Luxe

Quality is what you pay for.

Here I'm thinking, is it not good enough you have something yet you want to spend more to upgrade.

How much is enough?

The idea is that the more obscure (it) is the more exclusive it becomes, the more it rises up in the desirability stakes.

Nature and basics CAN be luxe too.

Many times its the experience that counts.
Not how wild or extravagant it is, but how you derive the joy from it that translates the event into a meaningful portrait of memory.

Live is Luxe.
Your life is.

Things happen that don't fit into your idea of luxe.
But you can make it be.

to be continued......

Everything in moderation

Why thinking too much may not be good for you?

"May my will forever be, ever more your own."

These lyrics sound it out to me ever so clearly.
Indeed, maybe not being able to top the class (Ever!) does have its advantages (in life) after all...

All because You believed

As I count my blessings, I count the people who willingly take time out to provide advice as one.
Itś amazing how no two people can ever have the same life experiences even though they may come from the same country or village. So there is always something different about how we come to form our current expectations in life shaped by the many events that lead up to our present.

Ever careful to respect where every person´s advice may have taken form, I still believe what I believe.

I choose to still hold on to what I believe.
Not what I think is right. But what I hold in my heart to believe in.

The tricky part on the receiving end of advice is that sometimes one cannot help but become very much muddled especially when the majority don´t seem to think much of your rationality influencing your would be decision.

Surely my Faith can sustain me.
Surely Godś ability is bigger than what I can imagine.
Surely He can work it out even when people think otherwise.
Surely if I call on His name, He will guide me and He will give me a future, Full of Hope, for my welfare, and not for woe.

Surely and steadily, I need not worry.

Because.
I BELIEVE.

The Greatest advantage

The fox in sheep clothing. Many know too well what this implies.
¨But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.¨ 2 Cor 11:14-15

What is truth?
How do we know for sure?

The fact is, we can never know for certain.
We only know the truth by the facts that are presented to us.
And through our very own experience.

There can be no guarantee that if a place is supposedly holy, then everyone in the premise is to be righteous and pure, without doubt.

¨But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. You happily put up with whatever anyone tellls you, even if they preach a different kind of Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of spirit than the one you recieved, or a different kind of gospel than the one you bellieved.¨ 2 Cor 11:3-4

For Paul was aware of how the cunning ways of man can shrewdly work their way into the minds of a believer and corrupt oneś thoughts and shake oneś faith.

Have unshakable FAITH. Have your roots so deeply rooted in the truth that nothing can stand a chance to fall you.

Yet first, one has to ESTABLISH the truth.

The truth in the scriptures say:
¨Ask, and it shall be given to you.
Seek, and you shall find.
Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

For everyone that asks receives,
and he that seeks, finds,
and to him that knocks, it shall be opened.¨
Matthew 7:7-8

And how should we demonstrate this truth by the way we live?

¨So in everything, do to others what you would have then do to you, for this sums up the Law and the prophets.¨ Matthew 7:12

By placing GOD first and ceasing to think about you, yourself and I. Only then can He truly speak to you. Only when you be still and silent, can you hear His voice. Make the choice to find Him, to seek Him to Listen to His voice. And wherever He leads you, you have to make the conscious decision to follow.
For He will not force you. Though He can, He loves you too much to use force. Because Love cannot go hand in hand with coercion.

IF YOU TRULY WANT IT.
YOU WILL SEEK IT OUT.
No matter how the odds seem to be against you.
Persistence.
That is the power of the human will.

Show Him how much you really want Him by How much effort you are willing to put in to Seek Him out. Trust that He will reveal Himself to you when He wants to. Trust in His perfect timing.

TRUST is not control. It is to persist with all that you have. And let go.

Sing a song of six pence- draw money in your mind

Karaoke. Music and lyrics. The thing about a song, is that, the musical component is universal. Where as, the lyrics that convey the message are only limited (or accurate to the extent) by the understanding of the audience according to their mastery or command of the language it is presented in.

