I'm a little..

tired, a little sick, a little sad, a little apprehensive.  With all thats been happening, I suppose its all normal to feel like that.  But otherwise, I am ok.  Its a great opportunity to hang tight and trust in the great God I serve.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. - 2 Timothy 1:7

In seasons like these, I feel Life is like a window.  

Somedays, I look out and marvel at the Great Big World out there and wistfully wonder when I'll be able to explore more of it.  

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Other days, I'm on the outside looking in and marvelling at all the great things God is doing in my life and my family's, miracles, blessings, storms and all.

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Both ways, my default position will be a posture of praise and worship.

Dear God, I have a question...

I asked God this morning, "Why did You create Panda Bears?"

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And then I thought, maybe its simply because they look so cute.

Movie Night

In a bid for some much needed time-out, I watched 2 films tonight.

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and

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(I didn't know they made a movie of one of my favorite childhood books - Ramona!)

I didn't fancy Eat, Pray, Love too much.  I liked Beezus and Ramona much better!  But I did pick up something, that I probably need to learn the italian art of doing nothing, dolce fa niente.  We might gasp at that, given our need-to-be-effective-efficient-productive-result-oriented-in-control (I feel like I just summed myself up), but I think we all need that sometimes.  

Take some time out, and just be still.

Introspective Thursdays : Psalm 1:3

There has been alot of strong winds and rain here lately.

This morning, we woke up to this.

The (mango) tree we had in the backyard for 5 years got uprooted and fell over.

I guess we had all been waiting for this to happen seeing how it never once flowered and bore fruit.

Then I remembered the analogy of the tree in 

Psalm 1: 3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

I guess this is what happens when we do not grow your roots deep and well into solid foundation, easily toppled over, broken, by harsh conditions around us. 

I couldn't help chuckling to myself that perhaps the tree didn't read the bible much and was spiritually barren as well.  Because for 5 years, it didn't bear any fruit either.

Goodbye, tree.

Reading

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Lately, I've been going around asking people where they find time to read, how their reading patterns are like.  Do they read a book in one sitting? Or take 6-9 months to finish one, if it ever happens (like me), or just read a chapter here and there when they feel like it?

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this photo inspired me to take out my own little collection of vintage books and give them a little TLC.

I love buying books, I like reading.  The only problem is finishing them.  How to find the time amidst the crazy schedules?

More often than not, my books end up in my "I'm still reading them" stack, and usually stays there for months.  Which is why, I decided to take a new approach to the books as I buy - treating them as reference books (since I only seem to read non-fiction).  The objective is simply to have them around, you know, like tools.  Refer to them, when I need them.  Of course, the bigger objective is to finish reading them, but heck I've tried for years, and that really doesn't work for me.

That being said, I'm still going to try squeezing in a chapter or two before I go to bed at night.

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What is your reading pattern like?

Dreamy Mondays - iPad 2 for USD199,999.99

I've been really busy the past week!

I'm hoping this week isn't as hectic and I managed to find some time to catch up on my reading, and boy has there been alot of hype over Mac's latest release (as always) the iPad 2!

I saw this today and...wow!

I know I wouldn't mind an iPad 2 but at $200,000.00?!

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Well, I'm definitely watching this to see if it gets sold!

Happy week ahead!

Dreamy Mondays - Cinque Terre, Italy

"The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia. "The Five Lands" is composed of five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza,Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Cinque Terre is noted for its beauty. Over centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Part of its charm is the lack of visible "modern" development. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach it from the outside." - via Wikipedia

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This photo of Manarola, one of the 5 towns in Cinque Terre, never fails to captivate me.  A couple of years back when I came across this photo, I dreamed that someday I would visit this place and experience it first hand.  It remains one of my travel dreams that await fulfillment.

I wonder what it is like to live right on the edge, to witness the magnificence of the Mediterranean Sea, to wake up every morning to the beauty of the ocean, the colours in the sky, the smell of the sea.  It reminds me of how much there is to explore outside of the world I know here.  

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I know that some day soon I will get there.  Its in my pocket of dreams that I keep for God to work with.  Reviving this dream makes my Monday and the rest of the week a much better place to be in.

What is your dream travel destination?