His Mercies are New Every Morning

Today is just one of those days where I really don’t feel like doing anything. I want time for myself to just be an introvert and just chill and recuperate. Perhaps it’s a coping mechanism for the so many things that are on my plate, especially today when I have a full day of classes.

Questions that are currently running through my mind now are: To what extent do I push myself? At what level am I allowed to say I’m taking on too much? Do I have to wait until I am totally burntout? I’ve already been burnt out for a long time and never really had the chance to recover fully. Every day is just running on empty.
BUT. Even though I go through all this, I am reminded that “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23. It is a lamentation about the affliction of the writer. We always tend to just quote verses 22-23 without really considering the whole chapter. But if we read it, we will see that he complains about his struggles. He is realistic. He’s not saying he doesn’t have struggles. But then after that, he talks about where his hope comes from. I like verse 24 which is right after the famous verses: The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”  In verse 21, he also introduces the part about his hope by saying this: But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope[.]

So while I am languishing in my current state where I just want the day off, I am reminded that God is with me. God never changes even in our ups and downs.

Bek's Reads | Book Review #4 | My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

WOW.

I was introduced to this title a looooong time ago. I honestly don't remember whether it was in Primary or Secondary school when I was introduced to it. I don't know why I didn't pick it up then, but I wish I had read it sooner, because man. That was one of the best fiction stories I've read.

I'm not going to spoil it too much by going into too much detail. But the way Picoult writes from each characters' perspective is insane. She really draws the reader into the character's shoes. When I first started reading, I thought it was going to be not that great, considering other books that I've read which switch perspectives throughout the story have often been really confusing and detracts from the reader's experience of the story. But Picoult manages to draw you in to be part of the story. You really start to feel like how the character would feel. It was hard to just read a few chapters and then put down the book.

I also love it when the story ends with something that is not cliche. What I thought was going to happen certainly did not happen. Instead, an alternate of what I thought would happen ended up being the end of the story line.

There were a few things that I did not like though. I realised that although this story does take place within a short time frame with some throwbacks to some other time in the characters' lives, I didn't really like that it felt a bit rushed towards the end. There were some parts which would have been nice to have a little bit more details about as it really leaves you wondering, and I don't think in a good way, e.g. a cliffhanger. Some details would have made a bit more sense to the story line.

However, despite this flaw (if I may call it that), I really did enjoy the story throughout.
If you're looking for a story that evokes different types of emotions all in one go, My Sister's Keeper is definitely one which you should go for.

Bek's Reads | Book Review #3 | Blind Faith by Ben Elton

Elton presents a dystopia which might become a reality if we are not careful with how we live. It is a captivating story which engages the reader and can hook you every step of the way. The way he writes the descriptions in the narrative almost leaves no room for your own imagination. But rightly so as he tries to paint a specific kind of society in the reader's mind. The book not only serves as entertainment but also causes the reader to think about how we are running the world in this current day and age. It serves as a warning of what we might become.

It's hard to not give away any spoilers, so I'm writing just a short review. All I can say is that by the end of the book, I'm wishing there was a sequel to this book because I want to know what happens next! I had bought it during a time when I had lots of spare time and wanted to get into reading fiction again, but in the end had it sitting on my bookshelf for a few years before actually reading it this year. I wish I had read it earlier because it was such an enjoyable book.

Note: This book is not suitable for young readers.

Photo challenge #6 | Collection

Funny that the restaurant that I went to had this already arranged in this manner. It was simple and nice.

I've always wanted to learn another language properly. Not one that I HAVE to because it's part of the school curriculum or because society demands it, but out of interest. Unfortunately, I have this love-hate relationship with languages. I often get judged by what languages I know and don't know, and it absolutely annoys me to the core. One unfortunate thing is I have found that I am not good with languages ☹️ I have tried different ways of learning languages, but somehow I progress very slowly. I need a lot - and I mean A LOT - of encouragement to help improve. Not many people are willing to give it.

Please be kind friends. Just like you, I'm learning something new everyday. We all learn at different paces, so be gentle 🙃

What is a language you would like to learn?

