Fighting Your Demons...

The word "demon" comes from the Greek word "daimon". 

Since Christ, it carries a negative connotation to an idea revolving around a dark force that possesses a place or a person.

Ain't we all have similar experience? Some dark moments that held us captive. Some dark past that creep out from nowhere to haunt us.Some ideas, some thoughts, some voices in our head that tell us that we are not going to fulfill our destiny. A spirit of fear that grips our heart, paralyzing us from head downwards, causing us to stop dreaming, stop walking and stop reaching our destine goals.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,

but against principalities,

against powers,

against the rulers of the darkness of this world,

against spiritual wickedness in high places."

~ Ephesians 6:12 (King James Version)

Perhaps we are all trying to fight off our demons. Sometimes it seems impossible to overcome. But as long as we are still fighting, good always triumph over evil. Even Goliath can be brought down by a stone.

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;

but of power,

and of love,

and of a sound mind."

~ 2 Timothy 1:7 (King James Version)

Sometimes the fight seems to go on for so long, sometimes we feel so tired. But as we stop and think it through, most of the time our answers are right there in front of us. We are often too overwhelm to see that.

"... In the world ye shall have tribulation:

but be of good cheer;

I have overcome the world." 

~ John 16:33  (King James Version)

Covetousness

"Tom has just got this Be-au-ti-ful house.Why can't we have something that?

Why can't you be be like Mary? She is such a gem. Dick is so fortunate.

Harry and Susie are such great workers. Why don't I have workers like that?

Wow, Lucy! Your convertible is Fan-tas-tic!

I wish I was half as smart as you."

Sounds familiar? Ever heard someone saying those?

That is probably because it has been around since the fall of Adam, the first man.

Hence a Higher Being has to intervene on earthly matters, sending texts from heaven

That day, Mosses was carrying the latest tablet PC from Apple.

It was called, iStone.

It was on this iStone Tablet,

God Whatsapp Mosses His Instructions,

at Mount Sinai.

Perhaps the 3G reception there was better.

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, 

thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, 

nor his manservant, 

nor his maidservant, 

nor his ox, 

nor his ass, 

nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." 

~ Ten Commandments

How To Ask A Girl Out On Date?

I was watching "The 40 Year Old Virgin" on 5 last night. It is still refreshing funny even though I have watch it before.

Even though the show was meant to be a comedy. I have learnt something from it that I think we all can benefit from.

Firstly, it is NOT pathetic to be a virgin. It is completely fine. But it is not fine to be a WERID Virgin...

Two, women are not interested in how good you are in bed.... (Not done yet.. Don't be too happy...) ... until they know how good you are to them.

Three, because we are of opposite sex. EXPECT differences... That is also a nice way of saying.. EXPECT quarrels and arguements and disagreements. They are all ok... Unless they went out of hand.

Four, here are tips for all you single men out there who need a tip on How to get a Date...

How To Ask A Girl Out On Date

You met her, you talked to her, you got her number and, so far, everything is going great. But now comes that awkward point, …

How To Ask A Girl Out For Date

If it is a girl you are really interested in your mind might be filled with doubts and insecurities :
What if she says no ?
Am I trying to move too fast ?
Maybe she thought we were just friends and she will be offended if I ask.

All of these fears, although natural and common, are dumb. If you want a date with this girl you have the right to ask her out. Don't allow your life to be ruled by doubt and insecurity.

So what are the best ways to ask a girl out ?

There are several cheesy techniques you can use to lower your chances of rejection (such as making a bet with a girl and the loser has to make them dinner) but these kinds of games are unnecessary. If you are straightforward, and don't beat around the bush about what you want, a girl will respect and admire your confidence.

Optimally, you would ask her in a face-to-face setting. However, if that is not possible, either because the opportunity won't present itself or because you aren't confident enough, your best alternative would be over the phone.

Avoid, at all costs, asking through email or any other written medium (Instant Messenger, a note, etc.). Not only do these methods scream "CHICKEN!" they also leave behind a paper trail that may or may not come back to haunt you.

One way to avoid looking like an idiot is to have something in mind to say for these three possible reactions to your question so you won't be caught off guard :

If she says "yes"

Have a plan in mind; know your schedule and have an idea to suggest.

If she says "no"

Don't act shocked or offended. Just be like, "Alright." Then carry on the conversation as if you never asked. Be friendly and polite. Too often guys take a "no" personally and get ticked off. Girls don't admire or respect a negative reaction. The fact that you were able to brush off her rejection so easily may actually raise her interest.

