In Motion

Road trip to the beach tomorrow! I'm excited 'cause it's a change from the usual. It CAN get boring when you're stuck in one place for too long - I see now why some people have the itch to travel. For me, though, the hassles of travelling usually far outweigh the fun, so it isn't much of an itch for me. Just as well, given the fact that we're far from rich. =P Anyway, it's exciting to be able to see a new place and soak in more pretty sights! I was doing a bit of research this morning about places to see, and then got sidetracked into looking up places to eat and menus...and then ended up craving beef rendang and nasi lemak and all things Malaysian. The bad news is, I'm not sure they're available in that town where we're going to. The good news is, apparently Merlion restaurant in nearby Chapel Hill has them on the menu! For an exorbitant price, that is, but hey, that "anniversary/my birthday/his birthday" card is still ver...

I'm 24 today! You know how we usually hardly feel any different/older on our birthdays? Well, this year I actually feel more grown-up, so I'll blog about it. =P For instance, the first thing I did this morning was go grocery shopping. Granted, the shopping trip was mainly to buy food for my birthday dinner (absolutely mouth-watering roasted chicken from Krogers and daikon for daikon soup - oh I'm feeling hungry already), but still. Nothing says "You're growing up!" like having to take care of your daily needs with your own bank account. Well, technically speaking, it's my husband's bank account since I don't contribute anything to it... The second thing I did this morning was to try out a new brush I got for the toilet. You heard me right. I got a new toilet brush! It said "for dishwashing" on the label, but it'll work just fine to scrub those mildew stains off. Trust me, I tried it out once I got back. =P It also has this neat li...

I think the more life throws at you, the less you think of social networking and virtual platforms of expression. I don't even know what I'm going to write about today. Because I'm just way too busy living life IRL. =P My life has been a busy, satisfying time with new experiences (like a picnic at Duke Gardens if you haven't already seen Facebook photos) and also some independent self-learning/continuing education. I've been taking a Social Psychology course on Coursera and it's been a lot of fun learning about people and what makes us tick. I've always been interested in psychology, but the  cognitive aspects of it are too technical to really appeal to me. Freud was too messed up, Jung was weird, everything seemed justifiable and if everything can be anything, then what was the point of all those complicated theories, really? (Disclaimer: This opinion is entirely my own half-baked one so take it with a pinch of salt.) When I realized that my affinity fo...

One thing I both love and hate about groceries in the States is that they always come nicely packaged. A lot of stuff come in plastic containers, paper boxes or glass jars, but I feel that THIS amount of packaging cannot be environmentally-friendly. I mean, buy a jar of spaghetti sauce for 2 dollars, and you get a glass jar. Keep buying that, and you'll end up with tons of glass jars, some of which will inevitably end up in the trash because nobody needs SO MANY GLASS JARS. (Back home I never had this dilemma because store-bought spaghetti sauce was too expensive, and we didn't eat pasta all that much. But when something is so cheap...you just can't help it. =P) I guess this puts the onus on the consumer to be aware about the environment and recycle whatever's recyclable. Personally, I make it a point to recycle everything I can because the little efficiency monster in me doesn't like to waste things. I love that the recycling bins are just next to the trash disp...

Today, the skies rumbled and rained the whole day. It reminded me of Kuching. Nice, warm (figuratively speaking) familiarity. Right now we're about mid-spring, and the weather is lovely for the most part. It's usually either raining or 20 odd degrees Celsius (because I can't convert to Farenheit yet for the life of me), so now I have no problem taking out the trash on my own (guess who did it during the winter? =P), or getting the mail, or just feeling comfy and not like I live in an icebox. You can take me out of the tropics, but I guess you'll never take the tropics out of me. Spring is lovely. Here, the trees are covered with blooms, something you don't see in Malaysia because of the lack of seasons. Imagine a whole tree filled with white or yellow or pink flowers, and now imagine a whole row of such trees along the road. Absolutely beautiful and a really nice change from the dead, brown trees I've gotten so used to seeing in the winter. (Yeah, just keep...

How do you make a house a home? Yes, we're finally moving out after sharing an apartment with a wonderful apartment mate (he will be missed) for the past five to six months. Being me, I've already started sourcing for cheap, used household essentials so that we'll be prepped for a comfy stay once we move into our new place. It's so much fun! I think it's more fun because there's that challenge of living within a tight budget and getting the best value for money, i.e. buying used stuff. Believe me, it takes a lot of research and scouting round for good deals, and that's right up my alley. And we need to strike a nice balance between creating a cozy home and just spending on the basics. When I'm through with spending my husband's money, the place will (hopefully) have a woman's touch! Gone will be the days of the utilitarian bachelor pad, muahahaha. There are always sacrifices to be made, though. You can't get a perfectly decorated living r...

Ok I'm back. I missed writing so much, so I decided I HAD to set aside some time this morning to blog. It's been a hectic past 2 weeks, what with all my cooking adventures, serving in the Kids' Ministry, volunteering to do Sticky Note bibles at the Pregnancy Support Services, small group, a never-ending book list and the like. I like the fact that my small group meets mid-week, so it feels like I have activities throughout the week instead of busy weekends. Long story short, I feel like I'm becoming increasingly fruitful and productive with my time, not least due to Karen's willingness to take me under her wing to participate in all these volunteer ministries. Karen's part of my small group, and she's so vibrant and inspiring with her passion to minister to single mothers or women with unplanned pregnancies. And she's 60. SIXTY. I didn't even know that kind of energy exists at SIXTY. She makes ME feel like I'm the old one. If that's the k...