This week I had two lunches out. Since I rarely eat out once in a week it was an interesting occurence of two very different experiences.

On Monday I went to get my hair cut. I was surprised (happily) to run into Virna and Lisa. Virna was celebrating her completion of her first (and she says last) marathon by having Lisa cut her hair. We chatted, and Virna invited me to join them for lunch across the street at Granville cafe. Febe also joined us, and that was especially lovely because I hadn't seen her in so long. It was a delightful time with great company and delicious food.

Contrast that with today's lunch. I went to church and met with some friends. We hadn't gone out for quite a while and finally decided to go to Souplantation in Pasadena. It was a similar occasion--people I rarely go out with and a friend I hadn't seen for a long time; four of us, just like Monday's lunch. But the atmosphere was completely different. One of our party felt the need to monopolize the conversation and to demonstrate her expertise on pretty much every topic that was brought up. It got tedious, and I had to leave the table more than once to give myself a break. It was nice to hang out with my other two friends, and we had some good conversations when we weren't being interrupted.

One week. Two very different lunches. Such is life.

Wow, I can't believe that it is already April of 2011. Where did the last two years go? Well, if you're still reading my blog, then I suppose I ought to catch you up with things.

School. School is difficult and crazy and frustrating and...well, good. As crazy as things are, I still love it. The last two terms were a little tedious, but the research part is getting interesting. We have a nice research team (me, Matt, Jean, and Dr. Mitchell) for our dissertation project. I must admit that Matt used to drive me nuts and that I did not get along with him at all last year. But we've figured out how to get along and even enjoy each other's company, and he has been pretty good to work with so far. Jean is wonderful, as always. She's smart, hard-working, and easy-going. She just had a baby, so she's pretty wiped out these days, but she's a great addition to our team. As for our fearless leader, Dr. Mitchell, he's pretty awesome. He's one of the smartest people I've ever met. He is introducing us to a lot of interesting stuff, and so far I'm still excited about our topic. I just hope I can continue this excitement for the next year.

Work. Work is...well, awful. Ever since the company restructured last year, it has been a pretty awful place to be. Our boss is, frankly, clueless, and it is not fun to work for her. The company cares nothing about its students anymore; the bottom line is the only line. Teachers are treated as if they were disposable, and administration has no idea what we do. I could complain for hours, but let's just leave it at that.

Church. Church has gotten interesting. We have a new pastor for Renovatus, and he is not hesitating to recognize my strengths. Since he has arrived, I have already gotten to speak twice, and I am also helping with the decision-making process. Of course, I still get to bake every month or so. It's really a very nice group to be a part of. The Sabbath morning service is hit-and-miss, but I'm trying to make it a point to go. I figure that I need to be a part of a community, and that I'm going to have to make the effort to do so.

Relationship. Non-existent. No prospects. Depressing. 'Nuff said.

Family. Complicated. Have to go to a funeral this week. Auntie Mein (my mom's brother's wife) was taken by cancer. She had been sick for a very long time. She was a good mom and wife, and she'll be missed a lot. As for the rest of the family. Yeah, let's just say complicated and leave it at that.

So yeah, I think that's about it. Not that many people read this, but I figured I owe it to the people who do pay attention. No promises to blog more regularly. For some reason, life is kicking my ass right now. Ha ha.

In honor of the Lunar New Year, I am posting my life update, just so you know what's going on.

School--School has overtaken my life. There is rarely a moment that I am not thinking about how much reading I have to do, a project that is due next, or an interesting discussion that I had about educational justice. But it's great. I started with a taste of school in July and then got going full throttle in September. I finished my first term with a 4.0, and now I'm motivated to maintain that. I'm excited by what I'm learning, and it's very interesting. This term is Legal & Ethical Issues in Education and Quantitative Research Methods (stats). Both are very interesting courses, and I've been blessed by great teachers in both classes. At some point I'd like to narrow down my interests to a dissertation topic. I know, there's still time, but I am so eager to get out there and move on. Which brings me to . . .

