y = mx + b

dy/dx = f(x + dx) - f(x) * dx^-1

A slope can only be found when you have drawn a line. Regardless of a slope,  you still have drawn a line.

A Change in Seasons

 

Update: We're engaged! (photo from August 22, 2015)

I had a lovely Sunday yesterday, I was able to sleep in (one of the pros of having an afternoon service) to have energy to worship and serve God for during our corporate Sunday worship. I was scheduled to be one of the ladies in the nursery during service this week, so that parents of young children are able to hear the sermon; it is always a joy to serve the families with young children, and of course see the children at our church grow. One thing I miss about not working full-time is being able to visit the stay at home moms and their children, but I am still grateful for the time with them during weekend events.

After church, had a spontaneous date with my dear fiancé, to extend the weekend. It caught me off guard because he asked to hangout hah. We had a good conversations with our matchatas. It is always nice to sit down and share encouragements, talk about our future, reminisce about of past and seeing how God has worked in our lives. It is even nicer when no premarital counseling or wedding planning is present in the conversation (not saying we don't like it, but breaks are nice sometimes).

As I was getting ready for bed, I wanted to read old journal entries, and reading my thoughts before and how He has worked in me since was very encouraging, I am amazed at His grace and His love for me. I am blessed to have a God who is continually working in me for the purpose of godliness.

May you too, see God's grace in your life. Looking forward to updating this more often!

Δ > 0

If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

- Ephesians 4: 21-24

Sound waves.

Salvation to Service.

After reading and meditating on 1 Peter 1:1-5, I started thinking of how blessed I am to have receive salvation from the death of Christ. I wanted to share an excerpt from today's journal entry:

My salvation from the Lord is one of a kind, it will never fade away, be destroyed, and is purely holy; it's definitely something my horrible, finite self doesn't deserve. But yet Christ still died on the cross. The LEAST I could do is give God my life, and the things I hold on to, that causes me to sin. I praise God for allowing to really enjoy serving others, because I get to do something I love, and more importantly glorifies God. I pray that I might be able to do it at home as well... Everything that I do should serve God. Why? Because I'm His slave and He is my master.

The only right response to Christ's lordship is wholehearted submission, loving obedience and passionate worship.¹

1. MacArthur, John. Slave: the hidden truth about your identity in Christ. 1st. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 2010. 91

Short Encouragement.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

- 1 Peter: 1:3-9

 

As a sinner, trials are the worst. Trials show us that we are not in total control and do not always get what we desire. As a follower of Christ, trials are a blessing. The purpose of a trial is to make us more holy (James 1: 2-4). Godliness is the ultimate goal and should be the sole desire of a Christian, which is why Peter tells his readers to rejoice in their suffering- as it leads to glorifying God. Bringing glory to the God should be the one thing we find joy in doing. 

I am very thankful for my brothers and sisters that encourage me through conversations, text message, phone calls and prayer, they point me to Christ even when I act so unwilling to do so myself. I am grateful for my best friend who is patient with me and will correct me when I am too caught up in myself. Most of all I am grateful for my heavenly Father,who graciously granted me salvation that is more valuable than anything this world could give me. 

As we go through difficulties and sufferings, let us continue to endure, and persevere; focus on the end goal rather than the situation. Suffering brothers and sisters, Peter also states that these trials are only for a little while, so what's a few months to eternity? The Lord will come back soon, and we as children of God will continue to praise God, except without sin for eternity! 

"Miss Rhode Island, please describe your idea of a perfect date."

"That's a tough one. I'd have to say April 25th. Because it's not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket"

- Cheryl Frasier -"Miss Rhode Island", Miss Congeniality.

A year ago on April 25, 2013, I took this picture.

The weather was nice, not too hot, and not too cold, and so I decided to wear a light jacket to dinner with a friend.

Thanks for the "perfect first date" Fred! (:

Your View of God

Don't make the the mistake of thinking that you are not guilty of idolatry simply because you don't bow down to idols. We are guilty of idolatry every time we think about God in any way other than the way Scripture portrays Him.¹

Having an incorrect view of God affects a person's everyday worship; understanding how Scripture describes God, allows a person to know the God that they are worshiping. With a proper view of God, one is able to see how holy He really is, and we how unholy we all are. We as sinners would never have been able to approach God, but because of the work of Christ, recipients of God's grace of salvation, are able to worship Him.

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.   - Hebrews 10:19-25

1. Hughes, Barbara. Disciplines of a Godly Woman. 1st. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2001. 59

Unknowns, No More.

Sec-butyl acetate

Cinnamic acid

Most of my Saturday was spent with these lovelies. It would have been pretty cool if my solid was C₁₀H₁₅N; it's funny how I thought that it could have been. Praise the Lord for allowing me to find joy in school, and try my hardest in my classes. Pray that I may continue to do so, these next couple of months!

