Hey Poehler,
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf
So Eden sank to grief;
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
- Robert Frost
And thanks to St. Elmo's Fire & a season working at Parmenter's, I also appreciate a young Rob Lowe.
also known as The Result of Fasting.
I was determined to shut the door on the melancholia that marked twentyelelven; the leeches of discontentment, unhappiness, and uncertainty were draining the life from me and I dreaded Hong Kong for everything it was and the fact that I was here for another year and a half. So come the first Sunday in January, I felt convicted to participate in 21 days of fasting - to change the way my life was inevitably heading caused by my woeful attitude, to learn how to pray again, and to joyfully grow closer to God.
This past Sunday was the happiest I've ever been, not only because I was able to eat solid foods again after only consuming liquids for three weeks, but because I finished faithfully, despite the many temptations along the way, and almost giving in two days before the end.
Cora reminded me midway through it that her God is also my God: a God of the small things, a God who listens, and a God who gives us the desires of our hearts. Through her testimony, she encouraged me in my fast, reiterating the truths from that day's sermon on Daniel 10 - that fasting and prayer opens up our spiritual lives, sets us in God's presence, brings God's encouragement, and brings God's answers. For Daniel, it was on the 24th day, three days after his fast that he received a vision from God - one that only he could see and one that reassured him that his words were heard since the first day.
It was at that moment when my impatience and lack of discipline were made very apparent to me. There's a selfishness that came with fasting - I wanted to have a dialogue with God but I expected Him to respond right away, and if He didn't, I wanted to stop talking. Fast foward to the last week of January, God has already begun to show his power through answered prayers and a transformed heart; perservering through it has placed a brand new perspective on the rest of my year.
Note: Never again will I do a 21 day fast that ends on Chinese New Year because it leads to three full days of binge eating. I don't think my stomach shrunk at all.
Photoshop is very commenly used from fashion companies such as Prada, Gucci, Lancome, Empiro Armani, Tonio Lamborghini, Chanel, and Burberry, Followed with much more Female brands. Famous Television Stars are told to advertise these brands. Such as Emma Watson, Nicole Kidman, and George Clooney. Followed by Much more.
Why does my eight and a half year old student know about Emporio Armani but does not know:
- when to use much and when to use many
- when to capitalize letters (television stars? female? REALLY?!)
- a fragment from a complete clause
- how to spell commonly
Hong Kong international school system, if you did your job properly, I would not have parents trying to tell me how to teach their child to write. Why do parents question the effectiveness of after- school teaching programs when their main source of education should be school? And if a child knows more about name brands than the English language, then there are bigger problems to be dealt with.
Compare this with my other kid whose worst mistake is confusing George Clooney with George Lopez:
Just like if George Lopez gets a Photoshop picture and they put it on the magazines, then everyone would want to look young like how George Lopez did, and would want to buy it.
21 more weeks to try to teach these kids something they're clearly not learning in school.
It's one of the pettier things that I've worried about but what if I can't make it home this summer?
Last night, I renewed my driver's license online which crosses a "How do I do this from overseas?" concern off the list. My mother told me that I was only able to do it because I didn't have to take a picture, which needs to be done every four years. So it was a good thing that I left my wallet on a bus in Harlem three years ago, requiring me to take a new photo for my replacement.
It's the whimsical things like that which make me worry less and think that God is orchestrating even the smallest details of my life. So why do I worry about getting home this summer?
Because it seems petty. Because going home is unnecessary. Because it is my own desire. Because I'm not supposed to go home. Because because because.
And when I read in Psalms 4 and 5 - "Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer...In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my request before you and wait in expectation," I feel guilty for potentially taking the bible out of context but if God can bring peace to David, I can trust that God is listening despite the outcome.
I'm confused about how to feel. My honesty embarrasses me. n00b.
karen yiu
