What I would rather not do, but will be doing
Ever since elementary school, I have always hated fundraising events. But no matter how much I hate fundraising, I am always stuck with one fundraising event every year, and this year is no exception. I still remember the "horror" of asking relatives, friends, and friends of my parents to support me for a certain event when I was younger, and I always feel that I have no ability to convince people that their funds are going to a good cause.
This year I find myself in the same position, facing the Navigator's Work Day, and don't know what to do. I dread asking people for money so much that last year I "raised" most of the funds by getting funds out of my own pocket. I wonder why it's so hard for me to ask for people's money. Is it a humility issue? Am I just too worried about my "face" (in Chinese people terms) that I would not want to ask people for money? What is so scary about asking for people's money?
I think one reason why I am so hesitant to ask people for money is because I feel that I am taking things away from them that they should own. I also hate the fact that I am asking them for something valuable, but I have nothing to give back in return. I think it's also the fear of rejection. I am afraid that people are going to say no to me. But what if they really say no to me? So what?? What's so horrible about people saying no to me anyway?
OK...I should stop this rambling...so let me tell you guys what I am fundraising for. Navigators is a Christian group that I am involved in at Queen's. On Saturday Nov.6th we are going to do a full day of work (9am-3pm) at a Homeless Shelter in Kingston. So by giving me money, you are pumping me up to do some rough work at the homeless shelter on saturday (I would feel your love and support while scrubbing the floor...=P), and also supporting the Navigator's to bring encouragement and the good news to students on campus.
So....if you are interested in giving, let me know. Any amount will be very much appreciated. =) No amount is too small! THANK YOU SO MUCH ahead of time for doing this guys! =)
Struggling...
I struggle with anatomy every year. No matter how hard I try not to be stressed about it, I always end up stressing over it. I tell myself that it's not worth it, and it's not going to be relevant to my practice in the future, but this neuroanatomy midterm on Wednesday still manages to get on my nerves.
A classmate told me today that she has photographic memory and she never needs to look over things more than once. During an exam, her brain is like a file folder. When she sees a question on the exam, she can flip through different file folders in her head and practically "see" the page of note in her head. I was amazed! Wow...I wish I have that kind of a memory. For me to learn something as complicated as Neuroanatomy, I need to read through my notes at least 3 or 4 times...and I still can't completely remember everything....so I am quite dead for the exam!
I really need to get my perspective on things straight...I need an eternal perspective! Ahh...my tunnel vision needs to go away....or else little things in life will get to me just because I am stressed...
It's a guy's thing!!
Mr.GB invited Claire and I for dinner tonight. The vegetable soup and the special casserole was very yummy! Hmm...Mr. GB is definitely a good cook! =) After dinner, we decided to check out the infamous Queen's homecoming party street, and sure enough, there were lots of drinking going on, and there were at least a dozen cops on the street! On our way back home, we saw a cell phone lying on the ground in front of Pizza Pizza. We decided to find out the last person that the owner of the phone had called, and called that person (T).
So it turned out that the owner of the phone was actually at T's place, and Mr.GB, being the nice guy agreed to deliver the phone back to the owner. After Mr.GB hung up the phone, he told us that the owner of the phone lives at 212 Albert Street, but he wasn't sure. Mr. GB is fairly new in town and doesn't know Kingston very well. He wasn't sure if he heard "Albert" or "Alfred" because the phone volume wasn't loud enough. I asked Mr. GB to phone that person again to ask, but he wanted to try out Alfred first since it's closer. When we reached 212 Alfred the inside of the house was very dark, so we didn't think it was the right house. Now Mr. GB is thinking: maybe it's 216 Alfred! So again I asked him to call T for a verification of the address. He said, "No no no, we'll knock on 216 Alfred and then see if we are at the right place. It's a guy's thing you know!!" So I was like: Okay then, if it's a guy's thing.
At 216 Alfred, we asked for A, the owner of the phone, and the girl who answered the door said that A is too sick to come out. Then Mr.GB was like: "I was just talking to her!" The girl who answered the door said: "Haha...uh...no, I don't think you were talking to her..." So we were at the wrong house again! But the funny thing is there was another A in this house!! We almost gave the phone to a random person who has the same name as the owner of the phone!
Finally after much persuasion Mr. GB agreed to call T again for the correct address. When we got there, T answered the door, and we gave the phone to T to give it to A. As we were leaving the house, we were thinking: OK, so I guess this person wasn't too eager to get her phone back! 10 seconds later, A ran out and yelled, "Hey!! Thank you so much for dropping off the phone! I really appreciate it!"
What an adventure!! Now GUYS!!! You gotta speak up for yourselves! Is it really "a guy's thing" that you would rather bum around, make mistakes than to ask for directions for a second time???
satisfied =)
I didn't get back until 2pm for lunch today, and I was starving! I made myself a bowl of noodles with some "bok choi" (Chinese vegetables), had 2 sausages and an egg with it. Even though it's only a very simple meal, I was so happy with it, and my stomach was satisfied. =)
Last night I had some "siu-mei" (different kinds of Chinese BBQ meat) that a friend of mine had brought to kingston from Toronto over the weekend. I had rice and "bok choi" with it and my stomach was very happy as well. =)
Midterm this morning at 8:30am...I had originally set my alarm at 6am to do my final review, but I had no idea that my cell phone, which I used as my alarm clock, had died in the middle of the night...so I had NO alarm to wake myself up. I woke up by myself at 7:30am (which would not happen normally), looked at my clock, and was soooo THANKFUL that I woke up! I am convinced that God woke me up!!! Hehe...The interesting thing is, I didn't panick or complain at all...which I normally would do...and I was just so at peace and the test went well. =)
God is answering my prayer...I wanted to be "joyful jacqs" like my MSN nickname...and I have been feeling quite joyful about little things in life. =)
I wonder how my dear friends are doing??? =)
Blending in with pumpkins...
