Julie Van
Daily Motivational Quotes #5
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed." Michael Jordan 
Eenie Meenie Miney Moe
I'm so sick of love songs and so tired of slow songs. Here's an artist I've been following for a little while now. I enjoy her music and find her lyrically strong and vocally seductive. I hope you guys will enjoy her as much as I have! :]
God Bless,
Julie Van
"He wasn't man enough for me." Toni Braxton
"No man I've met ever compares that's why I'm through with this because what you're pushing ain't the sh!t. Easy come, easy go. They can try, but they won't know where I've been and where I'm at; always want to follow that. You can say what you want, but I'm not really paying any attention. I'm indifferent to you. There's a line in the back; there's no need to react. Go ahead take a number." Take a Number by Baiyu, 2012
God Bless,
Julie Van
"He wasn't man enough for me." Toni Braxton
"No man I've met ever compares that's why I'm through with this because what you're pushing ain't the sh!t. Easy come, easy go. They can try, but they won't know where I've been and where I'm at; always want to follow that. You can say what you want, but I'm not really paying any attention. I'm indifferent to you. There's a line in the back; there's no need to react. Go ahead take a number." Take a Number by Baiyu, 2012
Heartbreaks cloud the truth.
It's been 74 days since my previous relationship's ties were severed. By tomorrow, the 75th day, I would have completed the last stage of my mourning process: acceptance. I can begin to feel apathy overcome what I once felt with the help of my new realization. For sake of the phoenix that's burnt down to ashes and to bring praise to the newer, younger, and wiser phoenix to rise in place, I dedicate this last post to thee.
God Bless,
Julie Van
"If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever. If it doesn't, it was never meant to be." Unknown
"Flying on a broken wing, holding onto anything of you. I can't seem to see your face; all I am is emptiness, so why did you let our fire fade away? [...] I guess it died with you." Run Back to Me by Nikki Flores
Daily Motivation #4
"Sometimes you need to forget what you feel, and remember what you deserve."
Visiting Memory Road
This past month has been an incredibly tough month for GSMDM. As a team, we’ve lost 6 members already. As a committee, we’ve had to work closely together to address team morale. As the travel coordinator, I’ve been walking on eggshells making sure to be as meticulous and accuracy-oriented as I can be in bridging communication between our members and the travel agent in coordinating itineraries and planning finances. This year’s travel arrangements have been at an all-time high; prices have steadily increased over the years, but this year it’s gone up by around 15-20%. Even though our group sealed a discount rate, it’s still higher than what other members have ever had to pay in the past. Please keep GSMDM in your prayers in all that the deeds that we plan and do as an extension of His work.
This, in part, explains why it’s been so long since I’ve last updated. Walking down memory lane though, I’ve been talking to Nappy (Dr. Lam) a lot more because I’ve needed him to write me a couple letters this past year, and I was reminded of this video he uploaded of me several years ago. This was when I was in Vietnam my freshman year of college. It’s surreal to think this was already 4 years ago and I’ve already been part of GSMDM’s family for 5 years already. I started off so young, so thirsty for experiences, and so much different from who I am now. I could not have guessed that I would have been embarking in a road into dentistry, and even more, in a road dedicated to Him. I wonder how life will be for me five years from now, but I hope that whatever surprises await me will always involve building closer relationships to my family and friends.
God Bless,
Julie Van
"the needy shall not always be forgotten; The expectation of the poor shall [not] perish forever."
Psalm 9:18 (KJB 2000)
"Changing lives, one at a time."
How to Embr[Ace] New People
Let's get real (and personal). In a previous post, I mentioned these guys that asked me out, and I now want to follow up on one of the guys; let's call me Ace. This quarter I've only been going to UCI Tuesdays to Thursdays, and while I was supervising the rock wall, Ace happened to be working out and dropped by to say hi...full of sweat. He leaned over to hug me, and it was kind of awkward b/c...no one smells good after a work-out. =X Ace asked me to work out with him some time, and I kindly declined. Let's be honest...I don't want to scare the guy off with earthquakes and tsunamis now. #FATforever. Just kidding, I have been working out and losing weight, but I don't want him to see me an over-sized t-shirt, basketball shorts, and sweaty! To be more honest though, I am afraid of actually liking him and being vulnerable again, especially since it's only been two months since my heart break. We started talking, and he invited me to a half marathon his aunt is a coordinator for; he said the entrance will be paid for, and I said I'd get back to him.
