Your Dominant Eye

Something cool that I learned last week:

1. Make a triangle with your hand (like Jay-Z would say "Hova")
2. Focus it on one item far away
3. Close each eye and the eye that the item is still focused on is your dominant eye!

This is mainly used for hunters who want to know which eye to aim and shoot the gun with, but just wanted to share because I thought it was really cool. I am right eye dominant.



Moving on, a lot of people hunt here. And eat exotic meats. I tried frog legs yesterday and they were alright. It was just the mentality that they were actual frogs that creeped me out a little. But I would try them again. My sister told me they call frogs "mountain chicken" and it's true. It's like chicken but slightly different. Next stop: alligators! And maybe deer...the engineers I work with love deer burgers and deer sausages. I like exploring and trying different things. When the chance comes, go do it!

Adults suck, then you are one

Grown up things that I could not have imagined myself doing a few months ago:

1. Moved into my own apartment
2. Got car insurance
3. Leased my 1st car - a 2013 Hyundai Accent hatchback in light blue.
   It's a beaut!
4. Learned how to fill my own gas
   (guess this falls under a non-New Jersey thing)
5. Enrolled in life insurance via company benefits

Is it just me or is life moving way too fast? I just turned 23 this past July but I'm still mistakenly telling people I'm 22 because I can't keep up!

I'm still enjoying the ride though. Work has been good! I am on shop lock-down because I have to go to Controls in Oklahoma City next week. So I will not go on any more jobs until I finish Controls. I think it's just my segment, Wireline, that has Field Engineer Trainees go through a process where I meet and interview with 5 different people to discuss company policies, management, tool theory, etc. It's so much studying! I thought I'd be done after PEPTEC... nope. Yet I'm appreciating being able to get the opportunity to hit the books while working. Usually people stop in college but I like how Schlumberger emphasizes being on top of your stuff. You have to in order to succeed! I think it's also because we also have people working under us. I still can't get used to that! Having my own operators who are older than me and more experienced.

Tomorrow I am driving to Tyler, TX to attend a 2 day interpretation class so I know how to read data from the logs. Going to new places excites me. I haven't been to Texas often so yay. And Oklahoma next week wahoo

Sock Drawer

1. Friendships, like socks, need to match
   We need compatibility. Common faith is always a plus.
2. Friendships, like socks, have to be mended
   World operates in the mindset "it's easier to replace than to repair"
   But we should always repair & restore. Don't give up!
   Gonna be corny and put Justin Bieber's As Long as You Love Me lyrics here...
   So I know we got issues baby true true true
   But I'd rather work on this with you
   Than to go ahead and start with someone new
   Not sure why but it's the first thing that popped up in my head....but hey it applies! (Btw, did anyone else thing this was a Chris Brown song when they first heard it? I actually just found out it was a Bieber song while looking up the lyrics....)
3. Friendships, like socks, go missing sometimes
   Luke 15:3-7 Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
4. Friendships, like socks, should come in a variety of colors & styles!
   God created all this diversity. The best you can do is stick with one kind? It's like eating only one thing at a buffet! If friends are like socks, God wants our sock drawer to be full!
   
   Best way to HAVE good friends is to BE a good friend! Iron sharpens iron

Weekday Update with Y. Han

Hope someone gets my SNL reference in my entry's title....hehe....kinda in love with that show right now. Still feeling out the new season though, because I miss the old cast. Wahh

Gosh it's kind of hard to navigate through this new layout of Blogspot. Took me a few tries to create a new entry. I'm scared of what the future holds. My future kids and grandkids will think I am technologically challenged with what will be invented in 2030 when in fact I was the one who witnessed the invention of windows 7, cellphones and 3D tvs!!!!!........

Anyway. It's officially been ONE WEEK since I started! Louisiana has been so good to me. There are so many things to eat here. I've been to two food festivals during my first week, for Gumbo (a Louisiana soup with rice, chicken, pork or seafood) and Boudin (pronounced Boo-Dan). I love the culture Louisiana holds and I'm so excited to explore/learn all about it.

