Lyrics

"But where love is,

fear won't tread."

...It's a good (and true!)

line from a Dave Barnes song.

Grad Schools!

So, I'm going to be applying next year for grad schools.

I'll probably end up (or try to) get my master's in art history.

As of now, I have 11 schools on my list. I'll separate them

by location. No west coast schools yet. Just east coast.

The list is getting longer....!

NYC:

Pratt Institute, Fordham, CCNY, NYU

Philly:

Temple, Penn State

Washington DC:

American University, GWU, U. of Maryland

Montréal:

Concordia University, McGill

Pic-a-tures

Yesterday, I went on a little photo adventure with my

good friend Suzy. She took some shots of me. In an

attempt to be vain, here are some of my faves that

she took of me...

TRUE STORY

These lyrics read like a page out of my heart.

Ugh, so freaking true.

Relient K lyrics always accurately reflect my

life situations. It's pretty amazing. They're

an awesome band and I highly recommend

reading their lyrics.

Side note: Sorry for all of these "emo" songs

but I'm just in that kinda mood. I blame it on

the rain. Okay?

Twenty

I'm 20 days Facebook free!

It feels... liberating not knowing

what the whole world is up to.

I'm not much of a hermit, but once

in a while, it's nice to retreat from

being so "connected" and distracted.

In lieu of Facebook, I'm twittering

and (obviously) blogging. I've also been

getting a little bit crafty, I just constructed

some wall art out of toilet paper tubes.

Trust me, it looks WAY better than it

sounds.

I'm on a "make your space all crafty" kick.

Look at me, I'm becoming a little college

home-maker. Très intéressant...

Music Music Music

I'm sorry. I can't help it.

I find tons of good music from all over the internets,

from any and every source imaginable. The latest

song to bless my ears is the song "Waiter" by the

Heathers. They're totally awesome. If you like Tegan

& Sara, you'll appreciate them a lot. Enjoy!

Today It Rained in LA

Rainy days in Los Angeles call for Sigur Ros, hot tea,

a warm blanket, and an engrossing read.

Cheers!

p.s. If you read my blog, I'd appreciate the comments.

Feedback is good, even if it's on mundane things.

Encouraging, no?

1 Corinthians 15:58

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast,

immovable, always abounding in the work of the

Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain

in the Lord."

That blessed my heart today and I hope

that encourages you too. Our struggle with

sin and our fight is not in vain. In the Lord,

we can do all things pertaining to life in

Godliness. Praise Him!

p.s. I'm an honorary "aunt" today.

Welcome Lady J. I love you already

and will even more in the days to come!

Video

So, I've been listening to the band "Weaver at the Loom"

lately. They're definitely worth a listen. Check 'em out.

Blurb

Chew on this:

Life is a chance.

Love is infinity.

Grace is a reality.

Amen.

Saturday

Today, I cooked my tribute to the Jersey Shore.

For all of you that know of the culture/reputation of

the Jersey shore, you know that the attitude and culture

is predominately Italian.

So, after my workout today, (four miles, by the way! Whoo!)

I cooked my tribute to the Italian flag. How? Via omelette.

I added chopped tomatoes, thinly sliced white onion, scallions,

and gorgonzola cheese to my eggs and made a lovely (and HUGE)

omelette. So... that's the only really "exciting" news of my day.

Fascinating, huh?

Tomorrow

I can't wait for tomorrow.

Why? Well, I'm visiting the hair salon for

a little choppy chop. My hair... has gotten

scraggly and I need to rectify that situation.

Today was another really really long day.

It was/is similar to Tuesday, with four

back to back classes. I feel as if I should

have something "exciting" or "blogworthy"

on here. But alas, it's the life of a nerdy

college student. However, I did come across

a really really cool DIY blog with tons of fun

(and cheap) decorating/entertaining ideas

and projects. It made me inspired for when/if

I have my own household. It's definitely worth a

gander, for all of you crafty individuals.

Like here, where there's an idea for wall art

made entirely of toilet paper tubes. Bummer.

Now I wish that I had saved all of mine... Oh well.

It's not like I'll ever stop using toilet paper.

Ouch.

My teeth hurt. Ouch.

Yup, I got my braces adjusted today.

I have once a month torture sessions.

I basically pay to get my teeth strung together

like beads. Now, don't think that I'm not thankful

for my braces. I.. am...? However, they seem

like less of a blessing when they're hurting in

my mouth. Owwie.

Today was really slow, but encouraging.

Now, I'm just catching up on reading for class

tomorrow. Wow. It's all going so fast!

Also - Here's the newest single from the new

Angels & Airwaves CD that's coming out in

February. I LOVE this band and can't wait

to get my hands on a copy of their new

album!

Wow

So, I had my first "death march" day of classes.

Four back to back classes with 10-15 mins in-between.

Oh my, chaos. But it definitely is manageable.