I know, I know. People have said it way too many times: I need to keep my options open. ....But! It's too soon to hang out alone with another guy, especially one that actually likes me and shares so many similarities with me. It's only been two days, and he seems to have been doing some research about me. After finding out that I was a wall supervisor, he looked me up and found my email. It's only been two days and he's already begun to send me love songs and cute notes (and a quirky haiku). I don't quite know how I feel about what he did, but I am caught between weird and cute. Either way, I do find the song super catchy (attached below), and it has made me re-think taking him up on that half marathon. Confidence and persistence definitely are huge turn-ons for me, but I want to be wary of a stalker. Isn't it funny how I am? What's funnier is I actually see what I'm doing—I want someone who will show me he'll work to create a relationship with me, but once he tries, I find flaws in him. I've put a wall between myself and these guys who've worked up the courage to ask me, and instead of giving myself and them a chance to potentially find "the right one," I destroy all the possible fairytale fates that could have been fated between me and any of them. Even when one of the guys acts beyond the fence and finds a way to really contact me, I find fault in that. Sigh, I really have to rethink my steps towards new love. Eventually I will have to accept new love. I think what is really stopping me from beginning new love now is knowing in five months, I'll be a thousand miles away from Irvine and this entire summer, I'll be all over Southeast Asia and if not there, I'll be in Alabama. This doesn't even touch up on my most loaded academic quarter of my undergraduate experience!
As an update, I didn't think about Vinh at all yesterday. After the break-up, there wasn't a single day that I didn't think about Vinh. After one too many phone calls that he didn't answered, I forced myself to have a reality check. I'm chasing a guy who obviously either doesn't want my love anymore or just doesn't care to communicate with me anymore, and as a by-product, I am burning bridges with all these guys that want to show they care about me. Why am I dwelling over lost love? I should be happy it happened and accept it. Learn from it and use it as practice to be the perfect girl for my true love. I think this healing process truly is working. I've grown pass acceptance and become re-empowered; I've been able to not think about him and not feel the urge to call him to talk about all the amazing events in my life. Instead of picking up my cellphone everytime I have good news, I've learned to tell someone next to me (even if that person is a complete stranger). Through doing that, I've made many new friends and am slowly going back to my bubbly self. :]
God Bless,
Julie Van
"A wrathful man stirs up strife, But he who is slow to anger allays."
Proverbs 15:18 (KJB 2000)
"My whole life, Ive been looking for the right one, and I could swear that I never was gon[na] find one, and then you came around, and you put it down, and I swear I knew that girl has been found...[be]cause baby its you."
Baby, It's You by JayFluent, 2011
I know, I know. People have said it way too many times: I need to keep my options open. ....But! It's too soon to hang out alone with another guy, especially one that actually likes me and shares so many similarities with me. It's only been two days, and he seems to have been doing some research about me. After finding out that I was a wall supervisor, he looked me up and found my email. It's only been two days and he's already begun to send me love songs and cute notes (and a quirky haiku). I don't quite know how I feel about what he did, but I am caught between weird and cute. Either way, I do find the song super catchy (attached below), and it has made me re-think taking him up on that half marathon. Confidence and persistence definitely are huge turn-ons for me, but I want to be wary of a stalker. Isn't it funny how I am? What's funnier is I actually see what I'm doing—I want someone who will show me he'll work to create a relationship with me, but once he tries, I find flaws in him. I've put a wall between myself and these guys who've worked up the courage to ask me, and instead of giving myself and them a chance to potentially find "the right one," I destroy all the possible fairytale fates that could have been fated between me and any of them. Even when one of the guys acts beyond the fence and finds a way to really contact me, I find fault in that. Sigh, I really have to rethink my steps towards new love. Eventually I will have to accept new love. I think what is really stopping me from beginning new love now is knowing in five months, I'll be a thousand miles away from Irvine and this entire summer, I'll be all over Southeast Asia and if not there, I'll be in Alabama. This doesn't even touch up on my most loaded academic quarter of my undergraduate experience!
As an update, I didn't think about Vinh at all yesterday. After the break-up, there wasn't a single day that I didn't think about Vinh. After one too many phone calls that he didn't answered, I forced myself to have a reality check. I'm chasing a guy who obviously either doesn't want my love anymore or just doesn't care to communicate with me anymore, and as a by-product, I am burning bridges with all these guys that want to show they care about me. Why am I dwelling over lost love? I should be happy it happened and accept it. Learn from it and use it as practice to be the perfect girl for my true love. I think this healing process truly is working. I've grown pass acceptance and become re-empowered; I've been able to not think about him and not feel the urge to call him to talk about all the amazing events in my life. Instead of picking up my cellphone everytime I have good news, I've learned to tell someone next to me (even if that person is a complete stranger). Through doing that, I've made many new friends and am slowly going back to my bubbly self. :]
God Bless,
Julie Van
"A wrathful man stirs up strife, But he who is slow to anger allays."
