Asian Tiger

New Website~!

2005-06-28T12:29:00.000-06:00

Hi all!!! I finally joined Myspace. Come check out my new website and join my friends~! Go to www.myspace.com/asiantiger. See you there!!!

Just Another Day in Paradise~!

2005-05-22T21:07:00.000-06:00

So.......I made it to sunny California!!! It is absolutely beautiful here! The palm trees and exotic flowers make it seem so surreal! I can't believe I'm here! God has richly blessed me! Thank you all for your support and prayers! I couldn' t have made it without you! Please continue to keep me in your prayers! I will keep you updated as to how everything is going here! Until then.............It's just another day in paradise~!

Life Goes on......

2005-05-09T08:19:00.000-06:00

It's crazy how fast time flies! I was down in Tulsa, OK once again last weekend. It was graduation time for Oral Roberts University. I made the 12 hour drive to watch some of my closest friends make the hard earned walk across the platform to announce to the world that they now hold an $80,000 piece of paper that accredits them! It was great! Over the course of the weekend, we all discussed the many memories that we all have together. From Sarah and I and our Oral Communications class at 7:50 a.m. freshman year with Dr. "Rafiki" and his 3 pairs of underwear to Shannon and my Spring break trip 2004 and our interesting frat boys and Megan and my many latte' walks (which I have dearly missed this past year) to Robin and our "roomie" spot with pints of ice cream and plastic spoons......! We certainly had the time of our lives~! We were like a great sisterhood during our years at ORU. Now, Megan is getting married, Robin and her husband moved to Kentucky, Sarah is up in Ohio, Shannon is staying in Oklahoma for now and I am moving to Southern California! Although we'll all be hundreds of miles away, I can only hope that we will remain sisters in our hearts.

This past weekend, one of my best friends flew in to visit from New York! The girls were back together once again. It was a beautiful thing!!! :~P I don't think Lodo will ever recover!!! I mean...........who can forget "Shock and Awe"! Cass and Carr and Lauren and I have been best friends since freshman year in highschool. Our friendship has weathered Lauren and I leaving for college and the girls leaving and living in New York! Cell phones are great, I'll tell you what.... We can still have our "girl time" even if we're hundreds of miles away! Although we may not see eachother for months at a time, we pick up exactly where we left off when we are together. The saying holds true............." Guys will come and go, but your girls are forever!" I love you guys!

On one hand, I feel like Anne in Anne of Green Gables. I don't want life to change and would like everything and everyone to stay the same. On the other hand, I am excited for what lies ahead and the many adventures that await me. I guess taking one day at a time and enjoying every moment to the fullest is what life is all about. Living as if every day is your last because, one day, it will be!

Remember the Pledge~

2005-04-28T08:13:00.000-06:00

A friend sent this to me in an email. It really reminded me to appreciate the freedoms that we have and the sacrifices that were made. Let's not let their sacrifices be in vain!

From Senator John McCain> >> >In light of the recent appeals court ruling in California, with respect to the Pledge of Allegiance, the following recollection from Senator John McCain is very appropriate:"The Pledge of Allegiance" - Senator John McCain. As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room. This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from home. One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian. Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn'twear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer TrainingSchool. Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country and our military provide for people who want to work and want to succeed. As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt. Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event. One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it. That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all of us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could. The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room. As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. Hewas sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag. He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to Pledge our allegiance to our flag and country. So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world. You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

To Pierce or Not to Pierce...That is the question....

2005-02-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

So............do you remember when you were a kid and the only people who had piercings other than their ears were the freaky ones?! Well..........a few weeks ago, I decided to see what was out there. My friend and I had been talking about getting our belly buttons pierced for quite some time! So, a few fridays or so ago, I was sitting at work bored out of my mind when my friend called and said, "Let's go get our belly buttons pierced." I was like, "ok". That night, we walked into a tattoo/piercing parlor and did the wonderful deed. Some of the people in there were kinda freaky. The guy who did my piercing had pictures of himself hanging from hooks that were dangling from the ceiling. It was quite interesting and looked VERY painful. He said that it was kind of euphoric, actuallly. I'm not sure what HE was smokin'! The piercing itself wasn't as bad as I had always thought that it would be. I can't wait until I can change it though. I want to get something really cute with rhinestones or something. Hmmm..........if anyone has any thoughts or ideas...........feel free to share!

