In Motion

Just a few weeks ago, I was complaining of boredom. The introvert in me takes that back now. =P Today, I felt unusually subdued even though I actually went for the Duke International Spouses' Cooking Club. It's not unusual for me to debate internally about attending events because I need to ration my energy reserves (totally not weird of me =P), but when I show up and start interacting with people, my social skills usually kick in and I usually end up having a better time than I thought I'd have. The exhaustion only comes when I'm safely back home. Today, however, I just couldn't muster up the enthusiasm to chat up acquaintances or new faces even though I was surrounded by people, so I mostly listened in on other people's conversations. When I thought about how listless I felt today, I realized that it might have been an effect of yesterday's activities. I had volunteered to man a booth at Centerfest 2015 for the Animal Protection Society (APS) of Durh...

I've been happily busy of late. "Busy" meaning I have appointments/dates with friends or volunteer gigs, not actually being productive and earning money. =P From last Friday through this Wednesday, I was on a roll. Until today. I was supposed to go for dog volunteer training at the Animal Protection Society of Durham, but I made a mistake, signed up for Dog Care at 10am and missed the actual volunteer training that started at 8.30am.  I wasted a whole trip there and back, and I iz sad, and nao I haz a lot of free tyme on mai handz. Went back home with my tail between my legs, checked my potted plant, watered it because I had too much time on my hands, and while I was trying to drain the excess water, accidentally dropped it and smashed the pot. Yes, when it rains, it absolutely pours. I'm telling ya, no plant (or animal, or human for that matter) is safe with Little Miss Clumsy. This little succulent garden cheated death once when we were moving to our pl...

Monday was a holiday since it was Labor Day Weekend, so I pestered Jia Wern to bring me to Raleigh. Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina, and a mere half hour drive from Durham. I'm not much of a traveller myself - the hassle of logistics and the exorbitant cost gets to me a bit too much - but short distances and day trips to explore new places? Count me in. It was a day well-spent if I might say so myself. First off, we went to Crabtree Valley Mall where I promptly spent an hour and a half shopping at Forever 21. Okay, that's not very touristy but the mall was HIS idea, and I enjoyed myself immensely. =P After that, we walked around the mall, had lunch, and headed out to the Raleigh Little Theater's Rose Garden. The rose garden was very quiet and secluded, and the landscape looked rather English Aristocrat-ish, like most of Raleigh does. Unfortunately, September seems to be the tail end of the rose season and we only got to see mostly tired roses in full bloom. Sti...

Over the past three days, I read 2 Christian books written by Pastor J.D. Greear (the pastor of the Summit Church which I attend), "Stop Asking Jesus into your Heart" and "Jesus Continued...". The former is about the assurance of salvation for believers who struggle with doubt and anxiety about their faith, and the latter is about the Holy Spirit and how it works in our lives. I loved both books, because it exposed me to a side of Christianity that I am all too familiar with. I'll start by reflecting on the first book, "Stop Asking Jesus into your Heart". Growing up in a Christian family, I had no dramatic conversion to the faith - rather, it was a slowly deepening assurance of the truth of the message of salvation. However, I wasn't spared from questioning the validity of my faith and salvation, and I even "made the decision" to accept Jesus into my heart more than once. One particularly embarrassing incident happened during an evangel...