Photos by Thomas Chen Photography.
The last photo of me feels honest. Chapped lips, no make-up, no usual and typical cheesy smile, and slightly wild hair.
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Tag: family
Hillary, Alex, and me last Thanksgiving
I’ve been so homesick I could cry. I’ve been craving my friends in Houston. I’ve been wanting to check in my friend who lost her brother last month. I haven’t seen Ms. Kimmy in a while. I can’t wait for our girly date. I can’t wait for tonight, and having a cup of the best hot chocolate of my life (Chocolate Bar in Houston, trust me) with Hillary and Alex. And then again on Friday with Sarah. I can’t wait to see my parents and eat momma food. I’m excited about dim sum with my family on Sunday. I’m looking forward to listening to my dad talk over glasses of Scotch. I’m crawling out of my skin excited!
There’s something magical about picking up where you left things with your oldest friends. Friends who know where you came from and are coming from. We’ve all cultivated separate grown-up lives and reunions kind of bring us back to the roots of ourselves. At least for me they do.
Back in college, my roommate of three years and I had a running inside joke at her expense. She had this cheesy writing class and the last line in one of her essays she wrote, “It says home to me.” And her teacher ate it up despite how cheesy we thought it was. So even now, when something makes us feel so at home and at peace, we’ll half jokingly and half seriously say, “It says home to me.” Then we follow it with giggles, or if it was me who said it, she’ll curse at me for making fun of her. I tell you this because all the things I’m looking forward to about going to Houston, “say home to me.”
Houston, I’ll see you tonight! Insallah. (God willing in Arabic. I say “Insallah” a lot in real life.)
Question: What says home to you?
 1.I’ve been mulling over my funeral lately. I want it pretty much figured out before actually passing. I want to have the money set aside to pay for the service and burial. If I’m going to be cremated, I want that already locked up. (I’m leaning towards burial.) I picked who I want as my executor. Currently, my savings approximately cancels out my student loans so I’m not too worried about a will yet. I listed my family as the benefactors to my retirement funds. I want my car to go to my next of kin for them to sell. If my parents are still living, I want to let my organs be but if they’re not, I want to donate my organs. I also would like jokes at my funeral. Really. That’s all I have for now. 2. Before my dying though, I definitely want to ride a mechanical bull. This has been on my to do list for forever and I totally came across a free ride on a mechanical bull on my way to lunch Wednesday! I was by myself or I totally would have ridden it. I needed a buddy to hold my purse and snap a picture. And yes, a picture is necessary! It was kind of bittersweet, walking away from the bull. Felt compelled to write a missed connection post on Craigslist. It would go something like: “You were sitting there waiting for me in the middle of Speedway. I was the Asian girl in the purple blazer. I’ve been dreaming of riding you for years. It breaks my heart I had to walk away from you. Find me again?” Ha. :) 3.I got happy mail on Monday. My Sketchbook Project sketchbook arrived!  It remains blank as I am overwhelmed by the blank pages. Clock’s ticking. 4.I’m baby-stepping towards a healthier lifestyle. I’m very guilty of taking my youth, metabolism, and overall health for granted. I used to work out 2-3 times a week but stopped in October 2009. Since then I’ve maybe worked out 3 times? It’s embarrassing. I also rarely drink anything but coffee and eat a lot of junk and never enough fruits and vegetables. So I’m baby-stepping. Last week a friend from Houston came up and for 3 days, we mall-walked like little old ladies. Wednesday, I had lunch at The Carillon with Selina. Instead of starting with the carbs and ignoring the salad bar, my usual MO at buffets, I made a veggie plate first. See below. Yes, I know there were cheeses and creamy dressing, but it’s a baby-step after all.  5.That lunch was a lovely lunch. I like having lunch with non-work friends during the week because it makes the work day go by faster. Aside from that though, this lunch was especially perfect because it was a Thanksgiving spread for the faculty and staff of the university. My family alternates between American Thanksgiving food and Vietnamese food. I think this year we’re doing Vietnamese food, so it was lovely to have the typical. Namely, turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie. Mmm. Pumpkin. 6.Sign that I’m getting older: I’m getting tired more easily! Wednesday was Neville‘s birthday and I came to his bingo shindig for a round of bingo. It was almost 11pm by the time I got home. Still very early by my standards but I was exhausted! I’m encountering these signs that tell me I’m no longer a spring chicken more often and it’s a rude awakening each time.   7.I started to listen to the archives of The American Life. I sent a lovely quote from Ira Glass to Bestie and she loved it so much she researched Ira Glass and found The American Life. I started listening to it yesterday, and it was riveting! I started with the podcast on “Unconditional Love,” regarding the importance of parental love. I can’t wait to work through the archives for more! Here’s the quotation I passed on to her:
Edit: I published this before checking my reader and I saw that Bestie did a blog post about Ira Glass and the quote today. Question: What’s something you enjoy doing even though you’re bad at it? |
Drawn without training, a no 2. pencil and Crayola colored penciles.
