Soldier

I guess my blog theme is Family for today? Enjoy!

Soldier

The first day that he left

With a big smile on his face

He gave me a high five

As he walked out the door

Everyday I pray

That he'll be home safe

Kneeling by my bed

Whispering soft prayers

Everyday I walk

Down to the old baseball field

Playing as a lead pitcher

On my high school team

Everyday I pray

That he'll be home safe

And maybe someday

He'll be here to see

Everyday I remember

The days we played catch

He was the very first

Who taught me how to pitch

On the last day of the season

Playing my final game

I just hit a home run

And heard a loud shout

It was my father

In the stands

Yelling

I'm proud of you son!

And without hesitation

I yelled back

I'm proud of you too dad...

-Jennifer C-

Father And Mother I Love You

As much as people try to push their problems away, it always kind of comes back. Lately I've found myself yelling at my parents more than I should. It's frustrating to get an urgent voicemail from my mom telling me to call her as soon as possible. Then I find out that she needs me to call Verizon Wireless to check up on a phone bill that she thinks that they miscalculated. After about an hour conversation with the Verizon representative, I realize that it was actually my mother who miscalculated... Or how about calling back and forth back and forth between my parents and a sign company, a water company, the electric company, or even a vet?

I guess often times, its more frustrating for me because while I'm being angry at them for making me an every day translator during my finals week or something... I know that I shouldn't be angry. I also know that if I ever needed help with a language that they're fluent in (mom: korean, Japanese, English dad: Chinese Korean Japanese) they would probably gladly help me out. However at the same time, I worry. My mom is pretty fluent in English. It's just that often times, she second guesses herself with important papers. That's why she frequently calls me for help. What will they do when they're in some sort of a situation and they can't reach me? I can't help but worry.

Haha but what kind of daughter would I be do say " No, stop calling me about that kind of stuff when I'm busy studying for an exam!". Instead of that I say, " ughhhhh mom! Could you please listen!" and go on to say many things in a way that sounds a little bit... annoyed. Then after I hang up the phone, there is like a prolonging guilty feeling that I get. It's like I've done something terribly wrong and my mind keeps telling me "you're sooooo mean!". I think that often things are like that with God. When we need Him for something we tend to seek Him right away and ask Him to listen to our every word. However, when we're busy doing something, whatever that "something" may be, we ignore His words and His commands. Then when something goes wrong, we blame Him for not being there for us. Think about it, do you think that if something were to go wrong with Him, not that it ever would, He would blame us for things? Probably not. Next time my parents call me I'll try to think about how much they have given up for me. Like mom giving up her manager job at 63building in Korea and Dad giving up his head authentic chinese chef job at a 5 star hotel in Osaka, Japan. Instead, next time I should say " Father And Mother I Love You" Because those 6 words spell out FAMILY.

Notre Dame De Paris-Belle & Defying Gravity

For this weeks tunes I decided to go with musicals! The first one "Notre Dame De Paris-Belle" is a French-Canadian Musical with three of the most amazing male vocalists I've heard in a long time. The translations are once again in the clip. Enjoy!

The second one is my favorite musical of all time, WICKED! In this scene, Elphaba and Glinda have run away after they have "angered" the Wizard of Oz. This is when they first go their separate ways. The vocals by both of the actresses are really amazing! The ending to this song= WOW! It always gives me the goose bumps.

Steinway

It's a short personification poem about a steinway~ enjoy!

Steinway

I sat

Infront of my old friend

He listened

Like many times before

I opened my heart

Willingly with ease

He accepted my heart

Letting me express

Sometimes

He would cry

Shouting in anger

and fury

Other times

He would whisper

So soft and

Tender

He reached out to me

When I needed him most

He pulled away from me

When my mind went astray

We had many ups and downs

Through these many years

But in the end I still sit...

