January 13, 2002: Chocolate, Points for 2002

Hi,

Greetings from Cleveland! It snowed when I first arrived here, but it was
actually over 40 degrees in the past few days. I'm living in Parma
Heights, which is a nice suburb in the southwest part of Cleveland. I live
right across from a mall, 2 gas stations, 2 large grocery stores, and many
restaurants. There is a Wal-Mart and Target nearby as well, so shopping
has been very convenient. The only store that I really miss is 99 Ranch.

I ate dim sum at a restaurant in Chinatown with my high school big sister
Irene Chan, who just relocated to Cleveland for work as well. Chinatown
here is tiny (I think only a couple of blocks). There are a few Chinese
grocery stores in Chinatown, but the prices are much higher than those in
LA. We also had lunch at an Italian restaurant in Little Italy, which is
only one street.

In the past two weeks, I visited two churches. The first is the Cleveland
Chinese Christian Church. The English service had about 80 people. The
church is located in a northeast suburb of Cleveland, so it was quite far
away. Today, I visited the Cleveland Baptist Church, which is only a few
miles away. It is very large (I think over 1000 people), and the worship
music is all hymns. I didn't see any Asians there. The teaching is fairly
solid, but I think that I will be looking for a medium sized church that
sings a bit more contemporary praise music. One thing I did notice was
that there are a lot of churches in my neighborhood, and even a Christian
bookstore nearby. So I'll have plenty of churches to choose from.

Here are some pictures that I took in Boston, when I visited my old church
(BCEC). It was very good to catch up with good friends, especially my
former roommate Richard Sahara.

BCEC Friends
http://community.webshots.com/album/27654055GyjkgeFQgF

In New York, I also met up with friends from high school, college, NAAAP,
etc. Here are the pictures from my visit to my high school classmates Tai
& Judy Wong, and their adorable baby girl Caroline.

Tai Judy Caroline
http://community.webshots.com/album/27750003sjsFunmkSK

This week's thought provoking question is, "If you could be on the cover of
any magazine next month, which magazine would you want it to be, and what
would the caption say?"

This week's humor and inspirational pieces were forwarded from Jennifer
Deniega and Audra Khoo, respectively.

Enjoy!

-Josh.
9235 North Church Drive #528
Parma Heights, OH 44130
Tel: (440) 884-1623
_________________________________

All About Chocolate .....

Chocolate is a Vegetable: Chocolate is derived from cocoa beans. Bean =
vegetable.

Sugar is derived from either sugar CANE or sugar BEETS. Both are plants,
which places them in the vegetable category. Thus, chocolate is a
vegetable.

To go one step further, chocolate candy bars also contain milk, which is
dairy. So candy bars are a health food.

Chocolate-covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all
count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

If you've got melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too
slowly.

The problem: How to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot
car. The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off
your appetite, and you'll eat less.

If I eat equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate, is that a
balanced diet? Don't they actually counteract each other?

Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger.

Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That
way, at least you'll get one thing done.

A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in
one place. Now, isn't that handy?

If not for chocolate, there would be no need for control top pantyhose. An
entire garment industry would be devastated. You can't let that happen, can
you?

REMEMBER: "Stressed" spelled backward is "desserts" Send this to four women
and you will lose two pounds. Send this to all the women you know (or ever
knew), and you will lose 10 pounds.

If you delete this message, you will gain 10 pounds immediately.

That's why I had to pass this on --

I didn't want to risk it.
_________________________________

HERE'S TO A BETTER YEAR!!

God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow,
sun without rain; but He did promise strength for the day,
comfort for the tears, and light for the way.
Disappointments are like road humps, they slow you down a bit
but you enjoy the smooth road afterwards.
Don't stay on the humps too long. Move on!

When you feel down because you didn't get
what you want, just sit tight and be happy,
because God is thinking of something better to give you.
When something happens to you, good or bad,
consider what it means. There's a purpose to
life's events, to teach you how to
laugh more or not to cry too hard.

You can't make someone love you;
all you can do is be someone who can be loved,
the rest is up to the person your worth.

The measure of love is when you love without measure.
In life there are very rare chances that you'll meet the
person you love and loves you in return.
So once you have it don't ever let go, the chance might
Never come your way again.

It's better to lose your pride to the one you love, than
to lose the one you love because of pride. We spend too much
time looking for the right person to love or finding fault with
those we already love, when instead we should be perfecting the
love we give.

When you truly care for someone, you don't look for faults,
you don't look for answers, you don't look for mistakes.
Instead, you fight the mistakes, you accept the faults,
and you overlook the excuses.


Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hate.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

No one can go back and make a brand new start.
Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.
EVERY SECOND WHICH PASSES,
IS ANOTHER CHANCE TO TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND.