In Motion

So if you haven't heard, I turned 25 on the 25th! Golden birthday celebration whee! Not that we did anything big. =P Between Jia Wern coming home from work early to spend the day with me, getting a buyer on eBay, a BBQ dinner at Bullocks and cookies from Jenna at small group, it was a really nice day. I actually had a really nice week leading up to it as well with so many surprises from God, but that's a story for another day. I've always wanted to be 25. Maybe it's because my birthday falls on the 25th, so I especially like that number. Mathematically speaking, 25 is a nice, square number that has a square root. It also somehow implies (to me, at least) that someone is grown up and in the prime of their life. Yes, as a kid, my wish was to be an adult because I felt that was when others would take me seriously. I was a serious kid, as you may have inferred. =P I love how my birthday marks the beginning of a series of celebrations. May 25th is my birthday, May 31st...

After more than a year of sitting on my butt, I really want to start earning money and contribute to household expenses. It's not so much about the money as it is about filling time with productive activities. But to some extent, it's also about the money, because I can volunteer all day long but petrol costs money. So technically, I'm paying to volunteer. Which doesn't seem fair. It's illegal for me to work here, just so you know. But I've been trying my luck anyway. In the past few hours, I created a profile on a freelance work website hoping to get some petty cash. Not only did I seriously underestimate the number of people who are also broke and desperate for work, I also didn't account for how rigid employers can be. It's funny how I never run out of friends who need free help with editing and proofreading, but when it comes to paying jobs, people demand cover letters and proposals and bids and qualifications. It really doesn't help that I...

It's been an eventful few days. Just as I was groaning about going into another week with nothing to do, we got a (rude) surprise on Tuesday when a notice of eviction lease termination appeared on our doorknob. Apparently, the apartment management wants to renovate our unit so we'll have to move out by mid-July, which is when our lease ends. Meh. And here I thought we could stay put in our nice roomy apartment (846 sq ft is so lovely) until Jia Wern finished up his PhD. Hey, I even decorated the place and all! Me being me, I jumped straight into tackling the apartment issue. This time, however, I paused to pray about the whole matter before I did anything about it. I think it's really important to get centered on the fact that God will provide and that we can cast our cares on Him because He cares for us. I don't want to do things in my own will, by my own strength and worrying the whole time. Like what Psalm 127:1 says, and I quote, Unless the LORD builds the ...

One of the running jokes that Jia Wern and I share is about how poor we are. We aren't POOR poor, but we definitely can't eat out a lot or buy expensive items. Ask any graduate student surviving on a stipend and they'll tell you it's definitely not a way to get rich quick. To be honest, though, I must say I lead a pretty comfortable life here. It's devoid of luxuries like leather couches, sophisticated artwork (paper flowers, anyone?) and name brand clothing, but being able to survive on one (low) salary at my age? Not something Malaysians can usually do in town areas without some serious penny pinching, I think. Lately, though, I've been focusing more on what I want that we don't have yet. When I start thinking of the number of things I would like to get, I feel a little despondent that I'm not bringing any money to the table, which in turn makes me discontent. Then I start researching all the stuff I would like to get for the best prices, which gives...