Oldie

This was taken back in September; I just felt like posting it for some reason.

Good night y'all.

Surreal Madness

I had IHOP for dinner and it's snowing in October... MADNESS I SAY!

What's even madder is that I couldn't even finish 2 dinky little pancakes for the all you can eat special! I should have came hungry... I blame Jake and his delicious strawberry-rhubarb pie... ::murmurs:: Speaking of, I'm very grateful to have partnered up with him. Thank you Jake for everything, I feel so bad because I feel like you did more work than me. It's usually the other way around for my group projects, I just hope you didn't feel too burdened. Honestly, what motivated me to work in a group for this project was the fact that he said he hated group projects. I believe this is his senior year, and I just wanted to show him that not all group projects have to be bad, and for him to graduate with a more positive perspective on the idea. I don't know how well this turned out for you, or how you still think of them, but I tried. Thank you for being an awesome partner.

What else... oh ehhehe I was in the apartment just chilling before project work and I heard Lisa sing "... Everyday I'm shufflin'..." LOL.

I love you Lisa.

As for tomorrow, the madness continues!

Unfold

I am loving this song recently.

Song: Unfold
Artist: Marie Digby

What I can remember
Is a lot like water
Trickling down a page
Of the most beautiful colors
I can't quite put my finger
Down on the moment
That I became like this...

You see I am the bravest girl
You will ever come to meet
Yet I shrink down to nothing
At the thought of someone
Really seeing me
I think my heart is wrapped around
And tangled up in winding weeds

But I don't wanna go on living
Being so afraid of showing
Someone else my imperfections
And even though my feet
Are trembling
And every word I say I'm stumbling
I will bare it all... watch me unfold
Unfold

These hands that I hold
Behind my back are
Bound and broken
By my own doing
And I can't feel
Anything anymore
I need a touch to remind me
I'm still real

But I don't wanna go on living
Being so afraid of showing
Someone else my imperfections
And even though my feet
Are trembling
And every word I say I'm stumbling
I will bare it all... watch me unfold
Unfold

My soul
It's dying to be free
You see... I can't live the rest of my life
So guarded
It's dying to be free
It's up to me to choose...
What kind of life I lead

Cuz I don't wanna go on living
Being so afraid of showing
Someone else my imperfections
And even though my feet
Are trembling
And every word I say
I will bare it all... watch me unfold
Unfold

I will allow someone to love me
I will allow someone to love me.

The Weekend

Ah, this weekend has been splendid! Just wanted to share a recap of it with y'all:

Friday
Coffee & Scripture: This is Erica, like a boss.

Did the usual Coffee & Scripture at the Harborside Starbucks study room with CSF peeps, but also went to JWU's first Food Day.
I had no idea this was going on since the school clearly did not advertise for this event. Good thing we came out to C&S because I would not have been able to experience the awesome FREE FOOD. So what exactly is Food Day you ask? Basically a whole bunch of representatives from local purveyors and farms came to visit JWU and educate the students about the produce our school receives for labs and such. They brought the best freebies: apples, squash, cheese, cranberries, etc. Although the food was amazing, I must admit that what won me over were the free magnets that had HACCP procedures and internal cooking temperatures on them!
It was nice to see where all the food we work with actually comes from! I love it when people take advantage and utilize the local resources around them because they just have so much to offer! I'm excited because there is more and more awareness about the need for sustainability as time goes by, and that's how it should be!

Not only did we get to meet farmers and purveyors, but we got to see JWU students participating in the event with some of our coolest chefs. They volunteered to cook outside for the day, using the different produce provided to make dishes like sweet potatoes and oven brick pizza! This is one of the few moments that actually represent what JWU is all about; it was so refreshing and pleasing to see our students getting involved, working hard, and most importantly, doing what they love.

Speaking of love, I finally saw Chef Stamm! Of course he would be helping out :) I haven't seen this man since last winter... it was so good to catch up with him. We must have stood there and talked for at least 30-40 minutes. Hahaha I took him away from the pizza station :} It is always such an encouragement when I speak to him, no wonder he is so loved. Oh! He also just got named one of the top 10 Chefs this year! It's pretty recent news so I don't know the details yet, but he deserves it. Congratulations Chef :D He also published his book The Pastry Chef's Apprentice , which I am buying right after I save up some money! Yay I am so happy for him :) I also hope you guys can keep him in your prayers; I am praying that he will be able to visit GH one day or even Coffee & Scripture! I told him about the Christian community I am a part of around here, and he said he might stop by and say hi one day ::crosses fingers:: I've been meaning to invite him for a while because I know his schedule is packed and that it's not easy being in the kitchen and maintaining a spiritual life. He grew up with a Jewish background, but I hope God will open up his heart and eyes to the saving Gospel.

