Yam goes midwest...

In deciding what to do during our only weekend here, we thought we'd go to the mall, seeing that there isn't a whole lot to do here otherwise. Originally, we were going to go out at 11, but my coworker had to get some other work done, so we pushed it back to 2-3pm.

..which was great because I had 3 hours to "see the city" on my own. So I headed out to see "O"...not the Cirque de Soleil show, but "O" Street.

Downtown Lincoln consists of a square of area bounded by about 9th Ave to 14th Ave from the west to the east, and "K" Street to "Q" Street from south to the north. Our hotel is on "P" Street.

I feel like I'm in kindergarten. On one hand, the lack of imagination of this city's planners is somewhat mind-boggling, on the other, at least literacy must be at a decent level because everyone *must* know the alphabet, and probably don't need to sing through the "ABC" song to figure out whether they need to advance to the north or to the south -- especially if going backwards in the alphabet. Okay, I'm mean. =p

But seriously, quick, how many blocks and in which direction should you walk if you want to get from P Street to L Street? No singing! Haha... It's not that easy!

It was a beautiful sunny day today, a stark contrast to yesterday's incredibly windy yet warm and humid weather -- midwest twister weather? Perhaps.

So I headed out towards the University of Nebraska at Lincoln to the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery on campus. It was one of the few attractions that I cared to see in my thorough reading of the "Lincoln" tourist magazine, which we read in detail at the airport while waiting for our third team member's hour-delayed arrival on Monday.

The gallery has a number of outdoor installations and three indoor galleries. I liked the David Ireland special exhibit... otherwise, nothing else really caught my eye.

The installation on the steps to the entrance, however, will not be missed by *anyone's* eye:



It's called "Fallen Dreamer" by Tom Otterness.

During my visit, I talked to the reception guy, who looked bored out of his mind because who really goes to the art gallery on campus? I asked him about about other "attractions" in Lincoln; the other main thing I wanted to see was the Nebraska State Capitol. Apparently it was within walking distance so after completing the gallery, I took the 15 minute walk through the quiet Lincoln downtown.

Apparently, the Nebraska State Capitol is an "architectural masterpiece that embodies the union of art, architecture, and humanism." Too bad it wasn't open until 1pm -- I got there at 12.30pm. Instead of waiting around, I thought I'd head back to see more of the university. Besides, I'd took my pictures like a good Chinese tourist:



On the top of the tower is a "sower", illustrating the importance of the city/state's agricultural background. In fact, from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln's campus map, in the "East" campus, there is a "tractor testing track". You don't see those at all universities. =p

Speaking of architecture, from the little tidbits that I've learned from my friends' architecture classes from U of T, apparently, the "silo" is even an architectural marvel, combining the practical aspect of it (i.e., storage) into different designs. I thought of that because of this, integrating that design into a different (i.e., church) architectural design:



Another design at the university that I kind of enjoyed:



It reminded me of the Leaning Tower of Pisa mixed with Toronto City Hall mixed with the structure in Toronto-Dominion Centre.

On the walk back uptown, I saw "The Cornhusker Hotel":



Just one of the many "Cornhusker"-named entities in the city. =) Back at the art gallery, I took the elevator:



The elevator ride was very uncomfortable. I've seen these type of designs in spaces that attempt to reduce noise, but for people who have (really strong!) astigmatism like myself, it's really bad! Thank goodness it was only a one-floor ride -- I would have gone crazy.

After that, I went back to the hotel to meet up with my coworkers to go to the open-air mall -- kind of like how our outlet malls are, but with normal stores. There wasn't a whole lot there though, we all bought something from Banana Republic, but that's pretty much it.

For dinner we went to "Carlos O'Kelly's", a Mexican food place. We've had Mexican food *four* times this week -- I don't think I've had so much Mexican food in such a period of time. Not complaining though... it was pretty good.

In the evening, we watched "The Manchurian Candidate" at a nearby theatre -- $2!!! Even cheaper than Rainbow Theatres with the exchange! =) The movie was not bad... although I guess I wasn't ready to take in such intensive drama... it was kind of disturbing.

Tomorrow, I plan to go to service and then probably go do some more shopping. =p

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

I finally finished the deliverables due for a "night shift" client. So I figure that I can now get started on my real objective for these two weeks of reading through a good chunk of Isaiah.

So what better place to read and study than the local Starbucks. And so I headed out with my trusty Clie in hand (I have the Bible on it ; ) ). Not to mention the coffee shop atmosphere is great for (backlogged) blogging. I'm kind of proud of myself: I *never* go out alone [insecurity issues], but it's hard to otherwise when no one is here! Oh yes, Nebraska!

