The Spirit of Giving

"It is better to give than to receive" Heard that quote before?

Well if you haven, here's one for you but it is not just about the giving and receiving of presents every Christmas every year as we see it sometimes. I for one always have the eagerness of knowing what presents i shall receive every Christmas and sometimes expecting too much of a thing when i forget about the true spirit of Christmas.

Christmas started as the day of our dear saviors birth, the one greatest gift in all our life, Jesus Christ His son, and also the spirit of giving came by when the three wise man came about with myrrh, frankincense and gold for the little babe, that is where we learn from the culture of giving gifts but somehow the real meaning of Christmas can be forgotten.

We tend to forget it is not only a day of giving presents and celebration but a time to remember the one dear savior who gave it all for our salvation and also a time where we remember the love ones beside us all, the sacrifices and precious moments they share with us, the gifts come in as a expression and gesture of love and thanksgiving but one thing that matters the most is the heart.

"A gift is only worth much as the giver itself" We tend to take the giving of presents as a duty and sometimes become a burden in the end and we end up recycling presents, that is just plain wrong unless the presents really comes down from your heart to give to the person and the receiver of the gifts know when you have put in your heart to get them a gift or not, so for once in your life, sacrifice a little of your income to buy nice gifts for your friends and family, this blogger here for one always spends more than rm100 and sometimes close to rm200 to buy gifts for his family and friends and he isn't even working yet, he takes the effort and much help from Gods providence to save up money for the Christmas season.

So in this festive and joyous season, let us take time to thank God for sending His one and only Son for our salvation, the love ones beside us and the life he has given us all each and every day but also lets take time to cultivate the spirit of giving, not just an effort of fulfilling the present quota but giving yourself, your heart and your love for all who have been good to you.

You'll soon realize that giving is not that hard and you learn to appreciate the little things in life but most of all appreciate the true Christmas that begins in your heart

Merry Christmas everybody and a Happy New Year! Lets be in the spirit of giving and thanksgiving!

Woohooo! FREEDOM! ....now what??

Yes its finally over, the final lap has finish and the results are in. After one full month, sitting for more than 15hours of exam, studying more than i have ever before, i have finally officially finished STPM on Dec 16th 2010, i am now a free man and obtain my well deserved 6 months of holiday.

After all the singing and dancing and jumping for joy! I got stuck with one question...now what?

My first act of freedom was of course my nostalgia which was ok, wasn't really satisfying for me but its worth the fun and friends to remember for life =) was really feeling nostalgic after the party, the two years in form 6, the heart breaks , tears, sweat, blood, emotions, memory, fun, sadness, happyness, wonderful moments and the bonds shared will always remain a special moment in my life, one moment which i am glad i took it full and embraced it to the fullest.

However after all the fun, i was stuck wondering what am i gonna be doing for the 6 months, wouldn't want to be rotting my butt off on the couch all day long, so i took a job for next year, so far still waiting on confirmation but He will guide me to the right place at the right time.

Other than that, i also have to think about what course would i be taking in University and where?? Hmmm Oh bother, and i have only two more weeks to think about it "gasps" but I am sure I will make up my mind by then, its only doubts and insecurity holding me back. By His grace and guiding hands, i am safe.

But one thing that bothers me is that all my friends are off on holiday with their 'partners' which sometimes make you feel quite lonely and wishing for one yourself but i am constantly telling myself that we are called to be set apart from the world, to be patient and wait on the right one and one which we will never regret in the end and one which we learn to be grateful for.

Can't really blog much now cause i have lost m touch already but keep posted for blogs which can share experience, inspiration, entertainment and hopefully guidance for you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Have you looked in the mirror lately?

Being a Paramore fan, i really liked their latest album "Brand New Eyes" which have a picture of a wall filled with empty picture frame on the back cover, talk about creativity and perceptions, love it when they do that, but what strike me the most, the one thing that really make the back cover standout was not only the great idea, concept and beauty behind the album, the songs and photography, its the one picture frame in the middle with the mirror which Hayley looks into in the video "Playing God"

It really struck a chord in my mind, it got me thinking.

"Have I/You been looking into the mirror lately?"

Its not just about looking into the mirror and seeing that one look of us in the mirror, the mirror really reflect not just your looks, the mirror shows the soul, the body, the being and all that we are if we look closer. I don't know about you but everytime i look into the mirror, i don't just think about my tidy and cleanliness, i think a lot about myself and where i am, who i am, what i am doing. Guess the mirror is more than just a vanity affair huh?!

