Happy birthday to the November 2nd people in my life!


Here's a quick update on me and my life:

Work is going fine -- we had our annual fundraiser this past Friday and it was successful. I'm also underway at 5 of my school sites.

I have been continuing with yoga and meditation, including a meditation group.

I have been sticking to my "dessert-and-hence-refined-sugar-once-a-week" regime.

I love "Glee."

I am trying to catch up on all of my "Ugly Betty."

I have been writing.

The bff comes into town today!

My brother is doing well as a monk in Thailand! And my other brother is preparing for winter in Japan.

I just wattched, "Once" and have "Milk," "Serendipity," and "Under the Tuscan Sun" left on my queue.

Here's to a beautiful week! Cheers!

An Organization/Resource that I Love that Needs Help!

I went to a Girls Circle training in December of 2008 and it gave me the strong foundation for how to facilitate a group for young women (which is my job) and people in general -- the basic but unfamiliar idea that each person is the ONLY expert in his/her life and as facilitators, we ask the right questions to help each person answer his/her own questions. No matter how much we tell someone what they should or should not do, this does not empower them or supply them with the tools they need to make their own decisions.

So when I saw that Girls Circle Association needed help, I wanted to help with a donation but also to spread the word. Although this video doesn't explain exactly what they do (you'd have to go to a training or take a look at their manuals/curricula), I have a cameo early on! If you'd like to get more information about the organization, check out Girls Circle.

to my dearest volleyball,

fifteen years have passed since the fateful day that we met on the tar court of my elementary school and i have to admit, i fell in love with you from the first moment. we got acquainted slowly and we had a good connection, but i didn't think much of it. i was young and i was still looking around: i hung out for a couple of years in junior high school with your enemy tennis. but when i went into high school, i had to choose. when i thought of it, it really came down to love: it was you -- it had always been you. so i dedicated my mind, body, and soul to you, learning and growing alongside you on those gymnasium floors that burned and scarred me. i endured it all with my loyalty and passion in tact.

when i had to take a break, you understood and let me go as i suffered with those AP classes. i wish i hadn't: i was lonely and unhappy without you. my one biggest regret in life to this day was not staying with you my junior and senior year of high school -- i always wonder, had i stayed with you, would we have gotten more serious, could we have made a life together?

as it happened, we came back into each others' lives a couple of years later, when i began college. it was really casual; i wasn't ready to commit to much. i had been away from you for so long, i didn't know what to expect. we were on again, off again and as life happened, we lost touch with each other.

it wasn't until a phase of my life that i like to call my "hedonistic days" that we reunited. oooh! it was so intense and fulfilling and you really made my days more complete! i even introduced you to many of my friends -- i thought, "this might be it."

i don't know why life happens the way it does in terms of timing and misaligned chances but things started to get real bad real quickly. i don't know what i had done to you, but you hurt me. and not just once -- twice! i had never known such pain before: there were times i would lie in bed unable to move, unable to live. i tried to get help but as everything came up short, i soon realized i had to just let time do its healing.

it's been months now since we've last been in touch. i'm sorry that it's been so long. i needed the time and space to clear my mind. here goes.

you were my first and only love. i gave you everything i had. but there are several reasons why i must move on: 1)the pain you caused me still haunts me, 2) i can't trust you, 3) we've grown apart, 3)i'm not growing in our relationship anymore, 4)i get effort migraines when i'm near you, and 5)i'm not happy.

i cherish every moment we've shared -- i would take nothing back. but here is where it ends, volleyball.

good bye.

say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime

movies i've seen...

"time traveler's wife"

"500 days of summer"

"my blueberry nights"

"harry potter and the half-blood prince"

"sunshine cleaning"

movies to see...

