no.510 140923 Thank you for the first day of Autumn

It's a beautiful start to the new season! Apparently, today is the first day of Autumn. I only found this out when I was on browsing on google, and an unusual logo caught my attention on the top left of my monitor. Out of curiosity, I clicked on it and I it led me to the google main page with a cute illustration. Only then, I found out that it was the first day of fall today.

It actually didn't feel like fall during the day time because it was relatively warm compared to other days we had in the past couple of weeks. Now that it's evening, there is a little bit more breeze and the temperature dropped as well. I hope we get a really nice weather this fall so that the leaves turn into beautiful colours!

no.504 140917 Thank you for the macaron day

Not a huge fan of coffee but it was a good complement to the sweet macarons

It was indeed a "macaron day" for me. I started my day off by picking up a pack of macarons at a small patisserie. I like to bring something small when I am invited for a meal by a friend, and today I was craving a sweet dessert so I went for these pretty little cookies to share. In the late afternoon, I had a date with a friend who just came back from UK. She is a coffee lover and since she came back from one of the biggest tea drinking countries, we decided to check out a relatively new coffee shop that we haven't been to. Unfortunately, the place we went to specialized in coffee only - no teas or tea lattes which was disappointing since I prefer tea over coffee. However, it gave me a chance to try something different. So I shared 9 macarons today - all in different flavours that I like. That's the most macarons I've ever had in a day I think. I'm thankful for not only the delicious delights but more for the time and the conversation I had with these two people I met up with.

no.503 140916 Thank you for the dinner date with a life group member

Sushi dinner and bubble tea dessert is always a good combination. It's even better when you're with a good company. I met up with one of the life group girls for dinner and guess what we ate tonight! We've been planning to meet for some time now but it wasn't really working, mostly because of me… but we finally did today! I'm so glad and thankful for the date because I feel like I got to know her a little more. Although there are a few months of life group remaining, I hope to talk to her and other girls and get to know them better and to keep growing together in Christ.

no.501 140914 Thank you for everyone with a serving heart

I didn't know Nutella was good until now…!

"Just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, 

and to give his life as a ransom for many"

Matthew 20:28

We have something called "Servant Appreciation Day" at my church. As you probably already guessed, it's the day when we appreciate everyone who serve at the church. It includes everyone who serves - teachers, praise team, media team, welcoming team, and every single person who serves because they love God. Today, the servants are recognized and those who are yet serving can see the opportunities where they can use their talents to help the church community - and moreover, serving God. Because as Jesus came to serve, we should serve one another. After the service, it's the church's annual tradition to provide ice cream for every hard worker to enjoy. I was looking forward to it because of my love for ice cream… but sadly, I missed it:(

Instead, I got two Nutella to go! I wasn't really a big fan of Nutella until last week when I tried this snack and discovered a whole new world of Nutella! I think the breadstick made it better. I'm thinking about getting a tub of this chocolate goodness and some breadstick on the side. Yum!

no.500 140913 Thank you for the 500th post

Love

First of all, I apologize for not keeping my blog up to date. To be honest, I've been lazy about it and my internet at home seem to fail me at night. I used to blog on my phone when the wifi wasn't working but  I choose to forget about it out of laziness. However, I'm forcing myself to blog tonight because it's a special day. It's the 500th post! Well, you can argue that technically it's not the 500th entry because I've missed the past week of blogging. But still, I'm halfway to reaching my second goal - 1000 days of blogging. Thank you everyone who visited my blog, and those of you who revisited it too:) I hope to be more responsible in keeping it up as I used to when I first started.

no.497 140910 Thank you for the teachers at church

I rarely go to church on a Wednesday but today was an exception. There was a teacher's dedication service. As we kick off to a new school year, all the teachers who serve were called to dedicate themselves in front of the church and receive prayers. Oh yes, we also performed a song together. The pastor spoke about how much impact the teachers have on their students and as an example, he spoke about Howard Hendricks. I have read a book written by Hendricks last year, which was called "Teaching to Change Lives." It was a good reminder as I have forgotten how much influence I can have on my students. As the new school year has started, I want to read Hendrick's book again and to be pray and strive to be a teacher who can change the students' lives in a positive way that is pleasing to God.

no.490 140903 Thank you for calling me to give me rest

A souvenir from Guadalajara

I was burdened last night and had a difficult time due to something that happened earlier this week. I was angry, upset and ashamed. I just couldn't get over what happened and how I felt about it. I know it wasn't enough, but I kept on apologizing to God because there wasn't anything else that I could do at the time. However, the Holy Spirit moved me and I felt God embracing me and telling me that He still loves me no matter what. Only then I was able to find peace and was able to go to sleep.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, 

and you will find rest for your souls. 

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Matthew 11:28-30

I woke up to these verses in Matthew chapter 11. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" - I knew that God was calling me to come to Him to find rest by obeying Him. God has been constantly telling me to obey Him in every area of my life but I know that I haven't been doing a good job lately. I just want to take some time to ask for God's forgiveness and ask for wisdom as I take some time to pray about what I should do in regards to this situation.

no.488 140901 Thank you for a relaxing labour day

Upside down

I am so thankful that I didn't have work today. Although it was only for a day, I think it was much needed break from work as I had a stressful week.

Did you know it's the first day of September today? There's only 1/3 of 2014 remaining. I think it's that time when I reflect my life and think wisely about how I am going to spend the rest of the year.

I'm ending tonight listening to Jack Johnson and the raindrops outside my window… so lovely.

no.487 140831 Thank you for the preschool teachers' BBQ

Gogi party!

Although it was cloudy and seemed like it was gonna rain, God provided a beautiful day for the church's picnic, and the preschool teachers' meeting. It was extremely hot and humid, but we had a nice shade and breeze… actually, the wind was a little too strong and many times I found myself eating my hair, but I'm not complaining! I have a small stomach so I normally can't eat a lot. However, when it comes to galbi… I can eat! I surprised myself and other teachers when I ate 20 plus pieces! It's probably because I didn't eat that much rice. In fact, when I think of it now, I only ate galbi and I had a little bit of rice and a little bit of kimchi. I regret not taking a photo of all the bones I finished to prove that I actually ate that much! I'm craving it again as I write this post.

Aside from the food, I'm thankful that I got a chance to talk to my co-teacher and just listen to what's going on in her life and how she's been doing. I'm thankful for the opportunity to pray for her and share encouragement as an older sister in Christ. I'd like to do a girls gathering sometime in September before the month gets too busy with school for some teachers.