Facepalm Final

Wow it has been a loooooooong time since I last updated my blog, and caught up with other people's blogs. Oops! Sorry, the semester passed like a whirlwind, and I was (and still am) caught in it. I'm in the middle of grading the final examination essays that my students submitted, so I don't have time to do a long update, so FYI
1) I will update soon! Once the semester is over. So much to share!

2) I just had to share this. I almost posted this on Facebook, but felt it was too mean to do so. For one of the final examination questions, my students had to write an essay comparing and contrasting the First and Second Wave Feminist Movement. I've read quite a lot of bad (and a few good) essays, but this one... takes the cake.

"The First and Second Wave Feminist Movements were similar because they were both centered around women."

Please note that the student wrote this sentence to open a new paragraph, and in the next sentence, talked about something else. Well duh. How do you elaborate upon this inane, obvious sentence? Of course both movements centered around women. That's why they are called "feminist movements." 

Facepalm. 

Why can't students just READ instructions?!

I assigned my students to watch a documentary, and told them where they can access it on the syllabus. Last Friday, I wrote them a reminder email, and included the links and instructions on how to obtain the film again.

This morning, a student emailed me to ask where the film is and how she can access it.

*facepalm*

And we are only beginning Week 5. I'm pretty sure it's not my email server because I sent the email via the school's email portal, so it should get to all my students. Plus it's on the syllabus, which I told them to read. Yet, I've had a few of them email me similar questions regarding other assignments. Sometimes I just want to make a montage video of people asking "Why can't you just read instructions?! I just sent them to you!"

Okay, I won't. But it's tempting to do so. I'm sure other instructors will appreciate it ;)

His Perfect Atonement

I have sooooo much to blog about: Cambodia (again), the new semester, Guangzhou China...and those posts are coming, but for now, I hope you enjoy this poem by Kasey Hammer (Utah), published in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Liahona September 2015 issue (link HERE). I testify that Christ's atonement is real and that He is able to make us whole again, no matter the sin/ mistake/ trial.

His Perfect Atonement

I used to believe

That there was a hole

In Christ’s Atonement—

That He could save everyone—

Except me.

But I was wrong.

There is not one hole,

But seven.

Two holes in

His Hands

Where they nailed Him

To a cross

At the behest of those

He would die

To save,

Two holes in

His wrists

Where they ensured

The weight of His body

Would not cause

His hands

To rip through

Before His penance

Was complete,

Two holes in

His feet

Where He stood

As a witness to all

Of God’s unyielding love

For each

Of His children,

And one hole in

His side

Where they pierced Him

To prove His work

Was done.

Seven.

Perfection.

Seven perfect holes

In earth’s only

Perfect Man.

The perfect Atonement

To patch the holes in our lives.

His holes make us

Whole.

I was wrong.

There is a

Whole

In Christ’s Atonement

For me

After all.

Review of Universal Studios Singapore

When my friend visited Singapore, we went to Universal Studios Singapore (U.S.S). It was our first time there, and we had no idea what to expect. Thank goodness the day wasn't too hot (it even rained a little!), and we had packed food and water bottles.

Me, excited to be there, except that I forgot that I can take pictures in portrait mode, and so all my pictures with the iconic "Universal Studios" globe are cut off. #misskeeshfail. Don't ask me how I forgot to change modes... 

We arrived about a half-hour after the park opened, and immediately headed for the U.S.S.-only  "Battleship Galactica" twin roller-coasters. SUPER FUN! It was also the first time I sat an entire roller coaster ride with my hands up in the air-- woo hoo!!! As someone who has a deep phobia of heights, I loved that the rides relied on more on speed than height to provide the thrills. My friend doesn't suffer from the same fear as me, but she too enjoyed it. I recommend doing this first, because the line at the end of the day was unbelievable. 

Next up: The Mummy Roller Coaster. I LOVED THIS RIDE! It's a roller-coaster in semi-darkness, and man! Sooooo good. The line also moved fast, and at the end of the day, we sat the ride two more times and in the front row. Highly recommended! 

Other rides:

• Transformers 3D-simulator ride: Maybe I sat this at the wrong time (I had a small headache), so the ride was jerky, too long, and FAKE. After a minute, I was like, "Okay, I'm ready for this to be done. Is this really the best 3D effects they could come up with? Seriously?" But the little boys next to me loved it, so like I said, maybe it's just me. 
• Puss-in-Boots mini-roller coaster: This is a good family ride, even for children. A bit jerky. It goes pretty high up though, so make sure your kids don't sit at the edge.
• Jurassic Park water ride: Enjoyed it a lot! Bring a poncho because you WILL get wet. 
• Madagascar river boat ride: Sooooo cute and a good family ride.
• Shrek 4-D Adventure: BLAH. I was excited for this ride because, hello, 4-D, but it was terrible. Thank goodness we didn't wait long for the show.   

We also caught the 30 minute water stunt show in between rides. Discounting the LOUD cannons and gun fire, it was a great way to cool down with all that water splashed on us!

