Who are you?

I was at a women's conference few days ago hosted by an organization called Living Water. It was quite an awesome and powerful conference, I've learned and experienced a lot. I want to take this opportunity to share with you some of the things I learned.

One of the speakers shared with us about her experience in various relationships. She said she had one relationship after another because she was afraid of being lonely and she didn't have a sense of who she was. She was like a chameleon, she just adapted into the person her boyfriend at the time wanted her to be. That was the only way she could define herself, through relationships with her boyfriends. It never occurred to her that she was doing this until she went for a beauty pageant tryout, the judges asked her what her interests were. She stood there in silence gasping for air because she didn't know. Her interest has always been defined by the interests of her boyfriends, and during that time she didn't have a boyfriend, so she didn't have any answers for the judges. That was the wake up call for the speaker.

The reason I wanted to share this is because I think everyone in a relationship is capable of making this mistake. In fact, I think we've all done this. Maybe not to the same extend as the speaker, but we've all lost a part of ourselves by bending in a certain way for the person we care about. Sometimes in relationships we can lose a sense of who we are and what we are about. I myself  have been guilty of this. I've cared about someone so much that I've completely lost track of who I was and how I defined myself. No one forced me to make these changes, but I myself choose to make those changes subconsciously. It's only in retrospective that I realized I've done this. Then I reflect back on the relationship and I simply can't believe some of things I've said or done, especially some of the decisions I've made.

Now on the other hand, is it so bad to change ourselves for the person we care about? I don't think it's a bad thing at all. There is nothing wrong with trying to pick up the same interest or trying to change our bad habits for the person we care about. Change can be a positive thing. What I do think is important is that the changes occur on both sides of the relationship, not just one side. What I see too often is a lopsided relationship where one person is changing him or herself completely and the other side is not changing at all. It's like two pieces of a puzzle, instead of both parties changing to fit with each other, one side is changing himself or herself too much for the sake of the other. Then when the relationship end, the party that changed too much can lose a sense of who they are because they had let their relationship define everything that they are. So when the relationship ends, they feel simply feel lost.

That's why I think the time when we are single is a really important time. In our society, it's tough being single. Especially when we reach a certain age, our society expects us to be in a relationship. But during our single time, it's a great time for self discovery. It's the time we can take off our mask and be the person that we are. It's a time to question, what are my passions? What are my dreams? What are my strengths and what are my weaknesses? What pushes my buttons? It's a great time to reflect on who we are and what makes us, well, us.

Now, here is the amazing thing. Our God always sees who we are. He doesn't just see the mask we put on or who we pretend to be, He looks pass all that and He sees us for who we truly are. Even when we are lost and we don't even know what we are about, God knows exactly who we are. In Genesis 16 is the story between Abram, Sarai, and Hagar. Abram's wife Sarai couldn't conceive, so she gave her slave Hagar to Abram. Abram slept with Hagar and Hagar became pregnant. After conceiving, Hagar started to despise Sarai. So Sarai became mad and started to mistreat Hagar, then Hagar fled from Sarai in fear. God spoke to Hagar as she escaped from Sarai and God comforted her. (Genesis 16: 3-12) Hagar then named God El-Roi, the God who sees me.

"She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.'" Genesis 16:13

God saw Hagar in her time of need. God also saw Hagar for who she was. In the entire chapter of Genesis 16, neither Abram nor Sarai addressed Hagar by her name. But when Hagar was on the run, God called her by her name. God knew Hagar's name and He comforted her. He didn't just see her righteousness or her wrongdoings, He saw her for who she was. Hagar knew she wasn't invisible to God, God saw her for everything that she was, hence, she named God El-Roi. This is the same for us, we are not just one of countless faces in the crowd, God sees each one of us for who we are. So for those of us who has lost a part of who we are when we were in a relationship, and we are working on redefining ourselves, God knows exactly who we are and He loves us for everything that we are. Remember, the God who sees Hagar is the same God who sees each one of us.

