Sometimes...

Sometimes... even the best of us get stressed out.
Sometimes... we could all use a break.
Sometimes... laughter can solve the problem.
Sometimes... a light heart can save the day.
Sometimes... a carefree attitude can free the soul.
Sometimes... a smile can warm the coldest of hearts.
Sometimes... the right words can change the situation.
Sometimes... it's just not enough...
Sometimes... there's nothing you can do.
Sometimes... you just have to pray.

This little list of sometimes made me remember that when we are stressed out, there are things we can do that will help. However, in the end going to God is what will help us to go through our tough times.

*taken from a message from the SDA Sabbath School Lesson Forum on facebook.

A messy desktop

When my desktop is messy (look a the pic) it means I'm stressed out! Right now, there are like tooooons of things to finish, and I just realized that mostly I get stressed out because I usually try to do many things at the same time. So yeah, right now I'm on the trying-to-survive-the-last-few-weeks-of-school stage lol.

On a totally different topic, I have decided (again!) to start from scratch. I've tried it a couple of times but it seems like it hasn't worked yet. We will see if this time works out. I'm more willing to make it happen this time though. The first part is done > erase all evidence and be positive about it. The hardest parts are to come, but one step at a time will help me overcome this.

About my Thai Adventures... well, there are still many things adding to the list of adventures every week, but it's just that I haven't had (or made) time to write them down. But that does not mean I'm not enjoying my time here, and making an adventure out of everything and anything.

Do not be discouraged

"Don't say you're too young... I promise to be with you and keep you safe, so don't be afraid."

(Jeremiah 1:7-8)

"I've commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't ever be afraid or discouraged! I'm the Lord your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go."

(Joshua 1:9)

Sometimes we feel like we have done our bet and yet other people say it was not good. When someone tells you that it was not a good job, or when you expect someone to be happy with what you did and they simply do not appreciate it, you can easily feel discouraged or inferior.

Today I felt that way. I had done my best and I thought it was a good job, but then I was told I had to do it again. That really made me feel inferior, and I was afraid of having to do my work all over again, this time with more pressure on me and higher expectations. Then I open my Bible and read that God told Jeremiah not to be afraid. Immediately after that comes the story of Joshua to my mind. God told him not to be afraid or discouraged. These two Bible character, Jeremiah and Joshua, were young people just like me, facing situations that most probably made them feel inferior and afraid, and yet the Lord told them He was going to be with them.

Now I know the Lord is telling me the same thing. He is with me and He will help me wherever I go and whatever situation I encounter.

If you feel the same way, if someone has made you feel inferior, or if you think you cannot do it, just remember what the Lord says:

"Do not be afraid or discouraged." "I promise to be with you and keep you safe."

getting sick :(

I hate the pre-symptoms of flu because I know I'll get a flu but it's not totally a flu yet. But I hate flu even more because I cannot sleep well and I cannot stop sneezing. Today I started sneezing and coughing, and to make it even worse, I got a terrible headache that started during my 11am class. The afternoon was terrible, and even though I tried to concentrate while reading, it was really hard. I managed to read most of the material for my presentation but I kept on sneezing and coughing, so Duc brought me some Vitamin C and Paracetamol.Then, before worship, he also brought me some porridge and said that it should make me feel better, so I ate it. It was really good and hot, and I sort of felt a little better but tight now, after a couple of hours, I feel bad again. I just hope I can sleep well!

yumy yumy!

I had totally forgotten aunty Sarapee Hamra's delicious banana bread mini cupcakes. Last Friday after vespers, I ate some, and re-fell in love with them. I even took some to my room, but by Monday they were all gone (I did not eat them all by myself ok lol).

Today I was passing by her office and thought I could just ask her if she has more in her office, because I knew she had made them for a meeting/conference. She said she did not have more in the office but if I wanted some, I could go to her house to get more. I was kind of shy, but at the same time happy that I was going to get more. Then after lunch she brought them to her office and gave them to me! now

I'm in the library, and since I'm kind of falling asleep, I decided I was going to mouse (just to stay awake!).

I love these banana bread mini cupcakes!!!

Mexican food in Thailand

Yaniris and I have been writing our Thai Adventures and it also includes Cooking Adventures. So far we have cooked Mexican food twice (the third one will be next Sunday!). I had the marvelous idea of bringing tortillas all the way from Mexico, and we enjoyed them the very first week we were here. We have written about this in our mini series so I will focus on the food.

