I've decided to make the move over.

Although I prefer the look of this site, the new one has more interactive features. Please visit me at the new place: www.xanga.com/aychiu. It's a little restrictive, i.e. you need to login in order to post comments (you don't need to if you're just viewing/reading), but overall it's pretty user-friendly.

I'll still keep this site (esp. if we discover anything very un-user friendly and insiduous over there) but won't post here unless the other one drives us crazy. :)

Thanks for reading! And write when you can!

I'm considering moving over to another site... what do you think?
George mentioned having a place for people to post and comment. This site would have that capability. Other neat gadgetry, bells & whistles, too.

Feedback would be great!

It was wonderful to sing songs of Christ's birth at church today. We sang "O Holy Night", "God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen", "Away In a Manger." (I think you can listen to some of it here.) There aren't many fancy decorations at church, just a few bright wreaths with the tiny sparkle lights and some candles. The walls in the sanctuary are a warm orange-red, which make it feel homey and nice.

It's been easy to block out the mass commercial advertising of Christmas this year since I've been wrapped up in school and exams. I am still a little surprised that the 25th is a little over a week away. Unfortunately, I've missed the anticipation and excitement of the Advent season as well. Sometimes I find myself just cynical and hard when I see the decorations and festivities, feeling that it's all there for manipulation and feeding the shopping frenzy. In some ways I feel justified (like a righteous anger) and then, I wonder if I'm mad because I don't really understand why we celebrate.

So rather than blame corporate America for "stealing" our holiday, I'm going to be thankful for this season. Another year has passed and I'm reminded of the awe and mystery of life. Each year it's comforting and familiar, and yet it's new. Again, I'm thankful for family, good friends, the opportunity to study and learn, and certainly, for the birth of Jesus, God who became man.

" 'Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you...'
Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?'
Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.' " (John 6:27-29)

Is it really that simple? To believe? And what kind of work am I doing for food that spoils? Hmm. "Believe" can sometimes be relegated to the passive or the "spiritual." But should it? (Anyone with more insight on the passage, please share with me!) Am I supposed to be believing in Jesus as I study for finals? Simple? Yes. Easy? Probably not!

I ask,"Why should I study Civil Procedure when the world may end tomorrow?"

Finals are here. Coffee isn't working well in keeping me awake for classes or studying. I switched to tea today, and that seemed to help. I wonder if it has something to do with the body developing some sort of tolerance to a specific source of caffeine. I thought caffeine was caffeine, effect varying by quantity consumed. Hmmm... I think I need to test my hypothesis... can the scientists help me out here? Aunt Linda? Chris Weber?

I used to get in trouble in grade school for talking too much. My fifth-grade teacher called my mom at least a few times for parent-teacher conferences, saying that my mom ought to tell me that she was the teacher and I was not! I guess I saw it was my job to explain to my fellow classmates many things during class time (when I wasn't supposed to, obviously.)

I thought I had grown up since then. I didn't speak up much in college, didn't participate much in class discussion. It probably wasn't out of a mature humility or submissive attitude, rather I think I just wasn't prepared and didn't have anything meaningful to add! Even now, I wish I had more to say in my law classes.

However, the Bible isn't kidding when it says the tongue can be evil and cause a lot of damage. Or rather, the person with the tongue is the evil one and wields it to cause damage. I really haven't changed so much. It can be so subtle at times... like I didn't mean for it to mean what it sounded like... or you're just being sensitive and I really meant something else...or I'm right and you're wrong and I'm going to show you... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry.... I'm sorrry.... I'm sorry....but then, you can't take it back. What's been said has been said.

It was my pride you know, defending myself against the criticism. I had good reasons for saying what I did, after all! I'm on the right side, here! Who are you to tell me that I wasn't careful with my words?!?! In my efforts to prove myself blameless, I hurt that person though. I didn't care about the method, or the words... gosh, didn't I sound persuasive even to my own ears!.... all I wanted was to be vindicated. This was justice!

