Htam::Diary

This Sunday, I went to pick Hannah and Sam up for church again.  It's been a few weeks since I've done this, since they were home.  But now school is starting again.  They were both late, and we barely made it to church before the start of the meeting.  Good thing I usually shoot for half an hour early.  Today Ernest purposefully translated the first prayer before handing the mic to me.  It took me a while, until I finally realized that he was late last week and I translated the first prayer as well, and he wanted to pay me back.  Hahaha.  Then I played guitar with Kevin for singing, and then taught II Corinthians 11 for the High School Group.  It went better than I could hope for, as usual.  Praise Him.  Then I went to take care of the offering, followed by a HSG planning meeting, which we were trying to cram in before the baptimal meeting.  Wow, so busy today, been serving non-stop.  Today Tianai, her mother, and Mari got baptized.  It was nice to hear their testimony, and share this joyful day with them.  We took many pictures with them afterwards.

[Photo: Mari and I after her baptism.  We might not look like it, but we are all rejoicing in the Lord.]

[Non Sequitur: Spaces of banana control]

This Saturday, I went to Bible study as usual, where we had a review of the book of James.  It was rather cold, and we had the heat on (though people seemed to still be getting cold) and it became uncomfortably stuffy towards the end and I had to step out (which I hadn't had to do for several weeks now).  I stayed around, however, and am glad to have done so as we got homegrown chicken eggs from Johnson, had a cake for Jonah, and went to dim sum at Top Island.  Then I went straight to tutor, which I hadn't done for a couple of months now.  I did three hours of physics, and was really hungry and tired after, but at least my ticket to New York is paid for now.  Time to tutor more so I can fly back and not be stuck there.  In the evening, I continued my preparation for HSG teaching tomorrow.

[Photo: Snapshot of our silly Google Hangout from yesterday.]

[Non Sequitur: English pronunciation]

This Friday, I did math in the morning, as usual.  I also ran an errand buying some groceries.  In the afternoon, I cleaned my room (organized old boxes) while talking to Caleb on the phone.  After we hung up, I vacuumed my room.  Then Steph called  so I talked for a while.  Then  I cooked dinner and waited for Sunny to come over.  She brought some vegetables and made a salad.  We shared and ate the food while talking and catching up.  This is just like the old times when we were neighbours and used to casually eat dinner together.  Also, earlier while she was tossing the salad, I played some guitar and we sang some songs.  We did some more of that after dinner, harmonized some hymns, then I drove her home.  After coming back, I joined the Google hangout of Caleb, Brandon, and Debbie on one computer and Tim and Po-Ling on another.  We were kind of crazy.

[Photo: Sunny playing guitar to my sister.]

[Non Sequitur: Tectonic bookcase]

This Thursday, I did a lot of reading in the morning.  I finally finished reading a fairly dry paper that had no direct bearing on my research, yet we thought would bring some insight into my problem.  Indeed, I gained some inspiration from it.  I also read some Bible, Jane Austen, and some articles online.  In the afternoon, Steve and Tammy came over, and I drove them to the Fowler Museum on campus.  It had some interesting pieces, but also many I couldn't truly appreciate.  As usual, I spent a few hours talking to Caleb today.  We were not talking about anything in particular—we simply chat about everything.

[Non Sequitur: Probability of failing statistics class]

This Wednesday, I went to Pasadena to get my car maintenance at the dealership.  Just like last time, June and Tabby came to meet me, and we went to lunch at Ichima, which I had gone to once with Jennifer.  After lunch, we went to Ralphs next door.  While June held Tabby and shopped, I dutifully pushed the cart behind them.  At one point she needed both hands, so I held Tabby for a while.  It was a fun time: taking pictures with my (other) "sister" and talking and catching-up with my "mother."  Before and after meeting with them as I was waiting at Toyota Pasadena, I did some reading in math, literature, and Bible.  After I was done, I went to 99 Ranch Market (closer than from church) for some items and then talked to dad on the way home, as usual.

[Photo: Picture with Tabby after lunch at Ichima.]

[Non Sequitur: Photo overlayed to produce average faces from various countries]

This Tuesday, I woke up to my alarm at 8:00!  Wow.  Last time with alarm was because of Igor's party and last time this late was when I was adjusting for jet-lag.  I did math in the morning, as usual.  Then I went to the gym since the campus reopened today.  Partly as I had not had the opportunity during Winter closure, partly because I pushed myself way too hard today, I actually had to abort in the middle.  I got down from the treadmill and I was seeing stars.  After resting for a while, though, it felt great, haha.

In the evening, I went to prayer meeting, and gave Jonah a Star Trek Enterprise pizza cutter wrapped in nerdy equations paper.  I am quite proud of myself.  Tina was like "How do you know what that is?"  And I thought to myself "Lady, this is the NCC-1701, who doesn't know what that is?"