Our first meal was Enchiladas, which is basically fried corn tortillas soaked in tomato sauce (you can fill them with whatever you want to, this time we decided to put chicken). Then you pour hot tomato sauce and spread grated cheese on top of the ENCHILADAS (if you do it while they are hot, the cheese will melt and it will be even more delicious). Since we thought that the enchiladas were not going to be enough, we also cooked rice (western style: with salt and some other seasonings hehe), vegetables, potatoes and pico de gallo (chopped tomatoes, onions and cilantro). And guess what... it ended up being a lot of food and we even got to eat it again the next day!

Our second meal was TACOS but this time a Thai friend, Boon, brought tortillas from Bangkok. We cooked chicken, potatoes and tried to make the Pico de Gallo, but we forgot to buy cilantro, so it ended up in salsa only (tomtoes and onions).

I cannot believe that it has been only 4 weeks and we have cooked twice. I say that because it is usually hard to get the ingredients, but I guess my cooking mood has helped as well. The last time I was here I did not cook any mexican food at all, but I think I have done more cooking because now I enjoy it more than before. It is especially gratifying to cook for friends who ask for Mexican food because they love it. And even if it is not mexican food, I think I enjoy cooking!

Next dish is going to be Molletes!

*Another question in my English for Tourism class.

What was the happiest moment of your life?

One of the happiest moments in my life was when, after 3 months of treatment, we discovered that my mom did not have cancer anymore. In 2003

she went through chemotherapy and one day during the 3rd month of treatment my dad told me to go see my mom because she wanted to talk to me. somehow I knew what she was going to tell me because I had confidence in God that He was going to heal my mom. And now every time I think of it, I can't stop praising the Lord and thanking Him for that gift and for the opportunity of having my mom with us now.

Questions to think about

Mrs. Nebres always starts the class (English for Tourism) reading a question and then we all give our answer to it. I'll try to post some of the questions and my answers here. This question was from yesterday (01/Sep/09).

What’s the greatest accomplishment in your life so far?

There are two great accomplishments that I can think of right now. The ‘new’ (it’s been a process actually) attitude that helps me look at things from the positive side and that helps me find new adventures, even if they come from small simple pleasures. The second and more recent accomplishment (it’s been a process too) is that I’ve managed to face *some* of my fears and try new experiences. Things as simple as eating Thai food or writing an article for Newsbyte are part of that process of doing things I would normally say ‘no! I won’t do it’.

Driving around Muak Lek with Aaron and Yanis. Simple adventures that bring joy to our life.

Major updates

I just realized that my last post is from mid June, and I kind of feel bad that I haven't updated this blog like in ages. Sometimes I feel like I want to write something, but then laziness comes to me and I keep on sayingtomorrow... tomorrow. But finally I'm writing again and this time it will be about new adventures. I realized/decided that life does not really have to be that normal and monotonous. That's like looking at things with a negative perspective. Instead of doing that, all I do and all that happens to me will be an adventure, even the most simple things.

The beginning of my adventures date from July 2009. I found myself heading to Memphis on July 3rd knowing just a bit of what it was going to be all about. After a couple of weeks of babysitting I found out that there was going to be an unusual adventure. Some friends tried to discourage me saying that I was being exploited, but somehow God had prepared me to see the good side of any situation and that helped me not to give up. On the last week of July I found myself in northern Florida enjoying the beach and playing with a 4 year-old boy that was scared of the waves. Finally,August came and my USA/TN adventure ended. I was glad that it was over because I was ready for whatever was coming next, but at the same time I felt like I needed to stay longer to fully enjoy what TN could offer to me.

August 11th, I was on my way back home, excited because I was going to see Sara again. She did not know what I had planned and that was even better. Our Houston-Monterrey flight was the same, so while waiting for my connection flight in Houston, I decided to go look for her on the other side of the airport. She was surprised to see me and I was so happy to see her! After that we had 6 great days together to do some cooking, paperwork, meeting friends, eating out, shopping, etc.

On August 16th the big adventure started. This time it involved 3 more friends, so it makes it even more interesting. Somehow I was sad to leave because I wanted to be with Sara, but I was excited as well because I was going to see some of my friends again. After long hours of waiting, running at the DFW airport, sleeping and walking around planes, we got to our final destination, AIU (formerly MC). This big adventure will end in January, but I'm sure there will be more to come, small or big but there's always new adventures to enjoy.

Thank God my adventures ended up being great ;)

black, white? no thanks

For some people life is simply balck and white but somewhere between black and white is my dream to be with you.