Proverbs 15:18 (KJB 2000)
"My whole life, Ive been looking for the right one, and I could swear that I never was gon[na] find one, and then you came around, and you put it down, and I swear I knew that girl has been found...[be]cause baby its you."
Baby, It's You by JayFluent, 2011
"If you’re absent during my struggle, don’t expect to be present during my success." Will Smith
Hey Guys!
It's 3AM, and I'm still awake because I'm finishing up my Excellence in Research paper! :] I really hope this paper gets accepted for publication! Either way, I know I'm contributing to my future research assistant colleagues, so I'm content.
Anyway, things have been busy lately. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have class from 8AM until 3PM. I'll be in research late Tuesdays and back volunteering at a pediatric dental office late Thursdays. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I have my Cypress College courses. On Monday evenings, I have my research lab meetings, while on Wednesdays, I supervise the rock wall. It's definitely a relief to have Fridays off though. I think this Spring (21 quarter units, 5 semester units) will definitely be a memorable one for me. Lots of business to come. A few things for this month alone include the Baker to Vegas Relay (4/20-22) and the GSMDM April Retreat (4/27-29). This doesn't even touch on the many deadlines I have to meet, especially with graduation in two months! Ahhhh!
I hope everyone's doing well! Sorry I've been so MIA everyone, but I'm just grateful that my real friends are always there to pick up my phone call or answer my texts when I do reach out on rare occasions! 
"For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity."
Proverbs 24:16 (KJB 2000)
"I remember when I walked out; I remember when I gave up loving you. I remember when I screamed I hated you, but somehow deep inside [I was] still loving you. [I was so] sad and lonely. [...] Where were you when I said I loved you? And where were you when I cried at night? Waiting up, couldn't sleep without you. Thinking of all the times we shared. [...] No one knew all the pain I went through. All the love I saved deep in my heart for you. [I] didn't know where I would go [or] where I would be, but you made me leave, and plus my heart it just, it just kept telling me so. For the rest of my life, I promised myself I will love me first genuinely."
I Remember by Keyshia Cole, 2007
God Bless,
Julie Van
Julie Van
Sephora's Bi-Annual Friends & Family Sale!
I forgot to mention that Sephora's Bi-Annual Sale starts this Thursday! Since it's the Spring/April sale, it'll be 15% off all Sephora merchandise! The Fall/November sale is usually 20% off and even though that 5 percent can go a long way, this April, they are having a special preview day event where you can get a free limited edition umbrella and face time with Sephora Beauty Experts along with the 15% discount. Yay! Obviously, I am super excited to use my $238.13 giftcard at Sephora this Thursday! I already have a wishlist prepared that retails for $271 before tax ($292 after tax)! With the 15% discount, I calculated that it should cost $248.20 after tax. With the giftcard, I will only have to pay ~$10.07 out of my own pocket! Sweet deal! :]
For anyone who may be interested in utilizing this deal, but isn't a VIB member or have someone who can take you, you can utilize this discount online with the code: CHICVIB. If you are a VIB member, you should have received or can expect an invitation from Sephora in the mail!
In case you're interested in becoming a VIB Sephora member, you can become one if you spend $350 within a year (records made when you swipe your Beauty Insider card or give the clerk your email/order online with your account). Then, you will receive an invitation to be a VIB, which won't expire until the end of the following year! The Beauty Insider membership is free, so you guys should definitely utilize that opportunity! There are tons of news and discounts that come through that site; benefits also include a free birthday gift! This year it was the a super awesome duo Sugar Lip Treatment (worth ~$22).
"I'm wishing for you on a bright shining star. Every where I look there you are. There you are; it's the girl in the green dress. She took my breath away, and now I look to the sky for a better day. [...] I met a fly girl, and I can't relax. Never had to be on a movie screen because she's the leading lady in all my dreams." It Girl by LFO, 1999
"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her, 'Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.'" Proverbs 31:26-29 (KJB 2000)
"I'm wishing for you on a bright shining star. Every where I look there you are. There you are; it's the girl in the green dress. She took my breath away, and now I look to the sky for a better day. [...] I met a fly girl, and I can't relax. Never had to be on a movie screen because she's the leading lady in all my dreams." It Girl by LFO, 1999
Happy shopping,
Julie Van
Julie Van
Busy Bee
I'm so busy with all the upcoming events that it's scary to look at my whiteboard because it's completely full with important dates. I'm not going to bombard you guy with the details, but I'm up late right now studying for my lab practicum for anatomy! I'm starting to feel the adrenaline rushing in, so it's starting to make me nervous!