My Prince Charming?!?!

2004-12-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

So...............in highschool, I was nominated as "The most likely to marry a prince". Yeah, it was great.........let me tell ya! One of my dad's friends leaned over and told him that he had better start a frog farm!!! LOL! It was kind of our running "joke". Well.............I'd like to inform everyone that I have finally found him!!! In the real estate office where I work, our office mascot is a frog. Don 't ask.............. Anyways, I found a little squeaky frog in the basement and have had him sitting on top of my computer for the last month and a half. One of our sales partners.....let's just call him my fairy godfather, would ask me every morning why the frog hadn't changed yet. I responded to him by saying that I didn't know why he hadn't changed. I kiss him every morning and nothing ever happens. My fairy godfather would always chuckle and walk on down to his office. This went on every day for at least a month. It ALL changed the Monday before Christmas. They say that Christmas can be a magical time. I didn't believe it until.............I walked into the office as usual. As I sat down at my desk, I realized that the frog was no longer on top of my computer and in its place........................drum roll please................was a tall, dark haired, blue eyed prince. He was dressed in royal garb with a crown and all!!!! His boots were gold and he had the most wonderful smile on his face. It was almost as if he was beckoning me to come away with him to his enchanted palace.......LOL!!! Ok, ok, ok, I was just kidding on that part ;) I know, you are all probably gagging by now...........BUT I DO have a Prince Charming sitting on my desk. Mattel sure does have a way of designing their Ken dolls to be quite charming!!! My fairy godfather has a great heart! It made my whole week!!! I will never forget this act of kindness!!!

Happy Holidays?!

2004-12-15T16:40:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!
Wow, that sure felt good to say. I am quickly learning that to say "Merry Christmas" to people has become offensive now and is politically incorrect. Well..................you all know just what I think about being politically correct/ incorrect! They can all just shove it where the sun doesn't shine! Is it possible that our society has become so godless that we cannot even recognize the reason for the season? While at work last week, I was informed that I could not wish our clients and lenders a "Merry Christmas". I had to say "Happy Holidays"! What the heck?! Isn't Christmas what makes the holiday season???? That's like celebrating Valentine's Day and not mentioning love, hearts, and cupid. So...........................what exactly ARE we celebrating then? Santa claus, candy canes, presents and lots of food?! Am I the only one who thinks that something is wrong with this picture? Forget about being politically incorrect. I hope that you all have an amazing holiday season! Merry Christmas!!!

Footprints on my Heart........

2004-11-27T02:01:00.000-07:00

You thought that I had really died this time, didn't you???? Well...........gotcha again!!! ;) I'm still alive and kicking. I have just been quite preoccupied lately. Exactly two weeks ago, I was on my way to California. My friend C is in the Marines and has just recently returned from an 8 month tour in Iraq. We were making this crazy 18..............yes 18 hour trek from Colorado to California to attend the annual Marine Corp ball. This formal event celebrated the 229th Birthday of the Marine Corps. It was quite the production and was very beautiful. All of the Marines in their dress blues and medals and the trophy wives and girlfriends at their sides made one feel as though they were in a dream. I could definitely live in southern California. As one of my friends noted, I have been coast to coast in a matter of three months. Although I did enjoy New York (see my previous blog), I don't think that I could live there. California on the other hand................there are definitely possibilities!!! I mean, who could resist 75`F weather, green rolling hills, palm trees, and the ocean on the horizon. Can't you see me out there? Maybe that's why my friend C calls me "Valley Girl"...............I just say "Whatever"! :)
Aside from experiencing California, I learned valuable lessons too. I learned more life lessons that one cannot even touch with a Ph,D. Oh yes, they can write thesis papers on it and do much research, but until one truly experiences it........all the studying in the world is only head knowledge. It cannot be truly learned until it has become heart knowledge and has been internalized. The lessons that I learned involved friendship and trust. When trust has been broken, it is hard for a friendship to exist. The measure of trust and honesty becomes the dichotomy for the success of a relationship. As I pondered this complex subject, I began to wonder.............if one ceased to continue a friendship because one's trust was broken, then there wouldn't be any true friends in the world. Since we are human and no one is perfect, trust will always be violated in this world at one time or another. So.............what is the remedy for this? The writer of Proverbs tells us that a friend is one who sticks closer than a brother. It also instructs us that a friend loves at all times. If Christ loves us no matter how many times we sin and break His trust, can we do any less for our friends and family? Although by trusting again, we make ourselves vulnerable...........we would become hard and bitter and lonely on our own. A familiar saying goes, "Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart." Although the author of this quote is unknown, he/she knew what friendship was. There are those people in life that you can't forget as hard as you might try. This is because they have left permanent footprints in your mind and heart. In the words of Terri Fanning, "Friendship is like the breeze, You can't hold it, Smell it, Taste it, Or know when it's coming, But you can always feel it, And you'll always know it's there, It may come and then go, But you can know it'll always be back."