"paper heart"

"the phantom of the opera"

"speak"

"adam"

"pan's labryinth"

i bought a plant and i have some fresh cut irises sitting on my desk. i am so excited to be surrounded by so much life!

summer is coming to a close and i force myself to wear dresses or hold off on putting a sweater on at dusk. i revel in the long days and am doing the most to stay present and enjoy what i have left of summer. in the meantime, i frolic.

tender scrawls
on love

(1 January 2002)
I gave you my heart
And you took it.
If we shall part,
Please do not discard it.
Because even if we are not
Together
Because we did not last
Forever,
I would still give you my love.

a very busy july!

between our summer camp, eureka, and my two outreach sites, i hardly had time for much else! but the drama of 52 female students ages 11 - 15 could not deter me from continuing to enjoy my life!

highlights from july:
* my brother tan thien coming home to visit for 1.5 weeks, leaving on july 4th.
* incubus at the hollywood bowl on july 13!
* oc fair for eureka
* celebrating rafa's birthday!
* asking a guy to dance
* dancing ballet folklorico with my students!
* harry potter and the half-blood prince - 2 times!
* kelly clarkson at the pacific ampitheatre! right behind the pit!
* my brother bob coming home for 1.5 weeks, leaving on august 4th.
* giving my card to a guy i'm interested in
* a summer night on the backyard deck with a bottle of wine, apples, chips, good music, and good friends helping me with lesson plans!

happy august! i look forward to vacation and less drama!

everyone dug so deeply and we were able to quickly raise the amount of money for my brother's plane ticket to thailand -- all of the $1367USD! my brother and our family are overwhelmed with joy and so blessed to have your support!

to: mindy, rafa, efrain, mari, emi, phu, hong, julio, linh, jesse, tim, anne, lisa, michelle, shaun -- thank you for the food, the company, and the support!

to heath, trang, khanh, nipun, zerlina, mimi, varisa, eunice, ngoclan & tri, emi, mom, david -- thank you for your contributions!

tan thien is now in thailand for the rains retreat, his first ever and in his home forest monastery. he is taking it day-by-day and will keep me up-to-date on his plans.

thank you again, everyone!!!

metta,
uyen/nina/jack

Help a Buddhist Monk Brother Out.

Some of you may know that my oldest brother Thien has been following his spiritual path by traveling to Thailand and even ordaining as a monk. He has been torn between leaving his robes in Thailand or transitioning back to life in the states as a monk or a layperson. He ultimately hopes to continue to build his foundation in the forest monastery that he has been staying at in Thailand. However, there are many challenges, one of them being the ability to fund the logistics of traveling and staying in Thailand.

That's where you can come in. My mother and father have donated $100 USD each. His ticket is about $1230 along with the visa fee of $175. If you can and/or want to please, click the link and send any amount. Or the next time you see me, you could give me a donation. And I promise that I have no need to pocket his money: it would be horrible karma for me to take from my Monk brother! :)

Hope you are well!

It's alright 'cause I'm saved by the bell...

Last week I was having dinner with a friend and we found out we had both liked "Saved by the Bell." Well, there have been some interesting events happening!

Zack Morris!

If you want to help get the class back together, sign the petition!

* "becoming jane"
* "the princess bride"

i know i have a bunch of movies loaned out to me, but i haven't been feeling them.

i must tell you that "becoming jane" left me crying! i was supposed to only watch 30 minutes of it last night because i started it at midnight. but, alas, i could not stop! i was wrapped up in the story so much so that when it was finally over and i was finally in bed to sleep (around 2am), i continued to cry: i felt so much sadness. in the morning, when i could no longer sleep though my brain was exhausted, i plowed through some of the scenes while getting ready for work with more tears shed. it reminded me of reading "the time traveler's wife." very moving.

other than that, here's to my super weekend of rest. i like rest. a lot. i like downtime. it keeps me almost sane and serves as a buffer for the work week.

i must have been tired because when i took a shower this evening and rinsed my hair, i forgot to apply shower. that's never happened to me before!

does anyone listen to ben harper? i popped his album "welcome to the cruel world" into my car CD player earlier this week. and was swept off my feet. most of the tracks feel like lullabies to me, songs that make me feel relaxed before falling into a deep slumber. i am <3ing "the three of us" and "forever."