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep." John 10:14-15

Pearl House Restaurant

Address: 7152 Sperling Avenue, Burnaby
 
ET and GL are getting married in September and I have the honor of being one of their bride maids. Since ET and I haven't seen each other in a while, we wanted to meet up for lunch prior to the bride maid dress fitting appointment. One of the other bride maid JL also came along Since we were all around the Burnaby area, I wanted to take them for some bubble tea at Pearl House Restaurant.

Pearl House Restaurant is probably one of my favorite Taiwanese bubble tea joint in Burnaby. I've always enjoyed their food and atmosphere. And for a Chinese restaurant, the service is not that bad. My only compliant is that there is very limiting parking. The restaurant wasn't that busy, but we still had to drive round and round for parking.

Now onto the food. I had the seafood stir fry noodle. It was delicious. There was a good mix of different seafood and veggies, I really enjoyed this. The only thing is that I found this to be a bit too salty.

JL had the wonton soup. She wanted something that reminds her of her childhood. So wonton soup it is. She said it was really good.

ET had the wonton soup and deep fried pork combo. I tried a piece of the pork, it was average. But ET liked it quite a bit.

Of course, I've never walked into a Taiwanese restaurant without getting a bubble tea, today was no exception. I got a regular bubble tea with pearls to go. I've always been a big fan of the bubble tea at this restaurant, and this drink did not disappoint.

Overall, I had an awesome lunch with my friends. On a personal note, congrats on your engagement ET. You are such a beautiful person inside and out. I loved your dress, you are going to be such a beautiful bride!

Gohan Sushi

Address: 1815 Rosser Ave., Burnaby

JS and I met up for dinner the other day to have some girl time together. We wanted to stay around the Burnaby area. I've heard of this new restaurant that opened near my place, the reviews for it were fantastic, so I suggested we go there to try it. 

Gohan Sushi is this small Japanese restaurant that opened near Brentwood mall. The owners are not Japanese, they are actually Taiwanese I think. I was a little taken back when I heard them speaking in Mandarin, I mean, a Japanese restaurant owned by Chinese people? I couldn't help but doubt the authenticity of the food. But I figured, since we were already there, we might as well give it a shot. 

For a small restaurant, the menu was pretty comprehensive. They had the typical Japanese appetizers and rolls, but they also had some original items. We decided to order a few items to share because we wanted to try as much stuff as we can. I did my research prior to coming, so I already had in mind which items to order. We started with their popular garlic chicken karaage. It was okay. I guess I expected more garlic taste judging from the name of the dish.

Then we tried one of their highly recommended original item, rice cake sticks. What are rice cake sticks? They are really just rice and vegetable covered with spring roll and deep fried. The sticks are served with three types of sauces. This was pretty good, but the idea seems really simple doesn't it?

Finally, we wanted to filled up with some of their original rolls. The website describes Vancouver roll as "Salmon, Cream Cheese, Avocado, Tempura Butter, Lightly Fried". It was pretty delicious, although I couldn't quite figure out what the dark sauce is. 

The next original roll we picked was the Gohan roll. Hey, if it's named after the restaurant, it must be good right? This was "Avocado, Masago, Imitation Crab, Cucumber, Tempura Butter". I had no idea what tempura butter is, but it just sounded so intriguing. Anyways, the roll was decent, but it was definitely too big to fit into the mouth in one go.  

Overall, I quite enjoyed my dinner at Gohan Sushi. The food was pretty delicious and they had quite a bit of specialty items. Plus, the restaurant was nice and quiet, and the service was really good. I would return again.

Soar like the eagles

I learned something really interesting about eagles recently. Did you know that eagles can detect impending storms long before it breaks? When the eagle detects it, it would actually fly to a high point and wait for the storm to come. When the storm arrives, the wind from the storm would pick up the eagle and lift it above the storm. Then the eagle would simply set its wings and soar above the storm. Isn't this an amazing image? Here is a storm that is just destroying everything on the ground, and here is an eagle just gliding above the wind unaffected by the chaos underneath. This picture reminds me of one of my favorite verses in Isaiah,

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

I think this is the picture God was illustrating with this verse. When storms of life happens, we have no ways of escaping. But we have the option of soaring above the storm just like the eagles. We have the option of not immersing ourselves in our disappointments and our miseries. When we are frustrated by our circumstances, we need to look up and refocus ourselves.