There are 7 engineers in my district, 4 guys and 3 girls including me. I met all of them as of today and everyone is nothing but friendly and nice. I've already gone on two jobs with one of the engineers and I think I'll be going on my third tomorrow. Since I'm only an Engineer Trainee, all I do is follow them and take in as much as I can. I will probably be able to go out in the field alone to conduct my own jobs in a few months, maybe December or January. Until then, I'll just be following the engineers to their jobs! I got to load the radioactive sources at least for the first 2 jobs! Yay. Applying what I learned in training school to use.

Also, I signed my lease for my apartment!!!!!!! So exciting. I am reading yet another thoughtcatalog titled "How To Live Alone For The First Time" I'm still at a hotel though, because the moving company is still in transit with my stuff. I can't wait to arrange my furniture and settle in. I didn't get a roommate so I'll be alone for a little bit in the 1 bedroom apartment. I don't think I'll be lonely though, because it is the same apartment complex as most of my co-workers! Of the 7, 5 of us live in the same apartment so it will be like college dorms all over again haha. There is a volleyball court and a swimming pool too. Yipppppps! Should be all moved in by next week.

Btw I've encountered...so..many..MOSQUITOES! I get a new bite every day. Must get in the habit of spraying bug repellent. Didn't think it was possible, but I even got bites on my face. Not one but two on my forehead which is slightly embarrassing. Not to mention how dumb I look scratching my own forehead... "uhduuuuuh"....

Louisiana

Hello world!
Currently writing from Staybridge Suites in Lafayette, Louisiana (which by the way is an excellent hotel. I highly recommend it). I still haven't found a place to live but my manager, Orleth, is giving me a day off tomorrow to dedicate to apartment hunting. So my plan is to sleep in (hurrah!) and call the list of apartments that I have that holds 9 possibilities. Then I will go rent a car and visit the potentials. Exciting!!!

I've went to work 2 days so far- on Monday and today. I've met most of the open hole wireline engineers at my office. Everyone is sooo cool and friendly and most importantly, SMART. Work hard play hard type forreals. I really respect that... It's like a small family and from what I hear everyone gets along well and works well. I was told New Iberia was the right choice to pick :) It feels so surreal to be here right now. I am so grateful for being able to work in this field and learning new things all the time. I can't wait to really delve into what the working life of a field engineer (trainee) is like. After work today I spent some time getting to know them by playing volleyball, eating dinner, and watching The Voice on tivo afterwards.

Also today I did water survival training because one thing I discovered coming here is that half of my jobs are barge jobs that are on the water. So I took a water survival class and also did a practical where they want to make sure you are physically capable of busting yourself out of a drowning helicopter or whatever. It was pretty crazy and when you are in the capsule underwater, upside down, it gets you very disoriented and you forget which way's left and right. I successfully got my certificate though, after a lot of water up my nose.

Eep it's 2:30am and I have definitely taken advantage of not going into work tomorrow. But sleeping early has become a habit I am majorly tired.
Will update again! BTW.....still haven't tried Cajun food. That is definitely #1 on my list after settling into an apartment and getting a car! And also buying Yankee Candles for my room because those smell incredible.

Moving

Oh dear me it is really happening. Movers are at my house and packing up everything that once belonged to me in my home. My bed, drawer, mirror, shelf, couch, clothes, everything!

It's fun packing everything up because you get to go through all your old stuff and visit memory lane. Just before, the movers took apart my bed and packed it and I found my high school yearbook! I thought I lost that thing! I immediately decided to throw it into one of the boxes so I can have it with me down south and get to reread all the things people wrote me.

I still don't feel any REAL nervousness yet. Will I not feel it until I actually step foot in Louisiana? Right now I feel calm and ready. Except I still haven't found an apartment yet. I think I'll be living alone, which I think will be a brand new experience that will let me learn a little more about myself. I can't find a roommate because I don't know anyone there. 

On a side note, I've been kind of obsessed with finding blogs and articles and quotes about your 20s. Just to see what other people's 20s are like. Moving to an apartment on my own might have triggered this. Because I feel like this is a big milestone that hapens in your 20s. (Did I say 20s enough times yet?)

Just read this: http://therumpus.net/2011/02/dear-sugar-the-rumpus-advice-column-64/

And sharing with you all this:

Your 20’s are your ‘selfish’ years. It’s a decade to immerse yourself in every single thing possible. Be selfish with your time, and all the aspects of you. Tinker with shit, travel, explore, love a lot, love a little, and never touch the ground.