C........if you read this, know that you left footprints on my heart.

I'm Still Alive!

2004-10-24T01:47:00.000-06:00

So...................Did ya'll think that I had been abducted by green, slimy aliens and was never coming back???? I've been a little busy........sorry. It's been a little dramatic around here to say in the least. Life is good though! I'm in the process of adjusting to post-college life. It was not quite as I expected it to be...........I've been doing a lot of self reflection (as I'm sure you could tell from my last blog). This could be a dangerous thing............for those of you who know me, you know that I can be somewhat unstable when I actually try to think... :D! I've been doing quite a bit of jogging around Lake Loveland to clear my head. It's been really nice. Anyways, I need to go for now! I'm at an internet cafe' in Old Town Fort Collins and I think that they are closing down soon. I LOVE the ecclectic masses of people here...............

Pay it forward....

2004-09-16T21:35:00.000-06:00

Did you ever see the movie that came out a few years back entitled "Pay it Forward"? It's about making every moment count. I would highly recommend it for those who haven't seen it yet! A co-worker of mine told me a story about how his pastor challenged the church to Pay it Forward...........A wealthy church member donated a large sum of money to the church. So, the pastor decided to give each parishoner $100.00!!!! No...............this was NOT a new twisted version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", nor was it a new theme for the next reality TV show. It was a simple challenge. The pastor told each parishoner that they had 90 days to multiply their money.......they were to document what they did with it every day. At the end of 90 days, they were to find someone or something in the community that needed financial support. They were NOT to give the money back to the church. My co-worker decided to find creative ways to multiply the original $100 and support a needy family in his community this upcoming holiday season. It was really awesome! He has already doubled the original amount in less then a week!
As my co-worker was telling me this story, it really made me think.................For many people, time IS money. Everyone is given the same 24 hours........1,440 minutes.........86,400 seconds in a day............What are we doing with our time?! What are WE doing to make EVERY moment count.......? I guess the saying is true........"Those who do today what other won't......will do tomorrow what others can't!" How are YOU spending YOUR time?

Lipsykaspificacy...(pronounced lip - see- kuh- spifi - cacy)...

2004-08-24T14:57:00.000-06:00

This is the line that you are supposed to drop when getting unwanted attention from guys......supposedly.... That is what this half drunk lady told us when we were in New York. It was pretty hysterical, really. She seemed to appear out of no where after a couple of guys came over to us (6 girls) and told us that we were "mint". After that, she plopped right down next to us and went off about how her generation screwed our generation over and how we're all going to get bombed and she was very sorry for all of us. It was quite comical, let me tell you! :D New York is definitely a collage of many different types of peoples, cultures, languages, ect. I had a blast the past few days experiencing many things that...until 5 days ago....had only heard about! Let me give you a whirl wind update on all that we did:
*** walked ALL over Times Square (in little stilleto heels.....yeah, I definitely would not recommend that...I got a blood blister the size of Texas on my foot) the first night we got there ~~It was incredible!