If she says "some other time"

Have a plan B in case she is busy. If she still acts like she has too much to do it's probably because she's not interested and doesn't want to hurt your feelings. Accept it as a rejection and move on.

Of course, you go into it expecting her to say "yes" but it's, as with most things in life, it's important to be prepared for the worst.

Tips on how to ask a girl out

The real key to getting women to say "yes" when you ask for the date IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE ATTRACTED TO YOU.

If a woman is attracted to you then why wouldn't she want to go out on a date with you ? It makes sense but most guys don't think of it that way... they miss the point and focus on "how to ask" rather than focusing on raising her attraction.

Balance Your Work and Family Life

I am delicating this Post to my friend, E. I hope in some ways you can find what you are looking for.

Please began this journey by doing a simple quiz. Click Here>>

(from http://www.realtor.org/archives/slscoach20050425)

Juggling act
8 Ways to Balance Your Work and Family Life
By John D. Mayfield

Whether you’re new to real estate or you’ve been in the profession for a length of time, it doesn’t take long to find out how time can get away from you. But balancing all the demands of family and business effectively is essential if you want a long and profitable career in real estate.

Time is a valuable commodity, especially when your days are filled with property showings, listing appointments and presentations, prospecting for new business, following up on pending contracts, and contacting existing clients. Not to mention the need to pay bills, attend weekly sales meetings, field phone calls, plus much more. With this deluge of activity, sometimes our most important asset—family—gets placed on the back burner.

So how do you juggle family and work responsibilities in your fast-paced life? Here are eight ways to bring balance into your life:

1. Put your family first. Regardless of what else comes our way on a daily basis, you need to make time for your family, the No. 1 priority.

2. It’s your schedule—not your clients’. One of the great values of being in the real estate business is the ability to be flexible with your own hours. Don’t be afraid to tell a client or a customer that you have a commitment on this day or at that time. If it’s a school choir concert or a Little League ballgame, that is a commitment on your schedule and you should try and arrange another time to work with the customer. Believe me, this is my 27th year in the real estate business and most of my clients and customers will always work with my schedule.

3. Plan your day in advance. Planning your day allows you to create a road map for the day’s work and helps you avoid wasting many productive minutes throughout the day. Make sure your planning includes time with your spouse and family. It’s also important that you take your planning to another level: planning your week in advance. Spending 15 to 20 minutes to plan out your week will make a big difference in setting time aside for your family and other important commitments without sacrificing the work that needs to get done.

4. Exercise each day. Feeling good about your health will produce a new outlook on your life and provide you with more energy. Not only will the exercise provide more vigor, it will keep you in good health to enjoy your family for a long time.

5. Take vitamins and eat right. Incorporating the right foods and taking a multivitamin on a daily basis will improve your health and give you more energy. It’s proven that a poor diet can lead to many health problems and a lack of energy. As real estate professionals, we can be guilty of eating from our cars and frequently using the local drive-thru for meals. You think that the time saved by grabbing the quick meal is helping you get ahead, but in the long term, it is robbing you of the proper nutrients and taking away important energy.

6. Turn off your mobile phone from time to time. Don’t be afraid to turn off your mobile phone when spending time or eating a meal with your family. Society has become so “wired” with portable devices and communication aids that you often use your equipment without noticing how disruptive it can be to a family outing. Check your voicemail at your first opportunity and return calls later, and change your voice message to indicate you will be unavailable until a certain time.

7. Team up with another practitioner in the office. Teaming up will ensure that all your calls and emergencies are covered while you’re out of the office. Be a team player in return when your team member needs some extra time away from the office to treasure his or her family. You’ll both benefit from this act of kindness.

8. Give yourself a daily reminder. Remind yourself on a daily basis how valuable the time is that you spend with your spouse and family. In an article from Career Journal, published by The Wall Street Journal Online, writer Kevin Voigt offers this story: "Ostensibly, successful people, if they do have an Achilles heel, it's work-life balance," says Michael Jenkins, Singapore-based Asian managing director of the Center for Creative Leadership, an executive training and research company. "You can't regain your children's childhood; no amount of professional success can compensate for the loss of that family time. At the end of the day, if you aren't a success at home as well, (success at work) probably won't count for much."