— Kyoko Escamilla

Packing Part 2

Feels like yesterday when I was feeling frantic about what to bring to my OFS-1/PEPTEC training to Texas and Oklahoma. I'm packing yet again for my move to Lafayette, Louisiana! My district is in New Iberia, but everyone lives and commutes from Lafayette because I guess there are more places to live there. I'm home in Jersey now and my room is a mess. I haven't really unpacked from Oklahoma and I think I'll keep it that way and bring the same suitcase down to Louisiana.

Being home is great. I've missed the home cooked food and family time and my bed! It's unreal how I'll be down in a whole new state in a week. It's a little overwhelming because I have to find my own apartment and finalize my plans to settle down. I found out I will not be going to Canada for winter projects this winter right before I left Oklahoma. To be honest I was really sad because I was looking forward to going there and working since we were told we would be sent there during our orientation in June. Oh well...gotta roll with life with different changes and surprises! I'm sure I will have a blast in Louisiana. Either scenario works out for me because I'll be in a new place, learning new things and meeting new people.

One thing I am so so thankful for is the moving company Schlumberger provides. All I have to do is tell them what I need to bring with me and they will pack it for me and take it! This is partly the reason why I feel lazy and not motivated to pack....I might google a "to-pack" list for college students so I can refresh my memory with the important things I have to take with me. And then I'll make my own list. I love lists!

Don't count the days. Make the days count.

Listening to a mix of songs including Avicii, Adele and Frank Ocean while eating sweet yellow bell peppers which I've discovered at a bbq last month. They are so good. It's been a while since I've had the chance to sit and write. I got back from my final engineer shift for Job 3 today. It started at 8:30pm last night-14 hours of logging and 10 hours of playback to hand in my final logs. Eeeeeeeeek! After delivering my final product, it was weird I didn't feel as excited and happy as I thought I'd be. Maybe it was because I was too tired to express my emotions because I am usually a very expressive person. I can't believe there is only 10-something days left of PEPTEC. The time went by so fast and this is definitely a chapter of my life that's challenged and changed me. Looking back, it's been a blast and such a memorable few months.

I love living life not knowing what to expect. Where will I be after this? I'll have 2 weeks off after completing school and I'll finally be able to have home cooked Korean food! Looking forward to that because I am definitely missing some in my life right now. The food at KLC is great but I need some variety sometimes... Then I think I'll be sent to my district in Louisiana. Which reminds me, I should email my manager who will also be new to the district because my original manager is transferring. And after that, Canada?? for Winter Projects from November/December to April. Nothing is final though. Everything is up in the air and I'm excited to see what will happen.

It's weird to finally unwind (kind of- I still have two more 14 hr operator and winchman shifts starting tomorrow). I'm so used to being surrounded by people and constantly working/talking/thinking. I've hardly had time for myself. Don't get me wrong I love being with people and I seek to be with company but it's also important to have me time. Last night Kate, Ning, Anisha and I drove up the hill (that's where we call the main buildings area) to have a shower party and wash up because there was no running water down the hill (that's where we do our practicals. Creative names, I know). We ended up going into the guy's locker room to wash up because the water in the girl's locker room was either not running or brown. It felt like we were breaking in because the lights were off and I loved it. And there was no one up the hill because it was 2am. Yes we sleep at school and there's actually a bunkhouse because slb is all about working day and night! The bunk beds are actually really comfortable. After our showers we went to the cappuccino machine and got our fill of French Vanilla and Hot Chocolates and hung out and talked. Also outside I saw sooo many stars. It was really beautiful. There is something about the stars that immediatly get my attention. I can look at them all day.

Ok I am going to go make some Hamburger Helper for the first time. I've had some at Kate's place and it was so good and easy I bought my own and will bring it for my two remaining shifts down the hill tomorrow. 

Words to live by

I found this in an old email...:) one of the many reasons why I love going through old things

1. Accept that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue.
2. Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
3. Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
4. Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
5. Eat a live toad in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day.
6. If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
7. If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
8. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
9. Never buy a car you can’t push.
10. Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you don’t have a leg to stand on.
11. Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.
12. The early worm gets eaten by the bird, so sleep late.
13. The Second mouse gets the cheese
14. When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.
15. Birthdays are good for you, the more you have, the longer you live.
16. You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
17. Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
18. We could learn a lot from crayons, some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors but they all have to learn to live in the same box.
19. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
20. Happiness comes through doors you didn’t even know you left open.

