welcome to the world, melanie aubrey lee<3

I am happy to announce that my cousin Daniela had a baby girl on Sunday, October 25th, 2009 at 7:01AM!
Her name is Melanie Aubrey Lee.
She was born at 7 lbs. 5.3 oz. and 21 inches.
(Max was born at 7 lbs. 5.4 oz and 21 inches!)

She’s sleeping so peacefully .. she’s going to be a professional sleeper like the rest of the family. Hahaha. Thank you, God, for bringing another princess safely into the world.

I absolutely LOVE being an aunt to Charis (4), Max (2 in December), Cadee (1), and now Melanie (1 day old).
It feels good that I can come home to such a big, happy family.
I always loved family gatherings but with the little ones in the picture, it’s a hundred times exciting.
Charis is a princess (she LOVES the Disney princesses, too!). She’s very energetic and loves the attention. Whenever she has something new, she loves to show it off.
Max is a little troublemaker (following in someone’s footsteps ;P), but he listens and is obedient when he’s in trouble. He find entertainment in the weirdest things. Like any other typical boy, he’s fascinated with the entire world.
Cadee has THE cutest smile. She’s both a mommy and daddy’s girl. She loves to eat olives .. crazy right?
I have yet to see Melanie, so I can’t say much, but I think she’ll be popular (just like Daniela).

Here is a recent picture of the three older kids:

(L to R: cadee, charis, max)

To Daniela & Justin:
CONGRATULATIONS!<3
Dani, you did it once again.
She’s so pretty!
I have another cutie to add onto my collage of nieces and nephew.
I like their initials .. MAL.
Justin, thank you for not putting “the Third” in her name :P
Love you two! (plus the MALs)
(:

A little bit of Daniela’s humor:

one year goes by quickly .. and a mother’s love.

Hahahaha I find it quite ridiculous how people assume so much (oh, and that doesn’t exclude me). Just tonight, I had a date written on my status online and at least five friends made a comment about the date. They said things such as: “cute date” or “who have you been hiding for a year?”. I laughed because 10.09.2008 is the day my grandma passed away. It’s not something that makes me sad, so I was able to just laugh it off. Since my friends are good people, they apologized, but there was no need to. I assume all the time, too. This little story was not the point of this entry, but just for amusement. (:

The real post . . .

So I know that it isn’t the 9th yet, but I didn’t think I would have time to write a post before then, so here it is. I can’t believe that my grandma (mother’s side) passed almost a year ago. It’s kind of crazy how fast time flies. She was the first family member to pass away for me. I specifically remember everything so clearly and whenever I think about it, I cry. Hahaha, oh wouldn’t you guys like to see me cry. I haven’t really thought about the moment recently until now. I feel extremely horrible. My mom called me tonight (her usual Sunday night calls) and this was the conversation:

mom: Hi Sarah! Did you go to church today?
me: Yes, mom, I did. You can ask Anna and Sooji.
mom: Okay, good. Oh, Kevin 삼춘 and Juliana 이모 are coming Tuesday.
me: That’s random .. porque?
mom: Que dices “porque”? (Hahaha, no joke.)
me: Is there something going on? It’s not even Thanksgiving yet.
mom: …Sarah?
me: Oh, is it because of Charis’ birthday?
mom: Sarah, yes, Charis’ birthday is Wednesday, but 할머니’s remembrance is FRIDAY! Did you forget?
me: (speechless and almost teary) …I am so sorry.
mom: This isn’t like you. You always remember important dates. 왜 그래?
me: Nothing is wrong. Don’t worry, mom. It just slipped my mind. I am so sorry.
mom: You can always talk to me, 딸. I understand that school is really hard, 근대, 너는 할수있어.
me: Thanks mom, I know. Do you want me to come home this weekend?
mom: No, no necesitas, but Matthew is coming home, so I thought you would come home, too.
me: I can come up. I will come up.
mom: No, if you have to study or you’re too busy, don’t come. 공부만 잘해. That’s what 할머니 would want. Only if you think you can.
me: Ma’am, I will come.

Before I go on, just to clarify a few things:
1. my mother’s side of the family are from Brazil so they speak Portuguese, Spanish, and Korean fluently, so they will randomly start speaking in a different language whenever.
2. Charis is my niece.
3. Matthew is my cousin.