As I run through the songs that have been made popular by the catchy tunes off the radio, I come to realize the horrors behind the lyrics as they portray a very dangerous interpretation of life in general.

so what do you do when the tune is amazing, yet, the lyrics are more than meets the eye?
I´m a firm believer in the practice of aversion tactics when it comes to blatant in the face temptation.
I guess when you strive to do something without hipprocracy, you cannot do anything without truly believing in it.
When believing in something goes against your core values, then I feel, one should let the former go.
Well, at least as long as its not beyond the confines of personal space maybe? Lest anyone should stumble upon hearing my participation in songs of a morally corrupt nature.

So yeah, karaoke songs should be picked wisely, lest one would cause another believer to stumble.
even how tempting the tune could be, I guess one can play tunes without lyrics (instrumental alone) and that would be perfectly fine for all. :)

The Corinthian awakening

On the same topic there is more room for discussion and I just had to dive into it after coming across this passage and having already been conversing with a few friends, or rather just listening to all they had to say of a common occurrence that they have no idea how to prevent a relapse of.

Of the greatest gift that is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:2, ¨And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but I have not love, I am nothing.¨

Indeed, without faith, we cannot love, but Without Love, we cannot practice faith.

And why do we wonder and ponder to the extent of focusing our energies on the purpose of life even after we have the knowledge that God is the overseer of all things. Like how the chef is to cook as the waiter is to serve. And it is no business of the waiter to go about in the kitchen telling the chef how to do what he does best- To cook!

Yet the waiter takes the orders and reports to the Chef regarding the needs of the restaurantś guests. So even though the waiterś responsibility involves the start and the finish of the chefś work, he is not to meddle in the kitchen for the chef would be rather perturbed (I think!) should he be disturbed whilst doing his best whipping up that which is necessary.

If your focus is on Him, then work towards that focus.
As Paul puts it in His letter to the church at Corinth, even as the gift of tongues that is evidently more exclusive, if not unless it goes into the ¨edification of the church through interpretation¨ then he would rather wish that more people prophesied. (reference to 1 Cor 14:5) I trust that Paul is speaking on the terms of practicality, and whoever says that the bible is not?!

If what we say does not stand to benefit the person our words are directed towards, then why say it even? Why draw a gun when there is peace in letting be? Of course unless there is a brawl cooking up, then intervention would probably be imperative. Yet, pointing a gun in the direction of angry brawlers is hardly a solution to effective peacekeeping.

¨But he who prophesies speaks in edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.¨ ~ 1 Cor 14:3-4

In youth, there is always a lack of life experience that makes acts of folly pardonable, yet when one has grown to be of a full man, there are certain expectations that he should deliver on his part.As Paul puts it: ¨When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.¨~1 Cor 13:11

No man is an island. that is why we have friends. Perhaps not every advice is to be applied, but every word is worth considering before you choose to adopt or forget.

Say it as it is, let them know you know

People can only do so much with little encouragement.
The power of a remark is so that it can terribly crush or build a person up to all that one is able to offer.

Sometimes offering praise is an expression of how willing you are to put down your defenses and plainly admit that: hey, you can do better than me! so much so that, even with all the knowledge I have acquired, there is always something you can offer to add on to my value!

It is indeed a very humbling attribute you acquire when one puts acknowledgment of another´s efforts into words spoken in gladness and appreciation of another´s wisdom.

To think apart from me and me alone.
When we extend this to our community at large, it can work wonders.

Even when we praise God, we are truly recognizing and proclaiming His glory.
It puts our egos into perspective, so we are reminded of our little significance in the big scale of things. Pardon, when i say little significance, I refer to a contribution on our part, but truly, an individual´s contribution is only part of what makes everything work.

Our gifts are small, yet, very very necessary.
Its all about offering whatever we have, without thought of its measure in comparison to what other people can afford to give on their accord.

I want to know what Love is

In the world of tennis, a nil score, is represented by ¨Love¨.
When one starts to keep a score, competition begins, calculations exist. Love, then, will cease.