I'm not lucky I'm blessed

In the midst of all the busy work and stressful times ahead, I just wanted to say that I am extremely blessed with the people around me. Next week, I have my first "job" which is a practical that is even longer and more intense than the wellsite practicals I've been doing. They are four 8 hour shifts, so I'll be working from 2pm-6am on Tuesday and again on Wednesday. It's easy to be overwhelmed and feel uneasy but I turn to my friends when I need to lean on someone.

Everyone here in my PEPTEC class is so patient when I ask questions and for help...they really try to help one another. I really appreciate how it's not a competitive environment and everyone works as one. And as for everyone back home, they are who I can turn to in order to feel stronger and encouraged. I cannot ask for a more supportive, loving, and caring group. Thank God for these people because I do not know what I would be without them. Every single one of them has helped me get through and learn something and have fun while doing it, especially when I needed it at a time like this.

If you're reading this thinking "me?" YES YOU! I love you! Thank you!

Living Solo

Among the many new things I've experienced here in Oklahoma, living alone in my own apartment is something I'm glad I got a chance to do. Before coming here and moving in, I thought it'd be lonely and that it would be too quiet. But I can say I've never felt lonely ever! I realize that I adapt really quickly to different environments. No matter where I am, I am always happy and find something to do that I love. And I only have God to thank for that. Yay! You da best!

There are also many benefits to living alone. Small things like 1) never losing laundry and more importantly, socks 2) walking around with no pants 3) cooking any kind of food and having the fridge to myself. So try living alone when you get the chance! Don't be worried that it will be too quiet because in reality, the world around us is always so busy and loud. Where else would you go to get away from it?

This is the first weekend I've had since coming to training that I get more than one day off. I haven't had Saturday off in forever! Feels so good! We get this 3 day break and go back to school on Tuesday. I think it's because these next few weeks will be crazy busy... so this break if like a calm before the storm. Haha I will prepare for it by studying a little today and also tomorrow!....(hopefully this won't be a scenario like in college where I make plans to study but planning it is as far as I go. See picture below to know what I am talking about)


Today I'm going to the Asian Mart in Oklahoma. My friends and I looked it up and was surprised to find there is actually a pretty big one 10-15 min away! Their site has pictures of bubble tea. Even more promising! I am a sucker for good bubble tea.

PS I am listening to Hillsong's new album Cornerstone and it is amazing. Please give it a listen!!! Have a good day everyone!

SSDD

Today in class I learned this new acronym used in the oil field: SSDD....Same Sh*t Different Day. Haha! Like my dad would say...please excuse my french. But there isn't another way to really say it. Basically what I got out of it is...no matter what day it is, you'll be doing your routine job, minding your business..but you will always run into problems (big or small) and whenever that may happen you can just, you know, toss it over your shoulder and say "SSDD!" and don't let it get to you! No biggie! Like I mentioned in my previous entry, being here has really taught me how to get over the small stuff. Seriously don't sweat it because you are not alone and looking to the next thing with a positive attitude is what counts. I'm writing this to be optimistic and kind of tell myself this as a reminder because still...I find myself with small doubts about my capabilities whenever something goes wrong. SSDD!

Another interesting thing. The girl to guy ratio here is what you would expect in the oil field. Any time I can't do something and/or complain about it, the guys always joke and say "Babe, you're in the oil field now!" aka MAN UP!!! Lol.... In our class of 27, we have 7 girls, which is not too bad!

Coming here I expected to find many other single people but to my surprise almost everyone I met here is in a relationship. I have a couple friends who are engaged and a few who were even married! Really cool for them to be in that phase of their lives and be able to do this. I've begun to find comfort in making friends with guys who are already in a relationship. I like that because the potential of anything happening goes straight out the window and it's just real friendship. No pressure and no wandering thoughts. I really like that. And maybe that is the reason I am still single because I like hanging out with people who are already in a relationship haha. But I'm just sharing my thoughts and being honest. I am sure girls would agree!