Month One and Done

"Pride wilts in the atmosphere of the gospel; and the more pride is mortified within me, the less frequent are my moments of sinful contention with God and with others. Conversely, humility grows lushly in the atmosphere of the gospel, and the more humility flourishes within me, the more I experience God's grace along with the strengthening His grace provides."

- Milton Vincent, A Gospel Primer for Christians

 30 days late, but happy 2014! 2013 went by so quick, it's a little hard to believe we're in 2014. This month has been a crazy way to start the year, not too crazy but I feel like so many things have happened so far.

• Parents coming back from the Philippines
• Dad going to the hospital and getting surgery
• Working on my research project alone
• Dealing with my serious attraction to staying in my bed
• Beautiful warm Southern California weather
• Attempting to get back into a consistent running mode
• Catching a fever and getting sick
• Busy Saturdays
• Jury duty
• First 2 weeks of Spring 2014

It's a two class semester, we'll see how this one goes. Praying that I can fight laziness and still do my best in my classes, and as I work on the numerous lab reports that I have to do. It's an exciting semester, and I pray that I can stay humble til May! (Actually, after May as well) I'm enjoying my classes so far, we'll see how I feel once I start writing lab reports, or when they get returned to me after being graded hah. Overall this month has been okay, although I wish my mood was not as unstable as an Astatine atom; thanks Fred for being patient with me. This month is going by so quick! Also next month is suppose to be the "short month".

Coincidence.

Resolved 2011 via Russell

New Year's Day 2013 via Ian

Was looking at old pictures and came across these... Some things don't change? Kuya and Harvey. Happy Monday!

Le Chatelier

A system at equilibrium, when subjected to a disturbance, responds in a way that tends to minimize the effect of the disturbance.¹

1. Atkins, Peter. Physical Chemistry. 9th. 222.

Week 6.

Stayed up working on a lab report but I'm still not done. No idea why I'm still awake right now… I'm pretty tired, but I guess there's so much in my head right now. I think this blog is going to be pointless. The fact that my alarm goes off 2 hours from now adds to the question, what am I doing on here....

Anyways, praise the Lord for allowing me to make it through week 5, such a crazy week deadlines and exam left and right! But God is gracious, He's gracious in so many aspects of my life and I constantly pray that I need to show how grateful I am by the way I live my life. There are times  when  my thoughts and actions reflect the polar  opposite, but through the Holy Spirit , overcoming  these struggles don't seem impossible. Though week 5 is over, week 6 is pretty crazy as well; I have an exam on Wednesday for I would say, my most difficult class this semester and I haven't even started studying. I'm normally not the type to procrastinate but everything else has been due, I haven't had time to. That's probably not true, I'm pretty sure I could have studied sometime before. All I know is that I need to do a better job managing my time, maybe now more than ever, and I pray that I may prioritize the proper things and handle everything in a way that brings glory to God. My mind can't seem to think straight probably due to my lack of sleep and the time of day... Don't even know if any of this makes sense. But I know sleep makes sense right now... Goodnight!

Patience Set on Above.

Today, I met with Lupe for discipleship, praise the Lord for blessing me with the opportunity to disciple her. It's such a blessing to see how hungry she is for the Word and I am encouraged by the things she shares with me. During the lesson, we came across a passage and I was hit with a handful of emotions.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

- Philippians 3:20-21

It was very comforting to hear that as a believer, heaven is my home and that when Christ returns, all believers will be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ! I got very excited, I'm sure Lupe could tell through my body language. (I probably get that from my brother) Every time I think about the return of Christ, I end up daydreaming about what it will be like in heaven worshiping Christ, sinless. O for that day when we'll sing with the angels Hallelujah, oh Ancient of Days, when we will have our Messiah forever, offering glory and honor and praise.

  

However, there is a reason why Christ hasn't returned yet, and it is because there is still work to do here on earth. And as slaves we are to faithfully serve Him and wait patiently til His second coming.

Can't Sleep.

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach- if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister. 

- Colossians 1:21-23

Man Colossians is such a good book, took me awhile to decide what verse to post, I was debating on just posting all of chapter 3 because it's that good heh, but decided not too. It is always humbling to be reminded of what Christ has saved me from,  how He saved me and why He did. The power of the gospel is not to be taken lightly and I question why am I so timid in sharing the gospel with others? Now, I am finding more excitement at the fact that July is evangelizing month at my local church SBCAC.  I pray for boldness and courage for all of the church members who are participating in this month's evangelizing events (not saying that I don't pray about evangelizing any other month), as exciting as evangelizing is, it's definitely quite nerve wrecking... But we, as followers of Christ have been commanded by Christ Himself to share the gospel! (Matthew 28:19-20)

It's one of those nights when I can't fall asleep and I'm totally gonna regret it when I wake up this morning...  Got a couples of things going on in my head, but I don't think they're the reason why I'm still up.

