the pool, i still enjoyed their company. they were bold and daring...cmon, they were talking to a stranger in a swimming pool! and no, i would not say that they reminded me one bit of myself when i was that age. in fact, i was timid and soft-spoken, barely worked up the courage to make eye contact to my secret-crush at that age. i can't imagine what they will be like come 5 years from now. even with their perfect english, they could speak cantonese! wow. moments like these bring a great smile to my face when thinking about the many cultures that enrich this awesome city. no matter how diverse, how creative you can be, there are still bits and pieces of the "born identity" in each and everyone of us.
thoughts about my departing friends
i'm excited for them, but there is a part of me that wants them to stay and hopes to hold on to our past and present memories without thinking of goodbyes. that's just me being selfish, i know. thinking about them makes me think of all the transitions we are all going through. i remember going to lumps for the first time. i walked in, on-time of course, and found him sitting there eating his cheap-chinese food dinner. it had been several months since the last time i saw him in irvine, so it was definitely heartwarming to see a familiar face again. i ended up joining his small group, only to find myself questioning scripture fiercefully. i never really got a chance to get to know him until i came up here. no matter how busy or how preoccupied i am on thursday nights at lumps, i always find myself walking up to him and talking. there is just some sort of gravitation when it comes to catching up with old time friends. he taught me how to improvise; he gave me the space i needed; he cared for me when i was stupid enough to rehash some bad memories---and when i say bad, i mean..."bonnie-what-the-heck-are-you-doing-to-yourself-bad." his humble heart has been the perfect role model for me. the sincerity of his smile is what i'll bring with me to new haven.
then there's another brother....who i think was the first to make me think and RETHINK about the things i was pulling out of my butt. maybe it started with a little bit of questioning, but then, from one thing to another, he always knocked them down with a very logical rational response. that's him; i can never argue. i must say that i have the fondest respect for him---almost like a daddy preaching to his little girl. his brilliant mind and his self-confidence teach me how to hold myself with esteem, yet being humble at the same time. he was the first to greet me at church when i came back in january...he was left behind (like me) on the slopes...he didn't allow dSh to knock me down unpunished...he taught me his strategies of chinese chess...he checked up on me when i needed a sense of direction. what i cherish most is his thoughts of prayers and advice. he instilled enough faith in me to test what it means to put christian and lawyer in the same sentence. i'm actually somewhat worried that i will not find another counselor like him, another friend who seems to think and understand at the same wavelength...okay, so maybe he's beyond me. the truth is, his dorky leading role is commanding, yet endearing at the same time. how did i get so lucky to have landed in the BEST small group at lumps? =) coincidence? my only response is that He KNEW exactly what i was searching for when i first came to lumps...He knew i had questions, He knew i had doubts, He knew i was like a stubborn mule who resisted change. He knew, and with His impeccable timing, He provided.
with my limited knowledge about the Lord at that time, i remembered being shot down by a philosophical comment she made in response to a "devil's-advocate-comment" i made. to be honest, her response left me speechless, left me thinking as if i was truly ignorant of many things my fellow brothers and sisters knew. i felt far behind from the others. but at the end of that sg discussion, she came up to me and asked if i was offended. of course not! i remember going to D3's pad for the first time and seeing her and meeting gw. i found myself opening up to her in the car on our way to bucca; she was the first sister who i openly offered my personal history to. maybe because it was her frankness and outspoken character that always amazed me. her sly and witty responses were more than entertaining...her sarcasm, her mischief, her smirk. i admired her fearless attitude---whether it be trekking abroad or working in a lab environment like myself. her confidence and strength showed me what it meant to be a sister in Christ and a woman in faith. i remember sharing with her my thoughts on "praying" and because we shared a similar attitude, it made me feel so comfortable in praying with her. her dedication to her service (and CT) in Him left me feeling that i too can be an individual without depending on any earthly friend. how funny that i interacted with her most during a period when i considered going to the land of smiles. she has so much to offer...so much for me to learn from. maybe our paths will overlap abroad? =) oh how i pray that that may be a possibility...
her wit reminds me of him. haha. i laugh every time i think about it. i think i learned more about his personal history even BEFORE i met him. he did this, he did that. but that didn't bias my first impression of him, because my first impression was created from my witness of his snow angel. why the clamor? i looked out from my cabin window and...um...yeah. i never had the chance to carry on a conversation until i sat in that car on the way back, trying to instigate a little bit of an argument, maybe? working in academia...working in industry. his perception of me has always been keen, accurate, and mocking. he taught me what an open door meant. he responded to my fear of change responsibly and maturely. his skills (or lack thereof, just kidding) in worship made me feel more comfortable with my very own shortcomings. haha! what's up with the smirk? boba so late as well? why are you always trying to find a reason bonnie? don't think so much! waiting for experiments to run, time ticking...oh so slowly...keeping me accountable? no snotty attitude when i return? i cannot imagine what my last month in SF would have been if we were to become apt-mates...probably lose brain cells yet sharpen our tongues for exercising our skills of wit everyday. boy am i going to miss our pow-wows of philosophical ponderings...
