I don't like what I'm doing these days, which is essentially nothing. I tried running in the morning, but that was too painful and I stopped a quarter of the way. There was this dinner at Ben Thanh for Mama Yen's birthday. I ate too full, and that led to a bad stomach... I said I wanted to go home instead of her place because I have things to do...but really, I lied, and I just wanted to get away and stay alone for some odd reason. It's just...bizarre. I guess the bright spot for the day (even for just a few minutes) was receiving Kai's call...

So about the Jackson Rebecca wedding vs World Puzzle Championship issue... It's not a dilemma in a sense that I don't like either events...I am very excited about attending either one. The dilemma comes because I would be really sad in missing either one of the two... I'm not sure at all which one I should choose. Suggestions?

I'm grateful to God for...

• connecting with Kai and Jonathan again;
• letting me see the emptyness of my life...;
• being a God of so many great characters, so overwhelming...so hard to study even a tiny fraction of them;
• finally settling the issue of mom's living arrangements, and helping her in her bus journeys;
• keep pounding in me the notion that to be good at anything requires training...