It is not so much i can only give you what you deserve.
But how can you give something you never had?
A gifter must have the means to give.

No one deserves anything.
How are we to measure how one would be eligible for something enough for one to receive?

We are but humans, we are not omnipotent.
The only deliverer is God Himself.

What we have, all is His. He has the power and authority to choose what and to which He shall gift.

For I have received, I humbly give.
If I give with grudge, God knows my heart, then He would rather I not give.

Love has to be willing. When it does, it has an endless capacity of flow.
But when you try to snatch it out of someone, the giving stops, because you can never force someone to love you. Love is unconditional and is only justified by the extent as to which one is willing to offer.

I can never give you what you demand if what you want is what I have not.

I cannot, BUT GOD CAN.

The over-analyzation of the already analysed

Do we sometimes read too much into something and lose it's true meaning along the way? Things can be broken down, but it comes a time when it can be broken down no further and we just have to accept it as it is, at face value. I guess we consider different perspectives to get a clearer overview on covert transgressions towards oneself and others so we can measure up and weigh the stakes involved more proportionately.

Get too near, and the focus misaligns, affecting the field of vision as the eyes lose sight of clarity and confuses your mind.

When can we stop disecting things anymore than we should?


Where and how do we add quality in our lives to maximise it's intensity regardless of the length of it's intended existence?

It is much of a shame and a let down to oneself to hold back from enriching one's life by refusing to let go of one's past that is preventing one from moving on from a state of lifelessness out of grief to empowered liberation.

I believe it is possible to take calculated risks without compromising your values and get something out of it that adds on to your life value.

This is what makes life exciting. To Figure out how to make do with what you have to create something out of what others see as nothing. It can be very interesting indeed.

Night duty screws your thinking like it is ever so apparent. I need music. Cos it's so dan quiet in here, it bores me.

Which part of your life do you want erased?

Thank God for pain.
For it is through these periods of suffering that my humanity is amplified.
Through these I would gain empathy, towards the people I have met and those whom I have yet to meet.
That when I say :"I understand, and I can help you through this pain"
It resonates. It is not empty.
That I have been empowered by reality to lend a hand when and where it is most needed.

As I rerun the hurts through the passing of time.
I am reminded of my fragility, my powerlessness, my need of reliance, The power of Him.

Because of Him in me. I can do so much.

To each his/her own. We all have areas in life where we find particular difficulty coming to terms with. Yet that is precisely the uniqueness of every individual, called to fulfill His intended purpose. Peas in a pod, but peas of distinctively separate entities.

Don't look back with regret over the things you have experienced which were beyond your control. Instead, look back with thanksgiving for the rare opportunity to explore the intricacies of life, and the ability He has given you to pull through those challenging times. Be proud to have survived and take joy that you are alive and well to tell your side of the story for His glory to be magnified in you.

I don't wanna rub off my past.
I want to embrace it and look ahead.

For I know all that did not work for me.
I'll make it work this time round as He wills me to.

From this time on

The goodness of waking up to the sweet crisp tweeting of birds atop the closest tree to my bedroom window....

Love it how you set the alarm, but nature awakens you at peace in this natural state of alertness before the bell goes off. Screw the alarm, it always makes waking up a chore. Next time I'll beat the alarm to it's beep.

Endeavor to be good to myself this time.
Limitations.
What are your limitations?
Principles.
What principles do you hold?

Do you abide by them at all costs?

Yes I will.

But without a trace of ugliness-
with grace and good cheer, live it out with conviction.

When I grow up...

... I will probably not want to be what I wished I was.

Never ever had I wished to be something else short of **name in lights** gorgeous, eyes, body, face... Now, I just wanna be plain, when you know what wonders you can add to achieve your desired effect. Wham! You can just about be anything you wish! So a blank canvas is all you need.

