Impromptu To West Village & 2 Corinthians 4:7-8

Today wasn't exactly a productive day (I wrote one paragraph for my thesis, but I will write one more after I finish blogging! Really!), but it was certainly fun-filled.

In the morning we had practice at 07:10 as usual, then I fought to stay awake for the rest of the day in class. I didn't really learn anything interesting today. Well in German we studied primary and secondary endings for adjectives but that kind of flew past my head.

So in the afternoon, coach sent us an email saying that afternoon practice was cancelled so that we could travel to Connecticut with the fan bus to watch our school's men's basketball team play in the MAAC Championships. As in track, MAACs is a really big deal because winning it would mean an entry to NCAA for our team.

But instead of going to Connecticut, I decided to plan an impromptu trip to New York City since the sun was out and all.

This is us waiting for the school shuttle to take us to the train station. We could've walked but our lazy bums decided to take the shuttle instead.

The sky looked really beautiful today but the wind seemed to cut right through our layers of clothes.

Thinking thoughts on the train into New York City.

We didn't really have a plan as to where to go in the city. We just got out at the Christopher Street station and started walking south. Saw a thrift store and decided to check it out.

Sadly, there wasn't much to see and the prices weren't exactly "thrifty".

So we hit the windy streets again and headed north.

Strolled around West Village for a bit before settling in a Starbucks.

I noticed that in other places, Starbucks always seems very expensive to me. But when I'm in New York City, I don't find Starbucks overpriced because everything else is already expensive to begin with.

Took my pals to the Highline Park in Meatpacking District. It seems that everybody that comes to the city with me always ends up here. I'm beginning to feel like a tour guide everytime I come here...

Walking up the stairs at the Gansevoort Street entrance facing the designer Standard Hotel.

Nat pausing for a bit to warm her hands.

All the plants on this former subway track had more or less turned wintry dry. But when spring comes, this place will be blooming with flowers and green leaves. I can't wait! Not to mention the temperatures should be a little milder then... Spring is actually only two or so weeks away, officially (first day of spring is 20th March this year).

Enjoying our unorthodox view of building tops.

Found tanning benches where the sunlight seemed the warmest. The benches were nice and empty since it's so cold and no one wants to sit out there in their bikinis even though the sun was out.

A neat section of the park where you can sit and watch the traffic go by below.

Checking out unique architecture along the West Side Highway.

The Empire State Building rising up in the distance.

Passed by this 1800s looking building on the way down from the Highline.

Stumbled upon Anthropologie and decided to go in for a look. Aunty Cindy, if you're reading this, I was really excited because I remembered that you liked this store!

Anthropologie is very much like Urban Outfitters, selling lifestyle items to clothes, furniture, accessories and even stationery. Everything has a really pretty, artsy almost tribal/village vibe.

Or, in this case, girly.

Interior design, Anthropologie style.

I LOVE their dresses! Looking at them made me want to make dresses again. I already have one in mind... :)

Cool piece of art.

Bringing nature into a man-made environment.

Flower chair.

On the train back to school.

Decided to eat at the school cafe for dinner today so that Nat wouldn't be by herself.

And what fare greeted us! Breakfast for dinner! I had pancakes with maple syrup, sausage and scrambled eggs. Yummm..... said my mouth. My stomach disagreed later.

Despite what you think this looks like, it's not what it looks like.

Unless you're thinking chocolate+marshmallow+marmalade. Because that's what it is. And in case you're wondering, nobody ate it because it tasted as nasty as it looked. That's school cafe for you I guess! That's why I try to cook as much as I can...

After dinner, I wrote the one paragraph of my thesis that I mentioned at the beginning of this post, then knocked out cold on my bed until my phone alarm rang for Bible Study at 20:00.

At Bible Study, we talked about being victorious in Christ despite our failings. Again, it was a message that I didn't know I needed to hear but was glad when I did. Somewhere along the road, I guess I was starting to feel undeserving and inadequate because of all the things I may have said or thought that displeased God in some way. I've been so caught up in thinking about how I may please God in my actions that I forgot about His GRACE.

And because I can't live up to God's expectations of holiness, I bring myself down thinking that I've got no right to be posting Christian statuses on Facebook, talking about Christ to my friends, or even conducting Bible studies. And it's true... I've got no right... But because of what Christ has done on the cross, redeeming me, I no longer need to live according to the law but according to the Spirit!

I guess what that said to me the most is that I may stumble and fall sometimes but that doesn't necessarily mean that God will turn away from me and strike me down like He did to Saul. Well... and after reading about how David was punished for despising God's law in his affair with Bathsheba, I got really freaked out. I was like "oh no! Did I despise God's law when I thought angry thoughts about that so-and-so? That's it, I'm done!"

Well, I don't want to say that all those things that happened in the Old Testament do not apply to us anymore, because God is an unchanging eternal God. He doesn't change His mind about sin from one century to another. But one thing that He has given to us today is the personal guidance of the Holy Spirit and redemption in the blood of Christ.

I guess... I don't know what else to make of it but I felt relieved after today's Bible study.

I must keep in mind that I should not be focusing on asking the right questions, but on listening for God's answers. He's probably already speaking but I'm just not listening...

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair." (2 Corinthians 4:7-8)