My favorite man on campus (I was looking at the liveview instead of the lens, but Chef came out nice!):


Here are some pics from Friday, but the rest will be available on my Flickr account or Google+ or maybe even FB. I hate what FB does to the quality, but it's one of the easiest ways to share my photos. Plus all my friends are big FB users and keep requesting that I post them there, so we shall see! I know some other people who post up pics from their DSLRs too but they don't turn out as grainy and weird like mine :T I don't get it...

Food Day 2011:


Fresh Produce



For more pictures http://dstuchel.blogspot.com/2011/10/food-day-2011.html

Dinner with Lisa <3 She makes awesome ramen ;)

Project 365 No More!

Okay well I like to keep my word so I have stopped project 365! It breaks my heart because I really did try hard this time, BUT, fear not! The experience I had this time around has made me realize how much I love blogging and taking pictures at the same time :) So even though I have stopped project 365, I will continue to blog and post up photos from my daily life because it's fun to me. It is my own form of a stress-relieving activity, an escape from all this other crazy madness that is running amuck!

Again, I do this for fun so some photos may be random and less developed than others. I just enjoy sharing what I love to do, especially when I put in more effort into some of my favorite photos/pieces. I appreciate feedback as well; let me know what you think about the pictures b/c I like to see things from different perspectives too! :) This is just for fun so I won't take things to heart hehekekeke.

Well I left off with trying to post up Day 34, but realized that I only had every other day after that! So this was the photo and post that I was originally going to share for Thursday:

... continued...

11 hours baby, yeah yeah!

Woke up and realized that I failed to post my response to Dr. Almeida's discussion about sleep issues and college students... hurhur. Oh well, I don't regret it one bit.

Ended up going to my FSM class for only 29 minutes because we had a midterm that day, awesome! :D
So I went home and chilled until my group meeting at 3:30 p.m. I was in such a good mood that I decided to play with my face. Yes, play with my face.
Does it look okay? I'm still learning how to use makeup since I don't wear it... at all. Haha but I would like to learn b/c I want to be prepared for special occasions in the future. Plus, I take it as a fun form of art that will allow you to play with other people's faces :}

Twas a good way to start the weekend :)

Beauty Sleep: 34/365

Day 34: (Thursday)

Came home early because I was about to collapse from stress, fatigue, and my pd... found Isaac at our door about an hour after I got home because he wanted to stay somewhere warm, aww. Haha we chatted and man this guy never changes. Still very passionate about God, growing up into His kingdom, and knows much about biblical theology, yet cannot remember my name... ever. LOL. That's okay Isaac, I forgive you... again.

After Isaac left I watched an episode or two of Hart of Dixie before crashing into the most glorious sleep of my life!

To be continued...

::edit::

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

I can't find a picture for Wednesday :'{ I worked so hard this time to keep up, I'm so sad...

Well, I guess from now on it's no longer Project 365.

Tuesday Night Torture: 33/365

Day 33: (Tuesday)

Yay, so all that PMS-ing wasn't for nothing! Haha, but it could not have been better timing because this night was "stay up for psychology project phase 1" night. I was invited to another Boonie "hangout" over Google+ but had to reject because I had to concentrate @_@. Ended up falling asleep from 12:30 a.m.- 2:30 a.m. and staying up the rest of the er, uh, morning.

You can imagine just what a beauty I was that morning. Hahahha.

To be continued...

Oh, and this is the porridge I made to help me stay up that crazy night!

Week 7: 32/365

Day 32: (Monday)

This was going to be the start of a long school week...

Another Week: 31/365

Day 31: (Sunday)

I... just don't know ahaha.

Went to the mall with Jasmine after church and got me a suit! Haha, I had an interview scheduled for the next day, which I ended up wearing different pants to anyways because my suit pants were too long. We picked up some Popeyes and Indian food for lunch and then headed back to the house for h.w. and such. Was a bit tiring.

JWU Hospitality: 30/365

Day 30: (Saturday)

Time to catch up on this project! Man it's been so crazy busy lately that I've only been able to snap photos daily instead of posting them and writing blog entries about them. Sorry :X Well, technically I didn't break any rules, but I just happen to like blogging about my day to go along with the pictures :)

So... Saturday!