Young and impressionable once upon a time- Beauty, fame and fortune and ultimate happiness always seemed to belong together and Desire for a spot on the cover magazine almost killed the girl from within. Bam! upon realization that everything comes with a price, and a heavy one at that, you end up thinking... I'll rather not have what she has - so I can keep whatever I have that she doesn't - and stay providentially sane.

Har.
The child almost thought that one should always pick their occupation over careful consideration, that it would be what they'll be stuck with. For a lifetime. Phew, when it comes to education, you are only limited by your unwillingness to learn. Go back to school anytime! Make the switch and land yourself a new career! The possibilities are endless. Prestige? Nay! Over working yourself till extinction Vs time to do whatever your leisure and interest after labour AND procuring adequate finances to fulfill it? Give me the latter anytime!

If I should be a square and won't fit in the circle, I could cut so I'll fit (ouch!), or pragmatically, find a box and snuggle up nicely.

Repressed

Dependence has been a thing of the past.
Now that individualization has taken place, it brings about this strong sense of self worth and power.
The knowledge that everything can be done if you set your heart to it.
This is a revelation that empowers to a great extent.
Yet, man is not made to fly solo.
But wherein does one find the need, or perhaps, put it this way, what is the lure to conjugate?

Tis a mind boggling 180 degree attitude change has put my whole life into a different dimension, adapting a whole new take on what life is all about.

Suppose I can't make up my mind, what if... what if... well, one will not be likely to find out if one never tries.

Boldness. What a word. The word itself has so much grandeur to it.
I think of "boldness", then "impulsiveness" pops up on the other end of my mind.
Put it in another way, you could say that it is but spontaneity.
But how is it different from the recklessness of impulsiveness?
The dictionary serves up the explanation that being spontaneous means: without meditation, naturally occurring, unplanned and unconstrained.
Impulsiveness is a rash action, not preceded by thought.

So I ask again, then wherein lies the difference?

I am confused. God help me. I don't wish to be impetuous. Shucks, another synonym, complicating things a little further.

Free spirited as one is, It doesn't really bother whatever outcome this might bring, but will certainly strike one with guilt should things fall apart and bring sorrow to the one other.

Does the one that fit to a T really exist?

If one is looking for something that will last, one also fears that the durability will outlast the novelty sometime down the road, akin to a no-refund policy on a misfitted purchase, which is really, very easy to promise at first, but very hard to predict if there be any truth in it.

But one will be selfish to think that the window of opportunity be ever open till the day one makes up their very fickle mind- at long last. It's just not fair to the one in waiting. Is it?

Precisely because there is a future, there is cause for hesitation. If every moment was the last, why should there be anything stopping you from acting on your emotions? Events leading on from whatever we do will lead to consequences we shall have to bear. Can one put aside everything else to just concentrate on the situation alone? Afraid not. Many other elements come into play only after it has been formed.

Happiness is the result of the unconscious pursuit of it from walking the journey, then, I feel, the destination has no real value in it.

Perhaps waiting is still the best option for now. Better not let folly get in the way of rationality to spoil this serenity all now enjoy. If I want modification, at least I am in control. For all it's worth. At least not now.

Etch a sketch

Life as a slate board is very alluring to the likes of me. Everyday is a new day, filled with new experiences, though intangible, like the temporary scribblings on the magic slate, serves to add on to the scrapbook of visual memories, retained in the subconsciousness, affecting our every next move, and the decisions we proceed to make.

It will be most unfortunate if one should hold back an adventure by hesitating to seek it out for themselves. Life is an amazing adventure. Some say, every path leads to a future. Whichever path it may be, whatever direction you take. There is a future that lies ahead. We accumulate experiences as we pass the stages of life and take pleasure in the ones that make us happy while we survive the ones that serve to strengthen and build us.

Trouble is an essential part of this journey we take. Else what do we live for? We hunt only because we feel hunger. We work only because we need to satisfy our hunger. Hunger for staple, for extravagance, for beauty, for fame. Bringing us back to the hunger for fortune, so as to allow us to repeat this cycle we title: "Progress".