If you haven’t been very effective in balancing your life and work, don’t beat yourself up. It’s never too late to make a change. What’s important is that you learn your weaknesses and make a decision to move forward in a positive new approach to balancing your work and family.

What is Love?

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. …" ~ 1 Corinthians 13 : 4-8 (NIV)

What is love?

Love represents a range of human emotions and experiences related to the senses of affection and sexual attraction. Love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure to intense interpersonal attraction. This diversity of meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states. As abstract a concept, love refers to a strong, ineffable feeling towards another person. Even this limited conception of love, encompasses a wealth of different feelings, from the passionate desire and intimacy of romantic love to the nonsexual.

Indeed the complexity of Love is difficult to define and understand, even the wisest man ever lived says:

"There are three things that amaze me – no, four things I do not understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman." ~ Proverbs 30 : 18-19 (NLT)

The power of Love is unfathomable. I used to say: "Love is amazing... It is the fuel that keeps you going during tough times... It is the joy you look forward during good times... Love is your soul..."

Indeed, we love because we want to be love back, not many can love and want nothing back in return. Love hurts when the love we offered was rejected or turn down. It is difficult to learn to trust yet love is all about trust. Isn’t it amazing how two people from different walks of life spending the first 20 - 30 over years of their life apart in different conditions different culture to come together and say we want to be together. That takes a lot of trust. To me, love is learning to be vulnerable. Learning to offer yourself as you are, all the strengths and all the weaknesses. Leaving it to the mercy of the other party to accept you as who you are..

Love is giving you, your best and all you have to the one you love, on the expense of yourself so that the one you love can be happy...

Will I have a special someone to share my life with? Will I find someone who I can be with like these couples in 50 years time?

The price of success

Everyone of us wants to be successful. But what does it take to be successful in life?

In the real world that we are living, everything comes with a price tag. Anything that you wish to have, requires something of you.

You want a career, you have to put in hard work. You want good relationship, it demands your dedication. You want to be successful, what are you willing to pay?

The price of success ultimately leads to loneliness. The higher you climb, the lonelier you become. There is a saying that goes "It is a lonely way up!"

You may not agree with me, but you know that the model of the world is a pyramid. The higher it goes, the more tapered it becomes.

True enough along the way there are people at the same strata walking with you. But as you progress, you find yourself losing those that do not catch up with you.

You find yourself living with only your purpose. Only your purpose is left to keep you going. Your daily activities, your hobby, your lifestyle, everything about you has only your purpose in priority.

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" ~ Matthew 16 : 25-26

Fate vs Prayer

"Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. " ~ Psalm 127 : 1 (NIV)

" "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. " ~ Mark 11 : 22-24 (NIV)

Ever ask yourself that question? If God is the Lord of all and all things work according to His mighty plan, isn't everything pre-fix in heaven? Or rather what will be will be, because God has already ordained it. So if everything is predestine, should we Que Sara Sara, whatever will be will be? Or should we pray for the mountain to be removed?

Unless God move, nothing changes. Yet God can defy the laws on earth. So how do we pray in the will of God that He will move? Or rather how could you pray to move God? How would you know that what you ask for glorified His Name?

" Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God's curse. All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently.

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory.

What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? Will God? No! He is the one who has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? Will Christ Jesus? No, for he is the one who died for us and was raised to life for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? (Even the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. " ~ Romans 8 : 20-39 (NLT)

"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. " ~ Romans 5 : 3-5 (NKJV)

Vulnerability of Men

Here I am studying all about Genetic diseases, watching House on the Internet, thinking, Hey human are in fact very vulnerable.

The human body as you already know is made up of your 23 pairs of chromosomes. In which, lies your super condense DNA. And error in the DNA replication can cause a medical disease. It can range from a tumor to cancer. Which in fact is probably the same thing.

You live your prime years of youth not knowing anything, but when you grew older, your body deteriorates. You never will know what will happen in life.

You can be happy at one moment and bang. Your wife have cancer and she is dying. You can be happy you finally become a father and bang. Your infant got a MRSA from the hospital. Next thing you know you are ordering an infant coffin.

My point is, human are very vulnerable. We are subjected to all kinds of diseases, trauma, disaster, you name it, we have it. And the key of our survival is simply faith. We believe that we can pull through tomorrow.

It is that simple like it or not. Faith. All that you have...

