New Song to live My life

Jason Mraz's song "Details in the Fabric" had wonderful lyrics:
Hold your own, know you name, go your own way-
Everything will be fine-
hearts will hold..

Everything will always be fine-
Deal with it, take the jump-

These are bits and pieces of the song that really made me feel it's relevance in my life right now. Sometimes you have to just take the leap of faith and pray and hope it all works out in the end.

January 2009 So much in the News..

The time for change has come. January 20, 2009, the first African-American was sworn into the Presidential office. It is an exciting time for all Americans, for it shows to the world, we are a country that is no longer divided by color, that we really mean equal opportunity for those who work hard. Obama's 20 minute speech to me was not one of his best, but I do appreciate his sincerity and honesty, he did not promise a better tomorrow in the brink of his Presidency, but he did say he will work towards a better America with time and effort from EVERYONE. It is strange to feel like you are accountable for a better tomorrow for America. But then it's about time that we take account for our actions, that we aspire to be smarter, stronger in ethics and morality, and strive to build communities of hope rather then of complaints. President Obama might not have uttered words of promises that we are used to hearing,but he did plant the seed of accountability. Like the words of Pilot Chesley B. Sullenberger III, of Flight 1549, if we all did our job, did it well, without hesitation or expectation, we'd all have a safer and smoother journey in this crazy world we live in.

2009 is here

2008 was a time of change for me. I moved to Georgia, met some wonderful folks! I think 2009 will be exciting. I feel I am compelled to be witnesses to great events and hopefully find my true calling! Of course there are those NY resolutions to be sought after as well.
I am compelled to share that I am truly happy for the persons in my life, and I am so grateful for great friends and families.

History is Made...

Today Obama was announced as President for January 2009. It's a glorious day for many, and for some it's a sad day. No matter what BUSH is going to be out of office in 2 months, so either way shouldn't we all be happy? Obama won at 338 vs McCain at 156. McCain gave a wonderful speech, which was very heartfelt and honest to me. It called for the country to unite, and he asked his supporters to now support the New President. McCain's speech really showed he really stands by this country's decision, and showed grace and integrity on his part.
History was made today my friends, and I am so proud and grateful to have been able to vote, to be in a roomful of friends, and to be apart of this historical moment.

Halloween Whiplash...

I have not dressed up for Halloween in a long time. The time spent on the island for med school, did not conjure up the same spirits as being in the USA , for this very American Holiday. With friends in the spirits, it was not hard for me to decide on going out for Halloween this year. What started out as an early 8pm, meeting up with the friends for drinks before a Halloween party, ended up being an hour wait for the police to come.
I was heading on the main street going with the speed limit of traffic, with a green light clearly stating I had the right of way, when out of nowhere, a car tried to make a left turn, and I collided with the car, hitting it right smack in the passenger side. My gut instinct was to break as fast as I could, but no amount of break could stop me from ramming into the car. I slowly pulled to the side, and made sure my friends were ok. The next thought in my head was, oh man, my car is wrecked. I asked my roommate Caitlin to check the car, and she stepped outside, took a look, and the look on her face said everything. I resolved in my head that the accident could not have been my fault, it made no sense, and even if it was, I was glad I was alive with my friends, we were able to step away from the accident without any need of to going to the hospital.
You can go through life doing the right thing, following rules, and within minutes, if someone makes a wrong decision, your life can change. I am so grateful that no one was hurt, but it did put a huge burden in my mind, when I thought, man things could have been so much worse. If my breaks didn't work, if I had driven 10 miles faster, alot of things would have happened for the worse. My friends and I would have been critically injured, life would have totally changed.
I woke up this morning, with nothing but a sore neck from whiplash, nothing severe, just a little ache. But sadly my car looks terrible. I hope repairs will be done soon, it's not a pretty site. But like all things, it's just an object, can be fixed, and life will go on.

Brrrrrrrr... the Fall is here.. Warm up with Beef Stew

The Fall weather is here! Today's temperature was in the mid 40's, highs in 60's, it was freezing to me. It must be all the time growing up in California, then a short stint in Seattle- now that got me tough.. but then the move to the Caribbeans really got me to be a HUGE WUSS! It amazes me how we all can adjust to the cold or the heat. I personally prefer to be cold, then to be insanely hot. When you are cold, you can add more layers, as well as slurp down on some hearty warm stews and soups. Speaking of hearty stews, I made a great beef stew last week, which lasted seriously the whole week. It was a recipe from my friend Kit F. which I slightly tweaked. It's a great stew for the Fall, it is hearty,healthy, and so comforting!

Beef Stew

1 lb of London broil, cubed ( or 2 packages of beef stew pre-cubed)

4 carrots sliced and chopped into 1 inch

2 large potatoes 1 inch cubes

4 stalks of celery chopped into 1 inch pieces

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

2 basil leaves (or 1 tsp basil that are chopped)

1 tsp oregano

Steak Seasoning (the kind that has garlic powder/onion/salt/pepper)

1/2 cup red wine (any)

1 small can tomato paste

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 can beef broth

In a large stew pot, saute onions, and celery until onions becomes translucent. Add garlic cubed beefs, cook til brown, should take 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup red wine, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add Beef broth, w/ additional 10 cans of water, approximately 10 cups of water, bring to a broil. Add carrots and potatoes, and can of tomato paste. Season with Salt/ and or Steak Seasoning for taste, and bring to a broil. Turn down the heat to simmer with lid partially open, for 40 minutes. Once vegetables are tender, mix 3 tablespoon of cornstarch with water, add to stew pot and stir, this will thicken the stew broth.

This stew goes great with crusty french bread.

Enjoy!

I love the rain...

I heart Fall , not only is it the season where you can see the leaves change color, it's also a time of abundant rain, bringing forth a new sense of monotony and hibernation. Fall weather makes me appreciate so many things like Chai tea, throw blankets, and horror movies! It's been awhile since I've seen a good horror movie on a rainy day. I truly wanted to stay in today, but my schedule calls me to see an art show with my roommate Caitlin, and yummy Korean BBQ dinner with a friend.
Rainy weather has always brought me a feeling of peace. Ever since I was a child, my birthday always had rain attached to it. It would always make me so distraught, because as a child, you want to have sunny outdoor birthday parties- I on the other hand, had minds primarily indoors. My dad finally realized how upset I was one particular birthday, and he sat me down, and told me a Vietnamese luck myth. He told me that in Viet Nam whenever it rains on a special occasion, it means luck and prosperity will come your way. Since Viet Nam's agriculture relied heavily on good amounts of rainfall for the crops, rain meant larger crops, a better harvest, more money for food and other supplies once the crops were sold. So when there is a full day of rain, this story comes back to me.
So if you are driving in the rain, especially in Atlanta, where people don't know how to drive, and traffic gets backed up, take a moment and think, thank goodness for rain- no more droughts and somewhere a farmer is smiling!