This is what the LORD says:

"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."

The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?

"I the LORD search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."

Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
is the man who gains riches by unjust means.
When his life is half gone, they will desert him,
and in the end he will prove to be a fool.

A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning,
is the place of our sanctuary.
O LORD , the hope of Israel,
all who forsake you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust
because they have forsaken the LORD ,
the spring of living water.

Heal me, O LORD , and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.
They keep saying to me,
"Where is the word of the LORD ?
Let it now be fulfilled!"
I have not run away from being your shepherd;
you know I have not desired the day of despair.
What passes my lips is open before you.
Do not be a terror to me;
you are my refuge in the day of disaster.

Jeremiah 17:5-17

I listened to a good sermon by Tim Keller, the head pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church here in NYC. This passage reminded me that all of us trust... whether it be in man (other people) and one's own flesh/strength or in God.

It's not a choice of no trust or trust in God. We either trust in our intelligence, experience, rationality, environment, etc etc. or in God and His Word revealed to us. Therefore, we have no choice but to trust - either in ourselves and others or in God.

Put that way, I can't help but feel that it is better to trust in God. What do I know? What do other sinful, fallible, limited human beings know? Faith then doesn't seem to be the hardest way, rather, it's really the easiest way.

[Does anyone know how I can post pictures directly on this page, rather than putting them up on Ofoto/Imagestation and providing the link?]


*Coming soon*... a photo documentary on The Adventures of Anne in the Big Apple!

"It's not such a scary place after all." See how she lives, see how she works, see what she eats and drinks, see who she hangs out with, see how she navigates through the subway system, see how she wastes time - experience the drama and passion of living in the world's most exciting city (from the comfort of your own home)....

In short, it's like reality TV, only better. Stay tuned.


[ps - Nina is trekking from D.C. to visit me this weekend!]

Wonderful news! Congratulations to Jason! He was accepted into a month-long rotation at Columbia Medical School, and therefore will be joining me in the Big Apple during the month of August.

It's been unbelievably amazing weather! High 70s, low 80s and NOT humid. This evening I strolled down 10 blocks or so along the Upper West Side (where I live) and was so grateful to be living in such a great area. (Thanks Piya and Phyllis!)

This past weekend I hung out with Shaunin and she took me to church on Sunday. It was so great to see her, and she is engaged to Kalexin. Congrats to them both - they are marrying aboard a ship off the shores of San Francisco in August!

I also hung out with my beloved friend Dave. He's been a great resource for how to live in NYC, and will call me to make sure I got home okay. Also, in this big city, he's been so nice to be my friend - haha! No seriously though, he works 6 days a week but will spend time with me on the 7th. You're the best, dude!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOY-JOY!

The older she gets, the more I want to treat her like a little kid (on her 21st birthday, we did a party with her favorite cartoon characters - e.g. Rainbow Bright, Carebears, Strawberry Shortcake.)

Joy, you bless me with your sincerity, authenticity and pure striving after God. I am challenged by your high standards and inspired by your devotion. May He continue to show you His path for you, but more importantly, more of Himself.

- From your one and only (thank goodness, eh?) big sis!

This is both wise and beautiful.

***************************************************************

WHAT IS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD,
by G.K. Chesterton

For at present we all tend to one mistake; we tend to make politics too important. We tend to forget how huge a part of a man's life is the same under a Sultan and a Senate, under Nero or St Louis. Daybreak is a never-ending glory, getting out of bed is a never-ending nuisance; food and friends will be welcomed; work and strangers must be accepted and endured; birds will go bedwards and children won't, to the end of the last evening. And the worst peril is that in our just modern revolt against intolerable accidents we may have unsettled those things that alone make daily life tolerable. It will be an ironic tragedy if, when we have toiled to find rest, we find we are incurably restless. It will be sad if, when we have worked for our holiday, we find we have unlearnt everything but work. The typical modern man is the insane millionaire who has drudged to get money, and then finds he cannot enjoy even money. There is danger that the social reformer may silently and occultly develop some of the madness of the millionaire whom he denounces. He may find that he has learnt how to build playgrounds but forgotten how to play. He may agitate for peace and quiet, but only propagate his own mental agitation. In his long fight to get a slave a half-holiday he may angrily deny those ancient and natural things, the zest of being, the divinity of man, the sacredness of simple things, the health and humor of the earth, which alone make a half-holiday even half a holiday or a slave even half a man.

