faith...

This morning, i was thinking about how i'm so lucky to have my faith. Actually, it started with me thinking about how screwed up my research is going (but that's why it's called Re-search isn't it?) and how frustrated I've been all semester...and basically nagging to myself (and almost anyone that'd listen). And somehow, when i'm in the lowest of low moments, i hear a voice in my head say : "Be still, and know that I am God!"... and when I think through those words, I feel myself begin to calm down a bit.

Faith - it's weird but it gets you through. It's like when little kids have nightmares and then go tell their folks that "there's a monster in my closet" and then the mother/father goes to "get rid of the monster"...and suddenly everything's okay again in that kid's world - just 'cause they believe their folks have the power to actually rid of their fears (so to speak).... that's the sorta faith that gets me through - the childlike faith that God can (and will) take care of everything concerning me.

I don't know how people make it through life otherwise. My faith brings me comfort. Even with all my imperfections (and wow, there's a long Long list of those) I know I can pray through situations and He'll hear me. I guess what i'm trying to say is that i'm encouraged by my faith to live each day....and I pray that if you haven't already, you'll have a little faith and Be encouraged!

Have a happy sunday :))

1-D...

As a child, i had dreams of becoming a great dancer someday! I discovered soon enough that I'd probably end up being a doctor/lawyer/engineer/banker...something that brings the paper home. Africans don't play that ish!

I guess I could enroll in dance classes for the summer... I don't know about being "great" but it'd be fun to take Contemporary + Salsa dance classes... o...k!

i'm the fakest bass guitar player EVER! I wish i had a real teacher (instead of the silly instructional video i have) ... i really must learn to play something before the end of summer. Ahem!

Took this picture on my way back to SC a while back. I'm sooo due another out-of-town trip! I'm 'bout to lose it!

lol...i'm not wearing a onesie! I just love over-stretching my tracky-buttoms :)

I wish i had my own lil' puppy....but I probably don't have enough time to take care of one just yet :(
Hold me?

Tuesday...

It's Tuesday. Again!

I woke up on the wrong side of bed, hit the snooze button a few times...but still kept waking up on the wrong side. I figured I'd just go ahead and start my day and hopefully sleep on the right side tonight.

I think I prefer Wednesdays. You?!

image via

touch the skies

wouldn't it be great if that were true in this case?! Sometimes I do feel like the skies are so close that I could almost touch 'em. Of course those are days that I'm having my Superwoman moments where everything is going so right and I'm ready to conquer the next thing... and then the next!

Can't say i'm feeling much like Superwoman at the moment but I'm sure about to go conquer them books.

Asta lavista babaaay!

Have a great sunday ;)

image via Overflowing

*yawn*

i'm bored with my hair now. I feel like it's time for something drastic. Perhaps a weird cut, OR some color, OR both. Hmmm!

There's ice outside so i'm stuck at home...not that i'm reaaallly complaining or anything. It's just that i have to get some work done and with the lovely weather it's so easy to just stay in bed all day. BUT i won't. I promise! :$

7.05pm:
i'm quite impressed with myself! *pats self on back*... i realized i was getting nothing done at home and so i put on some warm clothing, cleaned up the ice/snow on my car, and headed straight to school at 20mph. hehe! (Yea, so i'm blogging instead of working...but i've actually put some ish together so far)...plus i had no food at home so Dunkin Donuts was another major incentive to leave home. *smiles sheepishly and runs along*

image via CherryLolita

C'est la vie

Life's funny that way...

you think you know - but you have NO idea!

We go through life, learning everyday, picking up new thoughts and habits...we acquire new dreams while we let some of the old go... but we hardly ever notice the very little changes in the day-to-day. It takes a "big" moment - accomplishment or disappointment - most times, to help us notice all the little things that led up to that point in time. For the good moments, we wonder how we got so lucky, what we did right, and how we can make 'em remain that way. For the not-so-great moments, we wonder where we went wrong, how we didn't see the signs (or chose to ignore them), if we can go back and change them, or how we can avoid them going forward.