two days ago, i FINALLY slapped on my bathing suit and went for a swim. yep, at sava. too bad it was indoors. it was nothing compared to my SoCal pool days, but nevertheless, i was happy to play fish in the sea again. midway through my first lap, i was stopped by two little munchkins. "can we swim with you?" she asked. i looked up, pulled back my googles, and saw her sparkle with her chubby cheeks. she was a darling. her name was cynthia, 10, with her sister aileen, 8.5. i told them that i intended to do several laps, and that i'd stay behind while they led. well, although they "rested" several times and waited for me to return at the edge of the pool, i still enjoyed their company. they were bold and daring...cmon, they were talking to a stranger in a swimming pool! and no, i would not say that they reminded me one bit of myself when i was that age. in fact, i was timid and soft-spoken, barely worked up the courage to make eye contact to my secret-crush at that age. i can't imagine what they will be like come 5 years from now. even with their perfect english, they could speak cantonese! wow. moments like these bring a great smile to my face when thinking about the many cultures that enrich this awesome city. no matter how diverse, how creative you can be, there are still bits and pieces of the "born identity" in each and everyone of us.
thoughts about my departing friends
i'm excited for them, but there is a part of me that wants them to stay and hopes to hold on to our past and present memories without thinking of goodbyes. that's just me being selfish, i know. thinking about them makes me think of all the transitions we are all going through. i remember going to lumps for the first time. i walked in, on-time of course, and found him sitting there eating his cheap-chinese food dinner. it had been several months since the last time i saw him in irvine, so it was definitely heartwarming to see a familiar face again. i ended up joining his small group, only to find myself questioning scripture fiercefully. i never really got a chance to get to know him until i came up here. no matter how busy or how preoccupied i am on thursday nights at lumps, i always find myself walking up to him and talking. there is just some sort of gravitation when it comes to catching up with old time friends. he taught me how to improvise; he gave me the space i needed; he cared for me when i was stupid enough to rehash some bad memories---and when i say bad, i mean..."bonnie-what-the-heck-are-you-doing-to-yourself-bad." his humble heart has been the perfect role model for me. the sincerity of his smile is what i'll bring with me to new haven.
then there's another brother....who i think was the first to make me think and RETHINK about the things i was pulling out of my butt. maybe it started with a little bit of questioning, but then, from one thing to another, he always knocked them down with a very logical rational response. that's him; i can never argue. i must say that i have the fondest respect for him---almost like a daddy preaching to his little girl. his brilliant mind and his self-confidence teach me how to hold myself with esteem, yet being humble at the same time. he was the first to greet me at church when i came back in january...he was left behind (like me) on the slopes...he didn't allow dSh to knock me down unpunished...he taught me his strategies of chinese chess...he checked up on me when i needed a sense of direction. what i cherish most is his thoughts of prayers and advice. he instilled enough faith in me to test what it means to put christian and lawyer in the same sentence. i'm actually somewhat worried that i will not find another counselor like him, another friend who seems to think and understand at the same wavelength...okay, so maybe he's beyond me. the truth is, his dorky leading role is commanding, yet endearing at the same time. how did i get so lucky to have landed in the BEST small group at lumps? =) coincidence? my only response is that He KNEW exactly what i was searching for when i first came to lumps...He knew i had questions, He knew i had doubts, He knew i was like a stubborn mule who resisted change. He knew, and with His impeccable timing, He provided.
with my limited knowledge about the Lord at that time, i remembered being shot down by a philosophical comment she made in response to a "devil's-advocate-comment" i made. to be honest, her response left me speechless, left me thinking as if i was truly ignorant of many things my fellow brothers and sisters knew. i felt far behind from the others. but at the end of that sg discussion, she came up to me and asked if i was offended. of course not! i remember going to D3's pad for the first time and seeing her and meeting gw. i found myself opening up to her in the car on our way to bucca; she was the first sister who i openly offered my personal history to. maybe because it was her frankness and outspoken character that always amazed me. her sly and witty responses were more than entertaining...her sarcasm, her mischief, her smirk. i admired her fearless attitude---whether it be trekking abroad or working in a lab environment like myself. her confidence and strength showed me what it meant to be a sister in Christ and a woman in faith. i remember sharing with her my thoughts on "praying" and because we shared a similar attitude, it made me feel so comfortable in praying with her. her dedication to her service (and CT) in Him left me feeling that i too can be an individual without depending on any earthly friend. how funny that i interacted with her most during a period when i considered going to the land of smiles. she has so much to offer...so much for me to learn from. maybe our paths will overlap abroad? =) oh how i pray that that may be a possibility...
her wit reminds me of him. haha. i laugh every time i think about it. i think i learned more about his personal history even BEFORE i met him. he did this, he did that. but that didn't bias my first impression of him, because my first impression was created from my witness of his snow angel. why the clamor? i looked out from my cabin window and...um...yeah. i never had the chance to carry on a conversation until i sat in that car on the way back, trying to instigate a little bit of an argument, maybe? working in academia...working in industry. his perception of me has always been keen, accurate, and mocking. he taught me what an open door meant. he responded to my fear of change responsibly and maturely. his skills (or lack thereof, just kidding) in worship made me feel more comfortable with my very own shortcomings. haha! what's up with the smirk? boba so late as well? why are you always trying to find a reason bonnie? don't think so much! waiting for experiments to run, time ticking...oh so slowly...keeping me accountable? no snotty attitude when i return? i cannot imagine what my last month in SF would have been if we were to become apt-mates...probably lose brain cells yet sharpen our tongues for exercising our skills of wit everyday. boy am i going to miss our pow-wows of philosophical ponderings...
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