There is danger in that modern phrase 'divine discontent.' There is truth in it also, of course; but it is only truth of a special and secondary kind. Much of the quarrel between Christianity and the world has been due to this fact; that there are generally two truths, as it were, at any given moment of revolt or reaction, and the ancient underlying truism which is nevertheless true all the time. It is sometimes worth while to point out that black is not so black as it is painted; but black is still black, and not white. So with the merits of content and discontent. It is true that in certain acute and painful crises of oppression or disgrace, discontent is a duty and shame could call us like a trumpet. But it is not true that man should look at life with an eye of discontent, however high-minded. It is not true that in his primary, naked relation to the world, in his relation to sex, to pain, to comradeship, to the grave or to the weather, man ought to make discontent his ideal; it is black lunacy. Half his poor little hopes of happiness hang on his thinking a small house pretty, a plain wife charming, a lame foot not unbearable, and bad cards not so bad. The voice of the special rebels and prophets, recommending discontent, should, as I have said, sound now and then suddenly, like a trumpet. But the voices of the saints and sages, recommending contentment, should sound unceasingly, like the sea.

- G.K. Chesterton (excerpted from "What Is Right with the World." You can read the full essay here).

It feels like finals season again! I've been doing orientation, trainings, meeting people, and actually doing a little bit of work. But then I head home (rather late b/c most of the day is spent doing the first 3 and the fourth tends to happen after 6pm) and have been doing Law Review work that is keeping me up until the wee hours of the morning. (Like right now.)

I hung out with Erin Li and Ryan Dayala this evening... and we splurged on dessert at Cafe Mozart (very cute cafe with live classical piano music.) It was fun to see them! They head back to CA tomorrow, boo.

My eyelids are very very heavy, so I'm off to bed.

I made it to New York City! Red-eye flights are killer though. I should remind myself not to take them anymore. Will update soon!

One wonders if there are issues when at 10pm one is considering one's caffeine content options.

Compare this with this and this.

Inevitably, that's what finals week is all about. Needing to cram more & more information as time gets shorter and shorter, and therefore, searching the Internet for my caffeine options.

There are many considerations. For instance, how long will Hong Kong milk tea (60mg per teabag) keep me up for? On the other hand, drip coffee (average 80 mg per 5 oz cup) may keep me up too long. Diet Coke (45 mg) would be great, but I would get too cold. Green tea (20 mg)? Too mild. (And too good for me, inappropriate for finals week!)

Did you know that 450 mg (equivalent to 2 tall/12-oz. Starbucks drip coffee?) is the FDA recommmended daily max for caffeine consumption? I probably go over that on a regular basis. Maybe this little chart will aid me on the road to moderation rehabilitation.

So I decided to go with the Diet Coke and close the window. I'm feeling like I've got another couple hours of steam left in me!

P.S. Please pray for my finals this week:
Mon 8:30am Professional Responsibility
Wed 8:30am Business Organizations
Thurs 8:30am Administrative Law

Congratulations to Lisa & Albert Lee, who brought a baby girl into the world!

Her name is Kira Akemi Ka-Yan Lee. She is 6 lbs. 12 oz., 20 inches, and was born at 11:40 am, May 28, 2004.

This is what her name means:
Kira Akemi Ka-Yan Lee
(light) (bright, beautiful) (praising,joyful)

This is what they say,
"Her full name means bright, beautiful, praising, joyful light, and that is exactly what she is! She was very joyful in the womb, and now that she is out, we can see her beautiful bright eyes. We thank God for giving us such a precious blessing in her. Kira has two Japanese names (Kira Akemi) and two Chinese names (Ka-Yan Lee) to reflect the family she comes from."

They are all doing well. I can't wait to meet her. Great work, you three!