Remember the bible story of Jesus walking on water? When Peter saw this, Peter asked the Lord if he could walk on water with Him. Jesus said come and Peter begin to walk on water toward Jesus. But when Peter saw the wind, he became scared and he begin to sank. So he cried to Jesus and Jesus reached out His hands and caught him. (Matthew 14:22-33) I think this is a familiar story to most people. The moral of the story is that when we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, we are not sucked into the storms of life. But once our gazes shift toward our circumstances, that's when we begin to sink.

Now the question is, how do we soar above the storm like the eagles? I guess the simple answer is, trust in Jesus's mighty power. Remember, He has the power to lift us above the storms. If our Lord can part the red sea, raise the dead, heal the blind, He can solve our problems and give us a way to cope with our circumstances. As Paul reminded us in Philippians,

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

God is at work for you and I, we don't need to be afraid. As someone once said to me, if the situation is not good yet, it's not the end yet. Remember, the storms do not have to overcome us any more than they overcome the eagle. God has the power to lift us above them. Then we can soar with Him above the roaring thunder and the rising water. We just need to make that initial step to trust in Him. The question is, do you trust?

I'm going to end this with one of my favorite songs. I think the lyrics is a perfect fit with this blog.

Hillsong - Still

Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

Cheesecake

For my family gathering, my mom asked me to make some cheesecake. Now cream cheese is probably one of my favorite items to use in baking, but for some reason, I've never made plain good old cheesecake. Why? I think subconsciously the cardiac nurse within me stops me from making something so "cardiac unhealthy". Nonetheless, here was my chance to make something I've wanted to make for a long time and share the cholesterol with a big group of people. 

 

Anyways, I made the base from crushed graham crackers. Then I made the filling with cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla extract. Finally, I decorated the top with fresh slices of kiwi.

The cheesecake turned out pretty well, although I overbaked it slightly, so it was a little bit brown. Thus, I covered the brown-ness up with fresh kiwis :D

Happy baking!

Broken Glass Jello

I saw this recipe on Food Librarian few weeks ago and I could not stop thinking about it. I mean, who doesn't love colorful jellos? So of course when I had time over the weekend one day, I had to experience with this to bring in for work.

The recipe can be found here. The recipe called for 4 boxs of jello, I only had three at home, so I just worked with those. The flavor I used were raspberry, lime, and peach. It turned out to be a nice combination, although quite frankly, any flavors you use probably would have worked quite well. 

I first followed the recipe exactly. But that didn't turn out so well because the jello just wasn't solid enough. I had to re-cook each flavor and added 1/3 package of unflavored gelatin to it. As for the milky part, I also found it to be to soft, but unfortunately, I didn't have the option to re-melt at that point. Next time, I definitely would have put another half pack of unflavored gelatin.

Overall, the jello was quite well accepted. My coworkers described them as a ray of flavors in every bite :D I thought it looked better than it tasted. It really was a treat for the eye, not so much for the mouth. As much fun as it was to make this, it was way too much work. The process was very tedious and time consuming, I probably won't make it again.

Why oh why?

I had an opportunity to spend some time with my adorable three years old nephew few days ago. He is at the cute yet challenging age of asking why all the time. It is very adorable in the beginning, but after 2 hours of constant whys, it's beginning to sound like a broken record. I racked my brain trying to find answers to his questions, why? Because I loved the look of satisfaction on his little face when he get an answer to his question. Of course, this is often followed by another question, but that brief moment was beautiful while it lasted. :)

A lot of times we are just like three years old children to God. We too constantly pester God with our why questions. I mean, if you can ask God a question right now, what would you ask? If you are anything like me, you would have trouble answering this. Why? Because I have so many questions that I have trouble picking just one to ask. Especially when there is a catastrophe happening in the world, I can't help but ask these questions. Even in my own life, I have so many questions to ask God. I want to ask Him why He allowed different things to happen, why is there so much pain, why didn't this happen, why did that happen...