After I got off the phone with my mom, I just wanted to cry, but I couldn’t because my roomies were home plus Paul and Charles were over to study. Ya’ll are probably thinking that I’m an idiot for forgetting; trust me, I already called myself that. Seriously, how could I forget such an important date? I call my family and relatives on their birthdays, so how could I not remember THIS?! Such an idiot. My roomies are now sleeping and all I can think about is my grandma now. I really do miss her. Yeah, I’m grateful that I still have my grandpa (mother’s side) and grandma (dad’s side), but it still sucks that she’s not here. Luckily, I’m going home this weekend to visit her grave. I know that she is my guardian angel watching over me, but there were many times where I didn’t feel her presence. It’s like having little faith in God. The “Cake-Mistake” was one big moment where I was mad and just wanted to cry. Two months after my grandma passed away, I got into a huge car accident that I had to throw my spaceship away and all I had left was the bumper. I have never gotten into an accident or received a ticket since I’ve been on the road. I was terrified and scared that I wanted to cry. Not only because of the accident and how I would break the news to my parents (it was my dad’s birthday, by the way), but because I really believed that my grandma wasn’t there to protect me but she (and God) was. My grandma is amazing .. even in spirit! <3

Another point, parents’ love is greater than anything.. well except for God’s love. My mom and I may argue, but I love her! I can tell her anything and she can always give me advice without hesitation or confusion. She may say that I never listen, but I really do. (I’m a troublemaker, remember that ;P) Even the 3-minute Sunday night phone calls mean so much to me because I know that she wants to talk to me, misses me and doesn’t want to miss any moment of my life. I seriously think that a lot of my characteristics come from my mom. To her, family and God comes first, but like any typical Korean parent, education and the future is as important. She’s willing to tell me to stay in Richmond instead of coming home even though it’s HER mom’s remembrance. If I were her, I would tell myself to get my butt back up to NoVa no matter what it takes. She is always telling me that I’m smart enough to become a pharmacist,  that it doesn’t matter if I gain weight as long I’m healthy, I need to not worry about tomorrow and just live life to the fullest, and so much more. I don’t know what I’d do without her in my life. I miss my mommy (and daddy and brother of course!) Basically, my point, we need to stop giving our parents a hard time. Maybe it’s just me. Appreciate and thank your parents. It’s not even mother’s/father’s day. Hahahaha. I just miss my entire family .. I can’t wait until Thanksgiving! (:

I’m actually happy and excited to go to NoVa? Weird … I CAN’T WAIT!
Weekend, hurry up and come! I need to go home to my fam and nieces & nephew! <3

chew on it and chew on it some more.

WARNING: This post will be quite extensive due to the many bottled up thoughts I had for quite some time! I could be ranting but whatever. (:

It’s been almost two months since my last post. I always see Anna (my roomie) typing away on her laptop and updating her blog, and Sooji (my other roomie) updates her blog quite often, too, so I thought to myself, “Why not make good use of your blog, Sarah.” Yes, I thought exactly that .. thanks Anna & Sooji<3

It’s finally the best (and my favorite) season of all .. AUTUMN! The weather is so breezy and refreshing. Thank God the rainy days are gone and He brought out the sunshine! What actually got me to really write a blog today was walking back home from campus early this morning. At 7:45AM, it was chilly, but I had my green tea in my nicely decorated mug from Sooji and comfortable sweatpants and sweatshirt to keep me warm. Nothing that great outside at the time. Walking back home from campus, now that was splendid. The sun shining and the wind blowing, glooooooooo-rious. Hahahaha. I took my time and thought about some things:

1.) I started off my junior year with a careless mindset and got owned: 2 B’s, 3 C’s, and 1 D. I pushed my studies so far behind and told myself, “Eventually…”; that time is NOW (ridiculous, I know). So far, this week hasn’t been too bad. I actually stayed up until 4:30AM yesterday studying for an 8AM exam thinking I could pull an all-nighter, but in the end, I failed. I definitely can’t stay up later than 2AM anymore. All-nighters don’t happen that easily for me anymore. Luckily, the exam wasn’t that bad. I always tend to second-guess myself and make stupid mistakes. So far, I “missed” countless number of classes. I even made a deal with my roommates, but in the end, that didn’t work either. I don’t know when I turned into a sloth. To make matters worse, all summer long, I worked out daily, but once I moved closer to campus, I lost all motivation to leave the apartment. Yeah, I would hoola-hoop once in a while, but actually going to the gym was what people call “epic fail”. But after today, I decided to bring the old Sarah back, but later tonight .. I’m desperate for a good 2-hour nap. Running? Not a problem. Stay up late and sacrifice sleep to study? Bring it! 나는 할수있다! (as Anna told herself the other day).

“Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. but when he asks, he must believe and not doubt.” <james 1:4-6>

2.) “Perhaps the most delightful friendships are those in which there is much agreement, much disputation, and yet more personal liking,” says George Eliot. Honestly, I have NO IDEA who George Eliot is. I googled the name and according to Wikipedia, George Eliot is HER pen name and she wrote English novels in the Victorian era. Fascinating? Steve, I learned something new! ;P Either way, whoever she was, she’s right. So far, I’ve learned that whether I agree or argue with close friends, our friendship doesn’t fade but grows stronger. We’re able to confront and humble each other. I have plenty sisters and brothers here at VCU that break me down but at the same time lift me up and encourage me. I greatly appreciate that even though I may not say it personally. Even the few new friends I made (yeah, I finally have friends .. HAHA!), although a few of them are graduating, hopefully we can make the most out of the year (or more) left. The more friends, all the more better, you know?!

“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, be but willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil.” <romans 12:16-17>

3.) Let me first mention who my roommates are: Anna Kim, Sooji Kim, and April Kim. Yes, I am the outcast and my last name is Lim. So, my roommates and I came up with this awesome deal that if anyone says a word anyway associated with a vulgar/curse word, we had to pay 50 cents per word into our little canister for “804W Mickey D’s Ice Cream Foundation”. Yes, I just came up with a random title for that. So far, I am losing and that is just .. disgusting and pitiful. I am honestly ashamed that I owe $10. What makes this worse is that we decreased the price to 25 cents and yet I still owe $10! It’s not even just the vulgar words that I say but also “noob”, sarcasm, and discouraging words. I’m trying to refrain from having to say certain words/phrases. Proverbs 12:18 and 13:3 basically owned me. I want to have the tongue that brings healing and love; not a tongue that speaks harshly to put someone down. How can I be prayerful and worshiping with the same tongue? Answer: I can’t. To Anna, Sooji, and April: I hope you ladies can really keep me accountable for this (and this time, it’s FOR REAL!). This is truly one of my main goals (besides studying) and being more encouraging. Taming my tongue and not vomiting whatever I want to say. I’ve experienced the consequences of an unguarded mouth and I definitely don’t want that to happen ever again. Plus, the fact that I think it’s a turn-off when guys curse, all the more reason to stop myself. Note: Anyone who hears me say “shat”, “noob”, “damn”, or anything discouraging, you can tattle on me! I give you permission.

“Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” <proverbs 12:18>
“He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.” <proverbs 13:3>

Wow, that was super long. My apologies .. heh! I just had to release certain thoughts that were lingering in my head. I will try my best to keep this blog updated as often as possible; key word: TRY!

Hoping for another B-E-A-UTIFUL day tomorrow~~

기역과 추억 [김태우]

머릿속에 가득한 기억
가슴속에 가득한 추억
만남,이별,또 다른 만남이…

반복해 가는 내 삶 속에(속에~)
웃으며 내게 와 준 그대(그대~)
사랑한다고 나의 귓가에 속삭이던
너의 모습 행복한데

아무런 이유도 모른채
내게서 떠나갈거란 말이래 넌 왜
거짓말처럼 또 아픈 기억만 남기고 떠나가

우리네 기억에도 유통기한이 있는 것 같아
내 머리가 꽉차 (너에 대한 기억들로 Memory 꽉 차)
빛을 볼 수 없어서 내 삶이 벅찼었는데
나도 모르게 시간을 따라가 봤더니 나 어느새
너와의 기억들이 빛바랜 추억처럼
내 가슴에 미소 띤 사진 한장처럼

아픈 그 기억들도 너와의 슬픈 그 기억들도
가슴 속에 스며 들어오면 (woo~)
밝은 저 태양보다 좀 더 환한 미소가
이제는 웃을 수 있는 예쁜 추억으로

Yo~ Man~
나도 이런 경험 있었어
Jeah, Now, Listen!
그녀와 난 Lemon & Chocolate
Skinship 가끔 그녀는 조절해
그리고 자주 오는 문자와 전화통화하면 다 어머니래
난 쿨하게 보이고 싶었어
너무 쿨해서 그녀는 떠났지 Man~
나도 너처럼 슬픈표정 짓겠지만
흐르는 시간이 날 웃게 했었지

지금 아프다고 너무 슬퍼하지 마요
시간 흘러가면 모두 웃을 수 있죠
이처럼 알고 보면 기억, 추억 모두 다
(Yo, 우리가 살아가는 소중한 이유가 되죠)