Work--Work is going relatively well. I find that I am still excited by teaching and that having my students change so often helps keep me motivated. At the same time, the work load is hit and miss. Sometimes it's overwhelming, and sometimes it's not enough to pay the bills. I find it frustrating. Also frustrating is the fact that we are judged constantly by our students through surveys they fill out. I usually don't find these helpful, as the students tend to blame things on me rather than realize they are curricular issues that I can not change (such as how much material I need to get through in a night). Such surveys are used to prevent me from getting a raise, which is quite unfair. Also, I'd like to get out of my doctoral program with some relevant experience so that I don't have to spend several years after graduation working at something that I am overqualified for just to gain experience. The problem is that with all of the budget cuts, no one is hiring for positions that would help me in that respect. So any of you that work in schools, if you hear of anything, I'm admin intern eligible.

Church--Church is going fairly well. I am probably going to change my membership to Eagle Rock SDA after all of these years. It's like getting a divorce from VDSDA, but that place clearly abandoned me years ago. I have been involved in Renovatus at Eagle Rock and have even made some friends there. I bring food once a month and even got to preach last year. It was a lot of fun, and it's nice to be in a place where it is recognized that talents can expand and grow.

Health--Health is :p. I am not taking care of myself as I know I should. I need a coach like the one Oprah had. Not that I can afford that. :p

Relationships--sigh. Have made some friends at school, church, and work. I guess that's nice. But there's still never that "one person" that I know I can call on. It gets rather lonely living that way. Really had hoped to have a husband and kids by now (or at least kids?), but I guess I'm not all that high on God's priority list. sigh

Anyway, that's my life. I know only about 5 of you read this, but thanks for staying tuned.

This poem is the result of two experiences I had this week.

On Monday I tutored a woman for the GRE. She is 55, White, and from middle America. She is very nervous about her test. A while into our session, she said to me, "You are very calming. Where are you from?" I wasn't really sure how to take that. Was she assuming that I was from some exotic Asian land and was bringing the inherent calming effects of my supposed culture? Or was she just asking a question? I still don't know. My answer is in the last line of this poem.

Then last night in class we actually had to write "I am from" poems. It was kind-of odd that this came up after my experience on Monday. We wrote them together, and we didn't have a whole lot of time. But after last night, I felt moved to write my own "I am from" poem.

I don't know that it's complete. I don't think it will ever really be complete. But here's what I came up with.


I am from . . .

. . . a sugar cane farmer on a far away island
. . . an owner of a fleet of fishing boards on the Pacific Ocean
. . . a man who died in an unknown village in China
. . . a devout member of a Catholic parish in Spain
. . . families torn apart by a war
. . . grandparents who dreamed of more for their children
. . . parents who saw education as a golden ticket
. . . someone who could see opportunities on distant shores

I am from . . .

. . . a preacher at a tent meeting on that same far away island
. . . a colporteur who sold books door to door
. . . a group of young believers who longed for the return of their savior
. . . a pastor who preached grace without extending it to others
. . . church members who threw me away when I was deemed no longer useful
. . . a God who loves unconditionally

I am from . . .

. . . a collective of teachers—Mrs. Croak to Dr. Lalas—who imparted me with their knowledge—and lack of knowledge
. . . a science teacher who played H-O-R-S-E with me during P.E. rather than traumatize me with team sports
. . . a vice-principal who saw potential rather than mediocrity
. . . a professor who asked, “What was it like growing up gifted?” (to which I replied, “I was?”)

I am from . . .

. . . people in a city that places youth and beauty above all else
. . . aunts, uncles, cousins, second- and third- cousins, once-, twice-, thrice-removed, who arrived one after the other
. . . a family that must answer the question, “May I speak with Dr. Repique?” with “Which one?”

I am from . . .

. . . hundreds of students, who gave me more than they could possibly know
. . . groups of dedicated teachers and students who shared their hearts on Kairos and Emmaus
. . . principals, vice-principals, and department chairs for whom potential donor dollars were worth more than people
. . . colleagues—devoted and not---who inspire me with uncountable reasons to walk into a classroom

I am from . . .

. . . an unexpected friend who challenged me to be better than I was
. . . another friend who knew how to use my gifts without making me feel used
. . . new classmates and professors who are teaching me to become a superhero for educational justice

 
Where am I from?

I am from . . .

