Public transportation

When it's efficient, available and on time public transportation is effective!

Ginger

I don't know when it happened but I started getting super motion sick when I fly. Today I cut up some ginger & put it in a tumbler then added hot water after we got through security. I drank it throughout the flight and it helped calm my stomach & stave off the motion sickness. Thank God!!

vacation!!

I'M ON VACATION!! No work til next Monday!  I'm very thankful I get to relax, wind down and spend time with my husy-band!  

Power 106

Thank you for the free tickets & parking Power!!! It's a great way to celebrate our 1 year anniversary!!

Thank you Brandon for winning us tickets!!!

Our second wedding!!

I'm Catholic.  Some would say that I'm 'very Catholic', enough where I'll go to church while on vacation even if it's in another country and will follow the Lenten rules, fasting & all that (apparently some people don't).

While I'm still very Catholic, I didn't want to make Alex's family feel awkward or out of place during our wedding and we opted for a retired Catholic priest to perform our ceremony but kept the actual ceremony non-religious.  I was 100% happy with our decision then and I still am.

Now, being Catholic, I'm obligated to have our marriage blessed by the Catholic church and being Catholic, I was excited to have our marriage blessed by the church.  So Alex & I started the process last December, met with the priest at my parish and had our marriage prep classes and the FOCCUS survey etc.

Today, I get to re-marry the love of my life and renew our vows under the blessing of God.  YAY!!!!

Online flight status

MY DAD COMES HOME FROM THE PHILIPPINES TODAY!!!! He's been gone for a little over 2 months and he's finally coming home!

His flight was supposed to land at 8 but thanks to online flight status websites we found out that it was delayed til 835 so we could time things accordingly. Yay!!!

side note

On a side note, I love the expression & feeling of gratitude you get when you give an honest, wholehearted thank you to someone.  Their face lights up (esp if they don't hear it very often) and you can tell that they truly are thankful that you recognized them or their actions.

Even if it's in your job description or something you 'always' do, being thanked for a job well done is a simple act that goes a long way.

feeling vital

Today I was super busy at work.  I usually just dispense so my Thursdays are chill but today I was covering one of the doctor's and reviewing meds & giving med refills.  In addition there were a few INR follow-ups from my other clinic!  So after lunch I was busy which made the time go by really fast but more importantly I felt like a very vital part of the clinic, team and vital to the patients.  I'm so thankful that I have this opportunity and that the providers, patients & clinic staff trust and respect me.

a mom's strength

my mom & my mother-in-law are 2 very strong women.  I am thankful for all that they put up with, all that they continue to do despite maybe not feeling so hot.  I can only hope that I grow up with their strength & dedication.

Thermos/fake Thermos

I brought tea to work today and I put it in my fake Thermos mug from William Sonoma.  While my tea stayed hot for a LONG time (~4hrs) it's NOTHING compared to the actual Thermos mug.  We've put ice in the Thermos container and let it sit in a hot car all day & overnight and the next morning THERE'S STILL ICE!!  Similarly, if I put a piping hot liquid in it, it'll stay the same temperature for at least 12 hours.  I usually have to dilute the liquid w/ colder water so I can drink it w/o burning myself.

'good' news

When you're waiting to hear about test results you often prepare for the worst and hope for the best and still you can't help but think about the worst.  I'm thankful for all the times you hear the good news and can completely forget about 'the worst'.  Of course 'good news' is relative, but it's better than the alternative.

not going to church alone

I don't mind going to church alone but it's always nice when there's someone else who will go with you.

late-night dinners w/ family

Today I watched Pacific Rim w/ Alex, Yao & Julie.  It was the 1st time we all went out together and afterwards we came home and all had dinner together around the table.  It was extra nice bc we were able to talk and just hang out w/ each other w/o the TV or electronic devices distracting us.

religious understanding

I'm so thankful that Alex is accepting of my religion and doesn't try to dissuade me in my beliefs.  Similarly I've never asked him to join the Catholic church and I don't try to force my religious POVs onto him.  I think we have a good understanding of our we're going to deal with religion in our lives.  Life is so awesome w/ Alex.

work sweaters

The temperature at my work is always opposite of what it's like outside.  Mostly bc when it's hot outside they'll blast the AC to compensate but of course the smaller rooms get super cold.  When it's cold outside they'll stop the AC or run the heater to warm up the patients but of course some areas get super hot.