In front of my old friend

-Jennifer C-

S'mores Bars

Sorry for the late update for my Tummy Thursday post. Today's yummy food is S'mores Bars!!! They are so wonderfully delicious, you MUST try them out sometime. The ingredients are simple and making it is even more so. This is a perfect item to make when it's less than 40 degrees outside and you have the worst craving for S'mores! Enjoy!picture credits and recipe credits go to The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Smores Bars

Source: Lovin In the Oven

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized Hershey's milk chocolate bars (if you want a more subtle chocolate flavor use regular sized chocolate bars; enough to fit)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (7 1/2 oz jar)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.

3. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. This part can be tricky. I made little disks with the dough and formed them into a sheet on some parchment paper then transferred it over. Spread it around gently.

4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Makes 16 cookie bars.

너 같은 사람 또없어 & Sorry Sorry

This week I'm sharing my love for Super Junior! Ever since their comeback of 2010 they've had multiple number 1 hits for both of their main performance songs. The first one that I'm posting is너 같은 사람 또없어 which translates to "Theres nobody like you". It's a really cute music video of boyfriends doing different "events" for their girlfriend because there is nobody like them~ awww. It is in korean, but the translations are in the video so enjoy!

The other song is is Sorry Sorry, also by Super Junior. It was a big hit basically all over the world. They're really famous for their "sorry sorry" dance now. This video is also in Korean, but the english subtitles are right in the video along with the romanizations~ ENJOY!

When I least expect it...

Today I was visited by someone. If you told me a month ago that I'd be sitting in a room having a deep conversation with this person, I would've probably said that you're crazy. But God has once again given me a message when I least expected it...

College is an interesting time in a person's life. You're put into a situation where you can't hide behind your parents anymore. Before coming to college, I often thought that being a Christian meant going to church every weekend, doing your prayers every day, and reading the Bible. I also thought that going to college would drastically change my faith in some way, because I knew that I may be tempted into different situations. However, I was determined not to let that happen and carefully packed my old Bible with my freshly bought dorm supplies. After coming to college, however, I've realized that it has drastically changed my faith, but not in a way that I expected it to. Actually I almost felt like God was saying "Jennifer I think you still have a lot to learn.", because of the people that he put into my life.

After going through the highest and the lowest points of my walk with God all in one year, I feel as though I'm sitting on top of a flat surface. It has no downs but it also has no ups. However, God has blessed me enough to have strong christian sisters that I feel like I've gotten a lot closer to over the summer. They are sort of like a post-it note. When I'm too stubborn to listen, they are there to remind me and to motivate me. However, in no way did I think that God would send this person to me and have this person say the exact words that I've been wondering about for a while now. It is as though He sent me this person to remind me that instead of being a stubborn little child, I should listen and obey. It is as though He believed that I wasn't listening to Him wholeheartedly so He sent this person to say "Hello??? Jenn... sigh... come on really? I'm right here. I've been here the whole time! HELLO?!?! oh... I'm glad you're ready to listen now". He really works when I least expect it...

Judging a Book by it's cover

There is a very famous saying "Don't judge a book by its cover". I'm sure like most people, I've been guilty more than a few times. It's easier for me to pick a book off of the shelf when I see a cover that interests me or a title that has a certain "melody" to it.

I've often wondered if it's like that with people. I've met quite a few people and certainly judged them by their cover. Yes I know that we shouldn't do that, but we're only human after all. I don't mean I judged their looks or their clothes, but their personalities. Time and time again, I get a nice little "HA!" from God when my closest friends turn out to be the ones that I didn't quite get along with at first... OR it would be the other way around. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying all situations turn out this way, just some. People often tell me that their first impression of me is either:

1. Very happy-go-lucky, cheerful, energetic, people person. Someone that seems very sweet but also talks a lot, giggles a lot, and seems eager.