What do you think? I don't know about you but i just have something inside that waiting to burst out, its like i want to do something more in my life, i feel i can do so much more, can be so much better, it just wants to reveal all the potentials i have, wanting to achieve my dreams, have you ever have that ache? And then you feel so inspired, so comfortable, so happy, so relax, so enjoyable, so entertained, so amuse, you feel so great about yourself because its just your place of dreams, a place where you can do what you've always want to do. A place where you can be your true self and shining out bright. I always have than burning, that desire, that passion, those great dreams for me and others.

But then it all stops short once reality sets in, the mirror no longer becomes a place of joy but a place of despair and lost hope, you look into it and finally realize, its all just a dream, you've tried it all before, you've put in all the passion and everything just stops short, you look into the mirror once again and realize you've gain none of the dreams you've dream, never done anything you've said you would, never gone the distance even when you've tried.

So "mirror, mirror on the wall; whose that person on the wall?"

" You! A person who is able to reach its dreams and potential, I've seen everything in you, its beautiful and great, now go and live the dream"

An amateur songwriters confession

With a guitar in hand, a piece of paper on the floor, guitar pick on the ear, mp3 by the side, pen on the other hand, humming to tunes in my head, and a whole lot of thinking, wondering, writing, playing and the process goes full cycle everytime.

Not many will know but i do write songs but as far as i know, i am an amateur maybe even worse but not proven until my songs finally get sung out and recorded. I recently took up this hobby 3 years back when me and some friends formed a band and then since we've been brainstorming for some songs and eventually end up with me thinking a lot of lyrics but not tune. Sadly however the band slowly died off by itself with each band member having to fulfill some responsibilities in life, my heart sank not knowing whether i will ever achieve my first recorded album with a band and at that time it was crucial for my band mates to come up with the tune of the song so i can fill in with the lyrics but back then i have to say "It was not good at all" on my part.

However years passed and i took up the guitar, slowly picking up the chords, sound and music that can be played, opening my mind to the music world and out came a different me, a more alert and creative songwriter with the ability to come up with the basic tunes to bring out the bare essentials for the song HOWEVER! there are more hurdles to overcome.

One confession is that the tune somewhat would have a similarity due to lack of rhythmic creativity and chord knowledge, let it be alone mastering the guitar at a master level. But i never stop to amaze myself, coming out with a tune that actually can be sung. "0OH FINALLY"

Another confession would be that the songs written out must come by inspirations and not by own strength or creativity, a word triggers the purpose and passion, from there on things take flight, but its never a overnight process, it constantly requires changes and innovation to make the song sound good and favorable to the listeners ears.

One last confession i have to say as a amateur songwriter is that there will always be a load of stress and doubts. I quote "An amateur never truly fully understands or know half the time what he is doing, he just goes with the flow, one true character of an amateur" The doubt and stress comes from the uncertainty i have in myself on the songs I've written, i mean who am i with no knowledge of chords or rhythm or rhyme or musical creativity to come up with songs that people will like but at the end of the day the dream of having my first album and looking on at other bands and how they made it from scratch drives me on to complete my first album :)

What is your perspective of life?

I Like a post on facebook that i stumbled upon today, it wrote and I quote

" When we are single, all you see are happy couples;
When we are committed, all we see are happy singles"

Such a truth in this quote and i was just thinking about it when most of the day i would stumbled upon people and friends who just like to announce to the world of their relationship and post up all the great things about it, then there sat me the single man thinking about all my friends who are coupled and how wonderful the life they have being in love but nevertheless being normal humans that we are we always forget to "look both ways"

After contemplating, fantasizing and remembering past experiences, somewhat this two simple lines just pops out like in front of my face and gives me a wake up call, reminding me to be contempt with where i am, the condition i am in and the life i am living now, not neglecting the life we can live out now and feeling disappointed over not having a relationship, many writers would see love as suffering and pain but lets not let that emotion take too much of us and love out loud and let it come our way. Don't chase after false illusions.

Nevertheless one must remember that life is short and days are getting longer, burdens getting more and the world turning upside down as it is. The challenge we face daily is to always move up the ladder of life, we are never satisfied with what we have or where we are thus making us always wanting the next level, but when we reach that next level, we want so more. One moment we are single, we want to get coupled; when we are coupled, we want to get married; When we are married, we want children; when we have children, you cant wait to see them off; In the end you forget to enjoy every moment of the journey and all you remember was wanting to move on, always moving on, that is all.