I got to pet a baby triceratops! *heart melt*

My sweetheart and I

The park isn't very big, and you can most likely squeeze everything into one day if you go during the non-peak season. The park is very well-done and clean, and I was most impressed by the attention to detail, such as signs like this:

Sign at Jurassic Park section. *adorbs*

And I loved that they provided FREE lockers for the more adult roller-coaster rides, so I didn't have to worry about storing my belongings. I've never been to a theme park that provided free lockers, so this was a pleasant surprise. 

Overall it was a blast, and I recommend it to any of my friends who are in Singapore! 

TIPS: 

- Be sure to pack a lunch because the food in there is super expensive!

- Make use of the drinking fountains to refill your water bottles.

- Go with friends who don't mind splitting up. I'm so glad it was just the two of us, and we are both pretty independent, so we stood in the "Single Rider" line. BEST SHORT-CUT EVER! Saved us a ton of time, and we only had to wait for each other a few minutes every time.  

Happy 50th Birthday Singapore!

First, this picture. YES.

Wish I knew who drew this so that I can give credit, but at least now my readers can get a glimpse of why the #1 craving of Singaporeans living overseas is FOOD. 

August 9, 2015-- Singapore celebrated its 50th birthday. YEAH!!! I'm thrilled that I was able to be home to celebrate this milestone. In honor of "SG50", the government declared a 4-day public holiday weekend. Many companies and government agencies also gave away huge discounts, and our entire public transportation system was free on August 9 itself (first time ever!). 

I was delighted that a friend visited Singapore over National Day weekend, even though we had not planned it. She seriously has great timing. We took long bus rides, MRT rides, went to the Singapore Botanic Gardens--which just became a UNESCO Heritage Site!-- and braved the massive crowds at Marina Bay where the parade was held at the Padang. 

Stunning picture by Sheng Long Lua

But you know what makes me proud? Is knowing that deep in our hearts, we are proud of how far we have come, and what we have accomplished. We will work together when push comes to shove, and though we complain like crazy about our politics/ policies/ the weather, there isn't another place we rather be. This is home, truly. 

Majulah Singapura! ("Onward Singapore")

The Good, the Bad and Funny of Coming Home

I'm home!!! I've been back in Singapore for a few weeks already, and so far, it's been good, bad, funny, and everything in between.

THE GOOD:
- Long Awaited Family Reunion. Between BYU, grad school and missions, it's been 8 years since my family has been together under one roof!

Newton Hawker Center
http://www.northernsights.net/

- I'm in food heaven. And you know what's awesome? Good local food is cheap! I enjoy eating at restaurants like everyone else, but I honestly don't mind if my friends took my hawker centers and coffee shops to eat too. Warning though: local food isn't healthy. Seriously. Must eat healthy home cook food some days.




- Church: it's nice to be back in my home congregation, though I miss my friends in the singles ward back in Columbus.

- I'm currently cellphone-less (until my sister returns to BYU and I take over her line), and initially I kicked up a fuss. But now, in a weird way, I feel liberated! Plus it holds my friends and I accountable to keeping our appointments since there is no way to contact each other if either party is late ;)

THE BAD:
- Since my sisters and I are sharing two bedrooms, there isn't closet space for my clothes, and I'm back to sleeping on the top bunk bed. Imagine me, an almost-30 year old, climbing up and down the bunk bed ladder... sigh. Nor is there cupboard space for my shoes.

You see the whole shoe cupboard? FULL of shoes of the rest of my family, and my poor shoes are shoved into the small corner (under the red arrow). Sigh... #firstworldproblems

- The horrid horrible horrifying humid heat. Waaaaaahhhhhhhh! I told my parents that I can adjust to everything back home except the weather. 

- The usual "As you study, must also keep your eyes out for that someone special *nudge*" from well-intentioned members. It used to not bother me, but it has gotten irritating. It's not as if I haven't kept my eyes out all these past years. I'm just tired of all the dating heartache and disappointment, and enjoying the perks of singlehood now.

THE FUNNY:
- This hanger:

Have you seen a hanger this big, big enough to hang a towel from it?! I don't know why but this hanger cracks me up. 

It's so big my head fits in it!

Also, it's nice to have a different perspective of world news from American newspapers. The main Singapore newspaper focuses more on news on Asia, and there a couple of articles that are just gems...(maybe there is so much censorship in the newspaper that they need filler articles?). Like THIS ARTICLE about how otters in Singapore, a rare sight for this island, (probably) ate about $80,000 worth of private koi fishes. It isn't funny to the owners of the fish, but *erherm* imagine telling people, "I lost $60,000 because an otter ate my koi fish..."

Or what about the article about a Chinese Librarian in China who replaced 143 paintings in the library with his own forgeries, and sold off the real goods, only to realize a few years later that his fakes were then stolen and replaced with even worse fakes. *Clap clap clap* Only in China. (I linked the Telegraph's article on the same issue cos I couldn't find the one in the Straits Times)

Whatever it is, it is really nice to be back.

