Quick Little Updates

Update #1: 

THIS.

I finally completed all my transcriptions about two weeks ago, and now I have them in one big "Bible." Over 58 transcriptions! Not all are full transcriptions, but each interview still took hours to complete. It's satisfying to see it all together, and realize how much information I have. I'm thrilled to finally be diving into into the "meat" portion of my writing!  

P.S. Working on Chapter 3 of my dissertation. It's coming together very slowly but surely. 

Update #2: 

My friend got married last Saturday, and I was able to attend her wedding. She looked radiant and soooo happy, and I couldn't be happier for her. Plus the food for the after-sealing luncheon was DELISH!

Top: The new couple after their marriage at the Columbus Temple, she in her beautiful gown, holding a gorgeous bouquet, and he in his Marine uniform; flowers on the luncheon table (so simple but pretty!).

Bottom: The lovely and talented Miss Woolley (more about her own band HERE), whom I'm still puzzled why men can't see what a catch she is; why use a normal knife when you can use your Marine's sword to cut the cake? 

Update #3:

I'm loving this year's mild winter, and I like to go on a jog/ walk when the weather isn't too cold and the sun is out. I hate running, so adding this to my work out routine is a surprise, even for me. It helps that I usually jog/ walk to the Target or Staples about a mile away to either buy or return something. Anyway, I saw this sign on my run last week, and hope that posting it here helps someone today! 

Quick update on previous post

In my last post, I talked about how I felt about the new Executive Order (EO) about immigration. I saw this article on a friend's Facebook wall, and thought it was well-written and insightful. It broke down and analyzed every section of the EO, and weighed its pros and cons. Yes, there were a few good things to come out of the EO. And the article is published on a conservative website (The Federalist). You can READ THE ARTICLE HERE, or if the link doesn't work, it is Lyman Stone's "Here's What Trump's Immigration Order Says and How it Needs to Be Fixed" at thefederalist.com.

As a more liberal-leaning moderate, I think the writer doesn't push his critique far enough, but I think he has done a good job of demonstrating that whether or not you support the new EO, it was, as he puts it, "rolled out in a haphazard way that damages any efforts to have a serious conversation about refugee admittance and the security concerns of many Americans."

Anyway, hopefully my next post will NOT be about politics anymore :)

CNY 2016

Quick update:
1) Missing home this Chinese/ Lunar New Year. The older I get, the more I cherish the traditions from my heritage. I admit it's not fun to have to have to visit distance relatives and engage in small talk, but I miss being with family and eating Chinese New Year goodies.

However, I was determined to celebrate the new year in Columbus, so I baked a batch of pineapple tarts using this recipe, and had a few of my closest girl friends over for a hot pot/ steamboat dinner.

The first few bites were "okay" but I've since become addicted to them. Miss Keesh approved.

2) Trump's executive order to bar all Muslim refugees from Syria indefinitely, and 90 days for refugees from Iraq, Sudan, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, while giving priority to "Christian" refugees is just...stunning. Stunning because of how mis-informed it is. I truly have no words.

All I can say is...democracy. I'm sorry America, you don't get to be outraged at the refugee ban, especially those who voted for him, because you chose to elect this man to be your president. He's just carrying out what he said he would do. Did you really think he was going to pull back and suddenly become more "sane" once he became president? 

The thing is, I bet many of Trump's voters support this ban. They truly believe that the ban will stop terrorists from entering the country. It makes me roll my eyes, and I hurt for my fellow brothers and sisters (especially the innocent children) caught in its vicious net.

But am I surprised by it? No. This is Trump. He's just doing what he said he will do. *shrug shoulders* And his supporters will go on believing that such policies are right. The thing is, you can't do anything to change their perception, even with hard evidence and statistics, because they will just believe the "liberal establishment" is attacking them once again.

The "liberal establishment" isn't always right, but sometimes, they are right. In this case, the ban isn't going to prevent terrorists from entering the country. Heck, there are already terrorists within our borders (see the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting). And according to the State Department, we are killing ourselves with gun violence (fact checked HERE).

