music

the latest tunes.

張懸 My Life Will...

her english name is deserts xuan. band's name is algae. but just youtube her [by copy and pasting the chinese] and try to download her music. i love her already, especially 寶貝[in a day].

also, i am now convinced [after finding her and coeur de pirate] that the rest of the world is hiding good music from us. i am thinking of authoring some sort of conspiracy theory around it.

p.s the kids are singing one of her songs at their graduation practice and they are so darling that it brings me to tears. i got to leave the classroom when i started tearing up--unlike my coworker. she was literally bawling during her class. i think we might be a little attached to them...

p.p.s did i mention that amy is teaching them vitamin c's "graduation" song? oh vitamin c. you must make so much money this time of year.

my way of saying goodbye

a whole day for myself, by myself.

meet up with the sister missionaries for brunch
go downtown with one of the YW
try to convince her to let me buy her a skirt [to no avail]
buy an amazing dress instead
head to triangle market
get delicious shaved ice
bike home
call america
have a distracted conversation
lie in bed thinking how nice it would be to take a nap outside
head outside
get bitten by twenty mosquitoes [who i swear just lay in wait for me]
come back inside and lay down for a mid-afternoon nap in my steaming hot bed
bring the other fan in my room
get comfortable with two constant air streams on me
fall asleep.

i am trying to figure out how to say goodbye to taiwan. 7 days left. any ideas?

the good kind of frustration

i was sucking on quite the confusioniscle [like a popsicle of confusion] today while pondering WHY i am have to be so darn patient in waiting for the Lord's timing. can't ours be the same as His? especially when we are trying so hard to line up with Him? wasn't it Him who wants us to always be progressing? i couldn't fit it all together. and was getting mighty frustrated. and i still can't really figure it out.

minerva teichert's depiction of christ in the home of mary and martha. he was just so patient with both women in this story, especially the one that thought she knew better.

but it doesn't matter because the church is true. meaning that He is there and will always be there. in fact, He is everywhere. time has no part in His existence. so while i am being a dumb human, He is patiently attempting to perfect the seemingly unperfectable [me]. which is why life is a challenge. a delightful, scary, frustrating, happiness-filled challenge.

bring it on.

the ride home

so there i was, kicking my way home.

let me explain. my bike frequently has problems. she is really a special spirit with a personality of her own. her favorite thing is to jam the chain while i am either freezing, tired, hungry, or in desperate need of groceries. ally and i had just gotten some delicious ice [my new favorite thing in taiwan] and i pull out to grab some bread and popsicles before heading home. and then ACCHHHKKK clunk. the chain slipped off and quickly jammed into the doohickey, for lack of a technical term. i still needed bread so ally started home while i stopped by the bakery on the way home. the lady asked me if i wanted to wash my hands because they were completely black from playing with the chain. i politely "meiguinxi"ed and went on my way. picture me kicking every so often against the street and then swinging my legs back and forth [like an overexcited three year old on a carousal ride] to gain momentum. all the while praying that the dogs wouldn't sense my inadequacy. thank goodness for downhill rides home. though i did get temporarily held up by some sort of slimy thing hitting my foot, i finally got home.

good news: i would easily win in a "move your bike as fast as possible without touching the pedals but still being on the seat" contest, my hip flexors are much stronger than before, and i laughed enough at myself to last at least one day.

bad news: i have no way to pick up popsicles tomorrow.

p.s. to prevent confusion--picture from biking down taroko when lover was still here. i can only wish that i owned a bike that nice. or looked like that after getting slime attacked and workin' out the hips. someday...

a riddle

it can say nice things

and mean things
it can show happiness
or regret
or sadness
it can express love
or lust
it can sing silly songs
and sad ones too
it can smile
it can kiss
it can heal pains
it can whisper prayers
or shout them
it can teach children

inspired by ginny's homework tonight. i loved teaching her about riddles. and she was so proud that she read them out loud and [almost] stumped ally and amy.



i want to use my lips to be a better person.
and i am figuring out how to do that slowly.
thank you gospel for showing me how it's done.

pen caps

annie stuck a pen cap up her nose today. and i was so impatient that i quickly pulled it out and directed her back to her workbook activity. and that is when i stopped to realize how funny it was. and i started giggling. hard. and the kids didn't really know what to do. it was refreshing.

reminders

i was watching the kids today rehearse for their graduation program and i got a little present from heaven.

love love doesn't come easily to me. but i can't help loving the kids out here [even when i want to kick them out of the classroom]. maybe because i am beginning to know how much my parents, heavenly and earthly, love me. the more i am out here, away from the comforts and securities of home, the more i realize how much HF is there for me. and how much love my parents have for me. so much that i can feel it from 7000 miles away.

HE clearly knows what i need when scripture reading is humbling me...a lot.

i love these kids. and i love the gospel. and i am so glad to know the truths that i do. and the best part of it all--HE loves me as much as he loves the children i teach. what a marvelous thing.