But the truth of the matter is, we will probably never get all of our questions answered until we see our Father in heaven. In our world, we are just too limited in our thinking and in our understanding. We will never be able to truly understand why things happened the way they did because we can't see the full picture. Is it wrong to ask God "whys" then? No, of course not, even Jesus asked why before He gone on the cross. Did Jesus get an answer to His question? I don't think so. But Jesus had the faith to trust in the Father. He knew that even though He doesn't truly understand why, whatever happens happens according to the Father's will. It says in Isaiah,

"Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." Isaiah 64:8

Just like the clay cannot understand the work of the potter, we too cannot understand the work of our Father. But everything the potter does to the clay allows the clay to take form and become something usable, similarly, everything the Father allows to happen to us also turn us into someone better and more useful to Him. With each molding and pressing, we are shaped more and more into the likeness of our heavenly Father. Sometimes it takes time for us to look back to understand why things happen the way they did, other times even in retrospective things still don't make sense. But what we need to know is not why things happen, but that everything happens happens for our benefit.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to proper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Right now the question we need to ask is not just "why does God allow these suffering to happen", we also need to ask ourselves, do I have enough faith to trust in His plans for me? Even when trials hit, can I stand strong and hold onto Him? One of my favorite characters in the bible is David. He is one of my favorite because no matter what he went through, he held onto God. Did he stumble? Yes, tons of times, but each time he stood back up and his faith unwavered. Did he ask whys? Tons of times, in fact, Psalms is filled with him asking whys and asking when his suffering will be over. But here is what David wrote in one of his psalms,

"The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. The Lord upholds all those who who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." Psalms 145:13b-16

Remember, God's hand is always at work. Sometimes we may not see it because it's behind the scene, but it's still there for us nonetheless. I want to end this blog with a little story.

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, un-inhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt that the worst had happened and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief and anger. He cried out, "God! Why would you do this to me?" Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal,"  they replied.

Benkei Ramen

Website: http://www.benkeiramen.com/home.html
Address: 1741 Robson St. Vancouver

A group of us nurses finally met up again for our "annual" get together. The 5 of us graduated from nursing program together few years ago. Although we've all gone our seperate ways, we still strive to meet together as often as we can. We try to meet up more often than just yearly, but with our crazy schedule, it's almost impossible. But since we met up in March this year, I think probability of us meeting up more than once this year is pretty big. :D

Anyways, we decided to eat warm ramen together since it was such a cold day. We had to pick a place in downtown since JB was staying near Sunset Beach. Benkei Ramen was chosen one since it had such great reviews.

EH and I both had Shio Ramen. The website describe it as "Boiling the pork and sapping out the rich taste, this Fukuoka-born ramen contains collagen and calcium - a source for beatiful skin and strong bones. This is a recommendation for our female ramen lovers." It was absolutely delicious. In my experience with ramen, the soup is often too salty for me. Thus, I ordered the low sodium version of it, it was probably the best ramen in Vancouver.

JS had the miso ramen. The website describe it as: The Hokkaido ramen is made with rich chicken and pork soup. Cooked with our special miso sauce, it has a tasty aroma and beautiful rich flavor. It looked really delicious and JS really liked it.

JB had the Shoyu Ramen, which is the traditional standard type of ramen. It is served with nori (seaweed), bamboo shoot, and spinach. JB liked it quite a bit.

I think Benkei Ramen is the best ramen place in Vancouver. The soups were done very well and they are not overly fatty or salty compared to other ramen places. On a chilly day, ramen absolutely hit the spot.

Benkei Ramen on Urbanspoon

Did you know?

Did you know that the first electric light was so dim that a candle was needed to see its socket? Did you know that the first light bulb Thomas Edison created only lasted 13.5 hours? It took a few more years for him create a light bulb that lasted 1500 hours. Now he is accredited as the person who invented the light bulb. It was Edison who famously said: I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.

Nicholas Joseph Cugnot invented the first self-propelled road vehicle in 1769. It utilized steam engine to power the vehicle. This automobile only travelled 2-4 miles per hour, and it had to stop every 10 to 15 minutes to build up the steam power. People often laughed at Cugnot and they would pass him in their carriages hollering, "Get a horse!" But Cugnot didn't let what people said faze him, he continued to work and revise his design for the rest of his life. Nowadays, Cugnot is written in the history book as the inventor of the first automobile.