Mormon History Association Conference 2015

Whoops- I actually wrote this post a few weeks ago, but totally forgot to publish, so it is finally here! Sorry. Also, in case you aren't following my other blog, I wrote another post a few weeks ago as well, talking about how I'm relieved that I'm not neurotic after all. Please check it out HERE. Thanks!

The Mormon History Association (MHA) held their 50th anniversary conference a few weeks ago at the newly-constructed Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo Utah, and I had the opportunity to participate in it. I had put together a panel, Mormonism Meets Asia, and was one of the presenters.

There were hundreds of people there. I felt lost at times, but thank goodness much of it involved going to presentations (so no speaking to others), eating (again, no speaking), and participating in a special choir for the Sunday morning devotional (singing is not speaking). Of course there were those "awkward" socializing sessions, but most people feel awkward about these things anyway. Sometimes, you just got to do what you got to do, even if it means being the green newcomer who has to introduce her/himself over and over again, and get left out at times. 

It also helped that on the second day of the conference I saw an old friend of mine. It was wonderful to catch up with her again, and we attended to a few sessions together. She's starting a PhD program in the Fall, and I was like, "Let me tell you about the mistakes I made as a graduate student, and hope you do not make the same mistakes, and have a 100x better experience than I did!" Seriously, if anyone knows of a new PhD student in the humanities, please send them to me for pre-graduate school pep talks. 

Anyway, back to the conference. Despite the awkward times, it was an enjoyable experience overall. I had received funding to stay in the hotel next to the convention center (Marriott), and thus could go back and forth with ease (i.e. naps in the afternoon). It was the first time I had stayed in a professional hotel by myself, and relished watching Food Network on cable TV, only to be disappointed that the show lineup for Food Network now is so lame and repetitive. Anyway, the room itself was clean and spacious, though nothing fancy. Can't complain since it was free! 

The first day was spent going on a Mormon women's history tour around Utah county, where we visited various former Relief Society Halls, historic homes in Provo, the Provo city cemetery, the Springville Museum of Art, and had a delicious Zupas-catered lunch. I was amazed that there were Relief Society Halls still standing, though in various states of disrepair. One of them had been converted to a car dealership (yuck!) while another is now a shed in someone's yard! Imagine that, having a Relief Society hall in your backyard... I also learned that Provo has some beautiful historic homes still standing, and it was cool to drive by and learn about their histories. Wish I knew about them when I was an undergraduate. We visited the graves of the first two female missionaries, Amanda Inez Knight and Lucy Jane (Jennie) Brimhall, at the cemetery, and was thrilled to learn about their mission calls and experiences. I absolutely love the tour, despite the cost ($85!), and am glad that the organizers pushed for it (it was almost cancelled!). 

I presented my paper the second day, and didn't realize that I was such a slow reader. I was only on page 4 (10 pages total) when the chair of the panel held up the "5 Minutes Left" sign. WHAT?!?!?! Sad that I had to rush through the remaining pages, which was the meat of my presentation. But I still managed to get my main points across, and based on what people told me afterward, I think they liked the paper. I also received good feedback which will be incorporated into my dissertation. 

Third day, more presentations and socializing. I also took the opportunity to meet up with Provo friends at night. Fourth and final day (Sunday), we had a special music devotional. For the final song, volunteer MHA participants joined with the Utah Baroque Ensemble and sang a specially commissioned choir piece commemorating the association's 50th Anniversary. I kept having second thoughts about joining the choir because the piece was HARD! Definitely not a song for an amateur choir. But I'm glad I stuck with it, because it turned out good. The devotional was also spiritually uplifting, and it was wonderful to hear testimonies borne through music and song. 

I'm glad I went, and hope to attend again next year (depends on funding...it's always about the money). I will say this though, I never felt so Asian/ non-white in my life. During the women's history tour, we filled up an entire bus, and I was the only non-white there. There wasn't even a Latina or Polynesian woman. In another instance, at the graduate student reception, I was one of the few racial minorities present, while the remaining 40(?) were white. I also noticed that the panels on International Mormonism were assigned smaller rooms. It's understandable since the topic is 1) still new, and 2) there is still much history to do examining U.S. Mormon history. We are only just beginning to get out of the 19th century and into the 20th century, so don't even talk about going outside the United States' borders. 

However, I think this is a reflection of how much more there is to do when it comes to Mormon history. There is a HUGE need for more diversity, both in terms of historians and in terms of historical topics. The interest is there though, because some of the sessions on International History filled up quickly, and left late-comers standing. Hopefully this will encourage more people to explore this topic. 

My Loyal Car is Revolting Against Me!

Good News: I'm flying home today back to Singapore, and will be there for a year to do research. In fact, I'm currently at the LA airport on an 8 hour layover (URGH!), eating lunch and blogging. It's a horrible layover but hey, hooooome!

Bad News: My 15 year old car has served me well for the past 5 years, and in return I try to take good care of it by maintaining it regularly, giving it good gas, etc. But my car is revolting against me because of the abuse I afflicted upon it driving from Ohio to Utah.

The revolt started when I reached Provo, whereupon my stereo broke down. I can only say that I'm grateful God preserved the stereo until I reached my destination, so I didn't have to make the long drive using my phone's music. Thank goodness my speakers work, so I just need to replace the stereo.