So today I knew it was going to be extra cold in the office today and I wore a 3/4 sleeved sweater.  It's kind of a nice compromise and it's actually keeping me pretty warm right about now.  I'm kind of dreading driving home in my hot car w/ the sweater but I guess that's what the AC is for right?

hidden treats

I like to snack.  I like to munch and I prefer to eat small meals during the day.  Today I wanted something sweet and I remembered my snack drawer!  This is where I keep the treats/sweets that I don't really want to share bc I'm being selfish.  Maybe bc there aren't too many pieces or it's something SUPER yummy but I keep it in my drawer instead of the communal cabinet.

I feel bad when I eat stuff from there but sometimes I need a pick-me-up, esp in the afternoon.

funny old memories

I was reading a blog today and she said, "Wouldn’t life be so much easier if we could make all our decisions with a little game of “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe".  I laughed in my head bc I remember being in pharmacy school, looking at a multiple choice question thinking, "WTH.  I have NO idea" or trying to choose between 2/3 different answers that I wouldn't be able to tell which was right or not and playing that game in my head to pick my answer.  HAHA.  Even in retrospect I don't think it was a bad idea, it's just as random as guessing so my odds would have been the same.

and THAT my friends is how I finish test so fast.

catching up with old friends

Sometimes we lose touch with people in our lives.  It's always nice to reconnect and catch up with those people who we think are important to us.

Conscientious workers

My new favorite grocery store is Sprouts! It's like a smaller and cheaper whole foods and they just opened one near our house!! Their workers are always super nice and helpful.

Down the street is Trader Joe's and today I thought I'd compare prices on Sprouts' bulk items vs. Trader Joe's bagged items (TJ is cheaper). While Sprouts workers are super nice the Trader Joe's workers looked happier and seemed a lot more friendly!

I love both places and its a bonus when the workers are happy, friendly and nice.

Google maps

Today we celebrated Harlowe's 1st birthday!! Her party was out in Valencia but thanks to google maps we were able to avoid a LOT of traffic on the 5 south on our way home. I only wish I trusted google maps on our way there. I told Alex to take side streets to avoid the 405 but it ended up being just the same amount of time if not more. Oops!!

useful tools

After we got married I officially moved all my STUFF into Alex's house.  It's pretty well known that I like baking and therefore i have A LOT of baking stuffs.  Sheet pans, cupcake pans, tart pans, brownie edge pan (YUM!), piping bags, tips, dyes, flours, sugars and everything in between.

Post-wedding, we decided to redo our kitchen after I unpacked my KitchenAid mixer, looked at the limited counter space and said to Alex, "We need to fix this.  I don't want to put my mixer under the counter or in a box."  That and it was high time to redo the kitchen.  In our new kitchen we have 2 corners w/ lazy susans, one holds Alex's pots & pans and the other holds ALLLL my baking stuff.

IT'S GREAT.  I'm so thankful for all my useful tools that I've accumulated over the years AND the great lazy susan keeping it all together.  And my husband for redoing our kitchen and buying me more useful stuff.

my brothers

I'm super blessed to have 2 wonderful brothers!  Brandon was gracious enough to give us the JT/Jay-Z tickets he won on Power 106 (which I picked up on Tuesday!!!!)  and Yao recently burned me the Top 250 songs of the 90s + 5 other albums that I asked for!!  Since my car doesn't play mp3s from CDs, I'm listening to the music at work during my downtime.  I am super thankful to have (and have married into) such a great family.

Google!

Oh man!! Google just sent me an email saying they stopped someone from signing into my account from China! ie they stopped a hacker for me! Dang google! Thanks for being on top of things!

Time to change my password!