Am I sowing on good grounds? (Part 1)

Today, as I was on my way to work, I began to recall what I posted a few months back:

"The condition of the soil determines the destiny of the seed."

"A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The plants sprang up quickly, but they soon wilted beneath the hot sun and died because the roots had no nourishment in the shallow soil. Other seeds fell among thorns that shot up and choked out the tender blades. But some seeds fell on fertile soil and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted." ~ Matthew 13 : 3 - 8 (NLT)

Let's see, 25% of the seeds were stolen by the devil, 25% of the seed produced a hundred folds return. Yet there were 50% of the seeds falling on bad ground.

So I began to ask myself this: "How much of my seeds actually falls onto good ground?"

How much of my time and energy and fiances have I been investing on unfruitful things or relationships that will never bear fruits?

You can keep sowing on harden grounds and thorny grounds, in the end, you are just wasting your seeds. I like what Dr. Edwin Louis Cole says:

"A farmer spreads good seeds, but once the seed is sown, it is not up to the seed to produce. It is up to the soil to make the seed produce."

If you are asking yourself: "I have been sowing a lot yet I do not see a harvest. Am I sowing in the right places?" The answer is probably "NO!"

What should I do? How do I know which grounds to sow on?

To Be Continued....

What is Life?

Life is like a box of chocolate...

You get pieces of shitty looking stuff lining up for you..

Yet only after you tasted it.. You could enjoy the sweetness of the candy..

3 Practical Steps to enter the Presence of God

I was inspired by the CG meeting last night. The presence of God was amazing, and it lingers until now. And I was inspired to put down my thoughts here.

The CGL asked me to share what is my unique way to enter the presence of God. It took me a second and this is what I said:

"I would go into my room... I would pick up my guitar... Kneel on the floor... I would play my guitar... I would keep playing until I get a song... And once I get a song... I step into the presence of God..."

Immediately after I finished my sentence, the presence of God fall onto me. And there was a connection into eternality.

The words I spoke last night keep flashing in my mind today after I woke up. And all of a sudden, the presence of God hit me once again, and I was weeping like a little child. I picked up my guitar and started playing. Songs and songs kept coming. I had a glimsp of Glory.

People who know me long enough will know this. Every time I talk about spiritual things, it sounds like a 3 point sermon. So here goes...

How do you enter the presence of God?

Like I said just now, the first thing I do is to go into my room.

1. To enter the presence of God, you have to first make a desicion.

I am still reading Dr Edwin Louis Cole's book and he says "It takes 2-3 second to make a decision, 2-3 weeks to form a habit."

To enter God's presence you got to first make that decision you want to. Then you can go into, in this case I went into my room, you enter the Outer Courts to seek God's face.

The next thing I do was to pick up my guitar and play until I get a song. So..

2. To enter the presence of God, you need to wait for the Lord.

As I play the guitar and wait for a song, I began to quieten my heart, I enter the Inner Courts and wait for the Lord. And by waiting, the bible says: "Hope defers make the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life". When the King finally arrives, you will not be disappointed.

Finally, after much waiting I will get a song, and step into the presence of God.

3. Waiting for God will help you enter the Holy of holies.

In that presence, the blind begin to see, the deaf begin to hear. The sick get healed, and the lame can walk. In that position, you will hear what you needed to hear, you will find your answers that you are seeking, you will see Glory. And your life began to change. Transformation takes place inside of you. Only when you experience it yourself, you will understand why is it call a burning bush experience.

Change is as instant as you make that Decision!

I am still on Dr Edwin Louis Cole's book.

He says "It takes 2-3 second to make a decision, 2-3 weeks to form a habit."

Mr Tan Ye Ping says in order to bring about change it takes a Decision, Determination and Discipline.

That is all it takes... A decision...

Once some friends told me. "Hey Gary, change is not so simple. It takes a long time for me. I take a bit longer to change."

I answered "All it takes you is a decision that you want to change. And change is immediate 180 degree."

You know I understand what they mean when they say it takes time to change. I was there... Been through it... Done that.. Took a photo and have returned.. Before I was a Christian, I came to church and visited for a full 6 months. I attended every service, every cell group. I am a regular church goer. However, I was not saved, and my heart was not ready. A friend who brought me to church ask me "It has been 6 months, so when are you going to make a decision?"

And my answer to him at that time was "Look, my heart is like the wooden bridge in King Arthur's days. I got to slowly and surely turn the wheel and let go of the chain for the bridge to slowly come down."