I try to notice the little things in my day-to-day now...perhaps they'll make me more thankful/appreciative ... perhaps they'll make me more efficient ... perhaps i'll put more thought into my choices when i need to OR be more daring when i need to be ... perhaps, perhaps, perhaps ....

i thought i knew...but apparently, i've got NO clue. Everyday is yet another chance to learn something new, or rediscover the old.

la la la ....

take me away...

image via jjsweety

*sigh*

my work isn't working.

Running preliminary simulations to prove my research hypothesis. But it seems it's saying the hypothesis is shit. literally! I'm hoping i'm doing something wrong here.

*sigh*

Okay, getting back to work. Seems it's going to be a long night.

*$(#%^#@*()!

image via blackfive

TGIF?

Memories: 2000/2001. Freshman year of college. I remember coming back to my dorm room and rocking my air guitar (and mic) to this song. Daily!

i really want to go to there :o

yes...those are my crusty toes :)

It's been a while since i went to the beach last. I miss it. I miss the sound of the waves....the feeling of the soft sand between my toes...the cool breeze...the happy/vacation-y faces all around. Actually, i miss having outdoor fun (in the sun) in general. Altogether, it's a far cry from how i'm living now... *blank stare*

Anybody know where i can find PipeSim software?... Anybody?!

*crickets*

anybody??




album's on repeat on my ipod!

SiMulate deez ....

aah, and so the simulation begins. Again! It's about that time where i start running simulations for my research again. It seems like such a simple task in my mind but i get that horrid feeling that once i start, i'll hit a glitch somewhere and the frustration will begin. So, i guess u can say that i'm frustrated from the possibility of being frustrated in the future. hehe! Okay, maybe not - just complaining for the heck of it. The future of my research actually seems promising. The end actually seems near now. Just one more year to go...atta girl!

In other news, it's been above freezing temperature for the last few days - for that, i'm tres grateful! I get to wear fewer layers :) ...but come tomorrow, it's back to snow and ice and gloom and doom.

less procrastinating...more work. Ahem!

xoxo ;)

wait...wait...actually, I just went out and it's 61F. I'm... Like ...Confused!... and happy at the same time. *runs off singing "i feel pretty, oh so pretty...i feel pretty and witty and gaaaay"*

image via DoubleTakes

In the words of Liz Lemon: I want to go to there....

Today, I feel blue :$ ... It feels like the perfect day to sit home watching my collection of Audrey Hepburn movies, eating double chocolate cheesecake with vanilla icecream...OR...drinking the perfect bottle of red wine. Aaah well, moving along....

Hope you're having a happy saturday....

off to rescue a kitten from a tree....

xoxo ;)

images via Overflowing and Moviediva

Mission Possible!

Soo... for whatever reason, I spent the last few days sleeping. Just sleeping... a lot! I felt like I'd been drugged or something - it was kinda hard to be productive. But i admit, I wasn't trying that hard in the first place. I blamed the sleepiness on the following things: tylenol (don't ask how), too much food, too much stress from the past couple of weeks, the cold weather. Now, I could make an argument for each of those things or all of them combined...but I'll own up and just say I was being LAZY. Not good for business.

So now, I'm at the library (yes, I'm procrastinating a bit by blogging) trying to get some work done. I figure that the trick to getting any work/studying done is to leave my home so I'm not 2 seconds from the bed/couch/fridge. It seemed to work while I was getting ready for my exam so I'll try making it a habit now. Hopefully the snow doesn't get too bad on any given day, giving me an excuse to stay home not doing very much. I want to schedule my Comprehensive exam by the end of this semester, which means I need to get somewhere with my research soooo, I gats to buckle up. Ahem!

Other than that, I discovered a new way to lose weight - stress! Apparently, I lost a lot of weight. Annoyingly, it was whilst eating lots of pizza, mc donalds and vending machine food. I wasn't even trying this time around. I guess the trick is to stay busy and think a lot. Lol! But really, I have a feeling it's all going to pile right back on now that i'm calmer. crappit! The sensible thing to do would be to head to the gym but..but...it's...cold! Well, we'll see... maybe I'll work out at home.

Ok, this post has gotten waaay too long. Getting back to work now.

Have a nice day - whatever's left of it :)

xoxo ;)

One Down!

...yaaaah guessed it! I PASSED MY EXAM!!! Woohoooooo :) It feels so surreal that it's over now...

One down!