Tomorrow is Sunday and I'm going to go to the mall! Take advantage of my full day off. I might even shop for myself because I haven't spent any paychecks on myself hehehe. Minus food of course! By the way I turned 23 yesterday!!! It was a great day. We had an olympics opening ceremony viewing party at my friends room and everyone in our class is so diverse, we cheered for one another's countries when they were being introduced. I felt so proud to be Korean! Woop woop! Also, for my birthday, I was raised to not expect gifts from my parents but to be the one giving gifts to them. For having me, raising me, supporting me and loving me. So for the first time I bought them presents with my own money and it felt purely awesome. I got my dad a pair of sperrys and my mom a silk scarf!



...hey I kind of created a virtual outfit for her...like she is wearing the sperrys underneath her picture. Haha ok I am tired. Good night blogspot!

If Not Now, When?

Spending Friday night listening to the latest Incubus album while folding laundry and writing an entry about it afterwards.

My favorites are
Track 1 If Not Now, When?
Track 3 Friends and Lovers
Track 8 In The Company of Wolves
Have a listen!

I can't download music onto my company laptop so I've been very dependent on youtube. I like finding videos that play all the songs in an album at once so I don't have to look for different songs which is really useful.

Anyway...the days this month have been going by extremely fast! Besides my birthday being next Friday (yay for turning 23!), there are a lot more things to look forward to. There have been a lot of exciting things happening. PEPTEC-1 started this past Monday, which is the "real" part of technical school. PEPTEC-0 was just the introductory 2 weeks that transitioned us into PEPTEC-1. This whole week was an intense 5 days of constant studying and daily tests!

One thing I've learned while being here is to stay strong and not be discouraged easily because more opportunities will come. For example, some tests were easy but others were extremely hard and dwelling on the past mistakes and bad marks got me nowhere. I've learned to only look forward because you have no time to look back! You'll be missing all the good things that are happening in the present if you keep overthinking and regretting. I feel like I'm learning a lot not just about my job but also a lot about myself here. I am constantly challenged and I like it because I discover new things about myself. Bring it on!

For dinner today I went to Billy Sim's BBQ. I'm learning to love BBQ! Ribs and a brisket sandwich slathered in bbq sauce was what I got and they were really delicious. Before I came to Texas/Oklahoma, the word BBQ only triggered a typical occasion where there is a grill with hamburgers and hot dogs. I was so far off! BBQ is so good. Ribs and toast and brisket and pickles...eating lots of new things here and acquiring a new favorite taste :)

I'm up at 1:30am because I am trying to practice for my wellsite rotations tomorrow. It's a type of project where I have 4 hour rotations each being winchman, operator, and engineer of a wellsite job. Then an additional 4 hours after working 12 hours to compile data and analyze it. We actually get to log the wireline tools and retreive data downhole. It will be a 16 hour shift, from 10pm Saturday night until 2pm Sunday. Eeek! What a real job would be like. I haven't pulled an all nighter in forever it will be pretty tough but I'm sure I'll learn a lot!

Also today was probably the hottest day I've ever had to work outside. Wearing proper PPE is definitely important but our coveralls get so hot.... Hardhat, safety glasses, boots, coveralls with everything having to be zippered up and buttoned makes the suit an instant self-sauna. It was close to 110 degrees and please don't forget to factor in humidity. But I am proud to wear Schlumberger blue!!! I've seen 2 people already pass out from heat...scary! It's very important to stay hydrated. It made me wonder what Louisiana will be like once I start working there haha. Hopefully my body will be able to adapt quickly to the heat.

PEPTEC

I've finished my first week of wireline technical school called PEPTEC. It stands for People and Technology. I've been hearing that Schlumberger loves to use acronyms. No kidding! Everything is abbreviated here. It will take some time to actually know what all these mean. I am slowly catching on...

PEPTEC has been totally different from my last 2 weeks of training, which ended last Sunday. Everyone in my training class left except for the wireline people. Saying bye to all my friends in other segments was sad but also exciting because most of them were off to their locations to start their life on the rig! And good thing I like to keep in touch with people as much as I can.

It reminds me of college but a little more intense because there is so much material in a short amount of time and then the frequent tests that I must pass to stay in school! I'm not the world's best test taker so I will admit it gets me nervous every time. But then again I tend to worry a lot more than I need to (note to self: please work on that!!!)