As I mentioned yesterday, I tried not having the AC on.  Well, I kept it off for an entire day now!!  I am very proud and thankful.

[Non Sequitur: QR code sculpture]

This Monday, I did some math in the morning as usual.  Then I cooked lunch, ate, and talked to Caleb for 1.5 hours as he was driving.  In the afternoon, as usual, I did some chores, did some reading, and then watched some TV.  I think my health is getting a lot better for some unknown reason.  In the past, the moment the AC is turned off, I start feeling uncomfortable.  Today, I had the AC off the entire evening and I feel okay.  Praise the Lord.

[Non Sequitur: Code cards]

This Sunday, I picked Anne up for church just like yesterday.  Afterwards, I stayed behind to lock up as usual, and Eddie waited with Anne.  Then we decided to go to Tea Station.  Since I didn't really want anything, I took this chance to get a haircut.  Then I came back and we chatted for several hours.  The first thing they said to me was to confirm that I did get a haircut.  Apparently I am one of those people who cut very little to maintain a similar look.  Then we talked about movies, singers, books, and even the Bible.  It's somewhat ironic that I stayed out the longest when very few people were here.  In the evening, I read some Pride and Prejudice, this interesting Chapter X excerpt I post:

"Your humility, Mr. Bingley," said Elizabeth, "must disarm reproof."

"Nothing is more deceitful," said Darcy, "than the appearance of humility.  It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast."

[Non Sequitur: Google easter eggs]

This Saturday, I went to pick up Anne for Bible study since the Ohio people are gone.  Today we finished the last chapter of James.  Afterwards, we went to Yazmin, which we went to at the beginning of this school year.  It's nice to be eating with them more frequently now.  Hopefully in the near future I can start saying "and went to lunch, as usual."

In the afternoon, I took Anne to the H&M in Old Pas so she could return something, and then took her home.  In the evening, I re-watched The Godfather, which I watched almost 7 years ago.  Apparently my memory is amazing, as I remembered almost all the important plot points.  I probably could have just watched Part II directly without this review (which was for the purpose of preparing to watch the said sequel).

[Non Sequitur: Art school advertisement]

This Friday, I spent some time in the morning working on math, as usual.  Then I found a fairly good deal for flying back from New York, so I bought it.  Yay, I am officially coming back from New York, haha.  I still need to buy the ticket to go there, though, but that one I have a lot more flexibility, so I'll wait a bit.  Caleb helped me a lot the last few days making these choices.

In the evening, I built my Trebuchette.  I have a Collector's Edition one (#23) since I backed their project at the highest level.  I also get two regular ones.  I sold one to Steve, and am still trying to get the other one off my hands.

[Non Sequitur: Strange vintage pictures of children with mothers hidden]

This Thursday, I went to Arcadia to visit Wing Ning Yung Taketa and Cameron Taketa at the Yung residence.  Wei Huang and her sister came, and also Scott Hsieh. This is a slightly bigger crowd than last year.  We talked for a while, and then went to lunch at Chang's Garden.  After we came back, we played the board game Seven Wonders, just like last time the Taketas were back.  Then we had the soy cheesecake I made, and talked for quite a bit longer.  The Yungs had a family dinner, so we left.  I had a simple dinner with Scott at the food court next to 99 Ranch—we shared a plate for $4 total!  We continued talking for a few more hours (really) and finally called it quits when 99 was about to close, and I wanted to buy some groceries.  I had a little trouble getting back since many consecutive freeway entrances were closed for some reason.  I eventually found a way on and came home successflly.  I watched a bit of TV, as usual, before calling it a night.

[Non Sequitur: Portal Christmas tree]

This Wednesday, Caleb returns to the States!  So exciting.  I talked to him for quite some time as he was travelling back from the airport.  Then Jonah came over and we went to have lunch at Hurry Curry.  I actually finished the food!  Apparently I indeed eat much more for lunch than dinner, when I usually go there.  Afterwards, we talked for a while at my place and sang some hymns, possibly for the last time, since he is moving away soon.  Today I finally finished reading the paper I was asked to referee.  I'll probably type up the comments tomorrow.  In the evening, I spent some time working on the chordbook as usual, but decided to read some Jane Austen instead of watching TV for too long.

[Non Sequitur: Pin Pres furniture]

This Tuesday, I did math, cleaned my room, and organized stuff, as usual.  I also spent a lot of time talking to Caleb about logistics for a visit.  He is returning to the States tomorrow!!  Yay, can't wait.

I had to buy some groceries.  I usually try not to drive to Whole Foods.  When I can, I jog there instead.  However, since my hips are still hurting, I simply walked there.  On the way, I remembered something funny that happened once I was walking on this path with Steph, she said she didn't mind walking on the hills, so I took her in a very roundabout route.  She later realised this, and said she meant that we could walk through hills if it would be more optimal to do so.  Apparently she did not make it clear, and she suffered the consequences.

