10 things about yourself ...

i usually don't do this kind of chain survey thingy, but it has been going around, and i think i can bear w/ 10. =)

list 10 honest and INTERESTING things about yourself.

nat's point of view :

1. i don't eat duck, rabbit nor lamb. as my best friend and i made a promise we don't chew or cook the cute animals that we love.

2. i was born in hong kong, moved to vancouver when i was 12, and will be moving to salt lake city at age 24. =P (every 12 years, i move. j/k)

3. i'm trilingual in cantonese, mandarin and english; both written and read.

4. i am a certified volleyball referee in canada; regional, level 3 at the moment, and 2 more levels to get my international.

5. i was a scout from gr. 10 to gr. 11, no, not girls guide, it's a co-ed scout group; i learned to do knots and start a fire out of sticks, i was a venture.

6. i'm obsessed w/ bunny, lionhead breed bunny to be exact.

7. i'm known as the girl w/ driving-tourettes; i've some certain driving personal bugbear, just make damn sure you make your turn signal when you cut me off.

8. i prefer stick shift when it comes to car.

9. i love bread. you just have no idea. i LOVE bread.

10. i've been doing bikram hot yoga for 3 yrs, as my daily routine, and will get my certification eventually. =)

i can proudly say, WE OFFICIALLY HAVE A VENUE FOR OUR WEDDING! <3

Chris' point of view :

1. Before my mission I came in contact with an Agent for some of the Utah Jazz players. He had seen some of my basketball skills and wanted me to come workout/play with Deshawn Stevenson and a few others so that he could see how I played against stiffer competition. Unfortunately, I was reporting to the MTC 2 weeks later and was too busy to call him back and set something up. (I guess I essentially turned down a life of luxury as an NBA star for a mission) :)

2. I also love bread, even more so than Natalie. After my mission my friend Cameron and I had a bread feast where we balled up an entire loaf of bread into the shape of a turkey, filled it with stuffing and...well, we feasted.

3. I have been engaged once before. When I was 4, I rode my bike over to Chelsea Holly's house and popped the question. I don't know where I got that kind of courage.

4. While in New York I was shot at. I could hear the projectiles whizzing past my ear.

5. When I was a younger, I vowed to not get married until I was 30. This was probably due to the failed engagement at age 4 (See #3). It looks like I have broken that vow and will beat that age by four years.

6. Second to Natalie, video games are one of my greatest passions. The first game I ever conquered on my own was Street Fighter II for Super Nintendo(1991); the most recent game I have conquered is Street Fighter 4(2009) - some things just never change. :)

7. I won the geography bee in 5th grade.

8. I have never had a cavity in my permanent teeth. (knock on wood)

9. I had been to 15 different states but never out of the U.S. before I met Natalie.

10. I love authentic New York Pizza and buffalo wings. I think I ate my weight in them while I lived in NY.

miami revisited ...

Chris' point of view:

I had an interesting thought this morning on true love and universality. The thought was a result of a seemingly insignificant event that occurred while Natalie and I were in Miami this past January: We had returned to Natalie's mom's house for the evening following a long day of shopping and sun. While dinner was being made, Natalie and I took the opportunity to relax and watch a movie. The movie was Forbidden Kingdom, a kung fu action film staring Jet Li and Jackie Chan. I had watched and moderately enjoyed the English version just days early, and was now watching the film in Cantonese with English subtitles. In thinking about the event, it is interesting because while the audio had changed, the subject matter, the feeling, the music, had all remained the same.

Over the past year, Natalie and I have had wonderful opportunities to travel. Most recently, during our trip to Miami, we were able to spend time with her Mom and brother, enjoying food, warm weather, and most importantly, company. We were even privileged enough to join her family on a 3 day cruise to the Bahamas.

Throughout the trip, I was over stimulated with my incredible surroundings. We had great Spanish food, we enjoyed delicious sushi, and we had amazing steaks prepared by Natalie's wonderful cook of a mother. We watched movies, we watched the New Year roll in, and sadly, we watched another great trip end, a return home.

Our surroundings change from trip to trip; even the language audio track is different depending on where we are. Nevertheless, the subject matter, the feeling, and the music that is our lives together, is always the same. It has been so much fun to have Natalie in my life. Our love is universal, timeless, and will be no matter the change in our surroundings.

nat's point of view :

sry, have been busy w/ wedding planning and all sorts of errands collided one after another.

our trip to visit mom before the new year was significance, not only we were going back the 2nd time, but for mom to know chris a little better, after chris has proposed.

i very much dislike the flights in b/w, either i cannot get enough sleep or my neck dread the painful plane seat. i'm only a little better if i travel w/ chris, as i can use his shoulder for support.

not sure if you guys have already notice, but our height's difference is sometimes an attention grabber. chris is 6 foot 3, and i'm 5 foot 3; he's exactly a foot taller. when i called my brother after i've landed in ft. lauderdale, there's no way that i can find him w/ the amount of ppl traffic in the airport. luckily he mentioned, "chris has already arrived, i'm w/ him". mathematically, i adjusted my search to my personal landmark. =D

this trip was more about relaxing and catching up w/ past holiday and planning for the up coming year. w/o a doubt, we always have delicious food involve ... dim sum, banana rolls, spanish food, hot pot, all you can eat, mom's special steak etc.

there are only 5 more months until our wedding, and chris is making a trip next month to organise the venue and invitation. when it comes to planning and organising, i get OCD on EVERYTHING little things. i'm so graceful that chris has not called off the wedding due to the amount of my unreasonable rant daily. ... ha ha.

talkin' to the songbird yesterday
flew me to a place not far away
he's a little pilot in my mind
singin' songs of love to pass the time

he's not anyone
he's not anyone
he's not anyone

a man can never dream these kind of things
especially when he came and spread his wings
whisper in my ear the things i'd like
then he flew away into the night
gonna write a song so he can see
give him all the love he gives to me
talk of better days that have yet to come
never felt this love from anyone