Photo Challenge #5 | Remember

¹⁹ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood
Luke 22:19-20 (ESV)

Bek's Reads | Book Review #2 | INGREDIENT by Ali Bouzari

The tagline of the book is certainly an apt one!
(Photo of actual cover of my copy be me)

Where do I begin? I love everything about this book. I love it so much, I'm quite speechless! It caught my eye on the bookshelf in the bookstore. Opening up the sample, I knew that I would enjoy reading it. Being a bit of a foodie myself, and always inquisitive about how stuff works, I was thrilled to learn about the science behind the food that we eat, the methods of cooking that we use everyday and for special occasions. How I wish textbooks at uni were this fun!

The author is a brilliant food scientist who has a gift for translating technical language into everyday language. Even though I knew the scientific terms of what he was trying to explain, reading about those terms in simple, plain, everyday language was really helpful. It helped to reinforce what I had already learned before.

You don't have to be an expert in food at all to read this book. You just need a curiosity for how it all works. Ali explains how each essential ingredient in our food works, like how food gets its taste, its structure, its aroma, etc. I'd be giving too much away if I say much more!

To reinforce each concept, there are beautifully illustrated examples of the respective concepts, followed by really professionally captured photographs of food to reiterate the concepts. They're so prettttyyyyyy!!!! 😍😍😍 A lot of the examples are used in the home. You can even put some of the things you have learned into practice and experiment with the food you have in your fridge and/or pantry!

This book has certainly added to my knowledge of how food works. I say well done to the team behind Ali who worked really hard on the book. They have done an excellent job on presenting a topic that can be quite complex in a simple manner.

If you have the chance to pick the book up from a physical or online bookstore, I highly recommend it!

Photo Challenge #4 | Yellow

After a long dry spell, I finally got a subject that fits the prompt of the day again. Today's prompt was the colour yellow.

I was fortunate enough to be able to go for one of the exhibits organised for Georgetown Festival (GTF). GTF is an annual affair that celebrates the rich culture and heritage that Penang was in years past, and is today.

Hopefully it remains as an exhibit and doesn't become a reality

Sure, the yellow is not the main star of this photo. But I thought it was really good with my intention of making these things thought provoking. (By the way, I don't go round looking for things that are thought provoking before using it as my subject. My brain just has a way of looking at things from a very different perspective to many others. I thought it would be nice to have something to write about besides just sharing pictures).

This particular photo (if I remember the explanation accurately) is symbolising humans' activity of attaching all sorts of things to trees and using it at our disposal with no thought of consequences. I took it from an angle which captured the shadow of the real, live plants, which symbolised the fact that real trees might just be a distant memory if we don't change our ways.

The exhibit was called "A Real Fake Forest". It highlighted what the future might look like if we (humans) didn't control the way we used our resources. The trees were made of cardboard, the leaves on the floor were dead leaves, shadowing what the future might look like - dead trees, fake trees. There were other things stuck on the other "trees" too. The walls and walkways were covered with plastic and wind was blowing them to create the illusion of being in a forest, if the patron covered their eyes. The irony of using the plastic sheets was to show our usage of plastic that might one day cover the whole planet if we don't reduce our usage of single-use plastics, and we may have to resort to synthetic forests to enjoy what once was.

We, humans, were put on this earth to subdue it - not in the manner of exploiting the resources given to us by God, but by being good stewards and looking after the other parts of God's creation. If it's hard for you to understand that concept, think about this: what if you entrusted your money to the bank to help you safekeep it, invest it, help it grow, but all they did was use up your money and betray your trust? That is sort of how it is with us exploiting natural resources, and not caring for the earth.

As a Christian, I am convicted to care for this earth, as it is part of God's creation, and that is our responsibility as humans. I therefore try my very best to reduce the need to buy things unnecessarily. If you know me well, I am very good at restraining from buying stuff on impulse. It takes me a long time to consider the necessity of it and the impact it will have on the environment before I choose to purchase something. There are many small ways for everyone to help. We need to take baby steps first, before moving on to bigger steps. When we all chip in a little, we all benefit.

The six R's of sustainability: reinvent/rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse/repair, recycle, replace/rebuy.

Which of the six R's do you already practice?