Hehe...I am so excited!!! This is the FIRST time I am sharing a picture with you! =) Anyway...this is taken during the Thanksgiving weekend when I went on a hike/BBQ with some Navs friends...I love how I "blend in" with the pumpkins...hehe....=) The fall colours were so pretty...I LOVE the fall colours! =)
"Oh Crap!"
This is a phrase that I have gotten too comfortable with lately...are things really THAT "crappy"? "Oh crap!" I have two things scheduled at the same time. "Oh crap!" I forgot my lab coat at home. "Oh crap!" I am late. "Oh crap!" I have so much work to do. "Oh crap!" There is a spider in my shower. "Oh crap!" The library is closed the weekend before the library assignment is due.
Crap- How would you define this term? According to the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, "crap" is defined as "1. excrement 2. act of defecating 3. nonsense; rubbish". Now wait a minute! My life is not equivalent to nonsense!!! Definitely not equivalent to excrement either!!! So why on earth am I saying "Oh crap!" all the time??? Haha...it's just a habit, but a habit that I want to get rid of. I believe that if I become too comfortable with this sentence, I will soon see everything as "crappy" to me...but in fact things are not as "crappy" as I think. Yes there may be "crap" once in a while, but it's not so bad that I have to remind myself time and again that I am dealing with "excrement" and "nonsense".
OK...so in summary, all I want to say is: My life is not crappy! Afterall, I was able to move one of the two things that were scheduled at the same time, I was able to go back home and get my lab coat, I was able to take naps in the midst of my heavy work load, I was able to kill the spider after I am done my shower, and the library assignment due date got extended. Now...I just need to think of a phrase to replace "Oh crap!". Haha...how about "Oh lucky girl"? Or "Oh I am blessed"? Or "Oh silly you"? Ok I am not getting anywhere...any suggestions guys???
A little blurb
So I am back from spending the weekend in TO. It was a good weekend, I met up with some friends, went on a hike/BBQ, had dinner with family, went to Karaoke, slept, watched TV, did NO work! Arrgh...my next few days are going to be disastrous...but I won't complain, coz I needed a break. =) Now I have no reason to slack off for the next few days. =P
The Sunday sermon at church was very encouraging...I almost forgot how much I love listening to Edward preach. He has a sense of humour that engages you in the sermon...there is no way you can fall asleep when he is preaching. The art of thanksgiving is not easy, we tend to complain a lot as human beings. There is always a positive side to things, it depends if we pay attention to it.
TO Peeps, see you in 2 months! =)
Happy Thanksgiving! Count your blessings...
Just a little update...for those of you who prayed for me. Thankfully, the teaching session went well. =) I was so nervous...haha...I just HATE speaking in front of people, no matter how small the "group" of people may be. I hate the feeling of having a group of people looking at me intensely when I am talking. I don't mind being in the background, but please don't tell me to say a few words in front of people...=P
Anyway...enough of my ranting. I am just so thankful that my classmates, people in my group were so nice and encouraging. It makes such a difference when people are so encouraging...they totally made my day. =) Now...I am going to dream and breathe the Model of Human Occupation...the MOHO. Haha...
K...so everyone, if I don't get to see you this weekend, please have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving Weekend! =) Don't forget to count your blessings. We can't take things for granted...watching the news everyday never fails to remind me how fortunate I am. Plus, telling yourself how fortunate you are actually makes you happier. =)
My current condition
It's unbelievable how much one can freak out about a 40-minute teaching session in front of 6 people...
...I'll be OK in 11 hours!
True colours
What a beautiful day!!! =)
Perfect weather for a run...so refreshing...it's like running with your air conditioner on...hehe...while the most beautiful scenery pass you by...trees changing
colours,
green grass,
calm lake,
blue sky,
white fluffy clouds...I am running out of words to describe such
beauty.
Gill, Bonnie, Nic, Yum, Bro...you were in my prayers today as I run. =) Anyone needs prayer?? Feel free to send me your requests and I'll be more than happy to pray for you on my next run. =)
Thinking about you...
How do I live without You?!
Haven't blogged for a while...wow, where do I begin?
Last weekend I went on a retreat with the Queen's Navigators. The theme of the retreat is "Living life with a view from the end". I had a wonderful time, was able to enjoy God's creation and be reminded of the way I should live my life to the fullest. A lot of times we live as if we have another 50 years to live, but you never know what's going to happen next. We gain a different perspective when we live each day as if it's the last...you start to gain a perspective of what is important, and what is not; what is temporary, and what is eternal.
Coming out of the retreat I had so much in my mind that I wanted to do, then school seemed to have taken over and things that I had wanted to do were shoved to the back burner...on top of school I was also a little sick at the beginning of the week...it was an exhausting week. Yesterday when I was trying to do some school work, I just couldn't do it. Both my mind and my body weren't cooperating with me.
Man...I think I am totally rambling...now, what am I trying to say here? Bare with me...
So I was leading a Bible study on Wednesday. Technically I didn't have to "lead" very much, I was just there to "facilitate" the discussion. Everyone was willing to share their insights and the study went well--totally by God's grace. However when I got back home and thought about it, I realized how spiritually "dry" I had become lately. I felt like I wanted to give and contribute something, but I had nothing to give. I felt like I wasn't letting the Holy Spirit fill me, and I was so bogged down by school and little things in my life.
Time and again, this verse always comes up in my mind:
"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Each time I read it, I can't help but to be moved by the power of this verse. Yes, I have to remember that I am living for Christ, and His love is my strength, my motivation, my hope.
Who/what do you think you are living for today?