On a more serious (and sadder) note, my paternal

grandmother has been admitted to the hospital for

some respiratory distress. For a 90 year old woman,

this is not looking good. There's a decent chance that

she may pass away soon. As some of you know, she is

not saved and she is very antagonistic towards her children

and family members. She's very bitter and angry because her

life didn't play out the way that it had in her head. She

lashes out at everybody. So please pray for my father

during this time, that he can show the gospel in love

to her and to other questionable members of my family.

Please pray for me as I'm dealing with a lot of issues and

trials during this time as well. This is just another chance to

trust in the Lord for his perfect provision and care over my life.

So, I'll keep you posted on what's going on more and more.

But please be praying.

And We're Off...

That's right. Today was the first day of classes at UCLA. There was/is an odd assuring feeling that I get, walking up Bruinwalk. I'm surrounded by people doing a thousand different things, in all directions, while I walk by listening to my iPod. It's comforting to be in the daily hustle and bustle again. Life is moving, it's slowly going on. I like it because it pulls me along with it.

I'm not saying that I'm kicking and screaming at the passage of time or at life's circumstances. What I am saying is this: seeing life move on makes it easier for me to do so. Introspective, huh? Yeah, I thought so. Tomorrow, you guessed it, there's more classes. Four of them. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my heavy days. Sheesh. After class, I have a Westwind meeting at 6:00. We're prepping for our release party soon. Whee!

(sigh) Lord, sustain me. I need you.

EDIT/BONUS:

I cooked lobster for the first time tonight. Yes, you heard me correctly. Lobster. "How is this possible on a college student's budget?" Well, Ralphs had a sale. I dreamed big and scored the ultimate prize, $5.00 lobster tails. So I went home with my seafood bounty and made delish personal history. (I know, I'm bragging a little bit. But hey! I'm stoked!) I ended up creating lobster and angel hair pasta with a home-made cream sauce containing some white onion, green onions, and shiitake mushrooms. In retrospect, I wasn't too fond of the mushrooms. So next time I cook this dish, I'll substitute something else instead of shiitake. So... that's my only great news for today. And seriously, what a better meal to kick off the quarter?!?!

Sunday Sunday

Well, I had the privilege of visiting my friend Nancy's church this morning. It's called Reality LA and it meets in Hollywood. I really enjoyed the worship atmosphere and the wonderful topic of Romans 8, taught by pastor Tim Chaddick. I was really encouraged and totally uplifted by the body of believers. However, it really made me miss my home church, Grace Community Church. There really is no place like home.

I also helped my friend Nancy move her things into her new apartment today. That was pretty fun. I was thankful for the way that she helped me move all of my furniture when I decided to live in Westwood. Speaking of Westwood, I start classes tomorrow! Yikes!

I'm taking:

French 3

John Milton

19th Century Art History: Realism and Impressionism

History of Aztec Art

Yup. That means that I'll be... busy... crazy busy...

But the Lord will sustain and provide for me. He always

has and he always will. I am thankful. He is my great strength

in the midst of my great weakness.

Just A Saturday

Well, today was officially my second day totally and completely Facebook free. It's surprisingly easy at how fast I adapt to being "unconnected". I feel... mysterious? I spent the whole day by myself, just running errands and just being alone. I usually never ever have "me" time but I decided that I needed a day before the chaos of school begins. Practically, It's a very good time to not have any electronic distractions because this upcoming quarter is going to be very very challenging and demanding. Phew. Anyways, I ended up taking a little trip to the Grove today. I ate lox and bagels in the Farmer's Market and browsed in all the shops. If you know me, this is somewhat of a rarity. I usually never am able to "get out". I was in Anthropologie when I picked up this book by Rob Ryan. It's a similar artistic style to Nikki McClure but with a whole different poetic spin on it.

It's called "This Is For You" and it's an artistic and poetic journey through emptiness, love, loss, and hope. It's just beautifully written and designed. Bonus: it's only 20 pages long. It's a quick read and a visual feast. I highly recommend it.

Also: Here's some awesome music that I've been enjoying lately. I love love LOVE Kate Rusby. Her voice is awesome. I highly recommend getting into this genre/style/artist.

Hello 2010!

Hello to my readers, all 2 or 3 of you.

It is now 2010. I am thankful for the Lord's

work in the last decade. He definitely has lavished

his grace and mercy on my life.

I've been doing some thinking and have decided to

"quit" Facebook for quite a while. For now, I will

not use it until Winter quarter is over, roughly around

March or April. I have completely deactivated it.

It's a little bit of an experiment, to see what life is

really like offline. If I really enjoy being off Facebook

for over a quarter, I may just continue for a full calendar

year. I'd like to have 2010 Facebook-free, so we'll see how

that goes.

But, I am still on Twitter and of course, I am still

blogging. Follow my adventures, as they will now be

chronicled on this blog.

http://twitter.com/musicboxx