I was exactly like what they say "It takes a long time for me. I take a bit longer to change."

However, it was until I was forced to make that decision, I finally realise "Change is a 180 degree, change is almost as immediate as you make that decision."

Since then my life was radically changed. When I received a word, I received it into my heart and immediately went about doing it. That is when change takes place the fastest. Procrastination is what the devil used to steal your seed that lies on good ground. Remember, some seeds fell on the ground and the bird came and took it away...

I like what Dr Cole says here "No decision is a decision by default. Indecision is still a decision - it is just a decision not to decide."

So at that time I told my friends "Hey, look. I don't think you take long to change. I think you are not convince that you need to change."

And till now I still hold true to my belief.

Change is as instant as you make that Decision!

Why does the Chicken cross the Road?

Why does the Chicken cross the Road?

No, my friend. It is not a joke. Why does the Chicken cross the Road?

A philosophical question.

A chicken represent timidness. A chicken represent fear. A chicken represent a domesticated animal that live for one reason only. A chicken live to be slaughtered for food. A chicken has only one thing in mind. To live another day to eat and be jolly before getting its neck twisted and its body roasted.

So? Why does the Chicken cross the Road?

The road represents danger. The road represents uncertainity. The road is dangerous. The road will kill.

So? Why does the Chicken cross the Road?

Why does a timid chicken who have a short life span try its luck in crossing the road? Knowing that more than 50% of the time it is going to get kill?

Why does the chicken want to take that risk? To take that risk of getting injured, to take that risk of getting hurt?

Is it true that the grass is greener on the other side?

Or is it true that the chicken is so tired of his present situation it wants to try something new?

Something new can be good. Something new can be bad. No one knows actually.

So? Why does the Chicken cross the Road?

Sometimes fear drives us to take risk that we normally would not. Sometimes fear make us do things.

Is it better that the chicken live its purpose to be fed and slaughtered? Or is it better for the chicken to dash across the road in search of freedom risking its life of getting killed at an instant? Or even try to delay its death by being free at the other side? Most of the time change is for the better. No ones knows. It is for the chicken to decide and bear its consequences.

Why does the Chicken cross the Road?

Wondering thoughts

We all make decisions base on our past experience. Our memory and emotions give us the motivation to decide, to act out a certain decision. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad.

Past experiences are what shaped us. Psychologist name this as "learning". The learning process is as simple as it is complex. Conditioning is another term used in the world of psychology.

A certain stimulus can cause us to react in a certain way. This is the initial stages of "Classical Conditioning" called "Acquisition". It is associating a certain neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit in a conditioned response.

There is also "Generalization". Where people learnt to generalize ideas of situations. For example, if so-&-so did that-&- that it means this -&- this. A generalize idea can be dangerous, it is when you stereotype and everyone is like this when they behave in that way.

However, there is also "Discrimination" where people learn to distinguish different stimulus. Can you imagine a world that cannot discriminate the differences? How drastic things will become?

Hopefully, "Extinction" will come when the certain stereotyped stimulus is not paired with the unconditioned stimulus of "fear" (or anything). Yet "Spontaneous Recovery" do take place and it takes a shorter time to learn to response to the stimulus.

My point is. There is a flip side of a coin. Maybe what you saw and experience have a lot to do with your past. Not the present. Maybe things are not as you thought they are...

Loving or Unloving?

Ever heard anyone saying this to you?

"You are so unloving, why are you torturing me like that? I am weak. Be more loving."

I hear this often. In fact, when I was younger, those were my lines. Oh. Come on. As if you never said that before.

Over the years, I began to realise sometimes the most loving thing to do to help your love ones isn't very loving at all. It involves a lot of pain. Yet through that pain is when someone learn and grow. Like the old saying "No pain, No gain".

Sometimes what seems very loving is not actually helping you.

In chinese, we say "忠言逆耳利於行, 良藥苦口利於病"

(I know most of you don't know what it meant. So here is the explaination in english "Loyal advice that sounds unpleasant must still be followed. Effective medicine that tastes bitter must still be swallowed.")

有时候, 百闻不如一见...

("seeing for oneself is a hundred times better than hearing from others"). Watch this vedio. Maybe it will explain my point clearer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meaning of Life... Part 1

"And I applied myself by heart and mind to seek and search out by [human] wisdom all human activity under heaven. It is a miserable business which God has given to the sons of man with which to busy themselves. " ~ Ecclesiastes 1:13 (Amplified)

Normally in blogs, people write about their daily stuff. What happened to them, what interesting things happened, who pissed them off, their horrible day, etc, etc...

