I always feel so sad when my mom is in KoReA. I don't know if most of you know this, but I talk to my mom almost every day. I call her to find out how to make a certain kind of stew, or to ask how to sew a button, or to ask for prayer about something small or big, or to simply ask how her day was. I feel very lucky to have a mother with whom I have made a friendship as I became an adult. When you're young, your mom is your mom. But as you become an adult, there's a change. You can become close friends or distant relatives.

We run into conflicts sometimes, and I tell her how I feel and she tells me how she feels. We work it out, and resolve them. It's really quite amazing how this works out. Anyways, I just wanted to say that I miss her when she is out of the country. I have no one to call every day, except for Danny and Karen. Anyways, she has passed her citizenship test this year, and will soon become a citizen of the UnItEd StAtEs of AmErIcA. I'm very proud of her. She's earned it. The interviewer asked her, "What are the 13 original colonies?" And she rattled them off one by one without so much as a pause.

I experienced the power of connections today. At the gym, I signed up for a free three-month membership that my friend gave me. But it was restricted to only one facility, no classes, and I could go only three times a week. Then, I mentioned that I was a teacher at HiLlBroOk School, and he said, "Oh? I used to go there! For eight years." He then proceeded to relay the happiest moments of his childhood that was apparently spent at HiLlBrOok School. Because of my connections to this school, he gave me full access to all five facilities in the bay area, any class I wanted to attend (even those new bike classes), and any day of the week. Wow!

I took this as a sign from the Lord that I really have no excuse for the next three months to get some exercise. It's quite scary how flabby I've become. My nice rippling arm muscles from my cheer and colorguard days are no longer in existence; in its place are soft sacs of fat. But no more I tell you! This is the year that Jieun takes care of her body. Aerobic exercise, flexibility, toned muscles... these are my goals. Plus, Danny is my inspiration. Seriously, for two years straight, he's been going to the gym pretty consistently. What results! You should check him out next time you see him. As for me, I'll give an update on how I'm doing next week.

A good thing about being a teacher besides getting all those vacation days is that you get to live out "school" again without having the academic pressures. I feel like I'm living vicariously through these children. Being the official spelling bee coordinator for my school this year, I get to set up all the rules and participate in a spelling bee in a way that I've never done before. I was a pretty good speller when I was young, but I didn't have the opportunity to be in a spelling bee. This is my chance!

Also, I am one of the dance choreographers for the 8th grade play. This year we're doing "Wizard of Oz." I get to be part of a play/musical! Never in my high school career was this a reality. But now it is. I have all kinds of responsibilities such as helping with casting, singing, and dancing. I'm having a blast.

Oh, and I also got to tell my students and faculty that we should use the term "Lunar New Year" as a more inclusive term rather than "Chinese New Year," since a lot of countries/cultures celebrate the new moon. I realize that Chinese New Year is the most popular because of the presence of Chinese Americans, but I thought it would be cool to mention that it's actually more inclusive to say Lunar New Year. The principal complimented me on bringing it up. She's really into diversity and inclusivity.

I get soooo angry at blatant racism. GRrrrrrr!

I just read Mark and Sandy's page. I can't believe they had to go through that. When will America learn from her mistakes in the past?

It's amazing how sleep-deprived I am. I think that ever since third grade, when I had a brother who was in junior high, I started going to sleep really late. My little brother recently told me that I was a zombie going through high school. All I did was study and go through the motions. Maybe that was true! I stayed up late nights "studying" and writing papers. And it was the same in college as well. I scheduled my classes so that I could wake up late. Even then, many a class did I miss! And now that I'm a teacher, I'm dying. I sleep about 5 to 6 hours a night. But, my optimal number of hours is 8. That means I'm in debt about 12 hours per week. And it keeps adding up. I wish I were an engineer, just lilke my husband!