Experiences from Down Under

I had a legit four-day weekend! After my workshop ended at 10am, Aunty Jenny took Jackie, my grand-aunt, and me to the Four Winds Rotating Restaurant, a seafood buffet at the Gold Coast! The food there was so good! And the restaurant (which was on the 26th floor of a hotel) slowly rotates, so you get a 360-degree view of the Gold Coast while enjoying the delicious food. It was really amazing 😃  Seafood Buffet What is the fastest way to clear the beach? Thunder and lightning! After the buffet, I went back down to the beach. The forecast predicted rain, but at the time it was still sunny so I thought I’d swing by. I was having a great time when suddenly the sky lit up and made rumbling noises. Immediately, all the surfers got out of the water and everyone headed away from the ocean. By the time it started raining, only the lifeguard patrols were still on the beach. I got soaked on the way back to the hotel, but it wasn't bad compared to the 10pm ultimate practices I...

"For everything there is a season,  and a time for every matter under heaven:…  a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;" -Ecclesiastes 3:1,4 Being back from the Gold Coast has been  emotionally  strange. I jokingly say I had PSPD (post-Surfer’s Paradise depression), but I was probably just exhausted from the trip. My family has also been discussing possible times they want to come (can you believe they haven’t decided?!), and every time they propose a new plan, I get really excited about showing them the places I love. And then they decide against it, and I get [I want to say heartbroken but maybe that’s too strong. Bummed? Really sad? I have no vocab...]. Everyone asks if I’m homesick, and I say no. I don’t miss anything about California (sadly and surprisingly) except the people. If you could all just move here, I would not be homesick haha. But that’s unrealistic, so maybe this is what homesickness feels like? ...

AHHHH just came back from Surfer’s Paradise in Gold Coast and it is SO BEAUTIFUL!!! You know how the postcards of San Francisco are photoshopped to make the colours really bright, where the Golden Gate Bridge is bright red, the sky is blue, and it’s sunny, even though in reality it only looks like that three days a year (for like thirty minutes)? Well, the postcards from the Gold Coast do not need to be photoshopped; the sand is soft and clean, the water is clear, and the ocean is teal and blue, and the sky of course is the sky. Look! (and imagine that it stretches out on both sides as far as you can see) Surfer's Paradise Keiko and I hung out at the beach Thursday afternoon and swam, threw a frisbee, took pictures, collected shells, and soaked in the beautiful beach. God is so, so good; it was much warmer than a normal winter afternoon, and we were able to stay out for a really long time. After the sunset we did a photoshoot in our swimsuits 😛. The background is so...

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." -Psalm 16:11 Wow it’s Thursday already! Life happens so fast. Over the weekend, QUT hosted the Dragon Boat Regatta, and I got to row on the Brisbane river. There were twenty people per boat and twenty teams, so it was a pretty big event. Even though our team didn’t come close to winning, I had a great experience meeting and hanging out with different locals and international students on our team (shown below). I also got drafted to play touch rugby! Maybe. I’ve discovered how bad Aussies are at following up and communication in general. You definitely have to be proactive about everything. We’ll see if this follows through. Team Dragonest! There was a circus booth at the Dragon Boat Regatta, and I learned to use the sock poi and dragon staff (they also had diabolos, hula hoops, and juggling clubs and balls). I guess I was really ...

"We will not hide them from their children,  but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds   of the LORD,  and his might,  and the wonders that he has done." -Psalm 78:4 So much wisdom gleaned from spending the day with my Aunt: -After lunch on Thursday, Aunty Jenny came to pick me up, and we drove to the senior home to visit her dad. I’ve been to many nursing homes back home, and this one was really nice. It was clean, new, and didn’t smell like old people (no offence to them). I made a comment that the home was really nice, and Aunty Jenny replied, “I only give my dad the best.” Her response struck me. As a student, I’m constantly very conscious about how I spend my money, always buying the cheapest or most cost-effective item, trying to stretch my dollar and get the most bang for my buck. I’m also always calculating the most convenient or efficient way to spend my time and do tasks. Her comment caught me off guard, and she reminded me that...

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,  coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." -James 1:17        “Stack on me!”                                     “Cuts early!"                                                              “Who wants to pull?”                                                                                                     “Look dump!” Ah, familiar ...

"He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food  will supply and multiply your seed for sowing  and increase the harvest  of your righteousness.  You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way,  which through us will produce thanksgiving to God." -2 Corinthians 9:10-11 It’s only 8.45pm and I’m already in bed. It’s been a long day. I was going to post last night but was distracted hehe. Anyway, life is starting to fall into rhythm here in Brisbane, although there are definitely still little surprises here and there. Pink and I walked through Roma Park on our way to Frisbee & Food with the Christian fellowship on Saturday afternoon, and it’s beautiful! Roma Park Something on my mind in the past few days has been the concepts of wealth and generosity. I’ve been listening to a sermon series by Craig Groeschel called “Being Rich,” and he talks about how we are all rich, but it is often more of a stumbling block because ...

For those of you still wondering about my phone, God is good, all the time! I filled out a Lost Property form, and the next morning I got an email saying that " An item that may match the item you have lost was handed into the HiQ Kelvin Grove.” So I went to HiQ (the student service centre) after my workshop, and it was my phone! PTL! Yay God is so good to me.  Keiko came over to cook rice because she doesn’t have rice cooker in her apartment, and we made rice balls and sushi! Throwback to when my grandma made rice balls and sushi when we went on day trips.  Rice Ball Making Party My room turned into a laundromat 😛 Since it costs $4 to dry a load of laundry, I've hung a lot of my clothes in my room to dry. I can barely get into my room since some shirts are in the bathroom and I left the door open. The cheap things students do.  Aunty Jenny sent me a message this afternoon about a four-hour flight deal from Brisbane to Sydney, and...

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." -Psalm 20:7 What is the probability that two people (in a uni with 50k students) have 2/4 of the same classes? (The probability is probably higher than expected, actually) But anyway, you guessed it. Last week during MXB241(Probability and Stochastic Modelling II) workshop, I sat at a table with three other students solving some PGF (probability generating function) problems, and ended up exchanging numbers with the one that I worked most with. On Monday, I walked into the lecture hall for KMB200 (Music Scenes and Subcultures. Think punk, deviant music, etc. We also talked about gangs), and as I sat down, I glanced around and saw Jamie sitting three rows back. We were both pretty surprised and took a second before waving to each other. After all, we’ve only worked together for two hours in the past seven days. Turns out Jamie studies Music but is minoring in Statistics becaus...