A few weeks later, I went in for an oil change and tire rotation, and I have no idea what the mechanic did, but my brakes started squeaking and making a weird grinding noise. What did that mechanic do to my car?

Then on Saturday, my air conditioning stopped working. It was about 100 degrees outside, and I had to wind down my windows to get moving air in (I wouldn't call it wind because it was just hot air circulating). It was miserable driving this past weekend.

My poor car... When I return, I'm going to send it for a full check up and repair session. Let's just hope it can hold up this year until I return.

This Year's Summer Movies

I don't think I've done this before... at least, not that I can recall. But when you've watched a good movie, you have to tell everyone so that they will go see it. And let me tell you, this summer has a line up of movies that are AWESOME! I don't know why but I love this year's summer movies, and that's speaking a lot because I rather curl up and read a fiction book on a Friday night than watch a movie.

So when I tell you that YOU HAVE TO WATCH PIXAR'S NEW FILM INSIDE OUT, it's a big deal! Please please please please please go watch it! It is sooooo good. I laughed, but more than that, I cried really hard in that one scene with the pink elephant and the rocket... if you've watched it, you'll know what I mean. And I've never cried that hard in the movie theater. Good thing I was sitting alone with no one on both sides of me because it would have embarrassed them.

Then you have the characters, the plot, the animation, the visuals, and the IMAGINATION (both in Riley's head and the movie's writers)... STUNNING. Yes, there were minor gender stereotypes, but I liked what THIS ARTICLE wrote about the gender dynamics of the film. Was Inside Out my favorite Pixar? No, but it's still an A++ movie!!! And you can be sure that when it comes out in Singapore in August (no idea why it is coming out so late... dumb!), I'm going to drag my family to watch it with me again!

Also, Avengers: Age of Ultron was a good, fun superhero film, though filled with humongous plot holes. Seriously, Ultron was in the internet and can wreck all sorts of apocalyptic havoc, but he picked such a grandiose, long and hard way to do it. I'm like, this villain is awesome but dumb at the same time. I'm not the only one who thinks so-- see?

Thanks to How It Should Have Ended, video link HERE.

Still, the visuals and actions was good, and the perfect summer "hang out"/ date night movie. Just don't think too hard-- leave your Interstellar brain cells at the door.


Then there's Jurassic World. There is a movie theater near my place that sells IMAX 3D movie tickets for $5 on Tuesday. Oh yes baby.
It
Was
Awesome.
I finally understand why people are in love with Chris Pratt- he rocked this movie! And I LOVED how the dinosaurs were the stars in this movie, especially at the climax. Like The Avengers, it has plot hole issues but whatever. I'm contemplating watching it again just because I enjoyed this movie so much. After all, there are no $5 movie theaters back home, so if I want to watch it twice, better do it here, right?

Some other movies slotted to come out that look good: Ant Man (I can't believe I'm saying this, but I saw a longer preview before Jurassic World and it looked better than it sounded), the minions movie, and Pixels. I realize that my taste in summer movies run in the category of light and fun, but hey, isn't that what summer is about ;) And such a good way to unwind after slogging away in the archives all day.

What movies have you watched, and which ones are you excited for?

The Journey I'll NEVER Take Alone Again

Two years ago, I drove 27 hours from Columbus, OH to Provo Utah all by myself, and vowed "never again." Once again, a lesson on "never say never" because I had to eat my words two weeks ago, when I made the same drive again. This is the 4th time on this route, but the second time alone. I think this time I'm serious when I say "never again" though. I'm getting up there in years, and can't take it!

I drove a respectable 11 hours the first day, and it would not stop raining the first half the journey from Ohio through Indiana and Illinois.

Goodbye Ohio...

...hello Indiana!

 And Illinois... or at least I think it is. They all kind of blurred after a while.

Missouri... I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't get caught in St. Louis, MO peak hour traffic. My GPS rerouted me to a smaller highway further away from the city-- sometimes my GPS does know what it's doing.

Also, Missouri doesn't have much to see (except for St. Louis) but my oh my, it is a lush green state. Probably because of all the rain. This is the first time I drove through Missouri  where I did not get caught in a storm.

See how gorgeously green it is?!

I stayed overnight with a family friend in Kansas, just across the MO border, and set off the next day bright and early. Now, this second day... I have to brag a little here because I drove a freaking 14 HOURS almost non-stop that day. I wanted to put in as many miles as I could so that I could get to Utah early, so I drove and drove and drove and drove...

 Notice how the landscape is significantly flatter, but it is still green. Kansas and eastern Colorado in the summer is pretty, just nothing much to see. At least it made for a smooth journey.

Got caught in Denver peak hour traffic for a short period of time.

Notice the vehicle lineup on the other side... yup, definitely peak hour!

Then I crossed the massive Colorado mountain pass, which took forever! I wished I could have taken more pictures but a) I needed to concentrate on getting my loyal, trusty small car up the massive inclines, and b) the lighting was terrible.

There is still snow on the mountains...