***had dinner in Little Italy.....very pretty...(if you EVER order calamari and it's not specified as being fried.....BEWARE!!! Lauren ordered this and her meal came out with three baby squid on the side of her plate with the little legs and suckers all still attached. I think we ended up naming them too....it looked as if they were going to get up and walk off the plate at any moment......not the most appetizing sight in the world) How do people eat that stuff anyways?!

***saw Ground Zero, the Statue of Liberty, went to the top(87 stories) of the Empire State Building, drove through China town, saw the Brooklyn Bridge, gazed in awe at Carnigue Hall, walked around the 'W' Hotel and rode the glass elevator to the top (47 floors).....with the up and coming revolving bar on the top floor...totally cool, had drinks at the Times Square Brewery, tried authentic New York pizza....yum yum!, walked past the Toys'R'Us store with the huge ferris wheel inside the store, stood in amazement at the 5 story tall Macy's that took up a whole city block!

***drove out to Montauk Point, saw the lighthouse there, layed out on the beach and did photo shoots, put my feet in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time too.....very fun!

*** we got drinks in the Hamptons.....I have NEVER seen so many Mercedes and BMW's in one place.....EVERY person there had one. In fact, we passed a brand new ferari on the road while driving through...CRAZINESS!!! That town also had a Tiffany's & Co. right off of the street! The houses all looked like these incredible estates on beautiful, perfectly manicured lawns! It was amazing!

***went clubbing in New York City on Saturday night (very crazy), the place was open until 7a.m. the next morning...we didn't leave until 4:45 a.m. I also went to this really trendy club/bar in the Meat Packing District...totally random.
New York was lots of fun overall! Lauren and I actually got pretty good at catching the trains, subways, and taxis to get to where we wanted to go. You would have thought that we were locals.....well, maybe not THAT good....yet! I would highly recommend that everyone take a trip out to New York in their lifetime! It is quite entertaining and exciting! The experience is worth more than words can describe! New York City truly is the City that NEVER Sleeps! ......and remember.....lipsykaspificacy......it's supposed to work every time ;).........

Leaving on a jet plane....

2004-08-18T08:50:00.000-06:00

In less than 24 hours, I will be on a plane headed for New York!!!! I 'm SO excited! It's hard to stay focused at work! I have so much to do still!!! I think I still have the college student mentality.......wait until the last minute. You should see the pile of laundry that I still have to do when I get home.....PLUS the fact that I STILL need to go shopping and pack (that alone will take forever the way I pack......I'm sure that many of you know this.... :D)!!! I know that it will all get done though.....I just might have to pull an all-nighter 'cuz I have to leave my house at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday. Our flight has a lay-over in Dallas and then we fly into NYC!!! Whoo hooo!!! I guess I'll just have to run on latte's and adrenaline.......this also reminds me of college! Gotta luv the good 'ole days!
OK, I need to work now! I will post more and tell you all about my experiences in the Big Apple when I get back! TTFN!

Thought of the Day~

2004-08-10T09:37:00.000-06:00

Do brown cows produce chocolate milk.............? :D

A Walk Down Memory Lane~!

2004-08-10T08:53:00.000-06:00

This is the first time in three years that I am not making the long, 12 hour trek to Tulsa, OK! I remember the first time I left beautiful Colorado as a scared soon to be college freshman at Oral Roberts University. Eager and ready to embrace my new life and the new experiences, I excitedly jumped out of the car............only to be blasted with 100`F weather and 150% humidity!!! What was I thinking?! Why am I making this long, 12 hour trek to Tulsa, OK?! Why did I leave the amazing mountains, cooler climate and fresh air...........sheesh, I was practically tasting the air that I was trying to breathe in Tulsa......It definitely brought a whole new meaning to the song, "This is the Air I Breathe".......No Joke! It didn't make me feel any better when one of my instructors informed the class that Tulsa was rated as 5th in the nation for having bad water and that we shouldn't drink tap water here. She claimed that she would only drink bottled or filtered water. Wow.........that's was comforting. Welcome to Tulsa, OK, huh? All I could think about after that was the millions of parasites that may be floating around in my mouth as I brushed my teeth at night. It was great.....let me tell ya!!!
As I reflect on the past three years though, I have come to the conclusion that what they say is true......college is the best years of your life (at least for now)! Thinking back to all of the late night convos with the amazing girls on my floor, the numerous "Fun Runs" at 8:00 on a Saturday morning, the many amazing friends who have become like family to me, the never - ending false fire alarms due to burnt popcorn in the microwaves at 1:30 a.m., basketball games with the Maniacs, awesome chapel services, and interesting SAGA creations.......I have to ask myself........................Why am I NOT making the long, 12 hour trek to Tulsa, OK?
The many fun times and life lessons learned will forever stay with me throughout my journey in life! I will always cherish the many friendships that were formed during this chapter in my life. I couldn't have made it without them. Who knows.......despite the parasite infested water, blistering hot weather, and crazy humidity.....I might just have to make another 12 hour long trek to Tulsa, OK.......

