The Gingerbread House


This weekend was the famous Gingerbread House Decorating party at my house.  This is an old tradition of my family that dates back all the way to when my mother was a child.

It started with my Nana making two houses during Christmas for my mom and her brother.

After my Nana married my Big daddy it became a little party for all his seven kids.  As their kids grew and her friends kids grew, more and more kids were brought into the fold.  Soon it became an annual party in San Antonio, Texas, with around 200 people or so every year.

When my mother moved to California she stopped going. But after I was born and a little older, my mom started it up again. And from then on we have had a Gingerbread house Party.

This year was the last year for the party.  We had about 80 people come this time, with kids from five years old all the way to 18 years old.

It was a lot of fun and I am really sad it has come to an end.

A Furry Surprise

10:28 AM: Monday, November 7, 2011.

A text message from my mother:

“There is a big surprise waiting 4 u. Hint: it’s furry, so sweet, and endearing…Can you get what it is?”

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m going home this weekend with my friends Anni and Sungjin. My mother had left me a long text message explaining food options and furniture and this BIG SURPRISE!

I really hope it is either a cat or a dog! I CANNOT WAIT!

If I had to choose which dog or cat I will be greeted with this weekend, it would be:

1) Scottish Fold Cat

My favorite pet by far was a Scottish Fold by the name of Butter. These cats have the sweetest disposition and a lovable face. Their eyes are very big and their ears are usually folded.

2) Chihuahua

My favorite dog was a 6 pound Chihuahua by the name of Tinkerbell. Chihuahuas, contrary to popular belief, are very intelligent creatures. Tinkerbell never barked too much either and was very very loyal.

3) Teacup Poodle

To be honest, I just want one of these because they are SO CUTE. I mean, LOOK AT IT. Ah my goodness! It makes me so nauseous because of how cute it is!

4) Bengal

I really want this cat because it is SO beautiful! It looks just like a miniature leopard! Goodness, I want it!

I hope I am not getting too caught up with this idea of having the pet be a cat or a dog because knowing my mom, she could have gotten me a nice knit scarf or a hamster.

But keeping my fingers crossed for a SCOTTISH!

Just Like That

Confused. Miserable. Alone.  Scared.

So, so scared.

The worst how empty she felt.

Where was her mother, her father, her sisters, her brothers?

Was she in their thoughts? Was it only her?
Soon, she could think of nothing. Her mind drew blank.

She faced the white, chalky wall atop her tall bunk bed, the railings red and bright. Her lungs were heavy. One breath in. One breath out.

Was this what her 13 years of life had come to?

Another deep breath out.

She closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would take over. She whispered a prayer to God that someone would find her, that she might find herself.

How silly she was to think she was alone in the midst of this struggle. How narrow minded, how blind to the future she was.

Because beneath her, with an obnoxious rustle of the sheets, a skinny girl with young, wispy hair and her insistent tapping, made it clear that she was not alone.

And just like that, without words, the little girl gave her the strength she needed.

The Invention of Caring.

love

As I stood watching my sister and mother embrace for the last time, I couldn’t help but feel touched. Tears streamed down their faces and they hung to each other in an attempt to cherish their last moments together.

Just like that first day when she kicked and screamed to go to play group, her first day at school, and her first fulltime job, my sister was again crying unwilling to leave our mothers side. Except this time the 11 hour flight left them separated by distance.

A phone call can mean so much but when you know someone’s so far away your heart yearns for that person to be next to you, filling the gaping hole that waits in their place.

A mother is not just someone you went to school with, or someone who you met on train, or even just a relative. She is someone who you grew inside and was nurtured by. She is the person that taught you to walk, took you to school, made you pack lunches. She is the person that loves you unconditionally no matter what.

Those days that I hear my sister cry because she misses our mums cooking or even just misses her company is heart wrenching. Tears down a phone line hurt and cut both my mum and sister to pieces, but tears face-to-face damage them so much deeper.

Watching my sister and mother embrace for the last time, I couldn’t help but to care.

Botox for 8-year-old

What would you do when your child complains about wrinkles?

This Mother Kerry Campbell would immediately persuade her Daughter Britney to have Botox and fillers injected to lessen the “wrinkles.”

She buys the products from cannot-be-publicized-online-man. And, she, who is apparently a “trained beautician,” tests the products’ quality and credibility by injecting into her “adult” face before she uses for her “eight-year-old” daughter’s face.