I stopped in Grand Junction, completely exhausted. Thank goodness my hotel, Holiday Inn, was awesome! Had a good night's rest, before setting off again early the next day. As you can see from the picture below, CO (and UT) bugs have a high tendency of smashing into windshields. I took a few more pictures of the journey, but my camera kept coming into focus on the dead bugs instead of the landscape.

 FINALLY!!! 

You know you are entering the desert of Utah when you see brown...

So I normally take I-70, and then US-191 which cuts through Price, Utah to Provo. However, since I was going to visit a friend in Ephraim, Utah, I had to stay on I-70 longer and holy moly, I am AWED by how beautiful Southern Utah is. The rock formations are truly one of a kind. I appreciate Utah's beauty more each time I return. For example, as I drove along, I saw a sign for "Ghost Rock Viewing Pt" and wondered what that was. I decided to stop, and saw that others had done the same. We were treated to this view:

My phone camera doesn't do the scenery justice; neither can it capture the gigantic cavern at the bottom. How these rock formations came to be will be something I will only learn in the life to come. The desert really has its own kind of beauty.

Anyway, I arrived in Ephraim, visited my friend who kindly cooked a delicious lunch, and then drove the remaining 1.5 hours to Provo. I was soooo tired when I finally checked in my hotel, and relieved that I had made it in one piece. No doubt God had sent angels to watch over me. 

"Taking Notes"

The past few weeks have been nothing but hectic because *drumroll* I packed my stuff, put them in storage, then drove all the way from Ohio to Utah by myself...again. Every time I say, "I'll never..." I always eat my words. *sigh* Anyway, upon arriving in Utah, I participated in the 50th Anniversary Mormon History Association Conference in Provo, and then moved to Salt Lake the next week, where I'll be stationed for 3 weeks doing research.

More about that drive and the conference later. Right now though, I want to vent talk about bureaucracy and legislature, and how sometimes they DO NOT MAKE SENSE AT ALL.

As you can tell from the caps, I'm frustrated by my research at the Church History Library (CHL). It's a beautiful and comfortable building to work in, and the people are friendly and helpful, but the institutional rules and bureaucracy of the building do not make sense.

Example 1: Two years ago, I requested to view a mission president's papers, and the Access Review Committee said that I could work with an archivist to view some of the the papers. Two years later, I wrote the Committee and asked for clarification of what exactly I could view, and they came back with a "Sorry, you have been denied permission to view the this record." Wait, WHAT???!!!

Example 2: The Committee has stonewalled my efforts to view most of papers of former mission presidents because they contain information of living individuals. When I asked if I can work with an archivist to view some of the less-confidential records, or if I promised to not mention names at all/ use pseudonyms, they said, NO.

Example 3: What little I've been able to access so far has been oral history interview transcripts and a mission diary, which have been phenomenal sources so far. Unfortunately,

#1, I was given the microfilm copy, which is understandable since it is very difficult to damage microfilm. But microfilm readers are finicky and a pain to work with! But I can deal with this except...

#2, There is a copyright law (no idea state, federal or institutional) that mandates that oral history interview transcripts cannot be copied until 70 years after the interviewee's death. Well, my work deals with people who are either still alive or passed away in the last 30 years or so. So here I am, having access to these terrific sources, and all I can do is "take notes."

That's right-- "take notes." Guess what I've been doing in the CHL for the past 3 days? Staring at the computer screen of the microfilm projection, and using my laptop to "take notes" of the diaries/ memoirs of the individuals. Page after page after page... As a result, my research pace has slowed to a crawl, and I need an eye check up when I'm done at the CHL. *Sigh* On the bright side, "taking notes" has forced me to read every single word of my sources, and I've read some touching and uplifting stories.

It's just an extremely frustrating process now.

Amish Country

Last Saturday, 3 close friends from church and I took a day trip to the Amish Country in Ohio, a 1.5 hour drive from Columbus. It rained the whole day, but despite the inclement weather, it was a lovely trip. I can't believe how different Ohio is outside of the city. Talk about state-schizophrenia: once you get out of Columbus, the countryside is rolling with fields (and fields and fields) of green that are dotted with charming small towns.

This is Ohio

Our first stop was the Amish-Mormon bakery, Troyer's Home Bakery, located at 28991 Mickley Rd, Danville, Ohio 43014. Three Amish families converted to Mormonism a few years back, which led to them being ostracized by their community. These families banded together and opened a bakery and a furniture shop. It's a sad situation, and I admire their tenacity and courage.

And their food. Oh my word, their homemade pies... HEAVENLY. I tried their blueberry pie and chocolate peanut butter pie a few months ago, and could not believe how delicious they were. I'm not a huge fan of berry pies because they tend to be tart, but not this blueberry pie. It wasn't tart, and had the right amount of sweetness. And their chocolate peanut pie didn't look appealing but you don't understand how good it is until you taste it.

This time, I bought a strawberry rhubarb pie because I've never had a rhubarb pie before. It's a 9 inch pie, that should be shared among, what, 6-8 people?

