Replenished

January 9, 2010

Remember when I questioned God why the heck He would design us human beings to require sleep, here on this post? I’m surprised it took so long for me to get it. But I’ve finally found out the answer. The answer is that sleep isn’t just a biological requirement for us humans to function properly. It’s a gift from God.

After this winter break, I’ve discovered the true function of sleep. Our daily lives are like a school semester. We work, we study, we think, we debate, we hang out, we play. But by the end of the semester, we’re just burned out, and we’re sick of school, sick of all the constant activities. But thankfully, we’re granted a break just before we go crazy. During that break, we actually get to relax, because we’re free from all the stress and worries of homework, 10-page essays, and exams. If it weren’t for these occasional holidays, school will just…be intolerable, a complete hell-hole, even if the classes are fun and interesting. At some point, we just need to be able to let loose and forget about everything school-related.

Same thing with sleep. During the day (or night, if you’re a night owl, cough— Christina— cough ), you’re constantly laboring, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. By the end of the day, you’re probably a bit cranky. Stay up a bit longer, and you’ll probably get on somebody’s nerves. That’s when sleep comes in. Sleep temporarily transports you into a different world in which you are blissfully ignorant of the real, 3-dimensional world. You have no choice but to slow down, relax, and succumb yourself to your dreams, which you’ll probably forget when you wake up.

And when you do, you’ll be all ready for a new beginning, a new day. Your mind, body and soul has been replenished, so you wake up with refreshed energy to jump right back to your daily activities.

As I said, I only really realized this after my break, because as fast as it seemed to pass, and as burned out as I was by the end of last semester, I’m now all ready and eager to start the new semester! I think I’m taking some pretty interesting classes too. One of them will be on Global Health Issues, and another is Art: Drawing. I can’t wait to burst out of my little American bubble and learn more about global issues, and I’m so excited to rediscover my passion for art.

That said, I have one final post left to share about my eats back in the east coast. And please don’t throw your snowballs at me, but am I freaking glad to be back in sunny SoCal! I can’t help cackling wickedly to myself in my t-shirt and flip-flops, while my parents still waddle around like penguins in these attires:
Aaahh. God bless L.A.

Okay, back to chilly DC. I met up with one of my best friends, Joyce, her boyfriend Allen, and an old friend John for a last lunch together the day before I left. We went to a local restaurant called Sweet Ginger in Vienna:
Sweet Ginger is a pan-Asian restaurant, mostly known for its cheap sushi and huge menu. It’s walking distance from my house, and has been around for quite awhile, but I’d never found the incentive to visit until now.

The interior is trendy, with bold, intense colors. Seems like most Asian places are sticking with modern design now.
Unfortunately, even though I asked for a seat with good lighting, the place was really dark, which means photography fail #1. Meanwhile, there were bright rays of direct sunlight— photography fail #2. Le sigh. With my crappy point-and-shoot camera, there wasn’t much I can do, but I tried my best to take decent pictures.

John ordered a Sweet Ginger special per my recommendation, the Sweet Ginger Pasta:
Red curry cream sauce chicken & Asian fettuccini pasta topped with spicy curry cream sauce and spinach, mushroom & basil According to John, it was good, but the sauce was a bit more liquidy than we’d expected.

Allen ordered the Chicken Panang Curry:
Thai pan-cooked curried peanut sauce with herbs and spices, served over grilled chicken breast
It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great, either. The portion was a bit small, especially for a steak-loving guy like Allen.

Joyce ordered the Box C Lunchbox Special:
Shrimp and vegetable tempura and sushi. With Miso Soup, House Salad, Rice, California Roll, Japanese Dumpling and fried tofu.
I would have ordered the lunchbox special myself, if I didn’t already have something else in mind.

I ordered the Crazy Roll:
Asparagus tempura, cream cheese, crabmeat, rolled outside with avocado, salmon, tuna, and roe, and spicy sauce
Holy roll!! This was one crazy roll, all right! Damn the lighting, it could have been SO beautiful if there was better and more natural lighting!
But anyway, it was damn GOOD! I’m not a sushi connoisseur, so I can’t judge the freshness of the fish, or the perfect temperature and seasoning of the sushi rice, but this made one hell of a combination…a fiesta in my mouth! How do you say “fiesta” in Japanese, anyway? Anyone?
The only fault I found with this roll was that it was not filling at all. I could have easily ordered another one of these, and still have room left over.
I can’t believe I haven’t had sushi in 4 years. I would foresee more sushi in the future if I wasn’t so broke. If anyone wants to treat me to sushi, give me a ring.

It’s so nice to catch up with old friends. I only allowed myself about a few minutes to stop talking and inhale my wonderful sushi. And then it was gabble time. We talked and talked about everything from school and marriage to false prophets and cults. Haha. And it was really interesting, because we are such an eclectic group, bonding over one common love: Christ.
John (who I haven’t seen in 2 years!) is quiet, reserved, sensitive, and incredibly helpful. Allen (the one on the right and who is about to blow his nose into a napkin) is gregarious, sincere, passionate, and easily excitable.
Joyce is sweet, reflective, lovable, and dreamy. And me? I’m the slow fool who only just started to appreciate sleep and rest.

Speaking of sleep— I have not forgotten my New Year prayer topic to turn into bed before 2 am. I’m still not there yet, but I’m climbing into bed earlier and earlier each night, so yahoo to progress!

Question of the day: Non-college students are probably back to work, while we college students are getting ready to start a new semester. Either case, are you happy to be back to a normal, busy lifestyle? And what is your favorite Asian cuisine?

'cuz burping and slurping is mandatory and polite when it comes to good eats

Replenished

Contact

Connect

Pages

Archives

Find by Category

Meta