I've learn very well from my mentors and friends that "One must learn to enjoy the moment where he is before moving to another moment, this way he truly embraces the moment" and it always took the hard way for me to learn things but in the end it was worth the tears and heartache to grow and mature. Think about where you are today, rethink what your perspective of your life is now and go out there and embrace every moment you have cause the next thing we are standing on heavens gate.

My friends, as a youth, we are all full of zeal, passion and energy, we always strive for more in life, we always strive to move forward, which is good but use it to further excel the state which you are in and when you move on to another level in life, you would look back and said i have never wasted any moment nor regret leaving that moment. I pray that our days would be filled with joy and happiness that you can embrace and enjoy, I pray for patience in life and contempt of what we have, but most of all may our life be one lived out loud and to the fullest.

What is your perspective of life?

Success

Today at the gym, I met a normal gym goer, we've been talking for sometime just that i never knew him in detailed and i found out that he is handsome, got a job, got a great body, got a good life, got a fiance, well the way i see it is that he is successful.I have to admit i was envious, he had enough for his whole life, went to college, got a job, got a girl, got the looks, got the body but I would've never know how far it took him to get to where he is but one things for sure is that he didn't have to endure Form 6 even this dude which was i thought was smart said form 6 is tough and he wish me all the best in getting in the local u, that proves just how much work and effort is needed for form 6 but would it be any easier in college? I'll never know.

Back to the topic on about success, I had in my mind one word when i was talking to my new found friend "SUCCESS!" yes that one word which Dexter would yell out at the top of his lungs when his invention worked in the cartoon. Then it got me thinking and weighing the options in my life, whether i can achieve what my friend had, somehow he sort of shaped out what i would want to achieve when i start working which i think would not be any different than any eager young blood. Yet how do we weight success? Is there any criteria to concluded whether one is success or not?

Success can never be categorized as a whole, we can never say we are success in a whole, every person has a "blocking wall" in life but success comes out of not only what we posses, not only what we achieve, not how many figure we have in our bank, not many kids we have, not only the job we hold but the way we are living out our life. Why would i say my friend is success, well materially he has enough but he might think otherwise, maybe he has not achieve the job he wants. So success is based in the way you are living and how you perceive success as

It can be merely based on material gaining, you have the "5C's" the criteria which many would set for their partner! CASH! CAR! CONDO! CREDIT CARD! well i can remember 4C's! Many people would view this needless to say this blogger as well. When we get our first car, our first pay, our first salary, our first spending, we feel the surge of satisfaction or as we call "Success" when we finally posses what we want, when we want and with our own money. Some people get it easy, they have their parents to buy for them but this blogger does not have that privilege of getting everything he wants, there is a limit to getting what i want but parents do feed us and always take care of us, no harm trying to ask but be careful what you wish for.

Success can only be measured in our achievements, something in life we work hard to gain, get it, win it and we feel the glory behind it all, feeling the success of achieving the goal we set. The harsh reality is that not all things go as plan but give your best and we will never go wrong.

Nevertheless, "success" is a really big word and it is a big big world out there, at one point we would reach a age where we would start working, start planning out the big life we have ahead but this the way i see it, success doesn't comes from short cuts but from giving it your best, when you work the best you can, success follows along. Success comes with the benefits of enjoyment and pleasure in life but it always comes with hard work, planning and opportunity in life.

So are you success in life? Yes or no, living out your life daily is already a success!

Remembering Happy, My best friend :)

Today i stumbled upon the movie "Marley and me" The movie really touched my heart and remind me of my own Dalmatian dog whom also passed away of old age. He was with me for more than 10years, from the day i enter high school to the day i left to further my study, he was always there and i really loved what Owen Wilson said at the end of the movie.

A dog don't care if you're rich or poor, clever, dull, smart or dumb...give him your heart and he'll give you his."
"How many people can you say that about?"
"How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special?"
"How many people can make you feel extraordinary?"

Truly whatever was said in those lines is true to the day Happy left this world for a better place, He never ever made me feel any pain at all when i come home, just the sight of him when i come home really puts a smile on my face, he was always there to cheer me up when i was down, he was always there for pats, hugs and kisses. I just wished I could have given him more, given him a better life, given him much more before he left, loved him more and show him that i love him too.

Dear Happy,
I know you are up there in heaven, a better place than here. I never got to say "I love you and i am sorry for all the pain i caused to you, I never got to say how special you are to me, how great of a friend you are to me and you will always be in my heart" Till the day we meet in heaven, you will always be right next to my heart and i will never forget you. Thank you for making my days so much better, thank you for showing love when none cared, thank you for everything. Truly you are my best friend. Rest in peace Happy and i will meet you there one day. I love you.