My 27th Birthday

I wanted to spend some time solo on my birthday so I decided to have breakfast alone. I figured that would be much better than leaving a group "yea so I need some me time, gots to go" :) I woke up early, thanked God for another fabulous year, got dressed and headed to 42nd St. I got a table at the W Hotel's Blue Fin Restaurant. 

 The view of Times Square from the restaurant

After indulging in my breakfast, I took a cab to work. I was pleasantly surprised by cards, flowers and warmth from my friends at work

All throughout the day I received birthday wishes and at lunch time, Shakira and I went to the Hudson River for a photo shoot!

Ready? OK!

It was a beautiful day!

Kira did a photo shoot

Say cheese

That was hilarious, hold on, I'm not ready yet

OOK so now I am going to take a picture over there........

Now I am going to pretend like I'm not looking lol

Then Shakira ate her salmon and I ate my sushi

Tastes much more appetizing that it looks

Birthday is going excellent so far!

Elle and Brian comes to NY

Mission of the day:

1. Satellite church
2. Meet up with Ellen
3. Clean the house
4. Get some rest for my birthday

Brian, Elle and I at Peaches

Spending time with Ellen is always a pleasure. She is such a dedicated friend. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA and still decided to visit me for my birthday! Elle I love you! 

He already made us right

If keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die! Galatians 2:21
Selah (stop, pause and think about it)

Overwhelmed!

Gosh, I am just sooo overwhelmed by God's love for me!

Last Mandarin Class

For the last class, I gave a pop quiz. I was so impressed with the results! Everyone passed the test and they communicated as if they had been speaking Chinese their entire life. I will take some time off from teaching but I know I will miss my students. Some of my students missed the last class but this class size was very manageable, last term I had 20 students!

His finished work

If there’s a part for you to play in the new covenant of grace it is simply this: TO BELIEVE. So what does God want you to believe? He wants you to believe in Jesus and His finished work, that you are completely forgiven of all your sins and that Jesus’ blood cleanses you from all your unrighteousness and lawlessness. 

Examples of finished work include salvation, redemption, healing, prosperity and eternal life

Joseph Prince



This includes the gift of no condemnation so stop walking around with your sins and live in peace. 


The Divine Exchange

Concrete Jungle: The NY Hustle

A typical Italian icy costs $1 and depending on location, vendors may charge a bit more. Ny and I were on the Brooklyn Bridge and the vendor was serving an icy to a tourist. She inquired about the price and he responded $3, $5 and $7. Ny's facial expression changed so fast but I sensed something from the vendor and just told Ny to wait. As soon as the tourist left, I handed him $1 and said, I will take a cherry coconut icy for $1 please. He started laughing as he took my $1 with no hesitation. Ny started talking to him and for the entire time all he did was laugh. Ny paid $2 as a tip, he gave us two scoops each and thanked us for purchasing. 

I think I have lived in China too long because in my mind everything is negotiable. I was  a lot bolder in this situation because I did not ask him if it was OK to sell it for $1 or if he could just give me $1 worth, I pulled out my $1, handed it to him and placed my order. 

I guess it's all about demand and supply. I have never looked at an icy as art but if someone is willing to bid $10K for a piece that my two year old niece created, think I won't sell it? It's all about branding and value and ultimately what someone else is willing to pay to own an item. 

Only in NY!