아픈 그기억들도 너와의 슬픈 그 기억들도
가슴 속에 스며 들어오면 (woo~)
밝은 저 태양보다 좀더 환한 미소가
이제 웃을 수 있는 예쁜 추억으로

머릿속 가슴속 찢겨진 상처들
하루가 한달이 일년이 시간이 흐르면 흘러가면

우리 아픈 기억들도 너와의 슬픈 그 기억들도
가슴속에 스며 들어오면(스며 들어와) woo~
밝은 저 태양보다 (저 태양보다)
좀 더 환한 미소가 (저 밝은 미소가)
이제 웃을 수 있는, 이제 웃을수 있는, 예쁜 추억으로

머릿속에 가득한 (YO, 기억이)
가슴속에 가득한 (우리 추억이)
흘러가는 시간에 (그 시간에)

아픈 기억조차 소중한 추억이 된다.

.dos semanas.

Take all of your wasted honor
Every little past frustration
Take all of your so-called problems,
Better put ‘em in quotations

Say what you need to say

Walking like a one man army
Fighting with the shadows in your head
Living out the same old moment
Knowing you’d be better off instead,
If you could only . . .

Say what you need to say

Have no fear for giving in
Have no fear for giving over
You’d better know that in the end
Its better to say too much
Then never say what you need to say again

Even if your hands are shaking
And your faith is broken
Even as the eyes are closing
Do it with a heart wide open

john mayer put it so well.
…only if i had the courage to do exactly this.
i only have to wait out 2 more weeks until spring break.
if i could, i want to just get away and relax.
too much has happened already in the new year … good and bad.
change takes time but it’s been way too long.
must be doing something wrong.

.happenings.

[the day of giving thanks]
i love spending time w my fam. although the gatherings seem to get smaller each year (especially this year without the main chef, my grandma), family is family.
obviously, in any hole i’m in, i can always rely on them.
 just the LIMs & the CHANGs plus grandpa<3
 i love these boys (:

[daddy & anna celebrated their birthday]
december 2: when two significant people in my life were born.
in a matter of a year, i’ve heard her life history, learned about who she is, and cherished this sister. (:
sucks to not be able to be home for my dad but HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY DAD!
 pre-gaming ;P trio forever<3

[inconvenience]
the space shuttle passed away on the same day as the birthdays.
never say never is the absolute truth.
my first record in driving history … ruined and owned!
i have the bumper as a souvenier in my apartment though (:
shouldnt be so happy and optimistic but what else can i do?
did me well for the few months at least.
i’ve never been so startled in my life to the point where i was shaking.
 ciao my one and only space shuttle.
 not so much of a happy camper.

[adieu to fall semester]
finally, the semester is over and i didnt do too bad.
pretty impressed.
twas fun.
bring on spring semester!

.2008 presidential election.

just for the event …

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

(McCain supporters)
McCain’s the best candidate
With Palin as his running mate
They’ll fight for gun rights, pro life,
The conservative right
Our future is bright
Better economy in site
And all the world will feel our military might

(Obama supporters)
But McCain and Bush are real close right
They vote alike and keep it tight
Obama’s new, he’s younger too
The Middle Class he will help you
He’ll bring a change, he’s got the brains
McCain and Bush are just the same
You are to blame, Iraq’s a shame
Four more years would be insane

Lower your Taxes – you know Obama Won’t
PROTECT THE LOWER CLASS – You know McCain won’t!
Have enough experience – you know that they don’t
STOP GLOBAL WARMING – you know that you won’t

I want Obama
FORGET OBAMA
Stick with McCain and you’re going to have some drama
We need it
HE’LL BRING IT
He’ll be it
YOU’LL SEE IT
We’ll do it
GET TO IT
Let’s move it
DO IT!

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

I’m talking big pipe lines, and low gas prices
Below $2.00 that would be nice

But to do it right we gotta start today
Finding renewable ways that are here to stay

I want Obama
FORGET OBAMA,
Stick wit McCain you gone have some drama
MORE WAR IN IRAQ
Iran he will attack
CAN’T BRING OUR TROOPS BACK
We gotta vote Barack!

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

these kids are so adorable. (:

.obsessive-compulsive?.

hahaha so i have a tendency to be neat about a few … no wait, many things.