Can you believe there is only *one* studious student here? Actually, my team and I noticed -- this is a university town, but we don't see any students! We even drove through the campus... and it isn't as if we're in holidays now... unless everyone is studying at home?? Right... What a weird city/town. =p

Back to reading... Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

Blog 10.17.2004

On the way to Lincoln, Nebraska, this time for 2 weeks. Fun, fun... My coworker and I were delayed in Chicago for 2 hours! So we are finally on our way at 10pm, Central Standard Time. Looking forward to getting some rest, although I have a feeling I will be quite sore tomorrow from carrying all my bags today.

I can't sleep for some reason, (might be the Starbucks,) so thought I'd blog on my resurrected first generation Sony Clie. At least the cover on this handheld is cooler than any others on the market, despite the handheld itself. =p Wow, I just realized I have on me all 3 Carey Wan items... This was the predominant method of creating my old Hong Kong blog (now offline!) during my work term there, *way* before Blogger even started. ; ) Hey, I've got to make normally non-value-added travelling time value-added somehow. Too bad no phone calls on the plane. =p

The snacks that we got on this flight are called "Plane Cheesy"... Cheese snacks shaped like... you got it, airplanes. Har har har... plane cheesy? Plane cheesy. =p

I don't have anything to study for this time in Lincoln... Hoping to try to cover a chunk of Isaiah since I've been trying to read it for a while. Hopefully I won't spend to many late nights working in my hotel room, typical of most local site audits. My client seems very capable though: He's young for a controller at 31. (We were all deducing the last time we were here, in case you were wondering!) It's hard to imagine he's been through a divorce. The other contact for the consolidated division has been through a divorce as well. What a culture...

Hopefully after 2 weeks I won't gain that much weight. Oh yeah, I think my weight increase after the cruise was 1 pound -- I've been within the same 5 pound range for the past 10 years. However, how it *feels* on me is a different issue, and I won't gross you out with that here. =p

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

Thanksgiving dinner was great! No turkey.. just crab... and duck... and chicken... and fish... typical Chinese dinner!

And we did the typical extended family dinner: kids play mah-jongg, parents sing karaoke and/or practice ballroom dancing in the basement -- sometimes both at the same time. In order to do both at the same time, there are karaoke videos which even specify the type of dance of the song!

After some mah-jongg, we were too distracted by Bishi Bashi 2 -- an ultimate party videogame... oh, those crazy Japanese people... =)

Oh yeah, in case you didn't know, Janey's thorough discussion of the cruise can be found here. But beware, her views are biased!!!

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

Back home...

It's always nice to land in YYZ. Toronto is great. Even though the character of this city pales in comparison to cities like New York or Shanghai, and even though the trip might have been great, it's an unbeatable feeling to come home.

Originally, I would still be in Miami now with the others, but decided to come back early because of some circumstances, and mainly because I wanted to have some family time this Thanksgiving weekend when my sister is back.

And I praise God for always "working things out"... last night, when I was boarding the plane in Miami, I realized that I'd have time to catch the tail-end of Wayne and Jess's banquet, so frantically called around to find out the location just as the plane was leaving. I ended up getting to their wedding by midnight (I landed at 10:30 or so). I've been kicking myself for missing the two of their jack and jill's this year because of circumstances, not to mention miss the wedding proper, but thank God for giving me the chance to meet up with them even as their night was ending. Congratulations!! =)

Family dim sum is quite the event. It's one of the main reasons why I came back early... my sister (she's at McGill) often comes back to make the Sunday morning dim sum. It's pretty hilarious:

1. Technically, it's a dim sum relay. My parents and my aunt and uncle go early at 9:30am because the prices are discounted (in order to retain the "elderly" dim sum going crowd). By 11am, the prices are back to normal for the "normal" Sunday dim sum crowd. But by then, our table is full with food for the entire morning.

My mom is a health care worker and organises her client time around dim sum, so usually she comes at 11am and leaves at 12 to 1 pm between clients.

I usually make it after church at 11am.

My brother Albert makes it after Kendo at 12pm.

My brother Edward makes it when I wake him up after church, if at all.

In between, my uncle sometimes picks up my cousin from home when she wakes up in the late morning.

So from 9:30 to 1pm, we occupy the table with people going in and out.

2. There's a normal dim sum routine:

First, we play the "who can spot the parents first" game in the restaurant. We win when we spot them before the entire table is waving their arms wildly in the restaurant.