Wireline school will have me here until the first week of October- I will be living in Jenks, OK until then! Btw I learned last night it's pronounced "jinx" and not like how it's spelled. Picking up bits of Oklahoma! Awesome.

Sundays have been my only free days of the week these past few weeks. But I think that's actually going to change because we'll be following another schedule that depends on our instructor, who by the way is amazing! He is funny but also serious when he needs to be. Learning about wireline tools and techniques are really interesting and I love the hands-on aspect. Everything moves really fast so I've been focused on absorbing all the information being given to me!

Certified SLB Driver

Successfully completed Light Vehicle Training today! After a week in Houston, I flew over to Tulsa, Oklahoma for driver's training for this week. Eeeee it was pretty wild! Did some things I thought I couldn't ever do...aka black ice simulation, skid control, wheel drop, ditch entry....They were so AWESOME! I had a blast. Plus it was very informative. Now I know how to be safe in case of any emergencies!

Driving the huge Ford F250 pickup truck was another experience in itself. Despite having to pull up to the closest seat setting in order to touch the brake and accelerator, I felt powerful and in control! Here's a pic of an F250. I couldn't take a picture of the one that I actually drove because I didn't have time...

Vroom vroommm drove this beast for 3 days straight!

Overall, training has been amazing. I feel so blessed for having this opportunity. Man...so many things can change in one year and I definitely would not have guessed I would be here. I am thankful that God gave me a chance to explore and learn and meet new people! My training class is nothing but friendly and funny and smart. Everyone I've met is so unique and I'm sad to think this will be all over by next weekend. BUT I am sure the things to come will be great as it has been these past days. I'm enjoying my trainee life!

OFS-1 Training

Training is finally here!!!! Hello from Houston, TX!!!

It seems like just yesterday when I was stalking I mean enthusiastically researching for other people's blogs who wrote about their OFS-1 training experience with Schlumberger. I was so nervous and curious as to what exactly went down during the two weeks of training.

Today was the very first day and it went by smoothly. I woke up at 6am to get ready and went downstairs for the free breakfast the hotel provides. Then took the 7:15am shuttle to the training facility. The entire day mainly consisted of just sitting in a classroom (there are a total of 53 of us!) listening to powerpoints on various subjects. The most fun part is meeting everyone- it is so interesting meeting all these people from completely different places who are all here to work for SLB! It kind of reminded me of traveling because in Europe everyone you meet is new and the excitement of meeting fellow travelers never gets old! Darn it I forgot to write about my Europe trip that I took from 5/23-6/6 but I will try to update some other time...

Cool things I noted for the day:
-Received company laptop!!! Which I am writing from right now. A brand new dell, which I think is very nice.
-Got my measurements taken for my coveralls which I will be wearing on the job!
-Dinner at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, which was rented out only for us for the night. Sweeet! Then did a scavenger hunt and more team building exercises there.
-Having my own hotel room. It's really awesome and just looking at the bed kind of makes me sleepy so I think I will get some ZzzzZzzs soon.
-Having alone time is really nice and I'm liking it. It's different from being home because I'm alone without many distractions when I'm in the room. I brought my bible and QT book "The Daily Office" by Peter Scazzero so I've had time in the morning and nights to read and pray.

My goal of being out here in with this whole new experience is to GROW!!! Mentally, physically (muscles perhaps? heh..heh..) as well as spritually.

Excited for another day tomorrow!

Thoughts about Louisiana

The consultant I worked closely with at my current company emailed me after he found out I will be going down to Louisiana in June for my new job at Schlumberger. Here's an excerpt of his email:

"Oh, you're gonna find Louisiana very interesting. Some places are remnants of old times, but the character of the people will make you crack up laughing...and they love a good party!! Also, the seafood!! Extraordinary!. Chances are you'll be working with some people I know as I started in oil and gas in S. Texas and Louisiana. Certainly will be an adventure, cause it is not NY! :)"

This makes me feel excited and curious to what it really will be like to live in the South. Guess only time will tell. I can't believe tomorrow is my last day with this company...after this, no more working in the city. Ah!