I’d like to formally explore drawing “rules” and techniques one day. You can tell I’m very untrained. Proportions are off. Look at her boots. Sigh, so many things to explore in this life and not enough time.
My dad drew. I remember as a child, I snooped through his letters and paperwork, wishing I knew how to read Vietnamese. I wanted to read the letters he used to write to my maternal grandfather. I liked the stationary and running my fingers over the ridges of imprinted words. (I also like running my fingers over the ridges of completed jigsaw puzzles.) While snooping one day, I found some drawings he drew while in a reeducation camp in Vietnam. They were drawn on pieces of cardboard and they were BEAUTIFUL. I think that’s painfully romantic. Drawing pictures of your wife while imprisioned. I can imagine him admiring his drawings with deep longing every night before bed. I should write myself a reminder to ask him if he’s tucked these drawings anywhere…
In comparison to 2008, 2009 was awful! The one thing I can think of that 2009 had over 2008 was that I read more than double the books I read in 2008. I’m anticipating the fresh feel of a new year that is 2010. In the meantime, here’s a review of how my year has gone with heavier emphasis on my blessings verses my misfortunes.
Note: All links open in a new window.
January 2009
- Celebrated New Years with Alan and his friends.
- I worked a lot. Logged a lot of hours.
- Saw one of my favorite movies of the year, Slumdog Millionaire.
- Kim sent me Tiff’s Treats at work to cheer me up about something.
Celebrating New Year’s with the boyfriend
February 2009
- Alan took me to my third Killer’s concert as a Christmas gift.
- Tried out Joe Dimaggio’s for the first of three times this year. Went as a Valentine’s date with Alan.
- Got flowers from Alan at work.
- Alan, his roommate, and I all played Bingo for the first time.
- I worked a lot. Logged a lot of hours.
Alan and I at the Killer’s Concert
March 2009
- I worked a lot. Logged a lot of hours.
- Went to my first rodeo with some work friends and Brandi.
- Ate at Mighty Fine for the first time, now my favorite burger joint of the year.
- Celebrated Brandi’s birthday at Pete’s Dueling Pianos.
Rodeo, Austin, TX
April 2009
- Went to Houston for my daddy’s birthday.
- I worked a lot. Logged a lot of hours.
- Was supposed to be Jamie’s date for a wedding. We got lost in West Austin and ended up exploring Salado, Texas instead.
- Celebrated Selina’s birthday at her house on same day Jamie and I almost went to that wedding.
Selina’s Birthday
May
- Worked a lot; logged a lot of hours.
- Visited San Francisco for the first time and went with Alan. It was our first vacation together and we ate very very well.
- Put in notice at my Clincial Research Job and thus ending that career path (for now at least?)
- I finished out May working at that job and I stopped logging too many hours.