List til I fall asleep
1. Should I turn on the fan?
2. I need to expand the number of dishes I can cook.
3. DON'T BE IDLE. Fight laziness!
4. Excited about the books I'm reading, just gotta be committed to finishing them!
5. Gotta be fruitful with my time.
6. I miss chemistry, lowkey waiting for school to start.
7. Thanks for this past month, Frederick.
8. Run more than my recent once a week plan that I have going on...
9. Watched 3 movies in theaters within the last 7 days.
10. I'm writing this blog via iPhone.
11. Im finally getting sleepy! Gute Nacht!

Unfamiliar Territory.

 

Cool kid.

 

Man, if I was blessed before I don't even know what I am now (still blessed and grateful, duh!). A month ago, I was content with everything the Lord blessed me with and now He's placed this guy in my life? What a gracious God we have!

This is all new to me, at first I was constantly finding myself saying, "I don't know what's going on" but Fred does a good job in leading this relationship and does his best in letting me know what is going on. At times when I'm venting to him about how I feel discomfort about an issue, he helps comfort me in a Christ-centered way. But that's not why I'm in a relationship with Fred, if I was only in this relationship because of his way with words and comforting skills, it would all be vain, because I already have Christ who is the ultimate Comforter. We also are not in this relationship to satisfy each others' emotional needs, because we both are completely satisfied in Christ alone. But we are because we both love Christ and due to that love, we seek to be more like Christ and try our best to live a life that glorifies God. After a lot of prayer, counsel, and time in His word we believe that God has willed for all of this to happen, and now we are pursuing a relationship together that glorifies God.

I am not saying that we are perfect because we're in a relationship or we're in a relationship because we are perfect, if anything this has made me realize things that I need to work on, one being my tendency to say "I don't know" to cover my answer when I really do in fact know, (but there are times when I genuinely don't know haha) there are others and I expect to find out more as time progresses. To grow together spiritually and become more like Christ are part of the plan and I am very excited for that, whether it be through sermons, bible studies, ministry, fellowships, etc. I do not know exactly what the Lord has planned for us, but this is a wonderful opportunity to exercise that trust that I have in Him.

  

 This one is for Cova 

Plenty of changes, due to me and Fred starting this journey but one thing that has not changed is that he is still my brother in-Christ. As a sister in-Christ, I care for his (and all my siblings in-Christ) own personal relationship with God, and would not want anything to hinder that, so we constantly share prayer requests, and Scripture with each other and ask about each others' disciplines. So the truth of the gospel and God being the center, is the foundation of this relationship, and I pray that it stays that way.

My love for God motivates me to do my best to bear the image of God, and Fred adds to that motivation. I am very grateful for this opportunity that the Lord has given us to be able to reflect the Gospel! Marriage is the goal, Christ is the center, and God's grace is the reason. I'm so undeserving, but God being the gracious God that He is, blessed me with this guy. How much more gracious is God with salvation?

Please keep us in your prayers! For those that have been praying, I appreciate it!  
Soli Deo gloria!

Summer Vacation!

Glasses, retainers, hairband, dead looking eyes, jank, whatever!

I'm on summer vacation!

Praise the Lord, for getting me through another year of my undergraduate career! This school year year has probably been the toughest for me, spiritually. Fall 2012 was a very sanctifying semester; I was able to see how much of a sinner I am, and how dependent I am of God in my battle with sin. I guess you can say, I recieved a very humbling reminder of why my hope is placed in Christ and not in graduating or anything else.

Anyways, I wasn't sure if I passed my physical chemistry class this semester after taking my last final today. I basically needed a 56%  on the final to pass the class, but I rounded it to 60% (30/50) as being the "magic" number and I wasn't confident that I got the 30 right... I walked to my car after taking the final, praying that I can just place my trust in God. Not trusting in Him to get me a passing grade in the class but that I can trust in Him in whatever He plans for me in school for however long. Few hours later, I find out that I got a 30/50 on the final! Thus passed the class, lol! Praise God, still mind blown at the whole thing! Kinda weird how I'm sharing how I got a 60% on final and am super excited about it but let me tell you, 60% was the class average hahaha. I don't know how it is for other majors, but for chemistry majors a 60 is a pretty decent score #truth. Nonetheless, I know that it is only by God's grace, that I received that 60, and I give Him the glory.

First List of Summer 2013!