The Wright brothers are famously known as the inventors of airplanes. When they first set out to create a flying machine, people laughed and ridiculed them saying it's impossible for humans to fly. But the Wright brothers never let the discouragements stop them, they continued to work on their flying machine. After 12 years of trials and errors, they finally had their first sustained flight that lasted 12 seconds in 1903. Then five years later, Orville made the world's first flight of over one hour in Virginia as a demonstration for the U.S. army.

Now why did I list all these inventors? I listed them not only because I find the history fascinating, but also because all these famous inventors have one characteristic in common, perseverance. They all strove on in spite of difficulties, obstacles, and discouragements. As Christians, perseverance is an important characteristic we need to develop. Why? Because in our faith journey, we are or we will face ridicules, discouragements, and even persecution for our belief. We will face situations where we have to endure and persevere through. Jesus warned us of this,

"and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." Matthew 10:22

Scary isn't it? But here is the good news. Jesus said in Matthew of those who are persecuted for His name sake,

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:11

So next time when you are insulted or persecuted for Jesus's sake, don't be disheartened, remember to stand strong for your reward is waiting for you in heaven.

Like it says in Matthew, all the prophets and apostles were persecuted greatly for their faith. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians of all his sufferings. He described how he has been in prison, flogged, exposed to death, lashed, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, hungry (2 Corinthians 23-28)... I mean the list just goes on and on. I can't even begin to fathom what Paul has been through. My own suffering just seem so pale compare to what Paul has gone through. But here is what Paul wrote in the same letter,

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." 2 Corinthians 4:17

 Like the past inventors facing ridicules and discouragements because of their inventions or their unconventional ideas, we too face jeers and misunderstanding because of our faith. People will make fun of us for the decisions we make, for the lifestyle we choose, for our focus in life... But like the past inventors, we too need to strive on and keep our eyes fixed on what is to come. There is no denying that perseverance is a hard lesson to learn, but it's a pertinent lesson nonetheless. There will be times when we feel alone and frustrated by the discouragements and judgments we face, but remember that we are not actually alone. Our Father in heaven sees everything and He will never leave us to fend for ourselves.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave your nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

Michi Waffle & Espresso Bar

Address: 1319 Robson Street, Vancouver
Website: http://michicafe.com/category/store-info

JB totally made my week when she messaged me told me she is coming for a visit. I've been bugging her for so long to come, finally, she took that ferry and crossed that water. Since we were meeting the nursing gang for lunch as our little reunion, JB and I decided to meet up for breakfast first to get some "J and A" time :D We had a lot of catching up to do, I haven't seen JB since my visit to Victoria in September. Anyways, since JB was staying near English Bay, I wanted to take her to one of my favorite waffle places nearby.

As the name suggest, Michi Waffle is best known for their coffees and waffles. The owner of the cafe is Japanese, so not only do they have the typical flavors of Belgian waffles, they also have waffles with an Asian twist. The price is a bit on the pricey side, but I love the food and the ambiance of this place, so I totally think it's worth it.

I started with cafe latte. It was creamy and delicious. The latte art was a bonus. Apparently this is quite a simple design according to the professionals, it amazed me nonetheless.

JB had the mango orange ice tea. I had a sip, it was pretty delish.

As for the waffles, I couldn't resist the matcha (green tea) flavor. It was nice and crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. I really liked the texture of the waffle. Although the matcha flavor was a bit too subtle for my taste, I was hoping for a more distinct matcha flavor.

JB had the summer delight waffle sundae. Although we were nowhere near summer time, in fact, it was actually snowing outside that day... hey, we could always hope right? This was absolutely delicious. The vanilla ice cream on the top was perfect, nice and creamy with fresh vanilla beans. The waffle was crunchy and the fruits were fresh, it was a perfect combination. Every bite was heavenly. Now who doesn't love ice cream for breakfast right? :P

Michi Waffle & Espresso Bar continue to be one of my favorite place for breakfast. I've already decided what I want try the next time I go. I mean, mochi flavored waffle sounds intriguing right? Oh, and I just found out that they have an afternoon tea special. Apparently, from 12-6pm on weekdays, they have waffle + gelato + cappuccino for only $6! Now who should I drag to go with me?