I remember my friends urging me to go to the Silent Retreat arranged by the Campus Ministry Office. Whether it be a 3-day, 5-day or even the 8-day retreat, my friends were trying their best to convince me because it would really help me clear my mind. Sad to say, I didn’t go for it…but there are no regrets.

Honestly, there are times when I feel that I feel God more when I least expect Him to be around. Just the other day I went to Starbucks and stayed there for around 5 hours drinking an iced asian dolce latte and I was writing on my journal as well. For some reason, I felt God there. I felt like He was just by my side and he was helping me clear my mind. Perhaps, there would be more drama if I went up a hill or went to a retreat, but my personal everyday retreats help a lot. Sometimes I feel like I have already perfected finding peace amidst all the craziness of the life in the city. I always devote time to pray before I sleep and also when I wake up in the morning. It’s my way of beginning and ending my day thanking God and to just listen to Him and feel Him. This might sound weird for some of my friends who normally see me as someone loud and just crazy. But yes, I cherish my alone moments and the moments when I pray.

When I was in High School I was able to get two books which I use from time to time to help me pray. I received a copy of The Spiritual Exercises from a Student Council Silent Retreat in 2008 and the Wood for the Fire was a book given to me by my former Student Council moderator as a graduation gift. The white parts of the cover of the Spiritual Exercises book is actually now quite yellow. Not really sure how to best maintain it considering it’s just neatly placed along with other books.

To this day, I really hold dear these two books. I get to pray and I get to do my own “personal retreat”. I honestly and firmly believe that prayer is something that should be done on a regular basis and not just once a week, or if there’s only a special occasion. Always take time to thank Him for all the blessings.

I have also been able to keep track of my life on a daily basis through my journal which I have been faithfully writing on ever since I started. For now, I don’t want to share what I have written but don’t worry, not bad stuff written there; just my raw thoughts.

As you can see, there are some stuff written on the back of this page. Hopefully none of you will be able to decipher what I have written….hopefully. Haha!

I can say that having a journal I get to write on everyday helps me see what has been happening in my life for the past days. It allows me to be thankful for the blessings I have received and at the same time, it has been helping me analyze where I am at this point in my life and how I want to move towards my dreams and goals. In a way I guess I get to write my own examen and keep track of it.

By the way, I have used my instax already! As some of you might remember, I recently bought a polaroid, you can check the entry here!

The print is small and it’s quite cute! It’s almost the same size as that of a graduation picture!

I can’t wait to bring Athena on Monday for the ASLA dinner!