• everything has to be in it’s exact place so that i wont forget where i put certain things
• in the cup of pens on my desk, i have the scissor in the back and arrange the pens that i use the most in the front and the least in the back.
• when i’m writing on a piece of paper, it has be squared off w the desk.
• in my bookbag, i put binders in the back, spiral notebooks w the bindings going every other, and then my student planner.
• for photos that i save on the computer, i label them w the same title for each event w a number corresponding.
• i ALWAYS write/type a period (.) after every statement. (hahahaha did you notice that time?)
• everything against the wall in my loft (the desk, bed, dresser, shelf organizer, etc) is aligned evenly to my wall.
• i have to close the shower curtains.
• i organize my closet according to the present season: so because we’re in autumn, my closet starts w autumn clothing, then winter, spring, summer.
• rarely do i ever cross out mistakes in my notes… i rewrite the entire page when i have the time.
• i use check marks rather than circles on exams.
• i do not keep anything besides what i need in my space shuttle: right now, there are only cleats and basketball shoes.
• in my dresser, my t-shirts are stacked according to color.
• i always put on my socks first (if necessary), pants, then top.
• i always use the font arial size 10 to take notes in lectures.
• my contacts in my cell is listed last name, first name but my family is capitalized.

actually, this list isnt that bad. hahahaha.

.jolly.

So I ended my first hellish day (Mondays are the first and Wednesdays are the second) sitting in BIOL_152 with Boram and Joe. While sitting in class paying close “attention” to the professor, Joe began to youtube. He pulled up a random clip about a girl talking about how nervous she gets when she has to leave a voicemail for someone or record her own voicemail. Honestly, I thought it was the dumbest thing ever, but Joe just kept chuckling–as he always does. This made me think… what makes me smile/laugh? I know; so weird, but really, think about it. As for me, I smile at almost anything, so I listed the weird things. Here I go. . .

• corny jokes–even if they are as bad as my dad’s or Wanji’s
• receive small plants as gifts–especially aloe vera, bamboo plants, sunflowers, daisies.
• A’s or B’s on an exam
• satisfaction in my stomach
• anything to do with nature–hiking, camping, parks, those things.
• favorite TV shows are on
• bakinggggggggg<3
• my stupidity– i.e. when I slur my words and even I don’t remember what I said
• after I clean my room
• make my bed every morning
• drinking water
• rolling around in bed for a few extra minutes
• anything to do with penguins
• buying my favorite snacks
• stealing pictures from facebook
• any kind of prank–as long as it’s not on me
• the smell of clean laundry
• new pens
• hot chocolate or some kind of herbal tea when it’s freezing outside
• kick back and relax in sweatpants and sweatshirt with socks on at home
• playing with my relatives

so much more but it’s already 1:37AM which is my bedtime.

.realization.

[parte uno]
So, sometime last week, I had a dream where I was in boxing ring and I got OWNED by my opponent. I could taste the blood in my mouth, a bruised eye, and had blurred vision. Seems pretty realistic, right? I couldn’t tell who the opponent was though. I woke up scared and my face felt swollen, so I checked and luckily, it was all a dream. I didn’t really think much about it and joked about it with my roommate, Narae. Yesterday night, the dream continued. I felt like Harry Potter because I yelled something in a different language and the opponent just backed off. hahaha. Yeah, Harry Potter. Not only because of what I yelled, but the opponent was my Voldemort– Satan. I believe whatever I said had relevance to the Lord.

I realize that this past summer, besides serving at KCPC’s All-Stars retreat and going to Crossline on Sundays, I didn’t really do much to keep up with my faith. I know this isn’t a good thing but at the moment, it’s not bothering me so much. Yeah, I will have my devotionals here and there throughout the week, but my mind is not into it, so what’s the point of reading. Down in Richmond, I haven’t gone to Grove after like 3 weeks into the semester. Large group only catches my attention when I know a good speaker is coming or there is an activity afterwards. I guess I need to step it up. I don’t know where my mind has been ever since school started and now with my grandmother’s funeral and burial today and tomorrow, I don’t know. Dang, “Voldemort” has got me on his strings and I’m being an idiot. God is always giving, but never receiving from me. Stupid, stupid me. I just need to get my head on straight and soon, I will be fine. I think? hahahaha. Mexico? Montana? the mountains? anywhereeeee!

[parte dos]

Hakuna Matata. What a wonderful phrase.
Hakuna Matata. Ain’t no passing craze.
It means “no worries” for the rest of your days.
It’s our problem-free philosophy.
(did you guys catch that joke timon made? HAHAHAHA)

toodles.