2. Quiet, shy, polite, and doesn't seem unless spoken to. Doesn't seem like a people person and doesn't like to mingle.

I find this funny because these two assumptions are very different from one another. Which would mean that judging a book by its cover has big flaws. I would say that my personality is not quite like 1 but not quite like 2 either. I'm maybe in between or way apart from those two assumptions. What about you guys? Did you ever feel like you've judged someone by their "cover" but turned out to be wrong?

Tummy Thursday! CHOCOLATE MICROWAVE MUG CAKE?!

As I'm sitting in front of the computer trying to think of recipes that I've made I begin to have cravings for chocolate. Chocolate and I go hand in hand, not gonna lie! So I started stumbling through websites for some chocolate recipe ideas when I found the CHOCOLATE MICROWAVE MUG CAKE! Although the recipe look up was for my chocolate addiction, it looked so GOOD that I thought I shouldshare with you guys. Plus it looks extremely easy for college dorm rooms! The recipe credit and pic credit goes to 2 Stews.

Chocolate Microwave Mug Cake

3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa

2-3 tablespoons of sugar

1 tablespoon of flour

3 tablespoons of milk

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, such as canola

3 tablespoons of egg white or plain Egg Whites in a carton

1/4 teaspoon of vanilla

1 teaspoon of chocolate chips (optional)

In a 1-1 1/2 cup microwave safe mug, blend cocoa, sugar, and flour together.

Add milk, oil, egg white and vanilla. Stir vigorously for 2 minutes, (or until you've sung Happy Birthday 6 times!) making sure to get all ingredients incorporated. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top, if desired. Bake in microwave for 2 minutes. Check to make sure it is cooked on the bottom by lifting it a little with a spoon. If it is runny, cook 10 seconds more at a time until done. Do not overcook, as it will be rubbery. It puffs up and may overflow, but that is OK, it deflates somewhat as it cools.

You want the texture to be moist and slightly undercooked. Let cool until just warm.

and serve with whipped cream fresh from the can!

너 아니면 안돼 & Praise you in this storm

It's Tuesday again so I've decided to post some tunes that I've been playing over and over this week!

The first one is 너 아니면 안돼 by 예성 (It has to be you by ye-sung). This music is actually an OST from the popular Korean Drama called Cinderella Sister. I haven't seen the drama series yet but I heard that it's actually pretty good. It has to be you has such beautiful lyrics and plus I Love YESUNG from SUPER JUNIOR! So check it out guys!

It's in Korean so I'll post a translation under the vid.

Today too, as follow my wondering memory

I still lingered at this end of the road

I can't see you again, but you still hold me tight

and Again, I asked about this path

I look up to the sky and pray

I miss you, I want to hold you

chorus:

It can't be if it isn't you

I can't be without you

Being hurt like this, for a day, a month, or years too, it's fine

Even if my heart get worn out, it's fine

It's because my love is only for you.

I can't send you away for the second time

I can't live if I have to forget you

Chorus

My bruised heart is

Screaming at me to find you again

Where are you?

Can't you hear my voice?

To me you're...

Even if I live again..

No matter how many times I am born again

I can't live even for a day if it's without you

The love I'll keep

The one that I love

I...

So for me, it's enough with only you

Because my love is only for you

The second tune that I've been listening to over and over again is Praise you in this Storm by Casting Crowns. One of my favorite Korean Hymn (하나님은 너를 지키시는 자 [God is your protector]) is from the same Psalm so I've been listening to both versions for the past few weeks. Enjoy~

The meaning of family

We all have very different types of families. Some are big and others are small. Some may include step families and other may live with their grandparents. While everyone else may turn their back on you, your family will stand by you. As lot of movies and TV shows now days show a lot of not-so-happy side of families. The other day, in Wal-Mart, I witnessed a man swearing and threatening a person around the aisle. Thinking that it might be a fight between two grown men I tried to get out of there before things got too ugly. However, I soon saw a little boy coming around the corner with the saddest look on his face. All I could think was WOW.... I soon felt bad for the boy. He looked like he was only about 5 years old, an age where most parents would shower the kid with love. Him on the other hand, got a lot of swearing and threats thrown at him. To this day, I have NEVER heard either of my parents say anything like that.

