Garden and the City

Recently, Dave wrote a paper for his Christ & Culture class on a book by his Professor, Richard Mouw. The book is called When the Kings Come Marching In. In one part of his book, Mouw talks about the juxtaposition of the Garden of Eden and the Holy City.

I wouldn't consider myself a city girl. I don't find myself jumping with glee when surrounded by tall buildings as my city loving friends do. I find myself at peace at the beach or surrounded by lush green or looking down a mountain. All other factors aside, if I had to choose between nature and city, I'd definitely choose nature. BUT, have you ever thought of why God would envision the afterlife as a city?

Cities are meccas of activity, arts, culture, education, technology, commerce, people, people, people. From garden to city... we have been called to fill this earth and subdue it. Our God is a God that loves creation because He is the ultimate Creator. What are you creating and contributing to the City?

Nurse Lois?

In the past year, I've noticed that people come to me with their health concerns more than ever. It's one of the blessings of being a future nurse. From splinters to burns to cuts on the head. From earbuds stuck in the ear to unexplained pain in the thumb. From sore throats to chest pain. It's nurse Lois to the rescue!

What is it about nurses that make them approachable? Nurses are Jacks & Jills-of-all-trades. They can answer general health questions, pregnancy & birth related questions, kid questions, psych questions, safety questions.. and more! Random health facts? Like: use a scotch tape across the bumhole to test for pinworms, we know them! I'm blessed that this is my way to serve and relate with my fellow man/woman.

Chandra

Delicious, affordable Thai food located on Arroyo Parkway a little past Houston's steakhouse. I ordered the crispy basil shrimp and it was delightfully delectable! For $7.50 the crispy shrimp topped with a sweet and sour chili sauce and fried basil came with soup to start, rice, and an egg roll.

Counter-cultural

Proverbs 30:7-9

⁷Two things I ask of you;
deny them not to me before I die:
⁸Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
⁹lest I be full and deny you
and say, "Who is the LORD?"
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.

Family

Have you noticed that conflict in family has existed since the first family? Starting with Adam & Eve's disobedience to God which included spousal conflict, moving on to Cain and Abel and conflict between siblings, and on and on from there. Even in the merging of families, like when Jacob asks for Rachel's hand in marriage and is tricked into marrying Leah. Through our imperfections it seems we shape each other. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man [or woman] sharpens another." -Proverbs 27:17

Hakata Ramen & Gyu-Kaku

In the storm of all this drama following the NCLEX-RN this morning, Dave and I found two great places to eat, thanks to our trusty Yelp and my post-exam trauma/despair.

Hakata Ramen Shin-Sen-Gumi is a quaint Japanese noodle house in Rosemead. It's not as far as it seems - 20 minutes. The last time Dave and I tried authentic Japanese ramen was in Vancouver, and as has been most food in Los Angeles county in comparison, Hakata was delicious. As soon as you walk in, you feel the steam of the boiled noodles permeating the restaurant as the staff great you in Japanese. You get to choose the firmness of the noodles: hard, medium, soft. The strength of the soup base: strong, medium, light. The amount of oil: high, medium, low. I recommend everything at medium if it's your first time. Dave ordered the C-set which comes with ramen noodles and Takana fried rice. I ordered the L-set that comes with 1/2 ramen noodles, Takana fried rice and a salad. Filling and a good change in Japanese cuisine from the usual sushi-sashimi.

Gyu-Kaku happy hour in Pasadena. $2.95 for a plate(s) of your choice of: kalbi chuck, bistro harami, chicken tender, and/or garlic shrimp that you grill yourself. The concept is similar to a Korean BBQ - minus the endless side dishes and, fortunately, minus the kalbi stink that leaves on your clothes. According to Dave and his endless Asian cuisine knowledge via his mom, Gyu-Kaku invested a ton of money into each of those individual grills that suck all the smoke down through the grill rather than up through a fan above the table. Hence, no stink. Another added bonus: draft beers $0.99.

Luckily Pasadena is surrounded by large Chinese, Armenian, Hispanic populations that come with their own authentic cuisine and culinary gems within their vicinity.

75 questions... and waiting.

Today was the big day! The NCLEX-RN, national state boards for nursing. For the past three months, my classmates and I have been studying up a storm with NCLEX review books, Kaplan questions (which I didn't subscribe to), the NCSBN learning extension, Mosby's and Saunders flash cards... and all in one fell swoop of 75 questions in approximately an hour and a half, all that knowledge felt like it had been flushed down the drain. Maybe an exaggeration?

I read online that the majority of the people who come out of the exam feel like they failed the exam. It was designed to make the majority of the people who take it pass with 50%. So, going in I was confident - I wasn't going to let it irk me - level headed ME! I came out... visited our friend Adam who was working at the Starbucks across the street. Got in the car, paid 15 bucks for parking, gave Dave a call (which I probably shouldn't have done while driving) and started sobbing!

Stats say, of those who end with 75 questions: 85% pass with flying colors and 15% fail miserably. Only time will tell.