- Celebrated Sae’s graduation from Law School.
- Kim visited from Houston for Memorial Day Weekend.
- Katambra introduced me to a snowcone stand that I frequented often in the summer.
- Saw Star Trek in IMAX, was surprised to love it.
Celebrating Sae’s law school graduation
June 2009
- Ate at a lot of happy hours with old coworkers, with Alan, Sae, and his girlfriend with new free time.
- I took a certification class to become a teacher
- I went to Houston for Father’s Day
- Kim and I tried out Feast, voted best new restaurant in Houston by a handful of magazines.
- I saw Thomas in Houston and we ate at Fufu’s.
- Went on a lot of double dates with Sae and Young. (Here’s our first time at North)
Cindy and me at Grand Lux Cafe in Houston
July
- Celebrated Fourth of July with Brandi and her boyfriend at Zilker Park..
- Went on a lot of double dates with Sae and Young.
- Went to Houston for my mom’s birthday.
- Saw Cindy in Houston and we ate at Classic Kitchen.
- Kim and I discovered Hugo’s, hands down my favorite restaurant in 2009.
- Moved in with my current roommate, and long time friend, Brandi.
- Celebrated my birthday with tons of great people at Trailer Park Eatery.
- At one point, had 4 bouquets of flowers delivered at our apartment and they were all to me from different people. Felt very loved.
- I took and passed my state certification test to become a middle school teacher for science.
Brandi and me on Fourth of July
August
- The first two weeks of August, I tried to squeeze in as much time as I can with Alan because he was about to leave for Korea for up to 4.5 months.
- Starting, August 16, I started counting days Alan was gone.
- Kim came to visit the weekend of the 22nd and we saw Wicked.
- I saw 500 Days of Summer three times this month, in theatre, of course. This is the first movie I’ve done that.
- Jon visited from NYC.
- I got a part-time, part-time (yes you read that right) job, thanks to Brittany dropping a good word for me.
Alan’s last night out with friends before going to Korea.
September
- Hosted the first Alphabet pot luck. We started with the letter P.
- Wrote a blog entry about my journals, surprisingly my favorite blog entry of the year.
- Friends and I got dressed up for Deesh’s brother’s wedding reception.
- Visited Mary Ellen for a long weekend in Boston. First time I’ve gone to see her since 2005. Had best breakfast ever at Mike and Patty’s and most interesting hot pot.
- Alan surprised me by coming home from Korea early.
- Went out for Selina’s Bachelorette Party.
October
- Celebrated Alan’s birthday at Joe Dimaggio’s. Was very happy to have him back in Texas and to be able to celebrate his birthday with him and take him as a date to weddings. He had good timing :)
- Stood in Selina & Ryan’s Wedding and witnessed strong love.
- Realised I don’t really want to be a teacher.
- Threw 2nd Alphabet Potluck.
- Dressed up as a cow girl for Halloween.
November
- Went to Wurst Fest with friends.
- Went to Cathedral of Junk for the first time with Brandi.
- Texas Renaissance with Jessica and Brandi
- Had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Houston where I reunited with people I don’t normally see! (Willis, Thomas, Kim, Shane, Kelvin, Chris, Aishah, Kym, Hillary, Alex)
- Had my second progressive meal this year.
Having hot chocolate at Ren Fest.
December
- I started my new full time job and kept my part time night job.
- I struggled with what it means to be someone’s family.
- I struggled with what it means to be someone’s friend.
- I made truffles for the first time!
- Saw Avatar in IMAX opening night. Awesome.
- Attended and witnessed proudly, Bing graduate from college
- Attended annual Christmas Party for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America with my little and her family.
- Jennifer from Philly is in town and I introduced her to Teucsher.
- I went home to Houston for Christmas break and was able to see Mary Ellen, Aishah, Pinky, Cindy, and Kim of course my lovely family.