Second, we eat the same thing every time including pigs' feet and egg in a ginger sauce, soya milk and fried dough fritter, [mah lai goh], literally translated as "horse-pulled cake", and [baak fan yu], literally translated as "white rice fish".

The trick for [mah lai goh] is that the best piece are the "high" "outer" pieces. And the cake has to be yellow/brown enough. We need to take a look at the quality of the cake first.

The [baak fan yu] is individually slightly fried in batter. The game that goes with this "don't move the fish". Basically, remember the game pick-up sticks? Well, especially if we don't use communal chopsticks, it would be discourteous to touch the rest of the fish with your chopsticks. But the fish are all fried and sometimes stuck together that it's difficult to pick up only one fish -- hence the game.

Third, the family time sometimes continues into the evening when everyone comes over for dinner, and then we have our dinner routine... =) Which I will explain later, haha.

-----

My sister brought her Quebecois boyfriend from Montreal, and I still laugh about her explanation of [tza leung]: "It's a... fried dough that's wrapped in... a different steamed dough. Really, it's just two types of dough."

Haha, still makes me laugh thinking about that. Until next time, this is Gladys Yam.

Vacation time on the big boat!

Gone cruising with Janey, Ina and some of Ina's friends (not to mention Janey's parents. =p)

And yes... I've got internet.. =p

Your kingdom come, your will be done...
Fifth of a series from Urbana 2003.

I had to go back to search for my last number; wow, that was in February.

That was a beneficial exercise though -- the last thing I wrote about was self-comfort. Sadly, sloth has taken over my initiatives half a year ago. And it is a sobering challenge especially considering my desired future purchases... =p

I was reminded of Urbana because of the theme: Your kingdom come, your will be done.

It seems like every time you turn around, you hear about a disease, or violence... and then more disease... more violence... what a world, eh. =p Sigh... it can be such a wretched place... But it is comforting to hope in heaven.and to hope in the Lord.

Your kingdom come, your will be done...

With such deterioration in the world, I just feel like rapture is going to come soon... very soon... sigh.

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing you pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing you pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord Blessed be your name

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

My family was never *really* traditional, and I never realized what a big deal this celebration was... but I guess it's the Chinese equivalent of Thanksgiving in that it emphasizes a time to spend with family. Except that there are no parades or fireworks for Thanksgiving, even though it *is* a holiday.

My family decided to postpone our Mid-Autumn Festival dinner because (a) it was impossible to get everyone together tonight anyway, and (b) my parent's anniversary is two days after Mid-Autumn Festival in the lunar calendar, so we decided to have it on Thursday. That's fine... I booked up the night for family. Except that the "limiting factor" is actually my mom! So it is dinner at 9pm then... normal enough for us Yams. =p

Until next time this is Gladys Yam.

Oh no! Vancouver's value for sushi just went up...

New sushi regulations in Ontario...

Until next time, this is Gladys Yam. =p

Finally back at home...

I guess my lack of vacation from January to August has finally paid off, and I've been blessed to take off on a number of different trips with different people...

Seattle and Vancouver

Got to go with Patty to visit a number of old CCF'ers in the west coast. Seattle is a quiet city that sleeps early, so not many things are open past say, 9pm. So instead, we got to hang out at our friend's houses. It really reminded me of the community that was there in Waterloo, largely enhanced by the fact that everything is a five-minute walk away -- and since we all lived in student housing, we could invite whomever over and just practice hospitality and enjoy one another's company.

It was great to see some people in Vancouver again, to catch up. Unfortunately the city and its suburbs span a large area and it was somewhat difficult to find consensus on a meeting place, but in the end, it all worked out (hopefully people were awake the next day at work =p).

New York City and ECBC

In case you didn't see the site, Janey and I visited Ina in Connecticut and went around New York City in addition to attending the Eastern Chinese Bible Conference (ECBC).

New York City is fun -- I haven't been there since I went a long time ago with my parents on a family trip... so that doesn't really count. It was cool to experience the character of the city, including watch Chicago on Broadway! [Oh... Bob Fosse... haha] We covered pretty good area in two days!

The ECBC was a nice retreat in upstate New York [we drove by Poughkeepsie! John Cage on Ally McBeal always uses that name to control his stutter... everything goes back to Ally McBeal. =p But apparently it was the subject of a Friends episode too...]. The retreat facilities were amazing compared to many other retreats. The main reason being that they attract corporate sponsors for every room. The retreat itself was... *okay*... I didn't get a lot out of the speaker because he wasn't clear on his point and seemed to circle around a lot. The workshops were pretty short to present the suggested material, although I admit I'm pretty critical for course delivery... it's difficult to conduct a workshop that is entirely lecture style, so the workshop leaders struggled through it. But worship and quiet reflection time on my own was very refreshing and always needed...