QC Hollywood

Tuesdays & Thursdays I finish work at 6pm and sit through worse traffic than when I go to QC Echo Park.  BUT, the employees at Hollywood are SIGNIFICANTLY nicer and much more welcoming than at EP.  I'm so thankful that they take the time to get to know me and talk to me and ask me how my day/weekend was. I'm glad that I get to come to Hollywood every other workday and talk to my extra nice coworkers.

a GREAT sib line

Starting from my big sib, Leslie, all the way down to my littlest sib, Tiffany, my sib line is 9 generations of very accomplished and amazing women.  To top it off, we've been able to keep in touch and hang out every once in a while and actually get to know each other.  Can't wait for our next sib event!

NAPS

This weekend was super busy for me, I was running around almost all day for the past 3 days and today I had work at Kaiser 9-4pm.  I literally came home and crashed.  I'm so thankful I got to take a nap and try to recuperate.

Jennifer Flores Salmingo

Jen is literally a superwoman.  She is always so caring, so giving and so willing to go out of her way to help you.  She is a great mother to her 1st born and I know she will be able to hold it down when her 2nd one comes out.  Today, Jen & I threw Sammy & Nam a baby shower for their friends & family.  While being multiple months pregnant, Jen still came up with great ideas and decorations for the baby shower and helped pull it off perfectly!  Thank you for all your hard work Jen!  I truly appreciate working with such an organized, creative, caring person for all the things we plan.

Ate Apple & Ate Zusy

Tonight is the NKOTB + Boyz II Men + 98 degrees concert!!!!  Most ppl are surprised when they find out that I LOVE NKOTB.  I'm apparently 'too young' to have known them but with my older cousins (Ate Apple & Ate Zusy) and sister into their music, New Kids on the Block songs are my first strong music memory.  I associate all their songs with my childhood and being happy and dancing around with my cousins/sister.

Andrew S. Kim

Andrew is the older brother I always wanted. Ever since high school he's been giving me valuable advice and reminding me of what's important in life. I came across a note he wrote me back in HS and it said, 'Don't cry over someone who wouldn't cry over you. Make sure to smile. I'm here for you.' Obvs I must have been having boy problems.

Upon finding out that Alex had feelings for me, I turned to Andrew for advice. He said, 'Just go for it. You'll never know how amazing it can be unless you try.' And thus I gave into my heart and fell in love with Alex.

Thank you.

Hidden Opportunities

I've always considered myself fairly lucky given the different jobs I've held in the past 4 years. Each has provided invaluable experiences and lessons I can apply to the rest of my career but none of them are jobs I would have imagined having if you had asked me 4.5 years ago. It's not always what you immediately want but those are the hidden opportunities that will take you to places you've never imagined you could go. Along the way, sacrifices will continue to be made because success was never about doing what is easy; it is about doing the difficult things necessary to achieve the bigger picture. It starts with the courage to take that uncomfortable first step and the rest will fall into place as they always have. It's not my plan that was put in play...it has always been His. For that, I am thankful because if I had followed what I thought I wanted to be back in high school, I would've been a forest ranger. 

Fastrak

ESP on the day before a holiday and when everyone's leaving work early.

Unblocked sites at work

Today I'm at QueensCare East LA since there are no adult providers here.  I'm covering in case there are patients who need med refills or any other problems.  Hence it's been a very slow day.  Good news is I was able to go to Cook's Tortas for lunch!  But I've been chatting away on gchat and found out that Huffington Post & CNN are NOT blocked!  Neither is facebook but that's boring.  Anyhow, it's been a great way to catch up & pass the time.

Sam Chea & David Uyan

Last year Alex & I went to Japan for our honeymoon so that I could visit my birthplace (and enjoy the food).  When I first found out I thought it would be a long shot to ACTUALLY visit the naval base so when looked up my HS friend, David Uyan, I was very excited to see that he was stationed out in Japan also!  Thankfully David is a friendly guy and knew someone at the Yokosuka Naval Base even though he was stationed further away.  That's how I got in contact with Sam.  Sam was so kind and gracious enough to meet up with Alex & I, bring us on base, drive us around & give us a tour of the base and bring us to the NEX =)

I got to see the old hospital building where I was born, the bowling alley where my dad bartended, the dorms/apartment buildings where my parents+sister lived, the day care where my mom worked and really cool ships that were docked that day.  Thinking back on that day, I'm so thankful to have had that opportunity to imagine and get a glimpse of my parents (& my) past.