"May be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:18-19 (KJB 2000)
"He saw that I was hurt; he knew just what to say, and he knew just how to push the pain away. You know I need stability, and you know you can't give it to me. [...] He doesn't make me cry [and] I know that I can call him mine." Call Him Mine by Tata Young
Anyway, I'll need to get back to studying soon, but I wanted to post a little song for you guys to enjoy! I've liked this song for years now, and I'd like to introduce many of you guys to the artist, Tata Young. She's part Thai (mom) and part Caucasian and quite the musical sensation!
"May be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:18-19 (KJB 2000)
"He saw that I was hurt; he knew just what to say, and he knew just how to push the pain away. You know I need stability, and you know you can't give it to me. [...] He doesn't make me cry [and] I know that I can call him mine." Call Him Mine by Tata Young
Blessed
I missed you all so much! (joking). Instead of Facebook and blogging on my webiste, I've found a new source of online entertainment: 9gag. Holy smokes is it easy to burn time doing a "quick" browse on that site! If you guys don't know what that site is, I advise you guys stop here. It will pollute your mind, and you will find yourself with lots of time missing!
"I wanna be the one who you believe [...] your heart is sent from, sent from heaven. There's a piece of me who leaves when you're gone because you're sent from, sent from heaven." Heaven Sent by Keyshia Cole, 2008
"You chewed me up and spit me out like I was poison in your mouth. You took my light; you drained me down. That was then, and this is now. Now look at me. This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever gonna take away from me, no. Throw your sticks and stones; throw your bombs and your blows, but you're not gonna break my soul. So you can keep the diamond ring; it do[es]n't mean [any]thing anyway. In fact you can keep everything […] except for me." Part of Me by Katy Perry, 2012
As an update, I've caught up quite a bit with my developmental cell course and took my finals for financial management and development cell today! I don't feel very confident about the financial management final (and my previous information systems management final), but the development cell one wasn't bad at all (which could be a bad sign, meaning that the curve will be high). Either way, finals are over now and it's SPRING BREAK! (well, for UCI at least). I'm still taking two classes from Cypress College that will still be in session, but it's all good! Btw, I totally thought I bombed my last lab practicum, but it turned out I didn't do that badly and instead, I used that false call to motivate myself to study super hard for Exam 2, which led me to doing SUPER awesome there—needless to say, I'm doing A-OKAY (literally lol)!! I feel bad for my classmates though because it turns out the average for both the lab practicum and the exam were Ds and Fs, and this class is completely straight scale! Yikes! Good thing there are lots of points though, so there is room for everyone to pull up their grades. We have our next lab practicum on Wednesday, so I hope everyone does well!
My parents also gave Espresso away to our neighbor while everyone was away from home, but on the bright side, at least we still have Biscuit. In case, some of you guys don't know, Espresso and Biscuit are Kiwi's puppies! She gave birth to three beautiful male pups on January 11, 2012. The tan one passed away after about a week, but the white + tan spots (identical to Kiwi) and black one are very healthy now.
Anyway, back to UCI! At the conclusion of my finals this afternoon, I had dinner with my friend Crystal who is so sweet! She's the one that I mentioned in my previous post about a friend who shared a similar path with me and also broke up with her bf right before V-Day! She treated me to a delicious Vietnamese vegan dinner right in the heart of Bolsa, and I treated her to the #1 dentist-recommended teeth whitening toothpaste (inside joke). After dinner, I went to the salon to get my hair cut! I also dyed it..........dark cherry colored! <3 It's not very bold, so it's not super obvious. In bright light, it really stands out though! :] I've gotten tons of compliments so far, so I'm definitely feeling good! I also feel much healthier now that I'm eating more appropriately and exercising regularly! I can't wait to go shopping for some new outfits so that I can finally throw away my hideous wardrobe!