1. Memphisssss! 

2. It's been so long since I've watched live TV, or turned on the TV in my room. 

3. I've missed you NBAtv (:

4. Split-ends everywhere!

5. Haven't ran as much these past weeks, gotta get back into my running game,

6. Super excited to read this summer!

7. Working in lab for summer again!

8. My last summer vacation? WHAT.

Pre-Week 15 Post.

My my, it's week 15! Making this week the last week of classes for the semester! I find it unusual, that I'm so chill at the moment. Well, thinking about it.. I think it is due to, me taking my last midterm of the semester on Friday, and that I only have two finals left (where only one is cumulative). Definitely not on that panic mode, more on that sit back relax and let yourself go, don't sweat what you heard and act like you know mode. (Bonus points, if you know that reference) Despite my laid back attitude toward school, I am well aware about my personal worship toward God. I know that God has placed me in school for the sole purpose of glorifying Him and right now what I can do is, do my best in studying to the point where my motives are still pure and not corrupted by my selfish wants.

This past weekend went by quick! Ehh, too lazy to write, time for a list!

• Walked out after taking my pchem exam, knowing I did my best and praying for contentment.
• Setting up for the SBCAC's women's tea party.
• C&C bible study, followed by boba loca visit.
• Dresses, hats, pastries and Godly women at the tea party!
• Answered prayer for contentment with my exam score.
• Study night with the cousins and brother turned into Monopoly and in-n-out night.
• Sunday worship
• Starbucks study session
• Violin session.

Man, I am so blessed to be part of a local church that loves the Lord and His church, and understands that Scripture is the final authority. We are not a perfect church, we as sinners all have our personal struggles, but it is only by the Holy Spirit that we are able to overcome it and continue with our pursuit of holiness. (Woo, refrencing Sunday's sermon).

No idea on how I ended up there, but I'm gonna end this with a psalm:

I love the Lord, because He hears
My voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
The cords of death encompassed me
And the terrors of Sheol came upon me;
I found distress and sorrow.
Then I called upon the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I beseech You, save my life!”

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
Yes, our God is compassionate.
The Lord preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
For You have rescued my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
My feet from stumbling.
I shall walk before the Lord
In the land of the living.
I believed when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted.”
I said in my alarm,
“All men are liars.”

What shall I render to the Lord
For all His benefits toward me?
I shall lift up the cup of salvation
And call upon the name of the Lord.
I shall pay my vows to the Lord,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people.
Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His godly ones.
O Lord, surely I am Your servant,
I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid,
You have loosed my bonds.
To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And call upon the name of the Lord.
I shall pay my vows to the Lord,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people,
In the courts of the Lord’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

- Psalm 116

Dehydrated.

My dad is doing construction in our bathroom, so he turned off the water in the house. I had to shower at my aunts' house down the street. After my shower, I went to the kitchen to fill up a water container to bring back home and had small talk with one of my aunts, then I headed home. As I was going home, I realized that my aunts are professing believers, who I see spend time with God in prayer and reading His word. My aunts who I've known my whole life, have been blessed with a life of singleness and never have I seen or heard them complain about it; they could be two of the most content people I know.

Basically I just barely came to the conclusion that God has placed two Godly women in my life that have been in front of me the whole time, and that I should take advantage of it. I should not just see them as aunts, but as older sisters in-Christ and start talking to them more with Christ-centered conversations. Although we hold to different doctrine beliefs, and interpret certain areas of Scripture differently, the absence of fellowship doesn't bring unity in the family. Unity is scare right now, especially for my extended family, but that's a totally separate story. Anyways, I pray that I can build my relationship with my aunts, in a manner that exemplifies God's love for us.

Late night list
1. Praying for the Boston Marathon explosion. Shows us how fallen of a world we live in, and that this world is not our home.
2. As much as a Laker fan I am, Kobe's season ending injury is an example of why my hope isn't placed on anything but Christ. As talented as KB24 is, as a sinner he is prone to fail and Christ has already shown us that He is victorious.
3. But hey, the Lakers have a chance at taking the 7 spot.
4. I need to do a better job in managing my time.
5. I may not be the fastest, but I enjoy running. Always have.
6. I'm very happy that my group did all the experiments left in one day, so we don't have to go to physics anymore. Odd enough, physics is my favorite class this semester...
7. My laptop is working! For those that didn't know, it wasn't working for the past few months.
8. My car is working! For those that didn't know, it wasn't working for the past few months...

.500

#vino 

(Photo credit Stephen Dunn, Getty Images)

Haven't done a basketball blog in a while. I like the Hawks and all, but MAMBAAAAA! Wish I could say more, but there is not much to say. #Lakersplayoffpush

Calling It.
1. Spurs
2. OKC
3. Clippers
4. Memphis
5. Denver
6. Golden State
7. Houston
8. Lakers

This goes out to the cousin Harvey, mochi, tamales, sushi, surprise me (;