Things to do in my 20s

I heard about the Day Zero Project and decided to start my own list of goals. This site helps you start a list and keep track of which goals you've completed. Once you make an account, you can choose from making lists like 101 Goals in 1,001 days or 52 things in 52 weeks, but you can also customize your own.

I decided to make a list for things to do in my 20s. You can choose an end date to your list and mine is July 26, 2019 which is the day before I turn 30. Currently there are 66 things on this list that I want to do.

Some of the things on my list include:

Ride a hot air balloon

Learn to identify ten different constellations

Sing karaoke at a bar

Make amends with at least one ex-friend

Move into my own apartment

Have a traditional picnic in a park

Become a recognized regular somewhere

Host a dinner party

Watch 25 documentaries on topics I know nothing about

Watch a movie at a drive-in

Ask 20 friends to suggest one book, read them all

Keep a “My Day in Six Words” journal for a year

Donate my hair to Locks of Love

I only added the last one (donate my hair) so that I could check off at least one thing on my list to motivate myself to keep going. It says my list is 1% complete with 2625 days left. This is a fun way to make your life exciting and always have something to look forward to.

Help others (with caution)

Yesterday at work I had a really weird and embarrassing thing happen to me. But first here is a little background info about myself…whenever I get emails or fb event invites for 1 minute surveys I always try and do them because it really does take a minute and the more data the surveyor gets, the better!

So these days at the office, I help the front desk take phone calls because they are understaffed. And yesterday, sometime in the afternoon, I received a phone call from a friendly male who claimed to be a senior at UPenn conducting a survey on fashion for his advertising class. I didn’t hang up and agreed to answer his questions. At first the questions were normal, such as the basic info, age range, ethnicity, etc. Then he moved onto questions like on a scale of 1-10 how important is comfortability for clothing… but shortly after that the questions focused more towards lingerie and more personal questions.

I’ll give him credit for having good transition questions because at the end I really had no idea why I let myself stay on the phone for so long. The question right after the comfortability one was on a scale of 1-10 how important is feeling sexy…then asked how important is it to buy sexy lingerie…it was just getting weirder so I answered quickly to get the survey over with. Eventually I hung up because he started asking inappropriate things like seducing men and exactly what age range of men, single/divorced/married. What does this have to do with fashion and/or advertising?

After hanging up I couldn't believe the questions I got asked. Got to be careful with who I choose to interact with! I give people the benefit of the doubt but from now on I have to be wary there are people out there who can be a little craycray.

Some things I want for my future home

Huge windows

Colorful walls

A brick wall somewhere

Big world map

Beaded curtains for doorways

A fridge like this one from SMEG

Childhood favorites

In general, I loved reading all Louis Sachar books. But his Sideways Stories From Wayside School series... Looooved it! Really really loved it.

Other books I loved to read as a kid are:

-The Bailey School Kids series by Marcia T. Jones and Debbie Dadey

-What Do Fish Have to Do With Anything? by Avi

-How To Drive Your Family Crazy On Halloween by Dean Marney

-Help! I'm Trapped in My Principal's Body, and also Don t Get Caught Driving The School Bus by Todd Strasser

-Animorphs series by K. A. Applegate

Listing all these books make me want to go back to my childhood. I really should write thank you letters to all these authors for making my days after coming home from elementary and middle school so interesting and enjoyable.

When I become a mom, I am definitely buying these books for my child. This post was just a reminder to do that in case I forget.

Night in Chelsea

My friend came to visit New York yesterday. She was only here for one night so we grabbed dinner at Shake Shack at Madison Square Park and then walked to Chelsea afterwards. Ever since I discovered Chelsea Market last year, I take every opportunity I have to go again and again. It might just be my favorite place to go in the city! I love markets and lines of stores selling things from cupcakes and chocolates to bread and books. I remember back at CMU one of my favorite memories is going to the Strip District on a Saturday afternoon to visit the long string of sidewalk markets selling Steelers shirts, Pirates gear, and the like. Love just looking around from station to station to see what they have.

It was a really fun night. One thing that I loved was visiting the bookstore and seeing this.

What a unique way of advertising books! Readers from everywhere wrote a short memo based on their experience with a particular book they loved reading. I liked seeing what people thought and added a handful to my “to read” list. Yay! How exciting.