- Had hot pot on Christmas day twice. Lunch with Mary Ellen and her mom and dinner with my own family. Hot potted out! (Blog entry to come.)
- Released balloons 4 days early as part of a New Year’s Tradition with Kim. (Blog entry to come.)
- Tonight, most likely will be going downtown for New Year’s and spending it with Alan.
After party in the car.
I’m a blessed girl. Instinctively, I’d tell you my 2009 was pretty awful but when I write it all out like this and focused on the good rather than the bad, I can see now I’m still quite lucky. Farewell, 2009.
Tell me how your year went. Or better yet, if you have a year in review entry, I’d love to read yours.
I’m a bad Vietnamese girl and do not know how to read or write in Vietnamese. I was telling my mom about how I was talking to Kym (who is a literate Viet), about how Anthony Bourdain seems so carefree and in love with life. What really captured what I was trying to say is this Vietnamese phrase that directly translates to “in love with life” (but it means so much more than just that). I was having a hard time communicating to her the phrase so I tried to phonetically sound it out for her. However, it didn’t quite land. Here’s the snippet of our conversation.
Kym: what vietnamese phrase?
me: um
i cant spell it but it directly translates to “in love with life”?
Kym: oh man. i don’t know
me: ew duh
Kym: i’ll have to ask my parents now
me: like “love world”
Kym: i want to know
me: love life
Kym: OHHHH
HAHAHAHAHAHA
me: its suppose to mean like a personality trait. someone. who is enamoured with life/full of life, dreamy
Kym: i think it might be yêu dời.
EW DUH I LOVE IT
I shamefully told my mom about this conversation. She was so embarrassed by her daughter, she gave me a mini lesson right then and there. She demonstrated what all the little accents and squigglies do to pronunciation. A common assumption is that all Asian languages are comprised of funky characters instead of script, but Vietnamese is actually all script, save the accents and “squigglies.”
I totally would have taken a class in college but UT didn’t offer the classes til after I graduated!
This is a photo of my parents when my mom was pregnant with me at age 31. Pretty momma!
Yesterday. I was being trained at my new job in the biology building on campus. It kind of feels weird to be in that building as a staff member and not as a student. Mid-training, I hear a loud, hearty, and lingering laugh from one of the ladies I’ll be working with a lot. She excused the interruption and explained that we haven’t had a Botany Department in over ten years and yet they just received a package addressed to the Chair of Botany Department. Here’s a paraphrase of the note she read to us.
Years ago, I worked in your department and thoroughly enjoyed my job and the people I worked with. Upon leaving my job, I stole a stapler. I am now trying to live more honestly and wanted to right this wrong. Enclosed is a brand new stapler. |
I really am tickled that he carried this stapler on his conscience for over ten years. I’m also touched that he took the time and paid the 8 dollar shipping to right it. It got me thinking of some wrongs I could right from my distant past.
The first wrong that came to mind is stealing candy from my parents. I should buy my mom and dad a whole bunch of banana flavored Now and Laters. My parents used to sell these to mostly children for 10 cents a little pack of 4 Now and Laters (pictured above). I stole a few of the banana ones sometimes several times a day and I’d bring them to school and share them with my friends and my crush and first puppy love, Austin Bates. I started doing this in the first grade and didn’t stop til maybe middle school. Maybe I’ll be able to find a bunch of banana ones before Christmas and this could be part of their Christmas gifts.
What’s one wrong you want to atone for and how would you do it?
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Before I head home to Houston, I’m going to squeeze in a third Gratitude list.
If you missed the first two here they are:
- 10 Things I’m Currently Thankful for
- 10 More Things I’m Currently Thankful for
Another 10 More Things I’m Currently Thankful for
- A full time job! As I mentioned once or twice before, I landed a job and will be working at my Alma Mater. I start next Tuesday.
