From Bride to Bridesmaid

Last week, Paul and I had the opportunity to be a part of my brother's wedding.


Yes, indeed, four months after Paul and I were married, James and Linda also tied the knot! It was a beautiful wedding, and I am so lucky to have gained a sweet and wonderful sister...



Chris Chu, Paul, and Ken Lim with my brother...


My mother-in-law came out from Hawaii to spend almost a week and a half with us before the wedding. She is so much fun to be around...


I got to see my little precious nieces again, Lizzy and Rachel...


Boy, am I wedding'd out! My poor parents are trying to catch their breath after this marathon of a year. At least they've married us off and can now move on with their lives.

Bangladesh Mission Trip

Another reason that Paul and I were so busy (i.e. unable to post any blog entries) after we were married is that we were busy preparing for our mission trip to Bangladesh. From September 14 - 23, 2007, a team of 21 individuals from Loma Linda University (2 doctors, 2 dentists, 1 registered nurse, 1 licensed medical massage therapist, 2 nursing students, 9 dental students, 3 dental hygiene students, 1 pre-dental student) in conjunction with 40 local volunteers served the people of Bangladesh. Getting from Dhaka to Jalchatra was an interesting four hour experience. Never have I seen such a densely populated country. There were people everywhere!


The Bangladesh version of a schoolbus...


We had long days, which started at 7 am with worship and ended with an evening worship around 7 pm. As word spread that we were providing free dental and medical/eye care, the people of Bangladesh began to swarm to our little compound. The crowds were almost unmanageable. Our team saw nearly 2000 patients during our short stay there...








It was so hot and humid there that everyone's scrubs were drenched with sweat the entire week! It was literally like living in one big outdoor sauna...


The Dental School let us borrow some fancy equipment...


Thanks to the infamous beetle nut that was habitually chewed in that area of the world, many of the people's teeth looked like this...


Danny Morgan and Carlos Moretta were my flying buddies, since we had to fly in a day later than the rest of the team due to our work schedules...


I did basic eye care during my time there. Through an organization called PRVAIL, we had mass-ordered hundreds of reading glasses to distribute to those presbyopes in need. We also bought basic eye medications to distribute to the people. In about four days of work, I saw close to 400 patients! This would have been virtually impossible without the help of my two trusted translators, Peter and Babu.

This particular old man was sooo overjoyed to have this pair of glasses, donated by Sandra Shirley, one of my fellow church members...


This nun was a cutie...


This gentleman was essentially blind, but he insisted that these glasses helped him see more clearly!


I even had the opportunity to do minor surgery - two chalazion removals...


Near the end of our week, we took an outing on our "minivans" to a nearby forest. It was so surreal...


Snapshot of a local barber shop...


Sabbath afternoon we visited the local village children...


Each of us girls got a sari specially tailored for us...


Bangali couple?


Our awesome team...


Not only were we sad to say goodbye to Bangladesh, but the children shed tears as well...

Hawaii - Here We Come!

We were fortunate to have a week off after the wedding to enjoy a honeymoon in Paul's motherland - Hawaii.

We went to the Big Island first, enjoying the beauty of nature there...


We stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa Village...


ATVing for the first time was quite a rush...


We had a few beautiful pit stops during our ATV ride...


Horseback riding was exhilarating (although Paul was quite sore after the long ride)...


We even got to go snorkeling with the fishies...


Our hotel room had beachfront access, which gave us opportunities to relax in the evenings on the hammock...


It was picture perfect there...


We even left our mark on the lava using white coral...


After a few days of bliss on the Big Island we returned to Oahu to join Paul's mother and church family for another wedding reception...

We've Tied the Knot!

Four months after my last post, I have finally decided to take a step forth into the blogosphere again...now as a married woman. Amidst the craziness of being married and starting ophthalmology residency, time did not permit me to blog at my leisure. Nonetheless, tonight I made the determination to take a free moment to post pictures from our wedding. Paul and I were happily married on June 24, 2007. Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment. Many apologies for the delay!

Before the wedding...


Me, anxious to be married...


Ingrid's famous infrared shots...






My wonderful girlfriends...


Paul completely surprised me with his tears...


Our friends...


Our head table setup...


Cutting the cake...


The slipperiest piggy back ride ever...

Apologies

Three days remaining before the big day! Things have been crazy...hence...the sparse blog entries. This update is a formal apology to my few faithful readers regarding my MIA status in the blogosphere. I promise to update this blog after the wedding and honeymoon are over. Please pray for us as Paul and I soon tie the knot! =)

Graduation Weekend

About this time every year, Loma Linda University becomes a campus bustling with activity. The Class of 2007 from the Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry were awarded their diplomas yesterday. The whole weekend, in fact, was a whirlwind of activity.

On Saturday morning, after hearing an inspiring sermon by Jason Shives, Paul and I attended the School of Medicine’s Baccalaureate service, where Amy Lee and Evelyn Law played a cello duet.

I have known Amy since our teenage years, and she has always been an outstanding musician. What a blessing that she agreed to share her music with us on our wedding day!

For lunch we went over to Eli and Susie’s house again for our weekly Sabbath potluck. This week the entire Shives clan as well as Eli’s family joined our group of friends.


Ken Lim’s parents even made their appearance. Dr. Lim showed us the “right” way to cut a pineapple.


Saturday night we headed down to San Diego for a huge birthday party for my niece, Taylin, who had just graduated from the eight grade. I didn't realize this would be more than just a family event. More than a hundred people showed up! My old church members from San Diego Korean SDA Church were all gathered there, and I was especially pleased to see Grace So, currently studying law at Georgetown University, and Andreia Kim, an aspiring physician’s assistant, doing her undergraduate studies at my alma mater – UCSD.


Of course, no event is complete without a doggie reunion.


Early Sunday morning, we rushed to attend the School of Medicine graduation.

Congratulations to A.G. (going into Psychiatry)...


and Sunik Oppa (Neurosurgery)...


Andy and Michelle Park (the newlyweds going into Family Practice and FP/Psychiatry, respectively)...


and Eli Kim (FP)...


can't forget to mention Miso Kim (advanced potty training -- upper division)...


and Jason Shives (FP)...


Sally and Aaron Sartin (FP/Preventive Medicine)...


and Ralph Clark (Preventive Medicine)...


and Marshall Ford (Ophthalmology)...


Afterwards, we had a feast at Eli’s house before rushing off to the School of Pharmacy graduation to celebrate with Annie Curnow.


We hung out for a few hours at Tim and Adrian’s house before finally heading to the School of Dentistry graduation in the evening, where my cousin DongWook earned his doctor of dental surgery. Here is a family photo with some of our cousins, uncles, and aunts.


I searched long and hard for my other "cousin," Erina, but could not find her amidst the multitude of people. Congratulations to her, too!!! =)

Other Dental graduates include Brian Chan...


Sarah Kim...


Melissa Lee...


Joe Chang...


Angela Kim...


and the extended Korean clan...


By the time we got to Bernard’s graduation dinner party, I was still stuffed from a whole weekend of eating. Nonetheless, I must say that my aunt had prepared quite a grand setup of fantastic food.



What a weekend. Once again, congratulations to all the graduates!!!