. . . here

I found this really great article on the LA Times Website. It's pretty thought-provoking. I know that most of the people who read my blog (which isn't very many of you) disagree with me about things like this, but I really believe that Father Geoffrey Farrow has a lot of courage to come out in such a public way. He will probably lose his job--not just any job but his CALLING--because of his convictions. I was especially moved by this quote from the article:

"The Bible is not a book, it's a library written over 15 centuries," Farrow told me, suggesting that Christianity has and should continue to evolve. "People who approach scripture in a literal fashion are attempting to manipulate God himself."

Wow . . . I've never heard things stated that way. I'll have to think about this some more . . .

I hope other people will think as well.

I found this fascinating article recently. It says that teenagers who attend church have a higher average GPA than teenagers who don't attend church. The article lists several factors that may contribute to this, including socialization with adults, participation in extracurricular activities, and strong friendships. Interestingly, the author doesn't give much value to the "God factor," and even states that any organization that offers the above-mentioned factors would do just as well as church. Despite my previous life as "church girl," I tend to agree with the author's assertions. Let me know what you think.

Here's another This I Believe that I read today. This one makes me sad, though I completely understand where the writer is coming from. I know what it's like to serve God out of fear rather than love. And I definitely know what it's like to be judged by fellow church members to the point of having to walk away.

I'm glad that Paul Thorn has finally found a spirituality that works for him, one in which he can live without fear. It's very sad how Christians treated him. I hope that one day he realizes that though we wear the label of Christian, we're not always good at being a Christ-like as we should.

So, I haven't really updated most people on what's going on in my life, so I figured I'd take the time to do so (while I'm waiting for stuff to finish printing).

Work is going well. I am now teaching GMAT almost exclusively, though that is probably more due to scheduling than anything else. GRE students and GMAT students are different types, but they all manage to keep me from becoming bored with my job. I am planning to (re)take the LSAT sometime within the next couple of weeks so that I can teach that as well. Yeah, I took it a week ago. I needed a 164; I got a 161. Now, if I were planning to apply to law school, that would have been an awesome score. Unfortunately, I need to score exceptional to teach the class. So I'll study for it this time, and I suppose I'll do better. :p

I was working for a VERY short while at a vocational school. I was supposed to teach algebra once a week. The job turned into a complete nightmare that never seemed to end. They monopolized my time, required more and more work by the day but limited my hours, and seemed to think that I had nothing better to do than cater to their every whim. There wasn't enough parking for all of the faculty. Whoever heard of a school that has stacked parking for its faculty, including the part-time ones who come in at odd hours? I will refrain from mentioning the school's name, but I will try to fill you in on all of the gory details someday.

Milo is doing well. He is silly and goofy and cute. He has also gained more weight than he was supposed to, and he is starting to get fat. He sleeps way too much, and really seems to enjoy napping under the kitchen table. I suppose I should find him some training classes, but I'm just too lazy myself.

I started volunteering at the Downtown Women's Center over a year ago, and I am so blessed to have found them. I am now a core member of the birthday guild, which plans and puts on birthday parties once a month for the residents. I just love it. Unfortunately, work is interfering with it these days. I'm not complaining about the income; I just wish the two things didn't conflict so often. :p I hope that some of you will get to visit DWC with me and will see why I love it so much. I have pictures on Facebook, so those of you who read this there can go into my photos and look at the pictures.

I have been attending church on Friday nights at Renovatus at the Eagle Rock SDA Church. It is a post modern, intimate service with a great band and a welcoming message. Virna's husband Danny is in charge, and I also have made some other friends there. It's nice having friends again; I don't have very many.

My family is doing OK. In fact, we are getting a visit from the East Coast gang in a couple of days. Annie is now 5, and she knows everything--at least that's what she would believe. She's also quite gorgeous, which makes her a double threat. It will be a fun visit, but I'm sure it will tire me out.

My love life is still nonexistent, but not for lack of want. I tell people that I really don't mind being introduced to their friends, but no one ever does. Most of the time I can't help but think that most of my friends think I'm too much of a loser to meet THEIR friends, but, well, you know.

OK, well, I do need to get to work, but that's the LONG version of my life, in case you were wondering. Also, I managed to update my profile (on here, and on Facebook), so check it out at your leisure.