In Motion

Happiness is... the smell of dog. I kid you not. Sometimes, I actually pick up Jasmine's dog bed and sniff deeply to get a whiff of her doggy smell. Happiness is... when Jasmine obediently drops a bone she found on her adventures outside because I said "No". She picks her owner's happiness over instant gratification! Happiness is... a dog insistently nuzzling its way onto your lap and curling up to sleep there when you're watching Netflix or using the laptop. Happiness is...when there's a warm furry hot water bottle curled up against you during afternoon naps in the winter. Happiness is... being greeted by a wagging tail whenever you come home, or even something as simple as wake up from a nap. It is so affirming that someone is that eager for you to wake up. =P Happiness is... watching Jasmine bound swiftly and gracefully with her super long legs to chase a squirrel. The not-so-fun part is having to clean up the wet mud splattered all over her aft...

As 2015 gradually comes to a close, I figured I should write a post about this remarkable past year and the ways that I have changed since coming over to the States. I'm writing this in advance because come January 31st, I'll be in Gatlinburg with the husband counting down to the New Year. Exciting! =D As I type these words, Jasmine is quietly snoozing on top of a comforter in her dog bed on the futon in a heated apartment with Christmas music playing in the background. American dogs, pffft, so spoiled. =P For the first time in my life, I am fully responsible for the life of another creature. I loved Lara as well, but mum was really the one who took care of everything from her food to her vet bills. With Jasmine, her quality of life depends solely on me (and JW, of course, but if things get tough, he always says she's my dog =P). That's a whole different level of love and commitment. We also don't have a backyard for her to romp about in, so I need to walk her da...

Bright, cheery sunshine certainly makes everything else in the world seem brighter and cheerier. On that note, it's mid December and the weather has been surprisingly pleasant - think 24 degrees Celsius last week, and right now it's still pretty warm (for December, that is). Checked the weather forecast for Christmas, and it's going to be 21 degrees Celsius! Every Malaysian's dream come true! =D And to think that just a month ago, it hit -1 degree Celsius. Uncanny, eh? Apparently the South fluctuates pretty unpredictably when it comes to the weather. Warm winters aren't all that uncommon, and I'm hoping this one stays warm for a longer time. It'd be a wonderful Christmas gift to have Malaysian-like weather instead of the bitter, dry cold. =D On another note, Jia Wern and I finally went to the library to get our library cards made! I wonder why I never thought of this earlier. Perhaps it's because e-books are cheap here and can be auto-delivered in...

Came across this gem while reading "Jesus the King" by Tim Keller, and wanted to share it because it sums up well how Christians should view money and status in the light of their salvation. =D "Christians are free to take or leave  [emphasis mine] money, power, recognition, and status.  How? These things at the top of the kingdom of this world don't have to control them the same way anymore. When you understand what Jesus has done for you, it frees you. When you realize that you are made free by His grace and not by your achievement, and that you are loved in Jesus Christ, it changes the way you look at power, money, and status; they don't control you anymore. If you're trying to save yourself, trying to earn your own self-esteem, trying to prove yourself, you'll either hate money and power too much or love them too much. For example, you may say you don't like money and power and don't like people who have them. Staying away from them makes ...

It's good practice having a pet to see what Jia Wern and I will be like as parents in future. Although none of it is a surprise, since I already knew I'd have to be the bad cop and he, the good cop. =P Anyway, it's super apparent with Jasmine. I set boundaries so that she doesn't get used to being spoiled, such as insisting she finishes her kibble before I give her any fresh wet food. I also insist that she sleeps on the dog bed instead of curling up in bed with us at night (she loves snuggling with us on the human bed so she tries to wiggle out of that one sometimes). I don't think I'm being unnecessarily strict - it's important for her not to get used to habits that might not be sustainable over the long run or if she'll need to be dog-sitted at some point. For example, if she makes it a habit to hop into bed with us at night, I would probably suffer from having not enough space to move around and also from stiffness because I don't want to mov...