Last Saturday I spent the day home-working and night eating out with Lisa :) Hehe, we went to Sura again (Sura is definitely the best Korean restaurant in Providence so far). We stuffed ourselves with my two favorite Korean dishes, Ojinguh Bokum, and Soondubu. It was packed that night; looked like a company went out to celebrate something at the restaurant. So after we ate our yummy food, we went next door to grab some hot drinks at Smallpoint Cafe. This is my favorite cafe in Providence because it is just so darn cute! The decor is reflective of their point to go green and stay local; they even use fettuccine as coffee stirrers! I also make an effort to stop by here on school days to grab my chai tea latte in the morning; I have never had someone make me a hot drink at the perfect temperature before, and I am happy that they offer semi-decent pain aux chocolats too. Boy do I miss those... T^T

Anyhoos, so I was going to head home after our coffee run, but Lisa ended up bringing me along to her friend's house. Her friend Sally was super cute and nice, and let us come over to make dumplings. Now mind you that there were no reaal dumpling skins at Stop & Shop, so we had to settle for wonton skins. They still came out well, but extra healthy tasting. I prefer pork and chives or mushrooms in my dumplings, but these tasted pretty good for turkey/ cabbage/mushroom/tofu dumplings! Haahah
We headed up to Thayer for some Fro-yo World and talked about crazy professors at JWU and then went home.

Twas a good time.

*P.S. doesn't Lisa look adorable in this pic? Hehehe

BAH: 29/365

Day 29:

BAH!

My snoozempal agrees.

Here We Go Again: 28/365

Day 28:

Career Fair, ah!!! Ran around all day worrying about career fair, networking, and lunching, and job hunting, MAH!
I'm tired.

I'm eyeing Wegman's and Whole Foods.

I'm learning to let go of Disney... ::wince, tear::

I'm confused.

Time to Go: 27/365

Day 27:

Midterm, class, and quiz.

Grocery shopping, dinner, good-byes.

That was Wednesday.

Doesn't Dai Lo look pretty here?

Authority, Love, and the Commune: 26/365

Day 26:

We ran on a Monday schedule because of Columbus Day, so I was ready to have those 3 back to back classes but found out that Professor Farrell cancelled class... With a 2 hour gap in between, I just didn't know what to do with myself haha. But things panned out and I met up with Peony and Dennis afterwards. I got to give them an informal tour of the museum, HAC, REC, and CCE building. We ate at Harborview for dinner (man I haven't been there in a while too) before heading over to TNT. So we finally made it to TNT and heard Travis speak about "connecting Authority and Love", which really didn't happen because he reviewed the two previous messages and ran out of time. Oh Travis. Haha, it was good though! I can't wait for the next meeting so that we can connect the two and hear what he has to say. I'm so happy that some of my good friends got to meet my other good friends. :) They seem to really like The Jewett and said that we have great fellowship here. Join the commune LOL. No.

Oh yeah, and I studied for the psych midterm, yay...

Back: 25/365

Day 25:

Rise and shine! We woke up early Monday morning to catch our bus back to Providence. It was certainly a looooong day, but productive nonetheless. We got to experience our first Zipcar rental goodness and drove over to Newport! We did the dangerous cliff walk (which really wasn't so dangerous), stopped by a beach where we saw the cutest baby seagulls, and wrapped up our trip with quahog stuffies by the ocean drive during sunset. Afterwards, we went back to The Jewett and had nice long conversations before we went to sleep. By the way, Monday just seemed incredibly long and late when in reality the whole house was feeling exhausted at 8 p.m. Strange...

I Get It: 24/365

Day 24:

I get it. I'm not a good daughter nor am I a very good person. I lack manners, I can't save even if my life depended on it, I'm whiny, immature, and selfish. You wish I could be this, or you wish I could have done that. I'm never enough and I never will be. And the list goes on, I already know all that.

But is it too much to ask that just for once you don't bring it up when we see each other?
It's not like I intentionally try to sabotage you or make life harder on you. Cause really I don't even have the patience or time to do so.

Sometimes my friends find it hard to believe that I don't show how much I value family or just how things work for me and my family. It's not like I want my own family in the future to be the same way, but you have to understand that it's hard to change the one you're already a part of after so long. You may have a family that eats at the dinner table together every single night and calls to check up on another; or one that talks to each other and hangs out like best friends and willingly helps you out when you need it, but not every one is so fortunate. Yes effort counts, but if you don't get along, find it hard to trust each other, lack respect for one another, and can't understand/reason with each other on an emotional and or intellectual level, you can't possibly say that things would be the same if you just "try".

I am just so sick of getting lectured about things I already know, and I am disgusted by your lack of trust towards me. Go ahead, doubt me. Complain about me. Eventually I'll grow indifferent. After all, I just need some time before I can stop depending on you.

Yay Congratulations, I'm a bitch.

What else is new?

Bread For the Soul: 23/365

Day 23:

Woke up later than usual because I had too adventurous of a Friday (still love you Peony and Dennis). Got ready and headed out for a haircut/trim before I met up with Lisa. I decided to try out a new salon and the hairdresser asked me, "Who cut your bangs?" And I wanted to say that I got a haircut last month from Cinderella Hair Castle when I suddenly remembered that I trimmed my own bangs a few weeks ago. So I said, "Uh... me?" and asked if it was that bad that he noticed right away. Now of course asians are quick to sugar coat things, "Yeah, next time come here to get your bangs cut. It's only $5." LOL.

Anyways... Had a study date with Lisa(r) today at the Bay Terrace Panera. I was able to tackle some homework, but there is still much to be done... With that being said, I don't regret not finishing everything up today because it was filled with a meaningful time of sharing and discussion. I don't think I have ever been able to talk to someone like that in my entire life... that was pretty impressive Lisa. The questions and exchange of thoughts were almost non-stop by the end of the night, did you notice that? And they were pretty stimulating and deep too... so thank you for today.

Then I got home in time to eat out with David and Louise. Plans to make dinner and or go to CAC flopped... oh well, the night was not wasted.

Exploration Day : 22/365

Day 22:
I am just so tired from today that I can't even write everything out right now...

::edit::

So let's re-trace our footsteps:

-Woke up and got ready to visit St. John's, where the lovely Jessica Bang and Grace go to school. The commute wasn't so bad and it was relatively easy to find.
-Got an informal and quick tour of the school and sat down at the DAC building to chat for a bit before we headed out for lunch. That's when we walked by the staircase and on our way out JBang goes, "Oh, and you know Andrew" and I said, "No, no I don't" but then look up to see Andrew Yim! "Ah yes! I do know him!" Hahaha I forgot he went there... ^^;;
-Jess drove us out to Press 195, the place I've been dying to try out for the longest time since I always see The Regulars posting up pics of them Belgian fries. And needless to say, the place was pretty darn good. The sandwiches were not overwhelmingly heavy on the stomach, but left you satisfied. And I had a sip of the strawberry lemonade drink from there, yum!
-Later on we dropped Grace off at the library but turned around in the crazy traffic/mayhem of a day to return her wallet. Afterwards, we tried our hardest to find the Hall of Science but ended up going on a side adventure filled with never-ending road obstacles... literally.
-When we finally get to the Hall of Science, turns out the Groupon we bought would go to waste since the mini-golf course was closed :'{ Luckily the admissions lady told us to save it for another day since we arrived in time for free admissions. I hope Jess will be able to have fun with someone else at mini-golf next time and not get lost on the way there!
-After our time at the Hall of Science, we went back to her place and watched Bad Teacher. Oh boy, it was slightly inappropriate and awkward but entertaining for some parts. Still got a few good laughs here and there... gotta love crazy people.
-JBang walked me over to the bus stop and we talked until the bus came (<3).
-Went back home to grab a hoodie because it was FREEZING and I didn't want to catch a cold before I met up with the Nigerian Princess.
-Had a nice last minute dinner with Saaaandra at the wonton noodle place near White Bear. Technically the restaurant was closed but the owners were nice and took us in as their last customers, Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Wonton Noodle Shop People! :)
-Then we had ourselves some KUNGFU TEA and said our goodbyes to Sandra. Meanwhile, Peony, Dennis and I chatted for quite a bit before we went to Corona Park.
-Corona Park! Night time beauty! LICKING THE GLOBE!
-CLIMBING THE GLOBE... and failing.
-Wendy's.
-Tired eyeballs.
-Good times.
-Sleep.

The End.

A Little Bit of Home: 21/365

Day 21:

Headed back home after my FSM class this morning (which by the way turned out to be very rewarding because Professor Blum made us realize how going to class is a privilege) and arrived in the city around 5p.m. I saw two of my good friends in one night! What a blessing it is to have such friends <3. Sandra and I did Sentosa, but she had to leave early because of her internship in the morning tomorrow. But that gave me a chance to meet up with Lisar and just talk. It was a very nice night, thank you for your company!

Now I am pooped.

Time for h.w. and sleep. Night night~

Bah: 20/365

Day 20:

So much work...

Food Food: 19/365

Day 19:

Lisa gave me some of her pasta today mmmmmmm.

And then I had breakfast for dinner with Jasmine later on, double mmmmmmmm.