rawr!

for my viewing pleasure

people have always told me, "what?! you haven't seen that movie?!" with an appalled look on their faces. they've promised to make me lists of films that i should see. but one of my interns is taking it to a whole new level: bringing me different movies every week i see her.

latest movies i've seen:

ps: i love you

my life without me (repeat)

27 dresses

dan in real life


what to watch next:

the lazarus project

the promotion

linewatch

ps: is anyone else shocked that they canceled "samantha who?" and "my name is earl"? :0

sometimes love comes around

welcome to my newest follower, mle! thank you for being the first!

update: making the most out of what's going on. being positive. keeping myself healthy. maintaining my important relationships. creating. doing yoga. taking walks. eating at home more.

learning to let go. interpreting dreams less as inner desires and more as key lessons to learn. forgiving. keeping my eyes on the future and staying present.

i miss my brothers. my bff. my rocks. my friends scattered all over the country and world.

hope everyone is well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF5Q1jr28PM

and knocks you down

sun diego fun

last weekend, i went down with some friends (thank you, Lisa, Hong, and Rafa for the trek) to join doni to do some more birthday celebrations! the day included lunch at studio diner; hanging around mission beach; grocery shopping; watching "the incredible hulk" featuring my soon-to-be husband edward norton jr.; dancing and hanging out at a bar/lounge with special guest stars kelsey, carmen, and rosita; and trying to avoid getting sick! :) yay! here are some of group photos (they aren't daily but they are photos)!

squeezing everyone into the bathroom

squeezing all 5 of us in again

get down on it, uyen!

ps: i'm still celebrating my birthday...today i was surprised with cupcakes by my tweens! :D

help a sister out! and some young ladies!

if you have any money that you're willing to donate to young ladies ages 4.5 to 19 who live in orange county and who are in need of gender-specific programming to overcome the obstacles and challenges that women face in our culture today (science and math discrepancies compared to male counterparts, self-worth and value in the face of media-driven concepts of beauty, learning about what's important in order to avoid a first or second pregnancy, etc.), please visit the Girls Incorporated of Orange County's OC Marathon donation website. your money will help pay for supplies for programs, scholarships for young ladies whose families have a hard time paying dues, etc. anything would be appreciated!

http://www.active.com/donate/girlsinc2009

OC Marathon: May 3, 2009

Girls Inc. of Orange County (where I work) is a Charity Partner! That means anyone can choose to donate money to our organization and with the money we raise, we will be able to improve our exisiting programs and add new one! So if you have an extra dollar or dollars, help us out!

Also if you are interested in running it, here are the details:

"The race is a blend of chic coastal scenery, tranquil nature views and sophisticated arts and shopping, which will offer a great backdrop for an extraordinary race experience.

Starting at Newport Beach’s Fashion Island and the course features Pacific Coast Highway, Corona Del Mar Ocean Views, Newport Bay & Back Bay, OC Performing Arts Center, South Coast Plaza, and the Santa Ana River.

Celebrate your finish at the fantastic OC Fair and Events Center – the location for the Health & Fitness Expo and Finish Line Festival.

Please click here for our official online merchandise store.

We've received many questions via email that are answered on our FAQ Page of the web site; such as "yes", we are a Boston Qualifier, and "yes", we do allow walkers! These and many other frequently asked questions can be found there. Be sure to check that link when you have a question and then email us at info@ocmarathon.com if you need further assistance."

-- http://www.ocmarathon.com/index.php


You can also donate your time by volunteering for us!

Title: PF&F- Shift 1# (4 hr. shift)
Location: OC Fair & Event Center
Date: Sunday, May 3, 2009, 7:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Coordinator: Orleda Roa
Description: Post Food and Fluid, the most important element after a race. As the runner walks by, volunteers should hand one bottle of water to the runner. Keep restocking the tables and opening the cases of water as needed.
Volunteer Recruitment Deadline: Wednesday, April 1, 2009

(All volunteers must be 16 years or older)