Tomorrow I'm going to a CalGuns event with Sandy and Kevin called "Women on Target" to shoot at Burro Canyon! It's an all-women event driven to bring more women to the ranges that's sponsored by The National Rifle Association, The California Rifle and Pistol Association, Turners Outdoorsman, Ruger Firearms, and Calguns.net. Then on Sunday, I'll be going to a house bidding closer to home for my sister Alyce and then afterwards, a concert with Pauline! Yay! <3 Where are all these funds coming from?!?! Besides the gigantic scholarship check that's a week away (last one to fund my undergraduate career!!!), this brings me to my next good news!
I finally got back my money from this girl who I lent to last year! She asked me to borrow money urgently, but it turned out she had been telling people that for about two years now, and from the few people I've found, owes about $10,000. There was so much drama with her trying to have her keep her promise that it was insane. To think that I used to know her at 5 years old, and we used to go to church together! It's crazy how much people change, but I'm glad she at least paid me back finally. I really hope there's a part of her that's working to pay everyone else back and to stop asking to borrow money to fund her expensive habits. Thanks to my sister Jennifer who talked some sense into her, she finally paid back one person she owed money to! Ahh, no more wasting time on topics about her now! Let's move on! Ohhh, yeah....earlier this month, I had to cancel my Sears Mastercard and get a replacement because somebody had been doing fraudulent activity on there trying to make $2000 vacation purchases, not to mention other random >$800 purchases too! Thank goodness Citibank has a great protection program and suspected it as fraudulent activity, so they didn't process any of those purchases! Ahh, I'm definitely blessed.
Also, I'm excited for next quarter! Due to interviews and my busy schedule this past quarter, I had to pause a lot of things, including rock climbing and volunteering at this pediatric dental office. I'm excited to return! If anyone of you guys are going to the UCI Gym on Wednesday afternoons, hit me up at the rock wall b/c that's my new shift next quarter!
Ohhh, yeah...also, my paper for Excellence in Research is due in less than two weeks, so I'll have to be in research for most of my Spring Break populating my patient list! Yikes! Wish me luck there! Research will be hauling booty these next two weeks!
As for Good Samaritan Medical & Dental Ministry this year, we're getting very busy at this point! Our major Spring retreat/free clinic will be at Redemption Church late April, and things have been hectic trying to coordinate with training leaders! As for the traveling arrangements, the travel agent's quoted us for $1500/person for the international ticket + VISA. Ahhh!! On the upside, my eldest sister, Linda, has convinced me to spend this summer traveling before going to dental school and has sponsored me $1000 to undergo this "have-to-adventure-otherwise-[I'd]-regret-it". I have such awesome sisters! Right now, I'm thinking about spending about a week or two in Vietnam to attend my cousin's wedding after the mission trip and use that time to also visit ancestor's graves, my grandparent's old house (mom and dad), check out my parent's village, visit my relatives, and just have fun! Then maybe spend two weeks elsewhere (Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong...still not sure where, but it might be more than one of those) and get back by the last week of August to spend time with my family. When September begins, I'll go to SF to get familiar with the area and prepare for orientation to begin much later that month! :] I'm still waiting to hear from a couple other schools, so those plans might change!
Anyway, things are looking very amazingly, and FOUR guys have already asked me out since the </3! All from UCI: two from my D104 class and two from the transfer office! <3 Way to bring a girl's confidence up after a nasty break up! I've kept a distance from those guys because I'm not ready to get back in the game, but I'll be honest in saying it is flattering to be greeted with nicknames like "Beautiful," to have someone ask to treat me out to dinner and even open doors, carry my backpack, and pull out chairs for me! Until I am ready again, I'll just hope that when I find Mr. Heaven-Sent, my heart will be ready and timing could not have been more perfect. I also hope that to him, I'm Mrs. Heaven Sent, and that we will never have to be apart; instead, forever cherish one another and live our dreams and passion together happily forever after.
"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." 1 Corinthians 13:13 (KJB 2000)
"I wanna be the one who you believe [...] your heart is sent from, sent from heaven. There's a piece of me who leaves when you're gone because you're sent from, sent from heaven." Heaven Sent by Keyshia Cole, 2008
Also, awesome news is that the official music video for Katy Perry's song, Part of Me, came out! This is seriously my "I'm a survivor" break up song! LOL
"You chewed me up and spit me out like I was poison in your mouth. You took my light; you drained me down. That was then, and this is now. Now look at me. This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever gonna take away from me, no. Throw your sticks and stones; throw your bombs and your blows, but you're not gonna break my soul. So you can keep the diamond ring; it do[es]n't mean [any]thing anyway. In fact you can keep everything […] except for me." Part of Me by Katy Perry, 2012
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