Tim and Olive's Blog
Why I Refused a Diamond RingWhen people see my simple wedding band, some of them wonder where my diamond solitaire engagement ring is. Well, I never got one. Instead, I got a goat. Strange, you say? Well, let me tell you the story. Read More
My 7-minute talk on Social Enterprise (in my Kermit the frog voice)So I did it. I gave an entire talk using my Kermit-the-frog-with-a-hint-of-Chinese voice. It was a complete new audience, so no one really knew that it wasn’t my real voice.
How Buying a Zoo can bring a Family TogetherLast weekend, after putting our baby to sleep, my wife and I had a chance to watch the movie “We bought a Zoo“. It was a fun and heartwarming movie about family and adventure. There were times in the movie that we laughed. There were times my wife cried (but not me, because I am a
coldheartedstrong man). It was one of those movies that after you finish watching, your heart feels fuller and you are happy that you are alive.
My Introvert Life: In Marriage[My Introvert Life is a series exploring my introversion as it presents itself in various life contexts.]When people find out I’m an introvert, the most common question is, “So what is Tim? An introvert or an extrovert?” Well, we tell them, on the sliding scale of introversion/extroversion, Tim is more extroverted than I am, but not an extreme extrovert. He will still need down time at home, but definitely not as much as I need it. He starts to get restless if he doesn’t get out of the house at least once a day. Whereas I can go four days without leaving our apartment and not notice it! (Ok, by day four, I am restless too.)
When my Wife is Mad at me and I Don’t Know WhyThe April Fool’s Day prank I played on my wife backfired. She was super mad at me. And I didn’t know why. Here’s the story.
My Introvert Life: As a Single[My Introvert Life is a series exploring my introversion as it presents itself in various life contexts.]I have a confession: as a single person, I struggled immensely with accepting my introverted needs. “Sorry, I need to hang out by myself tonight,” didn’t exactly sound cool, you know? Mercifully, when I was in school, I had a lot of art classes, which allowed me to work in relative silence on my own. And for most of my single years, I had the energy of youth on my side, so I could get away with hopping from one event to another without having to give it much thought. For a while, anyway.
- Laughter brings Joy: Happy Mother’s Day
It is Olive’s first mother’s day today. As a new dad, celebrating mother’s day has more meaning. What I’ve realized watching Olive become a mother, is the depth of love a mother has for their children. When I see my wife’s meticulous concern for my baby daughter, I can’t help but imagine my mother’s care for me as a baby.
How We Trained our Baby to Sleep through the NightThis post is part of our series “Facebook Q&A about Parenting” where we went to our friends and family on Facebook to get advice on parenting.
The Question: How did you train your baby to sleep through the night?
My Introvert Life: The Postpartum Weeks[My Introvert Life is a series exploring my introversion as it presents itself in various life contexts.]When I was pregnant, I suspected that having a child would profoundly impact the way I functioned and cared for myself as an introvert. Having less or virtually no “me” time was a given. I prepared myself for that. I told myself that it would just be a season and that in time, I would be able to find a new rhythm. I was right on that count.
My Introvert LifeHello there! Welcome to this series called My Introvert Life.
On the vast continuum between Introversion and Extroversion, I happen to be on the far introvert end of the spectrum. By definition, being introverted means I gain my energy from being alone. Activities such as sleeping, painting, reading and writing are all solitary endeavours that recharge my soul. The Introvert/Extrovert dynamic is only one part of what makes up my personality, but it plays a pretty significant role in my understanding of myself and how I carry about my life. That’s why I think it’s a worthwhile endeavour to take a closer look at it.