Wow… wonder how feasible this really is!! As a fellow rocket scientist, all I have are questions… but sometimes, it takes fresh eyes to make such things a reality! I want one!!!!
The Ironic Side of Sympathy & Pain
Though it’s spring, I also still hate this time of th year… I have allergies. I am allergic to most tree pollens and cats and dust. I’ve been allergic to pollen & spring since I was 15 years old. However, since moving to Texas, I get to have it twice a year! Blessed am I!! 😛
Well, another note is that humans are selfish by nature. We fail to understand (nor do we want to understand) others’ pains unless we ourselves have gone through it. If I speak about the toughness of allergies with those who don’t have any, I might as well ask a Swahili-speaking person for it! Unfortunately, same case was for Soojin. I’ve tried to explain to her how it debilitates me at its peak, as my head spins round and round, sneezing my head off, trying to scratch my eyes and nose, wishing I could cut them off.
She developed a full-on allergy symptoms starting last year. This year was worse. She also experienced it a week ahead of me. Poor Soojin. This past weekend was my turn. Currently, my throat area is very irritated at the moment, to say the least. Cheat area feels inflamed, my eyes are so itchy that I want to just gouge them out! My nose hurts even from the slightest touch now as it’s beyond being irritated! Now, unfortunately, Soojin knows what I am going through, and sympathizes with me.
I don’t wish that kind of suffering on anyone, but I suppose that’s the sign of being human. We simply do not wish to even try to understand others’ suffering unless we have gone through it. So sad, really…
Thoughts on Relationships
After writing and sharing about Christine, it made me re-affirm about what it takes to develop great relationships. To refer to a cliché, “it takes two to make the things go right.” 😛 I always make the effort to reach out, but I can only reach out so much, and without any feedback or reciprocation, it’s hard to not only tell if the other person appreciates what you do, but also makes it hard to know if the other person wants more in a relationship. And I mean this in as generic tone as possible.
Friendships and relationships are a two-way street. If it’s only me that makes the effort, the relationship can only go so far. However, when both sides take chances at investing in the relationship, things really start to pick up. Also, being a human, I can only make so much of an effort in reaching out, and unless/until the other person takes a step closer to me (even if it’s only a tiny baby step), my relationship with that person won’t develop as much. Just a 2 cents. Any thoughts?
Good news for our “little” sister Christine!
Christine has entered our lives in a flash and have really changed our lives! She has a very rare disease called Devic’s disease, one that affects one’s nervous system… well, as loyal readers would know, it has led her to temporary but lengthy blindness. She can see a bit and one would think that such rare and difficult disease would bring you down, but not our Christine!
She has been more than a trooper over the little over past year we have known her. She is very frank and honest and does not hold herself back. Well, one of her doctors recommended her for an experimental treatment using Rituxan, a medication used to treat cancer. The drug does similar things that needs to be done to treat someone like her.
Well, that was end of last year. She has been bravely, and patiently, trying to get an appointment to be treated. Yet, because her condition is so rare and the medication is for cancer patients, unlike herself, things have been… complicated. But she has shared that she finally got through the red tape and got the appointment scheduled for 26th of the month!! I am so happy for her… and how she has held herself through these past years. If I had to pick my own “Person of the Year”, she would definitely get it. Right Christine?! 😀 Hope this wasn’t out of line… Soojin and I couldn’t be happier or more thankful to God for introducing someone so amazing to our lives. I don’t think she sees how much an encouragement and challenge she has brought to us.
CCSC Experience
Though schedule seemed to conflict, I was able to make it to CCSC this past Saturday to volunteer. CCSC stands for Christian Community Service Center, and our Pathways Church has been volunteering every second Saturday of the month.
As I chewed on my turkey sandwich, I was trying to think of what to share, I realized that this past Saturday was very special for me. It was my first time to serve as an interviewer!! :O You see, CCSC has a building near our church where they open up to help out those who are in need of financial, food, and clothing help. Families, who may have been stricken with some kind of tough situation, like losing a job, and needed some food to get by, or help with paying rent or bills come to seek help here.
It’s a great place. I’ve been serving here mainly in pantry and administration side of things for past year, but never had the opportunity (or even dreamed of) to serve as an interviewer! So needless to say, I was very surprised when Ruth, the head honcho Korean-American lady that runs the place on that Saturday, asked me to interview!! I panicked! What if I miss questions, what if I forget to include something… what if I… but most importantly, what if I ask or say something stupid to offend these people who are in need! The last thing they need is to be offended by my saying something totally insensitive! 🙁
I watched another interviewer in action for a while and then Ruth asked me to interview this one man who needs to leave soon for an interview! So trying not to look too nervous, I asked him to come in. Shook hands and introduced myself. Told him I was a total newbie at this and apologized in advance of my mistakes and any other shortcomings. This man had things going… his occupation was an accountant but lost job due to illness and was always looking for contract work inbetween. He told me himself that he gets very sensitive and proud. This told me that he probably didn’t want to be here, if at all possible. And his record showed just that. His visits were sporadic, and due to an illness that I can’t mention, things were going rough for him.
This is when I told myself to look beyond the appearance and the voice of this man. This man is in need of help, I told myself. He doesn’t need me to criticize him on his personal skills, but for me to just be kind and courteous and get him through the paper work so he can grab some food for himself and leave in time for his interview. Prior to this experience, it was hard to really get a face-to-face time with these people in need, and thus made feel more and more segregated… and left me feeling… different from them. This interview process totally changed that.
I wanted to make God proud of me, just as any human tends to try to get his/her parents proud of him/her. So I put my opinions aside and just helped. I hope to be able to serve as an interviewer more often… a bit selfish on my part… so that I can connect with these people in need better… and closer. It was a good day.
Creative Way to Celebrate 20 year anniversary for a sub company
Erbert & Gerbert, a sub sandwich company, celebrated a 20-year anniversary with a … different twist. They built a massive air gun and called it “Candle Cannon”! Rightly so… just see it in action! 180ft candle blowing capability at your disposal!
NASA’s Gen Y Perspective on NASA’s Future
Read and see the presentation that 4 young Gen Y people put together on NASA and where it needs to be from The Wired…
It’s true that most people, especially the current and younger Gen Y (born between 1977 and 2000) have no clue on space exploration or NASA, let alone be interested in pursuing a career in one. I have always been interested in space and technology. That is why I am in my current job as an aerospace engineer. I am not in it for the money because I sure don’t make much money like a CPA, a lawyer, or a doctor. I personally can’t see myself doing anything else either. It’s as if God made me to be an engineer. It really is a calling.
But if people don’t know of the possibilities of this calling’s existence to begin with, how is the new generation supposed to take over this vision of space exploration?! Few days ago, I read an article by CNN|Money that stated that there will be heavy shortage of engineers in aerospace and defense industry.
Clearly, the higher powers in both the government and the corporations are doing something wrong. It’s clear that they aren’t doing things right. No one wants to be an engineer anymore because we clearly aren’t the most well-respected, let alone, well-paid, group of professionals. Why become one when you can easily make more money being a lawyer, doctor, or be in financial industry?!
As these 4 young Gen Y people are showing, if the old entities like NASA and major (old school) corporations don’t adapt to the current generation and its mentality, things only look bleak from here. I hope that the higher-powers-that-be heed the warnings.
If you want to get the Powerpoint presentation of what these 4 young people put together, you can get it directly from here.