And in the process, I did some terrible damage. I asked for forgiveness, but I can't take back the words. And they will be ringing between us now.

So Grace thinks I'm procrastinating by blogging. She e-mailed me and said "Don't email back." Haha, that made me laugh. Ok, Grace, I'm going to study (or plan to) today. You can't even really call it "cramming" since we're still in classes and the final is more than a week away!

Today was a good day. Beautiful sunny and clear sky. I went to the doctor earlier this morning (Mom, aren't you proud of me?) and the health center is on the main campus. The law building is a few blocks off of the main campus, and though the distance isn't great, it feels like worlds apart. The law students rarely go to the main campus for anything (even the bookstore is slightly off-campus.) So even though UW is reknown for its BEAUTIFUL campus, I don't take advantage of enjoying it.

So I walked through main campus, and after my appointment (he gave me some medicine, and I'll check back with him next month - don't worry, Mom, the chest x-ray showed everything looked fine) I walked over to the Student Union Bldg. It's called the HUB (Husky Union Bldg) and it's HUGE and TONS of students (though it's not really crowded) are hanging out, chatting, eating, reading, studying, etc. It's newly renovated, so it's really clean, bright, and many really nice food selections. I bought a Torrefazione coffee and bagel and the NY Times and sat by the ceiling-to-floor windows of "The Atrium." What a perfect spot. Sun on my back, delightful coffee, the newspaper and several hours before I needed to be at the law school again. What more could a girl ask for?

I felt so absolutely content to be there. So much more like the undergrad "college" feel to it. I wondered what it would have been like to go to undergrad here... meeting with your friends here, grabbing lunch, reading the Bible with your accountability buddy (as two girls at a table next to me were doing.) Wow, I missed college life. Thinking back on the Berkeley days... hanging out at Caffe Strada, reading my Poli Econ text, knowing that if I made it down to Sproul Fountain around lunchtime, I'd be sure to run into a few friendly faces.

Sigh. Law school is just not the same.

Go CAL!

Ok, this is probably over-kill.

I had an interesting conversation with my fellow group-mates this afternoon. So there's 173 of us 1Ls (first-year law students) at UW. I'm in Group 6 (of 7), which has 23 students, including me. (Aside: Did you know my class is 2/3 women?) A few of us were talking Contracts, and we somehow got onto the topic of the institution of marriage. The pastor at Mars Hill (the church I'm a part of here in Seattle) and others talk about how marriage is a pretty funny, strange and CRAZY thing to get into, apart from believing that it's ordained by God and such. Heck, it's pretty crazy even when you do!

I mean, I agreed with my group-mates... it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to have "the State" regulate your personal relationships and confer "status" on you, limiting and allowing as they choose. However, it does make a lot of sense when one knows that marriage is something God desires and delights in, and that can be a very beautiful and powerful symbol of Christ and the Church.

I like my group-mates. They've got a lot of opinions, which they aren't afraid to voice!

Test, test, test.

Even now, I'm still a little wary about these publish-your-life-and-secret-thoughts on the web. You hear all these scary stories about virtual stalking. Or worse, who wants to read about your life and secret thoughts anyway?!?!

But maybe I'm being converted. After all, it's a great way to share the day-to-day details of life with loved ones who want to know. That's nice. And it's certainly better than trying to write the same e-mail over and over. This Internet stuff has sure made it really tough. The older we get, the more people we know, and the harder it gets trying to keep in touch with folks - and yet, e-mail's supposed to make life easier, more efficient, faster communication, etc.

Ah, but I must admit, it is still pretty cool. I remember when I sent my first e-mail my freshman year of college. Within the hour, I'd run downstairs to the Unit 3 Computer Lab to check if I got a response yet. Then, I couldn't wait to read it and write back. I think I got, maybe, two e-mails a day. :) Now... I still try, I really do, and yet, I inevitably fall behind.

There are just so many of you lovely folk out there that I'm blessed to know and love!