Today I am writing something deeper than that. Something that most people avoid talking about, what most people need yet unaddressed... It is a dangerous mission, yet someone has to do it. So if you are not ready, please proceed to another blog. Read on at your own risk...

The meaning of life...

What is the meaning of life?

For thousands of years, men and women of every age, every race, and every culture sought to understand the meaning of life. Throughout history, scientists and philosophers, theologians and artists, politicians and social activists, monks and sages, men and women from all walks of life discussed and debated many questions in the quest to discover the meaning of life.

Buddhists believed that the meaning of life is to go through suffering. And only attaining Nirvana, can one be freed from suffering and pain...

Christians believed that a Creator had created the world and life in it, and life's meaning is nothing more to accomplished the plan the Creator creates.

One focus on the pain and how to get out of the pain, while the other focus on the goal and how to achieve the goal inspite of the pain that comes along with it...

Now, lets put the two belief aside for a while... Let's un-christian-ised and un-buddhist-ised for a while, for a more philosophical view.

The truth of the matter is that the two belief system has one thing in common. That is, pain and suffering is inevitable. The truth is people start questioning the meaning of life because they are unhappy and depressed about their present circumstances.

While in search of true happiness, many will realise what Solomon states in his book of Ecclesiastes, : "in the end of the day, I am just chasing wind". The wisest man in the world described fruitless efforts in search of "Enlightenment" as "chasing the wind"

He opened his book saying:

"Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever."

Don't we all question ourselves at some point in time:

"Why am I working so hard for?"

I know I have... And I know all those works will one day account to zero just as everything you can see is only temporal.

I began searching the meaning of life at the age of 14... I had enough to live day by day, I had a shelter over my head, I have education, what more can a 14 year old want and not get? A Sega (at that time), or Nintendo? No... No materialistic item can satisfy the soul. The soul is hungry for "soul food", which none can provide.

I grew up in a Buddhist family, not highly devoted, just by name a Buddhist. I watched how people goes to the temple in search of answers but return with none. I saw how people prayed and pleaded but none was answered. Maybe those people are asking for "selfish" stuff that the gods will not allow such "selfish" requests.

I myself asked for an answer. An answer to how man arrived on earth and how man must continue. I asked for directions, directions in life on how to be a better person, how to please the gods above. I ask for a good life, a comfortable life, a life full of myself and I with no regards of anyone else. I was a self-centred man, a typical man, asking for an escape route from the reality. The reality was the circumstances at the moment. I needed a breakthrough, not just a temporary solution, a permanent breakthrough. One that I can leave my past in the past, and forward into a brighter future.

Like what you guess, it is all but chasing after the winds. Its a vicious cycle.

Then at the age of 21, I came to know Christ. At first, I thought it made a difference. But it didn't, nothing changed. Only as I grew to understand the words of Ecclesiastes.

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." ~ Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (KJV)

Nightmare

"Nightmare is the term currently used to refer to a dream which causes a strong unpleasant emotional response from the sleeper, typically fear or horror, or the sensations of pain, falling, drowning or death. Such dreams can be related to physical causes such as a high fever, or psychological ones such as psychological trauma or stress in the sleeper's life, or can have no apparent cause. If a person has experienced a psychologicaly traumatic situation in life, for example, a person who may have been captured and tortured the experience may come back to haunt them in their nightmares. Sleepers may waken in a state of distress and be unable to get back to sleep for some time. Occasional nightmares are commonplace, but recurrent nightmares can interfere with sleep and may cause people to seek medical help. " ~ (* Wikipedia)

In others words, Nightmare is the circumstance that every one want to wake up from. Yet to each of us there is nightmare in our life.

I am a student, sort-of... A part-time student. And every student knows, they have a nightmare that creeps them, chill to their spine. Exams are what we, students hate. But exams are not our nightmare. Our nightmare is the fleshly nature behind exams. "NO MOOD TO STUDY!"

Oooo.... The thought of it brings chills down my spine.... How many students suffered through the transition of "No Mood To Study" (NMTS)? Exams in 2 days time, "bam" Hit but NMTS... A classic killer... Its worse than PMS that guys suffer every month... It's hell break loose on earth...