Sorry, not going to happen. That pie was so good, I've already scarfed down a good portion of it all by myself. Oops!

And we picked the right day to visit, because it was Customer Appreciate Day, and they gave out homemade soft pretzels and root-beer floats to all visitors. Let me tell you, their pretzels were A-PLUS A-MA-ZING!!! Like, seriously the best pretzel I've had, and my friends agreed. It was soft, with the right balance of salty-sweet flavor. SO SO SO SO SO GOOD. It's too bad they don't sell their pretzels though-- I would totally buy some home.

Buggies parked outside of Mrs. Yoder's kitchen

Anyway, after the ton of samples at the bakery, a root beer float, and the most delicious pretzel I've ever had, we went to eat at an Amish restaurant, Mrs. Yoder's Kitchen. Yeah, maybe not the best decision, but whatever. Day trip = eat and be merry right? Their buffet was $11.99, and had a variety of meats, salads, mashed potatoes, bread, homemade peanut butter and apple butter. It reminded me of another Amish restaurant in Ohio, Der Dutchman. Der Dutchman had a slightly wider spread, but Mrs. Yoder's Kitchen has Mennonite Amish people as part of the staff. Take your pick! Whichever your selection, however, the food is wonderful! Good old American country food... especially their roasted chicken and ribs. Amish people sure know how to cook homemade, comfort American food.

We then toured Heini's Cheese Chalet, where a group of Amish people make their own cheeses. Visitors can go on tours (click HERE for more info), and those who miss the tour can still sample the eye-popping variety of cheeses they make. Think of a savory flavor (bacon? Red pepper? Onion and chives?) and I'm pretty sure they make that flavor cheese-- no kidding! Really cool, though some taste better than others. They also offer a variety of fudges.

Our last stop was at the Berlin Antique and Craft Mall, where I found this "antique" for 2 dollars:

I'm enjoying my new CD even as I'm typing this. Brings back fond memories :) And um, this time I can actually understand what the lyrics are. Lol! The antique mall was really cool, while the craft shop had tourist-y stuff. Be warned.

We then drove home, tired but oh so satisfied. I definitely want to take my family there when they visit me. If anything, the pie is worth the drive alone!

[UPDATE on 26 JUNE 2016: I am devastated that Troyer's Home Bakery has closed business. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!] 

Spring Flowers

I don't know the previous tenants of my apartment, but whoever they are, THANK YOU. Because now that Spring has descended upon us (gorgeous!), I get a kick every time I step out to my back porch where my car is parked, and where my roommate and I have a tiny (like the size of a small dining table) plot of land for gardening.

Which is great if I was interested in gardening, but I'm not (yet... maybe when I'm married and have a family to feed?). So when Miss Cee and I moved in last August, we didn't touch that plot of land at all. Nada, nothing, nope.

Then, one day, I walked out and saw...

Sorry for the poor quality picture-- photo taken on a day with bad lighting. Anyway, I couldn't decide if it was the flower of a weed or a "real" flower (you know what I mean), but it looked cool! 

A couple days later, guess what...

Holy moly, four gorgeous orange-red tulips, surrounded by small plants that I cross my fingers are not weeds. It was such a pleasant surprise! Sadly, the past few days have been sunny and warm, which is great for human beings but not so much for tulips, so the plants have all wilted. *sob*

But this morning, as I stepped out to go to church, there were new flowers!

Sunny yellow flowers just in time for Mother's Day :) I also discovered a few garlic bulbs, which I accidentally ripped out in my haste to weed the "garden," which I hurridly planted back in... oops! I hope those garlic bulbs are okay. Actually, wait a minute, were those garlic bulbs?...  Shows you how little I know about gardening since I can't even recognize garlic bulbs.

Anyway, whoever my previous tenants are, thank you for being gardeners/ flower-planters because you are AWESOME! Sorry you can't enjoy the fruits flowers of your labor, but rest assure that I appreciate them :)

Happy, Relieved, and Sad

I write this post with a mixed bag of emotions.

First, my candidacy examination is finally over, and I passed! HOORAY!!! 22 pages of writing, a portfolio, and 2 hours of grilling by my committee members- SO GLAD it's over, and relieved that I don't ever have to experience this torture again. Shout out to my family and friends for their support and wishes of good luck. So touched!

That's slightly less than half of the books required for my exam. 

Time to lug them back to the library.

The first thing I did after my exam? I came home and took a long nap. I am mentally exhausted, and now that it is over, I'm happy but it's also, well, anti-climatic, like "Congratulations, your exam is over. Yeah! Now the research and writing really begins. Sorry sucker, you still have 2 more years." 

But inasmuch as it is a minor accomplishment, my celebration is dampened by the tragic news of the earthquakes in Nepal. As the death toll rose to 1,900 over the weekend (it's now 3,000+), I was struck by how much my prayers to God sounded like I was whining over trivial "stuff." There I was, anxious and pleading for divine help to pass an exam, while thousands had lost their homes and livelihood in minutes. 

It was a sobering reminder of what matters most in life. Yes, my heart is full of gratitude that God helped me through this difficult exam, but I'm also thankful that I even have the opportunity to be in graduate school to take this exam. And I can't thank God enough for keeping me and my family safe.

