YES, AGAIN...
"There is no growth without change; there is no change without fear or loss; and there is no loss without pain" ~Rick Warren
My grandma (Dad's mom) passed away today. Flying to Vancouver once details are settled. I feel as though I've already gone through this process of life-changing events but I am once more faced with the dilemma. It seems that just as I was beginning to settle down and get comfortable, I am nudged to move just a little bit more.
Once I start thinking about all the changes that have happened since January, I start to panic and begin to wonder how much more is up ahead; there's a part of me that wants to scream 'it's only March'. I must focus on God - what He has done in my life and what His promises are. Didn't I just learn yesterday that God will not allow things to happen to us that are more than we can bear? And that in every situation, He provides/IS the way to stand up from under it? Hold fast to that Vanessa.
THANKS!
Some of you just know me waay too well =P Just wanted to say thanks for all those words of support & encouragement on Haloscan, msn, e-mail and phone conversations...I am so fortunate and so loved. To answer you questions about what happens when I come back to visit(of course I will Jeff!), I really don't know. I know I'll still have a home the next time I'm back and then after that, it's all up in the air. I'll be in Chicago for the summer any way because I have school, clinic & boards. Attempting the first part of my license in 19 weeks and seeing my first patient in 9 weeks - yikes! Let the countdowns begin.
I'm trying to remind myself not to worry about the little details because those will take care of themselves. That the boards exam is just a test, that each thing I don't know in clinic is another learning experience and not knowing what happens in the future is all part of this exciting journey we call life.
Of course, I gaurantee that I'll forget all this & panic many times but that's where I'm counting on all of you to keep me going! *grin*
My parents are coming down to visit next weekend. I'm so excited to be able to spend a little more time with them before they leave. The bad part is that I'm already dreading the seemingly long upcoming week and it hasn't even started yet.
40 Days is a long time. This whole Lent thing is harder than I thought it would be. I feel so disconnected from everyone cuz I have no idea what's going on in people's lives without reading blogs. Isn't that awful? How hard is it for me to pick up the phone and give a quick call to ask? Or even to chat on msn? Okay, I still have another 20 days to work on this!
TIME TO DROP ANOTHER BOMB
Dear friends,
I have just received confirmation that my dad has been selected to be a liason officer in China; Beijing to be exact. The post is for 2 years but has a high probability of being extended to 4 years. They have decided not to sell our home at the moment but rent it out instead and are scheduled to leave by the end of May.
I've hinted at this in my previous posts but I know this may come as a shock for everyone, because as usual, life changing decisions are kept quiet in our family. We have been praying for guidance, patience and for God's will to be done these past 8 months and so for this to happen is of great excitement for my parents.
In this time of changes, please pray:
- that our family will trust our Lord in whatever paths He has set out for us. There will be many challenges up ahead (details to figure out and new environment to get accustomed to); that we may draw closer to God and to each other because of it all.
- for all our loved ones in Toronto. That they may experience peace through this transition; especially those that my mom works with.
- that my parents will be greatly used by God. They have been equipped and are now being sent out. Pray that His Name be glorified.
EYEBALL
It's the time of year again where we get all dolled up and have a night of eating/dancing. This was better than last year because 1) it was at the aquarium and 2) I had a date!
I was looking through my pictures today and realized that I had more pictures of fishes than I did of people...oops! =P But I'll post them anyways...
Here are the dolphins doing tricks where we had our cocktail hour & the awards ceremony:
Here's the beluga...kinda cute. I kept on singing "Baby beluga in the deep blue sea, swim so high & swim so free" until it breathed & spray hot air all over me. Guess it didn't like my singing.
Here's the asian side of the table - haha. Cass was my hot date for the night! If you look at the background, you will notice this huge circular tank. 
We had a great view for the entire meal: 
We even had a scuba diver who did a presentation during dinner. Too bad you couldn't really hear what he was saying through all the heavy underwater breathing. But he fed all the fishies...you can see that he has a canister full of food in his right hand here: 
I had to take a picture of the dessert. Mine was a chocolate mousse inside a thin mixed chocolate shaped as a seashell. How fitting for the evening!
At the end of the night, I took a centerpiece home. I heard that we could take the flowers but I'm actually not sure if I was allowed to take the vase too. I feel guilty not asking...but isn't this pretty?
WHAT’S NEW IN CHICAGO?
This has been a very relaxed week. I got to meet up with a few people for one-on-one quality chats and also got to spend time with friends. Most of all, got a lot of time to read and think. If only school was always like this! =P
I also got to go Blue Man group. It’s good but I had really high expectations because everyone hyped it up so much after seeing it last year. I think I would’ve been more enthused after the show if I went in not expecting anything. I can’t even really call it a show though; it’s more like ‘the Blue Man experience’ *laughs*. Go and then you’ll see what I mean. The seats we got were awesome – I got to sit in the front row, right smack in the center but I’m glad they provided ponchos for us to wear! I’d be interested to see it again somewhere else cuz I hear that they’re different depending on the city. I’m pretty sure they’re in Toronto too.
We had a private practice symposium on Friday which got me thinking again about my future. It’s always around this time of the year that my mind starts to skip ahead. I’m still debating whether to stay to do a year of residency after I graduate. I know I still have another year and half before I decide but after talking to one of the speakers, I definitely felt more of a tug in that direction. Hmm…will have to find more doctors to discuss and explore this area of possibility.
I also spoke to a few people to see if they were interested in hiring an international graduate. I’m not leaving Canada for good…I can already see Steph ready to say something! I was just putting it out there and trying to gauge the response. The commercial side is very open to sponsoring a visa but the private side seemed pretty hesitant, which I completely understand. It’d have to be a very match for them to be willing to go through all the paperwork and of course, I’d have to be very committed to staying in the States…which right now, is all up in the air.
I really don’t like schmoozing and networking but one of the people I spoke gave me such encouragement by telling me that I would be great with patients because of my personality. It gave me such hope that maybe I won’t be an absolutely terrible doctor after all.
I had so much fun yesterday. I met up with Kathy, Winston and Louis to paint Sharon’s apartment while she’s on vacation. It’s just great to have music playing, everyone talking and working towards accomplishing the same goal. And of course, being covered with paint and making a mess at the same time. I’m kind of excited to be at that stage of life where you do ‘adult’ things like fixing up a place of your own. But then it’s also very scary. I think I’ll just stick to enjoying where I am right at this moment… =)
P.S. I’m trying to avoid random surfing on the net as a part of Lent so I won’t be reading blogs but I’ll still post on my end. Hopefully I can keep updated about your lives through msn, e-mail & phone!