A 34-year-old mother from San Francisco defends her malignant practice, “A lot of the mothers there (beauty pageant) are giving their kids Botox and it’s pretty much like the thing and a lot of moms do it. I am not the only one.”

Moreover, Britney was forced to get her legs waxed so she would be more “beautiful.”

Britney’s friends consider all these practices “cool” and even looks up to her.

What’s wrong with all this? Someone tell me.

AP Week and My Mom

Sometimes, I think my mom should’ve been born my little sister. I love her to death but sometimes she can be very dogmatic.

This weekend is Mother’s Day and my mom has been meaning to come up and take me away for Saturday and bring me back on Sunday. However, the thing is the weekend that she wants to come is the weekend between the two AP weeks.

Furthermore, that weekend is a packed weekend for me. Friday, I would have just finished my APUSH exam. Saturday, I would have taken three SAT II tests. That Sunday afternoon, I would be taking a AP Biology final just to take a AP Biology exam the following day.

My mom wants to take me out to dinner and stay at a hotel with me during this hectic week, only to make it more hectic and taking time away from studying. The funny thing is, this is the first time that my mom has wanted to take me out for Mothers’s Day while I was away at boarding school. The one time that she wants to take me out is the busiest time of my academic career.

I told her I cannot do this weekend. However, she refuses to understand the pressure that is mounted on my shoulders.

Sigh.

Terror on Moscow Airport Leaves 31 Dead and 168 Wounded.

Today, in Moscow, families are mourning for their loved ones that never made it home. Children are waiting without a purpose for their mom or dad, brother or sister. Innocent lives were taken, stolen, by a suitcase carrying explosives. A suicide bomber entered the Domodedovo Airport earlier this day and murdered 31, and injured 168.

People saw things that weren’t ever meant to be seen. Severed legs, fingers, arms, and even heads were flying across the airport due to the power of the impact.

Artyom Zhilenkov witnessed this gruesome sight firsthand stating, “The guy standing next to me was torn to pieces.”

President Obama has offered American assistance whenever needed by the Russians. However, this bombing raises many questions on the Russian‘s ability to safe keep their public from terror attacks. Just a few years back, an explosion erupted inside the airport. Last year, a suicide bomber killed 40 people and wounded around 100. Does Russia really need to turn to America for national safety issues? Will this lack of security, will they be disqualified from hosting the 2014 Olympics? Only time will tell.

When I Grow Up, I…

Life is an expensive sports car on the Autobahn. We are often caught up in the thrill of living, that adrenaline pumping feeling of exhilaration, that we often forget where we are going, or why we are where we are in the first place. Everything is just a blur. Colors, sounds, people all mesh into one, giant miasma of lights and din.

For these reasons, people sometimes forget what their aspirations are in life or where they want to be in 10-15 years. But sometimes people don’t spend enough time figuring out what they want. Sometimes people don’t know what they want and are stumbling along, playing life by ear.

I know what I want. Or at least I think I do.

When I grow up, I want to be an anesthesiologist at a well known hospital, helping save countless lives of people that won’t remember my name in a month and whose faces I will forget in a few days. I want to have a Cal Tech diploma under my name and have graduated with stellar grades.

When I grow up, I want to own a house in Northern California (preferably near San Francisco), up where the air is crisp with the hint of ocean air or in a clean beach in Southern California (so that would mean Santa Monica is out of the picture). My dream house would either be inspired by contemporary, sleek modern designs or by warm Spanish decor. The house would be complete with a beautiful kitchen, bathroom, master bedroom, and a roomy walk-in closet. The floors would be bamboo for environmentally friendly reasons and the view would have to include the beautiful ocean. The house must be big enough for 4 people but most importantly, it must be away from the noise of the city for privacy but close enough to a city for convenience.Read More »

Unguaranteed Success

Of course, a mother would want her child to receive an excellent education

However, in South Korea, this desire is taken far too extreme.

South Korean “Children” are forcefully sent abroad without any guaranteed success.

Often times, these students end up in committing unethical behaviors such as underage drinking and substance abuse and become anxious and obfuscated with their conflicting cultural identities; to simply put, unhappy.

Exceptions exist. They can benefit from the early experiences of independence and cultural diversity and possess careers within international range.

My point is not about tilting onto one side of this global study overseas issue. It is about recommending much more careful judgment about this experience and not merely following a trend based on an obscure success.

Check out this New York Times article, “For English Studies, Koreans say Goodbye to Dad” by Norimitsu Onishi.