So protest and march. Share our viewpoints with our elected government officials. Share our dissent on social media. Make our voices heard. Make sure we keep holding him accountable. AND NEVER VOTE FOR TRUMP AGAIN. Meanwhile, sit tight and pray because 4 years of such executive policies will surely make the nation go mad.

Top 10 Memories of 2016

I was going to type this up earlier but a) laziness, b) 2016 passed by in a blur so I'm still coming up with 10 even as I'm writing this post. It's not that I don't have enough memories to come up with 10, but that I have too many and they all just blur into one another. So here's me trying to discipline my mind and come up with my annual list of Top 10 memories of the year (in no particular order).

1) I received the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, which allowed me to stay on in Singapore to conduct research from January to August. And I had TOO MUCH fun back home, so much so that I had to return to Ohio to lessen the distractions from schoolwork ;)

2) Being able to spend precious time with family and friends in Singapore. I can't count the number of memories I created with them, which is partly why this list was hard to come up with, so I'm just going to say I will go back to Singapore in a heartbeat if I can find a job there. There's just no place like home.

3) I taught 2 semesters of institute (Bible study): Jesus and the Everlasting Gospel & Foundations of the Restoration. It was tough to teach every week, but I LOVED my students and the new material.
3.5) I took an institute class in Ohio about the Book of Revelations. Oh my word. It was SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!! Plus it was a lunch class, so free lunch.

4) I moved back to Columbus to finish up my program. Although it wasn't fun to go through another cycle of election campaigning, and don't get me started on how horrible this election was...it is great to be back with friends here.

5) I dyed my hair for the first time, and went purple. Love, love, love it!

6) Took a road trip in October to visit my friends in upstate New York, New Hampshire and Boston., and later in December, to Michigan to visit the Michigan Dalebouts. Each visit deserves its own post, but I'm too lazy (whoops!) so here are some pics:

 My college friend whom I have not seen for ten years! We stayed in the same freshmen dorm in rooms across the hall from each other. She has 2 kids who are adorable, and I loved catching up with her. She has so many intelligent insights into topics that I've never thought about, and is a fabulous mom. There is also a lot of religious history in the area she lived in that I soaked up. #historynerd

A few weeks after I returned home, I received 2 drawings from her children, which I proudly displayed on my fridge like a proud aunt. So cute!

My main reason for road-tripping was to visit a friend in Exeter, New Hampshire, and see the fall foliage. Despite the horrendous drive there (it rained and snowed the entire 7.5 hours), I fell in love with New Hampshire, even though I doubt I'll ever move there (can't stand how much it snows). FRESH seafood + beautiful scenery + history (#historynerd) + friendship = absolutely fun.

My first time eating a lobster roll @ the Beach Plum, and it was to die for!

And I couldn't go all the way to New England without seeing my bestie in Boston, where I finally met her toddler daughter. Her daughter is sooooo cute...when she isn't hating me. As you can tell from the pictures below, I ate a lot.

Dim sum; another lobster roll and New England clam chowder @ Faneuil Hall Marketplace... YUMMY!

On the way back, I visited another friend in Rochester, NY, and she took me to Bill Gray's diner for dinner. Delicious burger and awesome shakes. 

The last time I visited, child #4 wasn't even born!  We visited the Belle Isle Park's aquarium (had a beautiful green-tile ceiling) and conservatory, and saw Canada across the river. Most of the time we just hung out at home, played Wii and relaxed. I loved every minute of it. 

7) I joined the "3-0" club! Bye-bye young adult years (sob!), and hello to new adventures and experiences.

8) My sister visited me here in Ohio for a few days over the Thanksgiving break. So grateful she took the trip out here. Also, it was the first time I cooked the entire Thanksgiving meal (with my sister's help of course). Phew!