When we were walking out, a guy who had just bought 3-4 bags of grocery overheard us talking about taking a picture by the exit. He had already passed us but asked if we wanted him to take a picture for us. I was caught by surprise because he was genuinely friendly and wanted to help. Even with the heavy grocery bags he managed to take 2 pictures and waited for our confirmation (haha I guess all guys know to do this for girls) then proceeded to leave telling us to have a good night. Kindness in strangers is one thing I really treasure because there isn’t enough in this world. It made me smile!

Lent

Wow I feel totally out of the loop. Now that I’m out of college and not interacting with people from church on a daily basis, I completely forgot tomorrow is Ash Wednesday! The beginning of Lenten season…and just as fast as that hit me, God put in my heart what I should try giving up for the 40 days. It’s pretty settled and whether I like it or not, I will go for it. It will definitely be a challenge but when you give up something, what isn’t? Hopefully it will shape me into a better person who is more dependent on God!

A bit late but celebrating the new year

I feel a lot of changes happening this year. It’s scary but at the same time exciting! Starting off with a job offer that came out of nowhere (life really catches you off guard when you least expect it) to getting a new study bible, doing QTs regularly, and joining a small group.

Since recently, I’ve really been trying to get back on track with my spiritual life because I feel like the things I have to overcome in the future might be tough without being fully connected to God. I want to be stronger in my faith so that I can face anything without being easily discouraged!

I feel happy to go to a small group again. It starts this Thursday! Joining a small group was one of my goals for 2012 and it feels good to check it off my list :) Before finally deciding to go, I was filled with worries, like how I’d get back home if I took a bus there after work and if it’d end too late and if it’d be worth it….of course it’s worth it!!!! If you’re contemplating between something that gets you closer to God and something that doesn’t, you know it’s the enemy trying to lure you away from the right thing for you. With renewed promises and new goals, I feel encouraged and motivated! I know it’s been a month and a half since the new year, but I am really feeling it…this refreshed start of 2012! Weeee

Happy Wednesday

I just got off a chat talking to a 1800contacts representative who was incredibly nice. I thought I’d be talking to a system robot with automated responses but it was a real person! I had no idea what I was doing because I myself don’t wear contacts and since both my younger brother and sister needed to order them but didn’t have time to call, I told them I’d do it…when in actuality I had no idea what I was doing. Powers, axis, prescription, astigmatism all different for right and left…ahhhhh…the representative was nice enough to call the eye doctors for me and get all the info. All I had to do was get the direct link to order and input the info. So helpful!!! He signed off with saying “have a fantastic day!” You too Mr. 1800 contacts representative, you too!

Anyway, that was a mini highlight of my day. Another one I’d like to share is that Yuri and I decided to get dad a new tv for his birthday!!!! This is a big deal because we never buy big presents for our parents. My dad goes by the lunar calendar so the date changes every time. This year, it falls on Valentine’s day so we have to buy it soon. I’m looking on bestbuy and since the tv will be replacing the one in the bedroom, it is not too big. I’m looking at a Samsung 32” tv. We also want to buy a cable that can link the tv with his laptop, since my dad watches movies religiously on his laptop and even more so after I subscribed him to Netflix. And I am serious. He even watches a movie while he gets ready for work. I love movies too but I am not sure if I would be up for that! Anyway, researching cables was another whole new different world, kind of like the contacts world that I visited earlier today. HDMI, VGA, RCA, different audio cables….whaa? Today made me realize that I need to learn and be familiar with a lot more things than I imagined.

No. 1 Without a Pen

My first blog since xanga! Blogspot asked for a header so I titled it “Without a Pen” because I usually write down everything on the nearest post-it but this time, since I’ll probably update while I’m at work (hehe), typing is easier. I’m excited to start a blog again because I love writing about things! I have a really bad memory so I use my journals to read about a time in the past. It’s actually really sad. Last night I tried to remember what I did when my friend from Korea came to visit me in the US for her first time last Thanksgiving but I couldn’t recall anything. Thank God for photos and my diary entries! I need something physical that could remind me of how I spent my days in the past. I used to be nervous about writing my thoughts online because it’s not something you can hang onto and I don’t want it to get lost. If the site shuts down, you lose everything. But since we are in the 21st century I guess it’s okay to rely on it just a little bit.