I went to the lab to talk about the job offer last week and as I was hanging out I saw one of my old professors. It’s kind of a funny thing to see professors after you graduate and be inundated with academic memories. Some not so good ones! I had to suppress an urge to shrink away. Anyway, I digress. I gots a full time gig after not having a full time gig since June.
- Reunions over Thanksgiving! I have a handful of friends I haven’t seen in months and I get to see some of them in Houston this weekend for Thanksgiving. Although, it’s going to be challenging to time budget between friends and family in just 3 days, I think it’s not too shabby of a problem to have.
- My car.
My first baby.
My baby CivicI bought my car summer of 2007 after getting in a car accident. Ever try to imagine your life without your car? I wouldn’t be able to get to work (my current part time position is 45 minutes away by car.) I wouldn’t be able to drive to Houston to visit. No fun trips to restaurants, etc. Austin isn’t a pedestrian city. My car makes it possible for me to play, work, and explore. Yay car!
I’m also grateful I didn’t play around and paid off my 5 year car loan in 1.5 years. This made the last 5 months of unemployment easier without having an extra 200 dollars a month to expense for a car payment.
- My Washer/Dryer. I remember the days of hauling my laundry to the laundromat and setting aside hours at a time to get laundry done. I’ve filled up COUNTLESS journal pages people watching as I think it’s extra interesting to see what people wash. Heehee. I haven’t had to use a laundromat for years now. I had a roommate 2007 with a washer/dryer. In 2008, Miss Jamie let Alan and I borrow her washer and dryer and we helped her “store” it. When I moved to my own place last year, I thought I’d forgo fun purchases and spend almost a thousand on a set. It was money well spent. There’s freedom in owning your own washer dryer.
- Trip to San Fran and Boston! I’m incredibly lucky to be able to travel a little bit this year considering my stint with unemployment.
I took a trip to San Fran with Alan right before putting in my notice at my previous full time position. It was kind of a celebration of a new beginning for me and was also the first trip Alan and I took together. San Fran is one of my favorite cities now. I was also extremely blessed to have such a loving BFF/FFB who gifted me her flight miles to go see her in Boston. I hadn’t seen her in Boston for a few years and it was good timing for us. I can’t wait to go back to see her new house! :)
I’m always thankful for any kind of travel I’m able to swing.
- Those who read what I write. I’m thankful for my regular readers (mostly friends and boyfriend). I’m thankful for the comments you take the time to write and just over all taking the time to read my humble little blog. I’m thankful for the mentions you make when we chat, for the followers, and the subscribers. I’m thankful for you!
- Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow. I’m thankful for great memories and hard lessons from my past. I’m thankful for the photos and the journals that help me not to forget.
I’m thankful for today and being alive. I’m thankful for the possibilities that lie in the future and my capacity to dream and plan.
- Friends.
It would take me all day to name them all by name but I’m thankful for them all. I come from a small isolated family. We hardly have any extended family. My friends are my extended family. They want the best for me and are my cheerleaders in life. I’m forever thankful.
- Living in Austin. Did you know this year we hold the accolade of least stressful city in the US? I love living in Austin. I love how pretty it is with the lakes and hills. I love the events hosted by us. I love our downtown area. It’s a wonderful, fun, smart, and young city.
- Books
I cannot wait to own my own place and have my library set up! Books and bookstores are foolproof sources of comfort for me. I grew up around a lot of books so they conjure up a feeling of youthful awe. I also grew up seeing my dad with a book EVERY NIGHT, and every moment he had free and anything that reminds me of my dad also releases a lot of dopamine in my noggin. All the positive memory associations aside, books nourish me. They’ve molded my philosophies in life, provided understanding, clarity, education, inspiration… the list goes on. I love books. I’m thankful I’m in a country that limits censorship and that my parents raise me to value and appreciate the written word.
About Linda
Texas native. Living and working in Austin, TX. Twenty something. In hot pursuit of good food, adventure, and laughter. Dreams of owning her own place with a big giant library.
Email me at: linda@curious-notions.net
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