Top to bottom: 2 of the 3 Lai sisters reunited; corn hedge statues at Dublin because nothing screams the Midwest more than bizarre corn statues; Thanksgiving dinner; Jenni's ice cream with all its zany flavors.

9) I wrote finish chapter 1 of my dissertation. YEAH!!! Now just, you know, 170 pages to go...

10) I moved into my own apartment! First time going solo and it has been lovely. There are times that it gets lonely-- I thought about getting a pet for like, 0.5 seconds-- but for the most part, the introvert in me has a happy dance each time I come home. It is such a pleasure to have the entire fridge to myself, put up my own decor, and have friends over whenever I want. And the location of my new apartment is fantastic!

Happy 2017 everyone! Hope your January is off to a good start :)

Landmark!

I started writing my dissertation! Thought I should record this "landmark." Took me about 3 weeks to write the first chapter, which provides a quick overview about the history of Singapore. *Sigh* I can foresee that writing the more complicated later chapters is going to be a MAJOR PAINFUL and AWFULLY SLOW process. I'm not kidding when I say I'm a very slow writer because I take forever to formulate my sentences. Why do I voluntarily torture myself like this?

Chapter 1 is sent to my committee!

At least I've began the last quarter section of the graduate school marathon. Yeah!

Grief and fear

I grieve over the election of the Donald Trump as president, not because of the fact that he won the presidency but because of what it revealed to me about the American citizenry. For the first time in my life, I feel unsafe in America.

Perhaps this is something that I should have felt long ago, given that I am aware of the numerous hate crimes and discrimination at a grassroots level. The media has done a tremendous job of highlighting police brutality against the black community, and the white washing that occurs in the entertainment industry. But somehow, deep within me, I hoped. I hoped that these would be isolated incidents of hate and discrimination, and that the vast silent majority of Americans condemned these crimes.

But last night, I was confronted by the ugly truth that American racism, sexism, xenophobia and discrimination is real at a NATIONAL level, and it has real power and momentum. America has spoken, and they want someone who is a white supremacist, sexual harasser, greedy, unkind and morally corrupt to represent and lead them.

Of course, there are many reasons why people voted for Trump that include:
- Their dislike for Clinton and what she stands for;
- Trump was the lesser of two evils;
- They are anti-Establishment;
- They are conservatives who stand by their Party's nominee;
- They are openly Trump supporters;
- They are secret Trump supporters.

And it is is this last group that I fear: the silent majority who voted for Trump in secret, who want Trump to win. On the surface, they seem horrified by Trump, but at the crucial moment, they reveal themselves to have agreed with him all along. And nothing personified this more than Utah, which, oddly enough, became a mini-battleground state. I was appalled that Trump won Utah by a comfortable margin, especially when there was a decent third-party alternative presented to them who had gained substantial positive media coverage. I knew Hilary Clinton would not win Utah, but I crossed my fingers that at least Evan McMullin would triumph over Trump. Show the country and the world that Mormons are rational, thoughtful and responsible voters who will vote for a viable alternate candidate.

In the end, Utah, dominated by people of my own religious community, elected to vote a person who stands for everything un-Mormon into office. Someone pointed out that at least McMullin pulled in over 20% of the votes, a high percentage for a third-party. However, it doesn't erase the fact that Utahns could have stuck their noses to both major parties, and signaled their disapproval of Trump's moral repulsiveness, but squandered away this opportunity.

Whatever reason people voted for Trump, whether it's to ensure a conservative Supreme Court nominee or as a protest vote against modern liberalism or the Establishment or for strategic voting purposes or whatever reason, they chose to place these reasons above electing others candidates who demonstrated basic kindness and human decency.

People say the nation will go on, and it will. There are checks and balances in the governmental system to rein in Trump (or will it?), and I doubt his presidency can/ will cripple a country as big, rich and powerful as the United States. I look out of my window, and people are still going to work and school, or off to run errands, etc. Nothing has changed.