For those of you who would like to help, here are several organizations in need of donations. My friend, Erin Moore, has also created a "Go Fund Me" page to raise a $1,000 among her Facebook friends, which she will donate to CARE. Her page is HERE if you would like to contribute to her efforts. Erin was a friend from BYU who lived in India and visited Nepal (more details on her Go Fund Me page), and is a wonderful person with a kind heart. I hope that you will support her efforts, or at least donate to other organizations!  

Torture Part 1... OVER!!!

Just got done with the first part of my torture candidacy exam. 22 pages in less than 48 hours.

Me sending my paper to my committee members.

WOO HOO!

I'm such a slow writer, and so this part of the exam is the hardest for me. I'm ambivalent about the oral defense (torture part 2 is on April 27!) but writing... urgh! Kill me. And write 20 pages in 48 hours? I think I rather do 300 push-ups in one sitting. Or eat 10 Big Macs.

So I was extremely nervous when I retrieved the questions. To my relief, my adviser gave me 2 questions that we had discussed earlier this week, and I had written outlines for! I got those out of the way as fast as possible before tackling the 10 page essay. This section was TOUGH. I'm anxious to find out what my committee will say about this question... and my other two questions & my portfolio.

Did I mention that I had to submit a portfolio too? I had to compile my dissertation proposal and most of the papers I've written as a graduate student into one gigantic file. *Pfft* easy peasy cutting-and-pasting on the computer.

NOT.

Let me tell you, cutting-and-pasting essays into one Word document takes way longer than it sounds. Trust me on this.

But at least it is OVERRRRR! And I SURVIVEDDDDD! And I wrote 22 pages (slightly over limit of 20 but oh well)! And I got it done by Saturday night, so I don't have to go to church as a zombie tomorrow!

In all seriousness though, God bestowed upon me His tender mercy these past 2 days. I could never have done this without His divine guidance, both in the preparation and during the writing process.

Now, I'm off to sleep. And church on Sunday. Come Monday, it's back to examination preparation and grant writing!

Exciting News!

This morning, Thomas S. Monson, president of the LDS Church, announced that they will be building a LDS temple in Bangkok, Thailand.

HOORAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!

http://www.thailand-maps.com/south-east-asia-map.htm

The (future) Bangkok, Thailand temple is not the first in Southeast Asia. The honor goes to the Philippines, which already has 2 temples! BUT, it is the first in the "main" land area of Southeast Asia. This means that the majority of members in Southeast Asia don't have to travel so far to go to the temples anymore. It will be a tremendous blessing to neighboring countries as well where many members are still living in impoverished conditions.

So exciting!!!

Plus, *erhem* it's a wonderful excuse reason to travel to Thailand! Bangkok isn't the safest city in the world, and is notorious for traffic jams. But it's Thailand!

Heartache for Home

Yearning for home during this period of grief.

Here's hoping that the overwhelming spirit of unity and service that has engulfed the nation this week will continue.* 

*Lines for the public to pay their last respects stretched into 10 hours! Yet, no one complained (for once!). Not only did the line move in an orderly manner, volunteers handed out food and water for free. LKY would have been proud of this manifestation of Singapore's efficiency and generosity. Then, today, as his casket was moved from Parliament House to the University Cultural Hall for the state funeral, people lined the entire funeral procession despite the heavy rain! I can't recall Singaporeans doing something similar (lining the roads) growing up, and was so impressed by the unity and tenacity of the crowd. 

Oops! I Did It Again

It's confirmed-- the amount of brain cells I have is inversely proportionate to my level of stress. Remember last semester when I blogged about my mid-semester slump, and how I was so stressed out that I forgot about my meeting... after being reminded of it the day before?

Well, cue Britney Spear's "Oops! I Did It Again" (nostalgia! Even though I don't care for Britney). This time, however, I did remember my meeting, only...

I was walking from the bus stop to institute (Bible study class) when I saw one of my institute classmates headed in my direction from the church building. Puzzled, I asked him if class had been cancelled. He gave me this funny look, and said, "No, we just had class." I just stared at him, unable to comprehend what he meant.

Until he said, "Class was from 11:30 to 12:30. It's 12:30 now."

And that's when it dawned on me-- I had COMPLETELY gotten my time mixed-up!!! How did I do that?! I have NEVER done that before! In my mind, I knew class was at 11:30, but somehow, when I looked at the bus schedule, I decided to take the 12:04 bus. *facepalm* Miss Keesh epic fail.

I'm telling you, examination preparation is *literally* killing my brain cells.
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Anyway, on a more somber note, a few days ago I paid tribute to Singapore's first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew. His death has shaken the country, and I have been pleasantly surprised at the unity shown forth by the nation in mourning for him. Throngs of people lined the street on Wednesday when his body was moved from the Istana to the Parliament House. Now that the public can pay their respect to him until Sunday, here is a video put forth by  The Straits Times (the national newspaper of Singapore) showing how long the line was on the first day:

(Click HERE in case the link doesn't work.) 