Where did the summer go?!

2004-08-02T08:54:00.000-06:00

It's already August 2nd! I can't believe it! It is said that " time flies when you're having fun"...........sheesh, I've got to stop having such a good time! :D
Well, it's a monday morning and I'm back at the office. Phones ringing, people complaining, orders to be entered and problems to be solved....can life get any better? Gotta luv it! Oh well.......17 more days and I will be "leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again..." headed for the Big Apple..........but then, who's counting....?
Hope that everyone had a good weekend! BTW......I still have not gotten my cell phone yet.....Don't EVER shop at "Batteries Plus" in Denver! Their customer service and product delivery is horrible!!! They were supposed to ship me the new battery for my phone almost two weeks ago. My dad finally called them for the second (yes, second....not just the first) time and they had the order and battery in stock and hadn't sent it. Their employee said that he didn't know why it hadn't been sent. Sorry if you haven't been able to get ahold of me.....that's the reason why. The guy promised that it would be sent by UPS today.....I'm not holding my breath...
Anyways, despite the small irritations of life (cell phone batteries, etc.) always remember to smile.......you never know who may be falling in love with your smile! :)

Look Out NY!!!

2004-07-29T14:10:00.000-06:00

Guess what????
    I'm going to New York!!! I cannot wait to explore the city that never sleeps!!! My friend Lauren and I are going out there to visit our good friends, Cassie and Carrie. It should be a blast! I'll keep everyone posted on how the trip goes. We are flying out there the middle of August.
    It was quite an ordeal ordering the tickets to go though. Let me tell you........we searched for what seemed like hours on all of the numerous .com sites looking for the cheapest tickets. At long last, we found one. As the excitement mounted, we held our breath as we entered the credit card number and clicked on the 'purchase' button. It was great! We were celebrating and flying high until we started showing Lauren's sister the itinerary...........To our horror and dismay....the itinerary showed that we were flying into La Guardia Airport. We were supposed to be flying into John F. Kennedy Airport!!!! La Guardia was over 4 hours away from where we wanted to be......I felt like such a retard!!! We must have been SO excited that we didn't check the itinerary thoroughly enough before we clicked the purchase button. It was a $100 penalty per person to cancel or change the tickets that we had purchased not 10 minutes before. I was totally freaking out......I'm sure you can imagine...   :D
      Fortunate for us, we found the customer service number and........at 1:30a.m. , I called the company. The customer service rep was very nice and understanding. He cancelled our tickets for only $6.95! Whew!!! Talk about a sigh of relief! The moral of the story is...........Don't click before you pick!!! Until next time..........

Question of the day.....

2004-07-27T16:22:00.000-06:00

What does the world need most????

Cell phone withdrawals~!

2004-07-27T15:58:00.000-06:00

Hey guys!

So......I found another way to keep in touch with everyone! My cell phone officially died last week and my new one is still on order. If you have been wondering where I am.....that's the problem! I will hopefully get my new one this week sometime. I find myself waking up in the middle of the night shaking....I think I am having withdrawals from my electronic leash...J/K!!! :)

Anyways, I'd love to hear from everybody!!! Hope you're having a wonderful summer! Talk to you again soon! Cheers!