Today I saw a movie that reminded me that not everyone in the world are changing their ways of having a family. The movie was entitled 'Despicable Me'. Yes it was a animated movie and yes it was about an evil villain trying to be the best bad guy out there, but there was also a bigger part to the story. The beginning starts out fairly predictable. Gru, he "evil" villain is shown as a person without a care for another person's feelings. He freezes people just to get his morning coffee faster, he pops a poor innocent boy's balloon, and he even makes a dead dog joke without a blink of an eye. However everything take a complete turn when he adopts three girls from an orphanage. The viewers get a clear sense of change in Gru's heart. The impact of the girls is so drastic that he realizes that what he's doing is wrong and tries to keep his promise to the girls.

I would say that like the common saying we should keep God first, Family second, and everything else last. I don't know what I would do without my parents. You can call me a mama's girl or a daddy's girl but I'm proud to be one. Sure I occasionally have a mishap with my parents, but I believe that's what keeps people stronger together. Despicable Me is certainly a good example of that. If friendship and loyalty is best represented in Toy Story 3, this movie represents the true meaning of FAMILY.

Dreams...

Why do people dream? What do dreams mean? Is God telling us something through dreams like Joseph or is it be the work of the devil? I know that recently all of my dreams have been... very unpleasant. After discussing some of my dreams with my friend in hopes that she can make some sense out of them, I have turned to a dream dictionary site. http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/a.htm

It puts an interesting view on some dreams.

Night 1:

Loss of a good friend, people around me acting are disgruntled, i have protective instincts, betrayed and being let down by someone, feeling overwhelmed, significant relationship has been severed, trying to disconnect myself from emotions,

Night 2:

feeling lost, trying to disconnect from emotions, some message that I'm trying to get ingrained,

Night 3:

something is being forced upon me, someone is lowering my self-esteem, I need to enjoy life,

Night 4:

trying to get rid of sad or negative emotions that I've been repressing in real life, looking for help

Night 5:

Set backs and misfortunes, fear of the actual, self-punishment, sincerity, looking for help, honesty, dedication, wisdom, unaware of something that's right in front of me, anxiety over a task in hand

Those are some of the dreams that I've had in the past few days. I'm sure that the dream dictionary isn't 100% on the right track all the time. I guess the only one who knows the true meaning of my dreams would be God, but it's still interesting to read about the meaning that other people have come up with. If you have time and a dream that you want to know the meaning of, check out the website!

Realization on friendship

친구 = chin-gu

The korean word for friend is chin-gu. As a child I remember my friends running over to my house knocking on my door saying 친구야 놀자! (come out and play friend!!). Friendship was such a cute thing back then. Nothing too complicated but mostly just about having fun with others. However, now I realize that friends are one of the most complicated things in the world but at the same time the easiest. Recently a lot of things have happened in my life and I keep thinking and rethinking about the particular word. Some friends will last a life time and others will fall out. Some friends will even hurt you while others will heal...

For an only child like me, I'm sure that friendship is very important, perhaps even more important than those of you that have the blessing of having multiple siblings. I feel as though in just the past few months I've encounters so many different meanings of fri

endship to the point of me wondering what it really truly means. In the dictionary it states: Friendship is the cooperative and supportive relationship between

people, or animals. In this sense, the term connotes a relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, affection, and respect along with a degree of rendering service to friends in times of need or crisis. ... Which makes sense in its own complicated way....

So what happens if the friendship is falling a part? What happens if the person that you want to get closer to is not accepting your step towards them? What happens if you want to pull away from someone but you know that you can't? How should you respond to a friend that has hurt you more than they could probably imagine? What should you do if someone has betrayed you? How should you react to a step in your direction? I can never find the right answer to any of these questions. Of course I'm not saying that all friendships are like this. In fact, I would say that a lot of friendships are beautiful, loving, joyful, and much more!

