I got the back-to-school blues, but it's not so bad this time.Usually I'm hating life right about now, but I have to say that I've really been enjoying grad school.

Spring break was nice and chill, though. I was planning on going to SLO with some Berkeley kids, but that fell through. Instead, I visited my cousins in Reno (which, in the past ended up with me driving back with a hangover and some missing money). This time was really different, though. On the way over I prayed that the Lord would sanctify my time there, and I really think He answered it. On top of eating a ridiculous amount of good sushi and watching movies, I got a chance to visit my Aunt, whose husband (my uncle) died recently.

She told me that she's been having trouble sleeping, and that her restaurant business has been slow. I was able to share a verse with her (what's gotten into you, Ivan?): Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all who toil and are burdened, and I will give you rest." I told her that if she can't fall asleep and no one is there to talk to her, she can talk to the Lord. She jokingly, but kindly responded, "Think He'll help me fall asleep?"

"I don't know if He works that way, but it can't hurt to try. Plus, He's always there and you can tell Him anything."

She responded, "I never thought about it that way," and even though that was the end of that part of the conversation, I could tell she took me seriously. I've been praying that she'll believe in the Lord. I can tell that she's lonely now that Uncle Paul's gone.

The next day I actually went to meet with some believers in Reno. It was a small gathering, but it was pretty intimate and we shared our enjoyment of the bible with each other. It was sweet, and now I have another reason to go back to Reno.

I'm really glad I got to see my cousins and other family. The last time I saw them was over a year ago, and I think this trip was really worthwhile.

Aside from that, the rest of my spring break was spent sitting in on a hand dissection, visiting my grandma, getting a little bit of work done, hanging with old friends, and, oh yeah. Getting hit on the freeway (see previous post).

Looking forward to:

1)Getting a Great America season pass! It's so close now, so I'll definitely make use of it!

2)Buying a snowboard (maybe?). That way I'll be motivated to learn. Hopefully.

3)Saving money. HAH
4)Hopefully getting this insurance stuff taken care of quickly

I just bought this book, by the way:

Remember that friend I was worried about (the one who had open heart surgery)?. Well, the procedure went really really well, and he recovered more quickly than the doctors expected. He "blames" it on our prayers for him. The doctor even called him "a miracle" because he recovered in less than half the time from this procedure (he's in his 70s) than when he had a similar procedure done in his youth. I'm usually skeptical about these things, but thanks, Lord.

Anyway, Ravi Vakil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravi_Vakil), the author of the book, is his nephew. He's a mathematical genius - he wrote this book about mathematical problem strategies in his undergrad, has taught at MIT and Princeton, and is tenured at Stanford. He's only 40. I'd like to go visit him and maybe get him to sign my book, which won't be weird because I know his uncle.

Sorta looking forward to a busy quarter! Hopefully there won't be rain this week...

Reminder to self: pray more for those around you.

Facts of Life

Established during the trip to Reno/Tahoe:

1) Yellow Starbursts are the worst flavor
2) Grape popsicles > Orange popsicles
3) Cereal goes in BEFORE milk
4) Ice cream should not be chewed

Haha. Actually, nothing was really established and these are still up for debate. What do YOU think?

Slowww down.

This semester is going by way too fast. Normally I wouldn't mind, but it recently hit me that I'm going to be seeing a lot of people that I really like a lot less frequently after this semester. Growing up sucks, and I'm doing everything I can to make the most of my last two months before graduation (Yikes!)

It's been a while since I posted about what's been going on in my life, so I'm going to spit out things I remember in no particular order.

1) I'm going to Europe after graduation! A buddy and I bought tickets to fly into London and come back from Athens. We're kinda winging the itinerary in between the end-points, but we're getting unlimited rail passes for 21 countries in Europe (unless we find an equally safe, but cheaper option). The "plan" is to pass through Paris, cities in Germany, Vienna, and I dunno where else before we end up in Greece. I can finally cross this off my lifetime to-do list, and use the 4 years of German I learned in high school. Exciting.

2) I just came back from Spring Break, and it was the best one I've had throughout college. I worked/chilled with some of my bros earlier in the week, caught up with some high school buds, and went to Tahoe and Reno at the end of the week. Learning how to go downhill on a snowboard (I didn't say "learning how to snowboard" because I'm nowhere near proficient yet) and play craps was cool, but what really made the trip were the people - Julius, Kristine, and Kyle, I love you guys. Highlights:

a) Falling on my @$$, back, knees, etc... There really is something to the whole "you don't learn unless you fall" and "no pain no gain" philosophies.

b) Losing $40 bucks overall. However, factoring all the free drinks and fun I had, I don't feel like I lost that much. Plus, we made friends with a few of the cool dealers. Nancy, Jas, and Kim, you rock.

c) Food: Buffet, Five dollar steak and eggs (so worth the wait), and Fenton's on the way home. Oh baby.

d) Meeting up with my cousins, even though we all were slightly inebriated* each time we saw each other this weekend. You guys are hilarious, from the drunken yelling at the blackjack dealer to the talking to the waitress in a fobby cantonese accent. Nothing beats family.

Link to album

Ok. I guess I really only had two things on my mind. But they were two big things, and this is one long post. For me, anyway.

I really need to find some way to slow down time (and a way to slow down on a snowboard).



*actually, you guys were wasted.