Winding down

Jo is leaving in a couple of days and the packing has begun. We got our packing boxes from UHaul yesterday and she filled up 4 boxes yesterday. I realized how many books I have and some are still out! I've filled about 6 boxes and have 2 more boxes to spare. So I think I should be good when I get the rest of the books back.


I started analyzing my thesis data again for the manuscript. I had to make a to-do list as I am pretty unmotivated to do anything. Praise God for his mercy! I forbade myself from leaving the apartment although I'm distracted about every 1/2 hour.

Missing the girls again today. Sigh.

Mommy comes soon! I don't actually remember when. I think June 1st.

So close

As usual, my heart is revealed to be deceitful and self-centered. As I think about why I'm anxious about tomorrow, it became apparent that I want to excel. Cam and Caroline pointed that out as well as I wondered why I was anxious even after I've addressed my cognitive errors e.g. fear of failing.
As I thought and prayed about it more today, I realized that it is because I want and seek my own glory not the glory of God. If I were seeking the glory of God, I wouldn't need to be anxious because God will glory himself. It is not dependent on me, although I can participate in the glorification of God.

So all glory to God, Sook Ning! Not only in "sacred" work, but in every area of my life. May I decrease and He increase!

Court prayedmailed me.

"i pray that God will give you an eternal focus in this, that your vision will be razor sharp set on Him - because i think with those two things anxiety is kinda forgotten. Your identity is sealed in Him and all earthly success or failure here will be burned up one day when we are purified in His refining fire anyway - these things, these letters behind our names, these trophies, they are just bits of the dross, the wood that is burned out when we will stand before Him. Certainly they are temporarily important, especially when you've put so many years working towards your goal, and i don't want to belittle or be callous to what's happening here, but ya, just to fix your eyes on what is unseen, fix your eyes on the eternal and these things will blur in the background. I pray that your goal above all goals, that He would be glorified and His kingdom would consume your vision, squeezing out any others from becoming too consuming or from becoming a distraction. i pray that we would both be reasonably unconcerned with our work or earthly pursuits - that we would work hard to the glory of God, but that we would leave the results completely in His hands, trusting that His plans are solid and that if His plan includes Him making use of your PhD, then there's nothing on earth or in heaven or hell that can stop Him from enabling you to get it. His plans always prevail, this is a great comfort."

Fun pics

:)

Shh...what could I do??

Trying to come up with a cunning plan

Makes me laugh everytime! I love you soo much!

Halifax

Don't try to be taller than you are Ms. Edmondson!

At Peggy's Cove

Waves

Attention! Jo guarding Halifax from Viking invaders

Jo and Justine monkeying around

Trees still bare at the Public Gardens

Mrs Zwicker, Justine, Lauren, Hannah, Jo

A little brook in the garden

Jo, Hannah, Justine and I drove down to Halifax. It was a really long drive of 13-14 hours. But we made it although I'm still feeling a little car sick. It was a great trip!Good conversation and good food. :) Lobster, steak, scallops, biscuits. yum!
It was sad saying goodbye to Justine yesterday.
Sad saying goodbye to Hannah today.
Sad saying goodbye to Sam today.
;(
But God is good! I told Jo that  it'll be strange not having Hannah around to talk to and she told me that I can talk to God even more then. :D haha. True words!

Sasketchewan Day 1

Sasketchewan!





I haven't posted in this blog for soooo long!! I'm now in Sasketchewan, spending Christmas with Courtney and her family. I asked Courtney if I could come over in September. I knew her but not that well. haha. Thankfully, we grew closer over the term. :)

Yesterday we went to a bakery. It was alright. The bread was tasty and the place smelled amazing because they were making ginger bread cookies. We had lunch there - the sandwiches were so-so but the bread was good. And then I bought an almond croissant and wanted to try a ginger man. The man gave them to me for FREE!

after that, we went to the Museum of Western Development to see the christmas display.
"Stroll through a wonderland of animated Christmas stories and delights. Originally built by the Eaton's company for its Winnipeg store in 1946, this cleverly designed display is one of the finest productions of its kind in Canada. Don't forget - the rest of the WDM has also been transformed into a Christmas wonderland too!" http://wdm.ca/stoon/exhibits.html

Courtney found them really creepy apparently!

Later that night, we went to the enchanted forest. http://www.enchanted-forest.org/


And that ends the first day!

Morning view from our window in KK

Houses under the trees.
The final product, before we move .......from this sketch below.

Kiulu white water rafting

Breathtaking views of and from our garden

056: herbs outside kitchen window

055: 3 pigeons resting on tree outside apartment

047: fishes

Fishes in the "pond"

043: view from my bedroom window

038: a birthday gift from aunty MayLeong

037: a mix of pot on the stand that aunty May Leong gave. The cluster of grapes is made by an old German ironsmith who cheche took pity on in Mt Dandenong, Melbourne.

036: our flies

034: our tree again

032: under tree outside the girls room. The creeper that cheche used to grow in the middle of the driveway of the house

030: outside the girls room, the tree that originated from the big Muraya tree outside our house.

029: outside the girls’ room

026: our herbs from the ‘utility’ area

023: the table made by uncle Boon and our stools made by aunty Ah Mooi’s husband from Lukut

021: the light from aunty Christy

017: the sunbird that came to suck the money from our tree.
There were two of them but the other was ‘shy’ to come in

015: more plants, around the fish ‘pond’

012: the vase from aunty Siew Yuen before she left for YWAM and the handmade candle ,
with its Korean poem from aunty Dominica

011: The blue flowers, originated from our old house.

008: corner of the patio with the kafir lime tree from uncle Poon which he dug out from his brother’s house for us.

007: My terracotta turtle on the pot aunty Sook Cheng gave me.

005: our two rosemary plants that are unexpectedly thriving and gives a wonderful scent when you brush your fingers against the leaves. Sook Ning has made a bread using them before and I have put them into many roast vegetables

002: Our old, salvaged cupboard, with the maidenhair fern given by our neighbour,
Mrs Peh years ago. Her plant is long gone but ours is doing well.

001: The fragrant, pretty white flowers of our tree in the patio.