The journey took 20-25 minutes to walk from the end of the line to the Parliament House. People stood in line for HOURS (so far the longest has been 8!). I think even the government was taken by surprise because they hurriedly extended viewing hours to accommodate everyone, and the train system (MRT) announced that it will run 24 hours on Wednesday so that people can ride public transportation home. Thankfully the second day saw lesser crowds.

SGAG, a Facebook page dedicated to satirizing Singapore, decided to stop posting jokes this week. Retail giant Metro and Singapore Betting Pools also announced that they will close on Sunday for the state funeral, while other shops have canceled events, including the official store opening of Kate Spade. Wait, there is a Kate Spade opening in Singapore?! It's official: mass consumerism has not only taken root, it has grown 10 stories deep underground.  

Anyway, aside from the fact that the whole nation has united in mourning, more impressive is the kindness shown by Singaporeans for their fellow Singaporeans. Singaporeans are NOT known for being a gracious society, despite it being hammered into us by (who else?) the government. If you want gracious, go to Taiwan. Serious.

Yet, the death of LKY has brought out the kindness in each other. According to The Straits Times and other social media sites, an undergraduate bought about 20 burgers and randomly handed them out to people during dinner time. Businesses also gave out water, paper fans, and free flowers to those in line as well. To be honest, I was astonished at their generosity. I think even the government took their cue from them and arranged for volunteers to give out snacks and water, and finally thought about giving priority viewing to the elderly, handicapped and children. Yup, I have such little faith in my fellow Singaporeans, and I am glad I've been proven wrong.

Makes me proud to claim Singapore as home.

Tribute to the Passing of a Great Man

I just received news that Lee Kuan Yew (LKY), the "Founding Father of Modern Republic Singapore," passed away a few hours ago. I didn't know him personally, but just like how I and so many others respect Abraham Lincoln, I respect Lee and mourn his passing. He was a great man and possessed one of the brightest minds on the earth; a real visionary who dedicated his life to building Singapore. No really, even detractors who criticize his methods can't deny that he everything he did was for Singapore. 

But he was also a paradox, a "soft dictator."

Yes, he ruled with an iron fist, and yes, Singapore still ranks abysmally low on the "freedom of speech" and "freedom of press" index, especially considering that it is a developed, First World nation.

But how many leaders do you know have taken a Third World country and transformed it into a First World nation within a single generation? Please remember that Singapore is a tiny island (it's roughly half the size of Los Angelos!) with no natural resources except for its people. Even our British colonizers didn't believe that we would survive, and feared an overtake by the communists if they withdrew; hence, we joined with Malaysia from 1963-1965 (racial disputes forced us to become independent). Yet, today, Singapore is one of the wealthiest countries in Asia (some sources say the world). And I personally think it is one of the most orderly, safest, cleanest, and greenest countries, with a kick-butt public transportation system. It's mind-blowing if you think about Singapore's lightning-fast development and modernization.

Credits to the original owners

Furthermore, he worked hard to build an honest government. I'm not naive to think that there was no corruption-- surely not everyone in his cabinet had his integrity-- but it says something when multiple major media sources (such as the Economist, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal) mention LKY's clean and transparent government in their obituaries. He once said in a 1992 speech that most Asian developing nations did not need a democratic government, but an honest one (quote from here and Wikiquote). I'm not saying he was right, but it's sure food for thought.

And as a romantic at heart, my heart warms at his daughter's descriptions of her parent's marriage. LKY, for all his failings as a Chinese patriarchal and authoritarian statesman and father, loved his wife and took great care of her when she had a debilitating stroke.

Did LKY build up a perfect nation? No. Was his government perfect? No. Was LKY a dictator? Yes. LKY was also extremely candid, and sometimes came off as arrogant (//Sherlock Holmes). I just wrote a paper about the status of women in Singapore and the Singapore government, and cringed at a speech he delivered at a women's conference (no less!). In that speech, he said that Singaporean women enjoyed a better standard of living because of the government. [To be fair, he said in the same speech that a country that did not educate its women was a foolish one. And his government did help women to a certain extent.]


Yet, it would be a gross injustice to harp on his failings because in a paradoxical way, his weaknesses were his very strengths. How do you build an Asian waterhole from scratch and turn it into a modernized, efficient, wealthy and educated nation? You herd its citizens and make them obey your draconian measures. Little wonder Singapore remains a fascinating case study for scholars.


My Facebook feed is understandably inundated with posts mourning his passing. I think, however, that an American friend (ironically) paid the best and most fitting tribute: I hope that in remembering and celebrating their leader, Singapore does not ignore or forget his controversial politics but take this opportunity to continue (start?) the conversations about the trade-offs and balance between economic inequality/growth, political freedom/stability, pragmatism and fairness.

NB: For a quick rundown about LKY and his controversial government, see these two opinions pieces on Foreign Policy, one pro and one anti (you might have to subscribe). The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have also provided comprehensive and balanced obituaries. His autobiography, From Third World to First: The Singapore Story, 1965-2000, is a thick but fascinating read as well.