Your emotions within you churn... The dilemma between knowing what you should do and the actual doing them confuses you... Brings the blues in you... The emotional turmoil inside fighting the flesh... Not that any of us are stupid... Not that any of us can't do it... But rather... Your body starts to go on strike... "I don't want to go through this anymore!", he says. Yet your brain being the center of command says the opposite... You can't fight it anymore... You felt that you are losing.... You felt that you are giving in...

All the moral teachings you learn from your religion, all the prayers you could offer... All the cries you can give to God... Suddenly seems so futile....

You feel like a kid-o, you feel helpless... You feel like you have no control of your situation... Even thou you know that is not true... You felt that blues...

It is like a nightmare that you can't wake up from... You struggle and you struggled some more.... There is nothing you can do... You felt defeated.... You call upon the Name that is above all names.... You call for help... Nothing happen....

That, my friend, is NMTS, "No Mood To Study"...

If the above is in anyway resemblance of someone you know... Know that it is not fictional.... It is the same temptation that crawls up our doorstep.... You are not alone... Remember:

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." ~ 1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV)

Bite you lips... Hold on tight... Keep walking... Open that book of yours... Keep reading... Telling yourself "I CAN BECAUSE OF YOU!"

Remember, Nightmares are meant to be waken from...

When we have questions...

In the beginning it was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. Let there be life, and there was life, with the breath of life.

What is life? We did not choose when or where we appear. In fact we did not chose to live in the first place. So what is life about? Why was there life? Who gave me life? How did an egg and a sperm create a living creature that walks the earth and dominates the world? And why an egg and a sperm create such different creatures? Some black, some white, some yellow, some brown. Some smart so not. Some big, some small. Some good-looking, some not. Some successful, some have yet be. Yet all are made in the same genetic material.

"The rich and the poor have one thing in common, the Lord is their God"

So why are some rich and others not? Why are some happy and some sad? Why is there drought and flood? Why is there war when there could be peace? How can one human murder another? How can there be backstab?How could people, a human being be harden in their heart? How can tragedy change a person's life? So bad things do happen to good people. But why?

A lot of questions isn't it?

Ain't we all full of questions? Ain't we all want to know why? Ain't we all have issues that bother us? Ain't we all carry baggages we want to lose? Ain't we all looking for some forms of answers in our life continuously? Ain't we all just imperfect human beings trying to do things right the first time?

Yet many times we failed. Many times we messed up. We ruined things that are not meant to be ruined. And so there are consequences for us to bear.

Indeed there are second chances in life yet not in every situation you get to do it again. Many times when you miss your chance you lose your stake. Haven't you heard that some people describe life as gambling. You win some, you lose some.

The pressure of life indeed is stressful, to the young to the old. Every age group has problems of their own. In their own way a heavy burden to bear.

There were those times when it feels like you reach the end of the road. Those times Your desperation drives you crazy. Worse of all, there is nothing you can do about it. You pray and prayed and pray some more. Yet, nothing happen.

There were those times you life seems like its going downhill. There were those times you fell and keep falling and you do not know when you will hit the ground. There were those times it feels like a dream, like a dream that you dreamt about falling. A dream you dreamt that you are falling and that you can't wake up from.

There were those times your life seems out of control. There were those times your adrenaline rushed to the max. There were those times your blood pressure hit the roof. There were those times your heart pound like its going to stop.

There were those times you lay flat on the floor like a piece of clay. There were those times you were nothing but crushed into pieces. There were those times you were down and you are out. There were those times you look up above. Waiting for a sign. Waiting for a higher being to pass you by. So that you can yell "HELP! God.... Is God there? Or is there God?" There were those times you get pound, you lose hope, you don't believe anymore. You stare at the sky wondering "God... Why do you hate me? Why are you messing up my life?"

Maybe it is true that only when you are not able can God be able. Maybe it is true that only when you break can God shape you. Or maybe it is true that when you become weak can you be strong. Or is Batman right that it is when you fall you learn how to stand up?

So what is it? What is life? And how to master the life given to you? How to live your life ahead? How do you not mess up? Intelligence? Wisdom? Guidance? Or luck? What is it?

Ain't we all looking for answers?

To Believe or Not to Believe

Faith (*Dictionary.com)
–noun
1. Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.
2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. See Synonyms at belief, trust.
3. Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance: keeping faith with one's supporters.
4. often Faith Christianity The theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God's will.
5. The body of dogma of a religion: the Muslim faith.
6. A set of principles or beliefs.

