I went through a few phases these past few weeks. A few posts ago I mentioned how I was bored. Then I told myself to relax and go with the flow. That was definitely the right decision. So off I went and picked up a bunch of projects to go full speed ahead on. They have been keeping me busy. I'm volunteering at two places now, a few times a week - it will probably be three next week. I'm convinced that this was the right choice too. And now I have my résumé updated and have slowly started to peruse Geekwire, LinkedIn and Indeed in preparation for the next phase of job searching. On the projects front, I needed to update some photo albums which I got to. I also started playing with my Android Things kit and am attempting to build something cool. This one is particularly fun since it takes me back to my college days EE lab where I could play with circuit boards. I had to spend some time studying and refreshing my memory on some core concepts like reading the color code on a resistor 😁. And lastly, I have started thinking some more and working on ideas I had pushed to the side in more detail. I have some rough prototypes that need vetting and more refining. I've also been reading some history books recently to learn more about my heritage. I started off being really bored but my interest level is gradually rising. There are two reasons for this - one, I'm getting to learn more, and two, I'm seeing how history is represented so differently by different authors based on the time, place, and which side the author belonged to.

Volunteering has been great too. It's a super different environment than I'm used to. I currently spend a few hours every week (when available) as a donor monitor at blood drives. I'm the cookie and juice lady who makes sure you don't faint. The other volunteering opportunity is around organizing and helping manage office work for an organization that does meal deliveries and household chores for seniors who need help. I feel that I am learning so very much. Working with different types of people in different situations is enlightening. Seeing that what we take for granted and assume is commonplace is a luxury for many and understanding that being patient with people and situations can be a real asset. There are people and places out there that can really use our help. On the other hand, things move so much slower than we are generally used to and I'm learning how to use XP again 😂. On the hobbies front, I've been spending a bunch of time cooking meals at home. It's actually been pretty awesome. Harneet and I have this new year goal to eat our dinner at the dining table vs. in front of the TV and I think it's awesome (he does claim it was just my goal that he got stuck with. TOUGH 😘). In keeping with my last post, I did attempt macarons. For a first attempt, they turned out pretty good (not awesome yet since the cookies were a little over baked and not perfectly shaped). Presenting matcha green tea macarons with a white chocolate ganache!

And I am going full steam ahead on my star wars origami. I just have 8-9 more patterns left. Here's a peek at my in progress origami wall.

The weather has been so awesome these past few days, I've been taking walks with family and friends - enjoying the fresh air and the beauty outside. I realize that living here I have come to take some of this for granted, so I try to get out as much as I can and remind myself of how pretty the world can be.