Ao Dai Fabric: Prepping for the Brother's Wedding

Here is the fabric that we selected for my ao dai which I will wear at my brother's wedding this June. With the bride and groom's permission, we have each selected our fabrics, always in keeping with the general color scheme of the wedding. For the groom's family (my side!), we will be wearing clothing that bear different shades of green. Therefore, each person's ao dai will contain hints of green. My fabric contains hints of olive green and pepper green, balanced out by juicy orange. So, the tunic (ta ao) will be the fabric that you see on the left-hand side of the photo, and the pants worn underneath the tunic will be the orange color that you see on the right-hand side.

If you want to see what the final product will look like, visit Ao Dai Cham Khanh to see the different fabrics, styles, and prices.  Here is a sample ao dai which I've borrowed from the website:

[The baby blue fabric that you see the model wearing underneath the tunic is the pant and mine would be orange. Of course, the fabric that the model is wearing for her tunic is much more elaborately embroidered but mine is not.]

Thankfully, people w/ much better fashion sense have looked at this fabric, compared it with my skin tones, and have given their approval. Phew! It's a good thing I don't have to select this on my own.

Marco Polo Gelato: Best Kem Sau Rieng in Bay Area

Friends, if you are looking for excellent durian ice cream (kem sau rieng) in the Bay Area, then you must visit Marco Polo Italian Gelato shoppe in San Francisco. I have been going there for years, ever since I arrived in the Bay Area, and have not found the same quality gelato anywhere else. You can enjoy the ice cream on site, or buy a pint (or several!) to take home and enjoy with friends (or by yourself!). The gelato is light, has real durian in it, and is super creamy even though it's gelato.

The shop has been around since 1982, I think, and is a favorite among the locals. I always see a lot of Vietnamese and Asian durian-lovers hanging out. Once, my brother and I and his friends wanted durian gelato and drove in a mad rush to arrive before closing time at 10pm. Fearing that we wouldn't make it because of the stoplights, I called ahead and told them that we were on our way and begged, literally begged, that they let us in to buy some ice cream. We got there 5 minutes to closing; they had already put away all the ice cream behind the counter, but allowed us to purchase the pints to take home. It was soooo worth it!

Everybody I know loves this place; each person to whom we've introduced the gelato has claimed it as their own. I'm torn between wanting to save it all for myself and wanting as many people to know about it as possible. It is a secret we want to keep, but also something wonderful we want to share. My uncle grabs a spoon and eats the whole pint of durian gelato by himself. My friend, L, loves the taro flavor and can consume an entire pint in one sitting. Personally, I feel like each spoonful is a taste of Viet Nam.

In addition to durian, they carry a variety of interesting (and equality delicious) flavors: lychee, soursop, red bean, taro, jackfruit, vanilla, chocolate, mango, green tea, and several others.  As of this month, the price is $10 for one pint of durian; all over flavors are $8.50/pint.

Marco Polo: handmade Italian gelato
1447 Taraval Street
San Francisco, CA 94116
Hours: 12pm-10pm

God's Grandeur: Joshua Bell at Cal Performances

One of the last shows that I saw in Berkeley prior to my relocation was a performance by Joshua Bell (on Feb. 21, 2010). He appeared as part of UC Berkeley Cal Performances' 2009-2010 spring season, and he performed with Jeremy Denk on piano. They were amazing. Hearing the music, witnessing their musicianship, being a part of that night of un-rivaled art and magic -- I will never forget it. How is it that we as small human beings could carry so much energy, talent, vitality, beauty? Thomas Merton once wrote, "there is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun." I believe that on that rainy February afternoon, each person left Zellerbach Hall with their ears ringing, each person's heart swelling and glowing like the sun. If Gerard Manley Hopkins is right, then that performance was a way for each of us to catch a glimpse of God's grandeur. It was, for me, a reminder that in the midst of the work and toil, between the frenetic activities of packing, boxing, cleaning, and preparing to relocate, I should and could still pause to hear the music. And, in hearing the music, remember to focus and center myself. It was a wonderful gift in those crazy last days in Berkeley.