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There are many people around me, who claim that they have faith. But what was their faith built on?

On a few occasions, I was asked to join a group outing which I politely declined. Many time I had things to do, or exams to prepare. I was told that I do not have to worry, have faith in God, let the dead bury the dead, and they will pray for me. Sometimes I meet people whose faith was built on pure hope, or rather wishful thinking. Do they not know that faith without works is dead?

Now don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that do not hope. I am saying that hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. But faith is a tangible substance built on not just a belief. But faith is built on solid foundation of truths and experiences that creates the confident in the things that is believed.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." ~ NKJV (Heb 11:1)

While wishful thinking is a kingdom built in the air with fluffy cotton candy and nice feelings. No wonder the phrase “Building castle in the air”.

Without faith a man can crumble. Yet beware of people who talks about faith. Do not believe in their faith. Beware of their faith. That faith may very well destroy your life; make you lose your Faith.

So what is faith? What do you believe in? How far will you go to prove what you believe? What is it to believe? What is the truth that is hidden beneath lies? Who can you confide?

The answers are and have always been hidden in you…

A Gift or a Curse?

To each is given a set of talents. Every talent is a certain potential. Every potential can be converted to energy. Energy can be converted into action.

The First Law of Thermodynamics states that:

“In any process, the total energy of the universe remains constant.”

That means energy under normal conditions cannot be created or destroyed; rather, the amount of energy lost in a steady state process cannot be greater than the amount of energy gained, simply transformed from one type of energy to another.

Second Law of Thermodynamics states that:

“There is no process that, operating in a cycle, produces no other effect than the subtraction of a positive amount of heat from a reservoir and the production of an equal amount of work.”

Which means that that no process is 100% efficient, so there is no such thing as a perpetual motion machine. So living systems will break down unless they have some input of energy, or closed systems will become more disorganized over time. Often this is expressed by the saying "entropy tends to increase".

To put it simply, any time you do work, including the time you make an energy transformation, some of the starting energy is going to be lost as heat. So when you drive a car some of the gasoline's energy is lost right a way as heat, some gets turned into mechanical energy to move the car. Even some of this mechanical energy is also lost as heat. For instance if you feel your car's tires at the end of a trip they will be hot from friction with the road. This heat is an energy loss and is a consequence of the second law.

The Third Law of Thermodynamics states that:

“As temperature approaches absolute zero, the entropy of a system approaches a constant.”

Newton's First Law of Motion is often stated as:

“An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.”

In other words, a talent that is not used will not be used. When no energy is converted, there is no heat, potential is stored, and talent not release. The reserve is also true. A talent that is used keeps its strength when potential is released and converts into motion. Even the few thousand years of Chinese culture understood the underlining meaning. An art, 太極拳, was formed at the age of the ancient China where the Chinese used the Law of Physics to defeat their stronger opponents.

Hidden talents can be categorized under two denominations. Firstly, there are lazy people who have the talents but do not want to use them. Secondly, there are people dying to release what they have but circumstances do not allow them. It is what I called “being shelf”. You know if you have a can of delicious Campbell soup, say “Minestrone” (my favorite), and you did not open it. When you open it up, you heat it a little, the fragrance of the soup that savors your tongue, the sweet sweet aroma that rises can surface. But if you are only going to leave it on the shelf with the rest of your other canned food; the Minestrone soup is as good as a can. The true beauty of the very creation will never be revealed. It will stay on the shelf until it is tasted or it will stay on the shelf till expiry, aged and discarded, never will it be know the actual potential of the Minestrone.

It is sad to say that while many are waiting for their opportunity to breakthrough. There are many bummers who have the opportunity yet gave it away for a bowl of stew (if you know what I am talking about).

Only when the first-eleven is not available can the substitute be called. The agony of the substitute one can never comprehend. Or how a talented Ryan Giggs is limited by the rest of the teammates.

So what is more important? To shine in the industry or to maximize your potential? Can we have the best of both worlds?

The truth is there is a time and season for everything to happen. You got to be the right person to go to the right place to wait for the right time. When that holy trinity comes together, there is no way that you can not shine! That is of course unless you don’t give up half way. Most people give up when the tough gets going, and the going gets tough.

A piece of advice: Don’t quit!

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but do not quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow—
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out—
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.