An article I once read questioned the progress of mankind and how this longing motivates us, yet, inevitably disables us in more ways that we can think of. It robs us as we add to it. Deprives us of what really matters, our happiness, or so, we fail to recognize.

Can contentment go hand in hand with the strive for improvement and progression? These two words seem to be at loggerheads with each other. Can we possibly strike a balance between these conflicting longings that mankind have relentlessly tried to pursue since the beginning of time?

I assume not till any of you are able to challenge my thoughts and serve up a plausible explanation.

Everything in this world is made up of two colours. Black and White. Counterparts that are impossible to blend. We can only accept the fact that on every white area, leaves room for a black spot, vice versa. To think that the Yin and Yang symbol have been mistakenly associated with a particular religion when what it actually represents is simply the reality of life.

The next time you come by a symbol, ask oneself what it denotes. It does not necessarily have to represent a culture, for it is but a representation of an idea, not a stance.
It is only what you make it out to be. Subjectively you are always entitled to be right. But that does not prove others to be wrong.

Instincts

Trust is very much overrated.
can one ever do it wholeheartedly?

I hate to think, No.
But what is the reality towards this issue?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

This is the only guarantee one can ever have in life.
You'll think, I trust my instincts. But sometimes instincts don't make you feel at ease.
Whenever I start to begin thinking of settling a particular crisis in MY own terms,
more often than not, I begin to place myself in the circle, then my thoughts would lean towards the universe with ME in the centre of it all.
But hey, what's so great about ME?

The very true fact is, I am nothing. I am but one person, contributing to this universe, my existence, it don't matter. The world will not stop, with me or without.

I made up my mind.
If I declare love, shall I limit myself to Love "within limits"?
This is hard to say, but I choose not to.

God gave me a choice.
God did not put me through this to kill me, instead, he trying to use the situation to my advantage, to strengthen me.

How should I react?
Should I put self interest above others?
If I don't think for myself, then who will care to assume responsibility towards my well being?

More often than not, every time we place ourselves in the "pity box", we retract our minds and fail to realize the immense potential of how we can change the situation to turn it into the best thing that could ever happen to us.

What can HE not possibly do?
He tells us to Love, but he forgot to say, how much?
We ask, when do we draw the line?

But the true question is: why is there a need for a line?
Love knows no boundaries. Isn't it?

Love is like a pivot, where we fix ourselves upon.
then the dial is free to move around, all 360 degrees.
It never ends.
Such is the limitless Love we receive, such is the magnitude of love we should give.

I endeavour to banish all thoughts of "What about ME?"
and adapt the :"I can do that for you!" attitude towards life.
Peace is about being able to sleep well at night,
and peaceful slumber i will have for life.

By Golly

For me to revive this long forgotten blog of mine, I guess it must have been the accumulated longing for assignments that pushed me into this. Yeah, I really miss assignments. I must be nuts, you think. I dread exams an awful lot, but when it comes to essay based stuff, you can always count on me to produce one with glee.

It feels good to let out your opinions on paper without the need to argue. To state a viewpoint and make it apparent to the reader how this point has many advantages yet, still considering the opinion of others through referenced details and information.

It is hard to accept someone's differing view when a conflicting issue arises at some point in a conversation.
Why?
Is it because the act of acceptance signifys defeat in another sense?
It is so hard to humble oneself to say sorry.
So we choose not to admit our faults. Instead we insist.
But what help is it to a situation if we hold on to our faulty take on a problem and try to cast every other probably more feasible ideas away?

The result is simple to hypothesize.
The discussion gets nowhere, and everybody leaves vexed and all heated up.

Is it so hard to just let go?
What good does it do to be stubbornly opinionated?

Note to self:
Better to be open to the ideas of everyone then try doing things your way, anyway.
Like they always say, two brains are better than one.
That's why we are made with two ears and one mouth.
Better to leave our pride aside, so our ears stay open.