Lincoln, Nebraska

Just a three day business trip... really hope to watch a football game!

CBV: Certified Business Valuators

It was yet another exam that I thought that I'd do for fun... This wasn't a professional exam or anything, it was just like a university course final, so it wasn't too big of a deal. The main reason why I wrote it was because I would get an exemption from another exam. Anyway, it's just something to do, although this particular one wasn't too strenuous: I only studied for maybe 2.5 weeks in the evening or on the weekends. It helped to study with Janey, anyway...

The exam was this Thursday and turned out okay, I think. Hopefully, I'll pass, unlike my CFA. Oh well...

Originally, I thought my exam was this coming Monday (27th). But after finally checking my exam ticket (which had been sitting at home for a few weeks), I realized my exam was actually on the 23rd... right in the middle of my trip to Lincoln! So after much prayer, I tried the different solutions that I could take to work around it. In the end, it turned out okay, as always -- we just cut the trip short so that I could come home on Thursday to write it. So after two hours of sleep, I woke up at 4am on Thursday to fly back... came home... sleep a bit... and then went downtown to write the exam. Crazy day...

Camping

Got to go camping this weekend with a bunch of friends from church. I haven't gone "real" camping before: "What? no electricity?" Haha... the last time I went camping was probably with my family during elementary school. This time, we went to Awenda Provincial Park. The weather was absolutely beautiful: not warm, so no mosquitoes! And although it was somewhat cool last night, we all survived okay. =p Well, I brought both my winter jackets up in case, so I slept well. Haha...

And we had SO much food! We had an amazing dinner last night with BBQ chicken legs and much other varieyt on the grill, including perfect 'smores! At ECBC we made smores on the campfire, but they never turned out "perfect" since the chocolate was never melted. That, actually, was my first time making smores... after wondering many years what they were from reading about them in stories like the Babysitters' club. Well, I appreciated finally experiencing that tidbit of North American culture...

The timing of the exam also worked well because I don't have to cram now in order to write the exam on Sunday... and I got to really relax this weekend in Penetanguishene.

So this week, I think I will like to relax at home and spend time with family... before I leave again on Saturday...

Haha, so, here are some pictures of my nice suite:





Unfortunately, this shot is kind of dark, but it's the interior of the hotel. At the bottom is the restaurant, and the entire middle column is hollow. Surprising that this hotel is that nice and that big... actually, the buildings in Lincoln were all very big, although didn't see much people around. Typical small town...

I'm back!

Cramming...

To Our Guests
[at the Embassy Suites... written on a card placed on our beds every day]

In ancient times there was a prayer for
"The Stranger within our gates"

Because this hotel is a human institution to serve people, and not solely a money-making organization, we hope that God will grant you peace and rest while you are under our roof.

May this suite and hotel be your "second" home. May those you love be near you in thoughts and dreams. Even though we may not get to know you, we hope that you will be comfortable and happy as if you were in your own house.

May the business that brought you our way prosper. May every call you make and every message you receive add to your joy. When you leave, may your journey be safe.

We are all travellers. From "birth till death" we travel between the eternities. May these days be pleasant for you, profitable for society, helpful for those you meet, and a joy to those who know and love you best.

-------

Thought that was pretty cool... it makes it comforting to be here.

Go Cornhuskers Go!




So here I am in Lincoln, Nebraska, home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. OK, so this city isn't as small as one would imagine (it is the capital of Nebraska state, afterall), but it certainly looks like a sterotypical American mid-west "hick" town...

*Everything* is Cornhusker here... even the highway, but I guess that's expected. I actually can't wait to go to an American college football game though, to see the loyal fan base out in full force (even though they're not doing well this year -- they were the champions a few years back). That won't be this week -- I'm coming back on Thursday in time for the CBV. So.. actually, I really should get back to studying.

But just wanted to say that my hotel room is *sweet*! We're at the Embassy Suites [and it is a huge hotel here... actually, the buildings here are pretty big, although you don't see much people around] and I have a full suite to myself. Pretty much, I have a living room / office, not to mention a microwave and bar sink if I wanted to make some basic food.