Who Knows? : 18/365

Day 18:

.______.

Blessed: 17/365

Day 17:

Wow our weekend is already gone! That's okay though, I get to go home after this week ends :D

Now recap of today:

So we went to church as usual around 10 a.m. for service and continued the series on Galatians; today's sermon was about Being Concerned with Inconsistency. It helped that Kevin talked a lot about why and how our spiritual lives are in danger because sometimes I feel alone in my struggles and abnormally bad compared to other Christians. The passage today was a clear reminder about how we naturally forget, become hardened, and are prone to being deceived in our faith. Funny thing is that we ended up carrying over some of the stuff that Kevin preached about to our "laundry party" today.

After we came home and ate leftover chicken curry, we headed over to the usual laundromat together and talked a lot while waiting for our clothes to get done. I don't know why, but recently the women of The Jewett seem to be unintentionally (or intentionally, who knows) living out some of the stereotypical female roles. Haha and by that I mean Melissa and Jasmine were knitting while all three of us sat together and talked about our feelings LOL. And the other day, they were on the 1st floor knitting while the guys sat there playing Call of Duty. Anyhoos! I was actually deeply encouraged by the conversation we shared at the laundromat; it made me realize how blessed I really am to have found a group of people who care so much about the well-being of our brothers and sisters. We may not all be close, and we may go around calling each other "haters"and tease each other about looking like "pink boo-bahs", but at the end of the day, I know we love each other despite our imperfections. I have never met a group of people who think about each other as much as they do, and try to become more involved in each other's lives because they genuinely want to help each other grow. Kevin mentioned today in the sermon that flattery can be dangerous since it seeks good for the self, whereas encouragement seeks the good for the one hearing. I just admire them so much for constantly putting in the effort to apply what they learn into their daily lives.

So after the laundromat we headed back to the house and I ended up making and eating dinner together with Lisa! Lisa, oh Lisa. Everyone seems to think you're a ghost (jokingly of course...) because you are so busy throughout the week! I truly cherish the time we get to spend with each other on the weekend, even if it's just sitting at home and talking. I miss hanging out with you girl. We talked a lot about Vietnam and traveling and our friends, and how she and Roxy really want me to go visit Maine this Thanksgiving break. I will go because I may not get another chance, plus I want to meet the people who mean so much to her that she can consider them her second family. I must admit I'm a bit nervous though; I didn't mean to make excuses and seem like I didn't want to go back with her in the past, but her family seems so awesome that I don't want to disappoint them. Plus, even though NY is only 3-4 hrs away, I do get home sick and want to see my friends :( But I will do my best to make beautiful memories with Lisa and the Wrights :)

Then I crashed the second floor and spent some h.w. time with them hehe. I've never seen the second floor so quiet and clean/clear of people on a Sunday night! (They all moved downstairs for the night.)

And then I went back upstairs because people need to sleep and wake up at 5 a.m. to work in the kitchen of Marketplace and all that jazz. Jia yo Melissa!

And I found out they were making cookies on the 1st floor so I really wanted some and asked Jasmine to get me one but of course she didn't :( I went back to my room all sad and ready to study when suddenly, :: knock knock:: dadadara! Andrew came up to give me a chocolate chip cookie! :D I was so touched... A-Wizzle came all the way up to deliver one cookie :'{ So nice, Thank you Andrew! And now all is right with the night. I can go to sleep feeling good.

In case you haven't noticed I like me my cookies...

Mi Gato es en Fuego: 17/365

Day 17:

Hola! Today we finally did our restaurant critique at Spain Restaurant in Cranston, RI. And I must say that it was pretty awesome hehe. First off, the parking lot was clear of any diapers (Yes, I said diapers! You would be surprised at things people do nowadays...) and had sufficient parking spots. Secondly, both the exterior and interior were very reflective of the Spanish culture. I felt as if we weren't even in America anymore; It was so beautiful.

So far I have had pretty good luck with choosing nice restaurants based off of yelp :) ::pat pat on the back::

Anyways, the food was not disappointing and neither were the prices. It's your typical $20+ meal for nice quality and more upscale service. I had myself an appetizer because I wasn't that hungry and it saved me money. Even though it was an appetizer, it was pretty filling for one person. Here's some pictures of my appetizer (Portobello Spain), another person's entree(Salmon something...), and their oh so clever version of a dessert menu.



Oh, special shout out to Erica for coming with me!!! Dinner two nights in a row with you my lady, what an honor :} <3

I don't know if Peony and Dennis would be up for it, but I would highly recommend that they try this out. Plus, I would totally go there again!