[Non Sequitur: Advanced Acrobatic Robot can do backflips and other moves]

This Monday, I did math in the morning, as usual.  I also spend some time with some reunion stuff for my middle school class.  For the first time in a few days, I finally cooked lunch!  I tried making a new dish and it turned out quite well.  In the afternoon, I did some organizing of files and also scrubbed the bathtub.  It seams to be the norm now.  Finally at night, I'm typing the diary entry in Colemak again.  I would like to keep this going if possible.

[Non Sequitur: 3.14 car odometer readings]

This Sunday, I woke up just a few minutes before my alarm (set at 7:30).  Interesting, I've been staying up a bit later and consequently sleeping in a bit as well.  I got ready and went to church, as usual.  Today, I had the chance to talk to Chris for a while, and since I don't get to do this often, I took the opportunity.  'twas definitely good to catch-up and fellowship on certain important topics.  After church, I came home and worked on the chordbook for a while, merging in all the edits we've made today.  I've been emailing Chris certain songs that seems problematic, and he would reply with chord corrections via email.  However, it is still much more effective to do this when he is back.  This is not because the communications are easier, but rather because then I can "baby-sit" him to do the work and not get distracted.  Anyway, typing in Colemak at this point is still painful, so I'll stop here.

[Non Sequitur: Inception chair]

This Saturday, I went to Bible study as usual.  Steven was not here, so I tuned and played guitar for the first song.  Then the next song I didn't know how to play, fortunately, Dave was here and volunteered to play with me.  Well, I basically just let him play, I'm definitely not good enough to do anything (unless there is no one else who could play, then it's better than nothing).  After Bible study, we went and had lunch at Pho 79.  I haven't had lunch with these people since six weeks ago, and probably hadn't gone to this restaurant for at least about half a year?  It's good to be back again.  Afterwards, I went and bought groceries as usual, and then came home.  I did some reading, "watched" a (very boring) movie while doing chores around the apartment, and did more reading.

[Non Sequitur: Giant fractal pecan pie]

This Friday, I worked on math as usual for some time.  And then I went on to cleaning and organising again.  I should become a secretary or something, since I get a huge kick out of rearranging, labelling, and organising files.  I also went out for a jog, an old lady smiled at me and say "good, good."  So I said "hi" and kept on running.  That was pretty much the extent of my human contact of the day, besides having a few email exchanges and a phone call with a sales representative.

I finished watching the first season of Farscape.  No wonder I am watching it now, according to Wikipedia, it is the shortest-running space opera tv series that I haven't seen.  Indeed, I was introduced to Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate, Andromeda, Babylon 5, and Battlestar Galactica, in that order—precisely in descending length of running time.  Does this mean after I finish Farscape, I should consider watching the films Starchaser: The Legend of Orin and Titan A.E.?  Speaking of which, I once saw this comparison chart of women in science fiction verses "prime time" (not even sure what that means).  I can name all but one of the characters from scifi, but can only name one from the other section.  Of course, the one I could not name was from Farscape.  Now I can name them all!

[Non Sequitur: Address Is Approximate]

This Thursday, I jogged to Whole Foods in the morning and walked back with some groceries.  I figured if I am not walking to school, at least I should go out for a walk.  I did some work as usual, and also continued cleaning my apartment.  Today I cleaned my toilet!  I ordered some cleaning supplies from soap.com and they arrived yesterday.  So exciting.  My toilet looks pretty clean now, it's amazing.  I also organized my closet and tossed some old stuff I don't need any more.  I also continued working on my computers, chordbook, just like the previous few days.  I pulled out a few items from the todo list last night to be done today, and I ended up doing all of them!  Yay!  One of my last tasks of the day will be to choose a few todo items for tomorrow.  I'm trying to be realistic but also aggressive at the same time.  It's a fine balance.

[Non Sequitur: Paperclip bike rack]

This Wednesday, I went to school to take care of some items.  Tomorrow the campus closes, so today is the last chance to get a few things done.  Besides running these errands, I also spent some time actually doing math at school.  Normally I have trouble focusing at school, because there are too many people around.  On the other hand, I can focus quite well at home.  However, today it was reversed.  I've been having a bit of a lack of motivation at home, whereas at school there were almost no one there, so it was quiet to work.  In the evening, I talked to Caleb, as usual, worked on the chordbook, and relaxed.

[Non Sequitur: Sketchbook of Susan Kare, the artist who gave computing a human face]

This Tuesday, I did math in the morning, as usual.  I also did some work around the house, on my computers, and such.  I took care of some todo items such as ordering cleaning supplies (with a $10-off coupon I had), setting up computer backups, and organising my todo list (yeah, I know, kind of meta).  I also practised typing, speaking of which, I'm typing in Colemak right now, albeit very slowly.

[Non Sequitur: Fraley's robot repair]