But something has changed inside me. There is a growing sense of fear and mistrust. People have been writing on Facebook that we need to move on and love everyone, even those who voted for Trump. But the reality is that I look at people around me now, and think, "Did you secretly vote for Trump? Are you secretly racist/ sexist/ homophobic/ xenophobic? Do you secretly want me to leave your country, despite the fact that I'm an American citizen? I'm a non-white, Mormon female with liberal leanings-- do I have a place in this society?" Even if they voted for Trump due to other reasons, I cannot shake the insecurity that has been created.

And I fear for my Singaporean sister, who is currently a student at BYU-Provo. She already has a job offer with an accounting firm next year, and Trump's presidency won't change that (at least I hope not), but I'm scared for her. I'm scared that her friends who appear to be chummy, buddy-buddy with her, are the same people back-stabbed her at the polls and elected a demagogue who targets foreigners.

The fear is genuine and deep. It's not about electing Trump as president. It's what his victory tells me about us as American citizens. I hope we understand the repercussions of our actions.

Rainbow Hair

I've wanted to dye my hair purple for the longest time, and decided that, what the heck, I should do it for my 30th birthday (are you sensing how havoc I've become since entering a new decade of life? Hahahaha). Plus, I saw a picture of Katy Perry with dark purple hair and fell in love with her hair.

You have to admit her hair looks GOOD!

Source: hairworldmag.com

So I took the plunge and went to perm and dye my hair. I couldn't do them together (too many chemicals), so I did the digital perm first, just in time for my birthday. I've permed my hair before and am glad it turned as fabulous as the first time. It's the Korean perm that gives Asian hair big curls. My only regret is that I went to the beach a few days later, which in Singapore means the beach water is SALT WATER, and that loosened my curls significantly :(

My big curls that I enjoyed only for a few days. Lesson to self: don't go to the beach/ swimming so soon after a perm.

I went to dye my hair a few days later. My hairdresser recommended that I only dye the underside of my hair because 1) something about Katy Perry having American hair, which is different from Asian hair, and so the effect wouldn't be the same if I did the whole head (hmm...not quite sure what she meant), and 2) to minimize the damage to my hair. The entire process smelled awful, I needed to pee badly, and bleaching my hair was semi-traumatic as I voluntarily destroyed my hair. 

I sent this Ah Lian picture of me to my family and joked that this was my new hairstyle. My sister in the States, who didn't know about my plans, was horrified.

After all the "pain" and "suffering", however, the result was FAN-TA-BU-LOUS and I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED IT!!! Especially that streak of pink-purple near the top. 

And then a few weeks later, I went to Adventure Cove, one of Singapore's bigger water theme parks, with my sister. A few things to note about the park:
a) It's a great place to go to on a hot summer's day;

b) All the rides are (older) children-friendly, so none of them were particularly thrilling for my sister and I;

c) Neutrogena Sunscreen is AMAZING;

d) I was able to snorkel for the first time! Hated it the first round, loved it the second;

e) I also fed stingrays during one of the feeding sessions-- one of the coolest water experiences ever!

f) Only buy the tickets on promotion because it is not worth the full price. 

The one and only pic we took at Adventure Cove.

As much as I enjoyed Adventure Cove, the chlorinated water ruined my hair even more! I was sad when I realized that my purple hair had turned into this weird ash-green color at the bottom, and the pink-purple had faded to a copper-orange. That is, until I noticed that despite the fading, my hair had miraculously become this gradient-ed colorful, rainbow-like hair!

And that is how I now have rainbow hair that I adore!

The ends even match the huge bruise I developed from Adventure Cove (:p)

Fast forward a few weeks, and all the blue and purple have washed out into an ash-green color that sounds gross but actually looked pretty good. But since I was going back to the States, I touch up my hair and dyed it purple again (thank goodness no bleaching needed). The color this round is more blue than purple, and not as obvious so :( But I still love it. 

When I return to Singapore unsure-exactly-when-but-hopefully-very soon, I want to do this again. Only next time, I want to do it to my ENTIRE head of hair. 

I can't wait!