Next bridge to cross - Comprehensive Exam...but that's not for another few months!
God is good! I can't honestly say that my passing that exam had anything to do with me. It all just went so smoothly, it was so easy to see the hand of God in it all....His mercies endureth forever!

So, what have i done since then?! I went out for drinks Friday night (sadly, was fast asleep by midnight)...Watched movies all day Saturday - saw Taken and Defiance. If you haven't seen Taken yet, you should. Liam Neeson is soooo kick-ass in it! And now, it's Sunday - went to church, saw more movies at home and did a lot of eating and sleeping and chilling....feels gooood!

Sadly, Sunday's coming to an end already and if i'm going to actually try to graduate within the next year, I better pick up on my work by tomorrow. But...yaaaay, I passed my exam :)) Just wanted to share that with y'all.

Until tomorrow's blog entry.... I'm OUT!

xoxo ;)

About me: Fun (or not so fun) facts... part I

1. Mint makes me hungry.
2. I hardly ever say no to vanilla ice-cream.
3. Like my ice-cream, I like my chocolate simple - plain milk, dark or white chocolate. No nuts or fruits... maybe caramel or a simple wafer... u get what i mean!
4. Seeing as my first 3 facts are food-related, I'm guessing u can tell I love food!
5. I'm the last born in a family of 5 kids...No kids of my own (yet) but I've got 2 nieces and 2 nephews and i love them to tiny lil' bits.
6. I'm working on a PhD. Maybe i'll change the world someday!
7. I smile a lot. A whole lot. Not the creepy kinda smiles though...but I hardly ever have my poker face on, unless I absolutely have to.
8. I'll probably always be a kid at heart. I'm very playful.
9. I love drinking hot tea. But when I've got a cold, I gravitate t'wards lots of cold drinks!
10. I've got a soundtrack in my head for almost every scenario.

Happy New Year!

I realize that we're already 21 days into the new year but... I kinda started mine off late. Kinda sorta! I can't believe it's 2009 already! I feel like 2008 just went right past me - I'm not even sure I achieved that much all year... that's gotta change!

So, how's it going so far? Not so great - at least, I don't think so. Some ups, some downs... now it's somewhere in-between. I could sit and sulk and waste another year OR sit-up, focus, and make the most of this year. I choose the latter! I'll move forward. Like fine wine, I plan on getting better with age. My only resolution for this year is to be a better person in general...hopefully, that goes well.

Happy New Year!

May this year bring you love, joy and peace - love that is unending, insurmountable joy, and peace that surpasses all understanding. Amen!

Psst...

*note to self: it's almost over!*

xoxo ;)

image via Grounded

I need you now!

This image clearly expresses how I feel these days... in need of something deeper, greater, meaningful... life with meaning! I don't want to waste a second of another day doing things that don't matter. Life gets so busy - there's so much noise out there. There are mundane routines and expectations.... just a whole lotta noise!...Much ado about nothing :p

My greatest fear used to be that I'd leave this world without meaning something to people - without leaving an impact on people's lives. Now, I don't want to leave just any kind of impact, I want to be a blessing - just as I've been blessed...but then I forget "me" every once in a while. Aaah well!

Here are some of the lyrics to the song "I need you now" by Smokie Norful :

"Not another second

Or another minute
Not another hour of another day
But Lord I need you right away

If I never needed you before
To show up and restore
All of the things that I let slip
While I was yet searching the world for more

The true best friend I have indeed
You're my best friend; I know indeed
I stretch my hands to thee
Come rescue me
I need you right away!

The agony of being alone
The fear of doing things on my own
The test and trials that come to make me strong
The feelings of guilt, hurt, shame, and defeat
The way the trials that beat upon me
But to know Lord - that in you I've got victory "

image via Muskegon

this is my life...

...for the next month (and some) especially. My candidacy exam is finally scheduled. One would think that with the amount of anticipation I've had, I'd be ready for the exam but - au contraire!
And i'm going home for christmas so I need to get as much done as possible before I leave.

*scream*

Hellllpppppp!!!!!

Okay, off to make myself useful!

xoxo ;)

image via mrana

:)

Just saw this image on a friend's blog and fell in love with it. Hehe! A woman after my own heart.

Bump the hammock... pass me a cig ;)

image via FlummoxedBird