The Bible tells us to value friendship and that a true friend will stand by you in times of trouble. That a true friend will tell us if and when we are in the wrong. Furthermore says to cherish our genuine friends and do not forsake them. However, the Bible also warns us against false friends... How am I to distinguish between all these? I guess someday when He feels is right, He'll give me an answer...

I recently received this from a friend wanted to post for others to use:

Prayer for a friend

Lord, you've been with me all day

and now unto the night

May your presence still surround me

As I begin to write

I, too have walked this road, Lord

And was quick to ask you why?

Troubles were all around me

So you gave me your reply

You opened up my eyes to see

The good you put in others

Especially those that call themselves

OUr sisters and our brothers

Yes, all have made mistakes, Lord

And we wrestle with the pain

Of deciding who's at fault, Lord

When there's nothing there to gain.

We say we want your will, Lord

Yet you made it plain to see

If we choose to walk in love, Lord..

Our spirits are set free

So, Help us truly recognize

Your spirit from within

As you seek to daily show us

Our thoughts you label sin

My friend, she/he wants to serve you

She/He loves you, Lord, I know

Listen to his cries, Lord

Let your mercies flow

Show her/him that you care, Lord

As she/he seeks your face

To guide her/him and direct her/him

Help her/him understand your grace

My friend, she/he needs your help, Lord

She's/He's a broken wo/man it's true

Come heal your humble servant

Touch her/his heart anew

I pray that all her/his cares, Lord

She'll/He'll lay them in your hands

And you'll lift her/his heavy burden

And show her/him of your plans.

Plans not to hurt her/him... but give her/him hope

And a good future, too

For her/his search's been with her/his whole heart

And, your faithfulness is true.

fun shaved ice treats!

Every year we all look forward to the sunny days of summer, but let's face it, we hate the heat when it actually gets here. I mean sure we can go cool off at the beach or the pool, but what about the rest of us? Yes, I'm talking about those of us who are still stuck at college for the summer. Whether we're working, researching, or studying.... the beach or even a kiddy pool isn't exactly something that we experience on a regular basis. That's why.... TADA!!

This nice treat will hopefully help you cool off for the summer! ENJOY!

-2 cups of ice
- 1/2 cup of cut-up fresh fruit (kiwis, strawberries, bananas, pineapple, peaches, mango, any berries, watermelon, melons are all good) or fruit cocktail. I also really like nata de coco, a clear jelly made from fermented coconut water
- 1/4 cup of chapsal dduk, sweet rice cake. Looks like this:

- 1/3 cup of sweetened canned red bean, called 팥
- 1/4 cup of condensed milk

THE INGREDIENTS SHOULDN'T COST TOO MUCH~~

You can buy ingredients such as canned red bean topping and rice cakes at your local Asian supermarket.

Instructions:

1. Grind up the ice using a mixer or ice grinder and put it in a bowl (clear bowls are nice to eat out of)
2. Pour the condensed milk over the crushed ice in the bowl. Put the red bean topping over the ice and milk, and then sprinkle the fresh fruit and dduk over the whole thing (you can be artistic and arrange the fruit prettily, or just dump it on top and eat).

3. EAT
The Korean style of eating patbingsoo is by mixing it first! "mix mix!". You take a spoon, mix everything together so that the toppings and ice blend, and eat! But personally, I prefer leaving the toppings intact until the very end.

DON'T FORGET TO GET CREATIVE!! This is just a generic recipe. You can also use different types of ice-cream and different types of fruits!

STAY COOL!!

Eclipse

Okay okay so Eclipse was a good movie. However, it was a little disappointing.... I mean maybe it's because I read the book and all... but still :( My friend took me to the movies since I don't have to car on campus and he braved all the squealing girls and the awkward scenes! hahaha I gotta say, only a real man can do something like that :P Anyways the movie is good but DEFINITELY not as good as the book!!