The program was as follows:

Johann Sebastian Bach
Sonata No. 4 for Violin and Piano in C minor, BWV 1017 (ca. 1723)
-Siciliano: Largo
-Allegro
-Adagio
-Allegro

Edvard Grieg
Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Piano in C minor, Op. 45 (1886-1887)
-Allegro molto ed appassionato
-Allegretto espressive alla Romanza - Allegro molto - Tempo I
-Allegro animato

Intermission

Robert Schumann
Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in A minor, Op. 105 (1851)
Mit leidenschaftlichem Ausdruck
Allegretto
Lebhaft

Maurice Ravel
Sonata for Violin and Piano (1923-1927)
Allegretto
Blues: Moderato
Perpetuum mobile: Allegro

God's Grandeur

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man's smudge & shares man's smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs --
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast & with ah! bright wings.

Gerard Manley Hopkins

Prayers of the People: Lent 2/28/2010

Jesus, be the centre
Be my source, be my light
Jesus

Jesus, be the centre
Be my hope, be my song
Jesus

(Chorus)
Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus

Jesus, be my vision
Be my path, be my guide
Jesus

by Michael Frye (c) 1999

Prayer Song:
Lord, listen to your children praying,
Lord, send your Spirit in this place;
Lord, listen to your children praying,
Send us love, send us power, send us grace.

Pastoral Prayer:
Lord, listen to your children praying.
Lord, we yearn for your Spirit in this space;
Lord, we gather here as your children, praying.
Lord, strengthen us with your Love;
empower us; fill us with your grace.

Loving God, we come together at this time
As a community Confident in the promise
That you are the place where we can fix our eyes,
Encouraged by the promise
That you will guide us wherever we fly,
Comforted by the promise
That you are the center of our lives wherever we go

Fire up in our hearts the flame of your Spirit,
Show us new ways to share unconditional Love
Be our vision – help us to see beyond our own needs and fears,
Lift us up with your Spirit Wind of change and renewal

Hear us, now, Lord, as we begin to name – silently and out loud –
Our prayers for one another, for your Church, for all humanity, and for all your Creation.

Guided Responsive Communal Prayer:
Together, let us pray for the earth and all her resources,
For the air, water, wind, and earth which call out to us
Through earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, famine, drought
Let us pray to become mindful stewards of the gifts we have been given,
Grateful for the light and warmth of sun, moon, and stars,
Grateful for the strength of mountains and hills, and for the quiet of valleys
Grateful for beauty of water, still or in motion,
Grateful for wind in its gentleness or strength

Together, let us pray for our neighbors
In villages, towns, cities, states, and countries near and far
Which need our prayers and support in rebuilding lives and homes,
Especially for the peoples of Haiti and of Chile,
And for all others whom we now name

Together, let us pray for our national and world leaders,
For the international community that leads us into a new century,
For our President, Vice President, and Congress,
And especially for leaders who are committed to
Issues of equality and social justice

Together, let us pray for all our clergy,
For our lay leaders, and
For all members of God’s church,
Especially for Bishop Brown,
for District Superintendent Extrum-Fernandez,
For Pastor Peter, and for Pastor Emily,
For the Chinese ministry council
For the English ministry council
And For whom else should we pray?

Together, let us pray for our friends and coworkers
From whom we receive companionship and strength
By naming them individually, let us give thanks for those people
who have enriched and transformed our lives

Together, let us pray for our families and relatives
For those we have not heard from
And for those with whom we break bread daily
By naming them individually, let us give thanks for those people
Who have touched our lives

Together, let us pray for our selves;
Let us give thanks for strength of body
For the workings of our hands and the journeyings of our feet
For the seeing of our eyes and the hearing of our ears

Merciful and loving God,
When our eyes no longer see, when our hearts no longer hear,
When our feet are tired and our hands are weary,
Help us remember
That you are our Vision,
That we offer one another the Hope you have shown us,
That we sing for each other the Song of Joy in times of trial

As we journey through this Lenten season,
help us remember that we are One body,
Help us remember the assurance in the prayer your Son Jesus taught us so long ago:

“Our Father who art in heaven…”

[Prayers of the People offered during Lenten Worship 2/28/2010]

i carry it in my heart

Something strange and exciting in the air propelled me from Berkeley toward St. Louis, leaving behind a whole host of friends, and some family (new and familiar), as well as a great faith community. As a dear coworker told me, this transition should inspire me to look toward the new, to focus on what I'm heading into, instead of regretting what I leave behind. In fact, I'm not leaving behind anything or anyone so much as expanding my circle of exploration.

As I settle into this new geography, as I settle into this new psychological space, I lift up the second stanza of a favorite poem by e.e. cummings:

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)