Too bad I'm just enjoying the room on my own though [you could comfortably sleep 3 people here, at least!]... but that's okay, I need to study. =p

I'm here with the engagement partner and manager... and I got a free counselling session on the plane, haha... hm... *should* I do a MBA? =p

As usual with going to the States, I'm full after every meal because there is so much food... good thing I can better digest everything because as a good Chinese person, I brought Chinese tea bags from home... =)

Yes! I've told my dad... and he's receptive! There's a plan... get ready to roll, Yam... =)

I guess I haven't felt *stressed* in a long time... pretty much since before summer. Even though I generally like the stress, this times it seems like I don't know how to deal with it... it's been too long, haha.

Praise God for giving me a good summer -- I actually took advantage of most of the 35 hour weeks. Of course, the reason why I could is because I slacked and procrastinated, and now it's all tumbling down on me. The main thing is, I REALLY NEED TO STUDY!!!

I can't believe I worked most of the day today, and I had to go to Jonathan's mission sharing night. I really dragged my feet there, and was frustrated the entire drive. But God is always present and I know I needed to be there...

It was amazing to hear about God working in Turkey, about the change going on in the country, in the people whom he met. The time of worship was much needed because I really needed to let go of my worries, *my* stresses, *my* time... but refocus back onto God.

And I really needed (need) to be humbled... God is the one who works to change; *He* is the one who works through us. If we weren't here, I'm sure God would find a way through someone else... this is not an argument for shirking, just that the focus cannot be on ourselves.

Thank you, Jonathan... as I've said many times, you have always been an inspiration to me. I've learned from your struggles last year upon starting up Delta and still look to Delta as an example of something that started from a vision of one who only wants to live out your life for God... I've learned a lot since God put you in my life.

[And you called my bluff, eh ;p]

Everything happens at the same time... ah! It's funny how murphy's law works -- and I already don't have it that bad...

But my weekend is already starting to roll and soon enough, I'll be in sunny Lincoln, Nebraska.

"Oh no, Nebraska! Is there a plainer state I ask 'ya!" [At least I'll get studying done then!]

Oh yes, Nebraska!

I'll be sure to take many pictures of... corn. Yum!

Can't wait until next Saturday when I'll be off camping with friends... really looking to the quietness after a week of whirlwind hecticness...

Back to trying to write more "meaningful" blogs...

A while ago, we had a TCCC English congregation praise and worship night. It was great -- I really enjoyed the worship, which included singing a number of songs from Urbana (since 80% of the worship team went in December), and the wonderful time of open sharing, which I wrote about before.

There have been a number of other things that have reminded me about Urbana, such as a picture on Andrew's blog and worshipping at the Michael W. Smith and MercyMe concert. And I am reminded of my experience there, and of the commitments that I made.

The main one was to go on a short-term mission trip this year -- ashamedly, I've foregone that plan for the remainder of the year. Due to my laziness, I basically missed all the deadlines in May for the summer / early fall trips. I *did* have a Plan "Z" opportunity to go to Australia with Pastor Tim. However, even though I know the experience would have been great regardless, it didn't feel right to me to go on the trip (I think he's off in a few weeks).

I felt that if I went, I would be going for the sake of going, so that I would fulfill my commitment. What I really want to do is to experience a cross-cultural trip... and as much as Australia would open my eyes, I didn't think I would be challenged in the way that I wanted to be. Granted, God works in many amazing ways, I don't think my heart was truly in it to go to Australia this time.

So now, I need to diligently look for opportunities and apply... I actually did have a potential opportunity in China last year, but had many apprehensions from my family given the political climate of the country. But for some reason, I never really looked into Taiwan... Hm...

And now that I *have* disclosed this -- please keep me accountable to my commitment... good intentions only go so far.

I finally watched Fahrenheit 9/11. Overall, I enjoyed the movie, and appreciated the structure that any effective persuasive communication would embody: logical appeal, ethical appeal and emotional appeal, in that order.

Although knowing that the movie is entirely propaganda and every point must be taken with a grain of salt [since really, who really knows the truth in this matter to make a reasonable evaluation?], I could not walk away without thinking:

"I wonder if we will identify the 'mark' when we see it..."

Or to continue the thought, albeit along a somewhat horrifying train of thought, "I wonder if we've all already taken the mark but don't know it yet."

I'm not a radical apocalyptic type of person, but I must say that the movie was quite unsettling for me, and it's difficult not to think about the end times... "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?" -- Revelation 13:4

... Hm... are we ready?

Of course, this is probably just another part of the emotional appeal of the propaganda... who knows?

Ran off this weekend on vacation with the girls...

Thanks Janey for doing the blogging. =p