Simple success tips from Adam:

Done by a genius called Adam J. Kurt.

Stumbled upon this and thought I should share the simple wisdom.

Hope your 2015 is going great so far! 

An unexpected gift

I had a very pleasant surprise today!

I went for a quick swim downstairs; just floating and lazing around in the empty pool.

Take a deep breath, close your eyes, go under.

Water gushes into your ear, engulfing you, swallowing you.

Move your arms, kick your legs, reach the surface.

There was no one there so I could swim float dance jump swish in the pool without a care.

I took a deep breath and dived to the bottom of the pool.

When I emerged, I saw 3 white flowers floating on the water near me!

They were definitely not there before I went underwater..

Pretty flowers, floating by, filling the blue pool with their beauty.

I knew that it was a gift, a special gift :)

I swam to collect them and put them beside the pool. 

They were warm to touch, as if they had just fallen from the sky.

Well in a way, they did fall out of the sky.

This takes the act of giving flowers to a WHOLE new level.  

Thank you for the flowers, God.

I cannot tell you how much this means to me.

And how God knows when and how to cheer you up when you need..

In ways.. maybe in little ways. But meaningful ways, nonetheless.

'You're not forgotten.You're beautiful, you're worth it. I am thinking of you.'

8D Myanmar 2014

Went to Myanmar earlier this year and here are some of the pictures I forgot to post.

It's a beautiful country, with the people so mild and the history so rich. 

Not a single Starbucks or MacDonalds to be seen, no H&M or Topshop to be found.

This is a land before commercialized time.. 

If you ever want to see a world before all our consumerism begins, 

this is the country to go to. 

Time is of the essence; 

before the major Corporation takes over.

Route: Yangon - Heho - Kalaw - Inle Lake - Indein - Bagan - Yangon

What's next?

Proverbs 29:18Amplified Bible (AMP)

18 Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]—blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he.

And now that question has been tugging at my heart. I know there is more but I can't seem to push past this quicksand I seem stuck in.

Praying for a fresh revelation, for a renewed vision.

Vision;

I'm in a pool of black water. I look around me and I'm surrounded by it.

Black, dirty water. Full of dead things.

The water's too cold, and I can't breathe. I can't breathe.

It's pulling me down, into the abyss of black nothings.

I struggle, and kick and push and tread to stay up but it's almost useless.

I'm growing tired and I'm freezing and I think my legs have stopped moving.

How deep will I go? 

Is there a bottom to this or will I keep sinking, sinking, sinking and fade into black.

Suddenly, a hand reaches out and with all my might, I push myself forward to grab it.

That strong hand is effortlessly pulling me out.

Up, up and up. 

And just like that, I'm out of the water.

I'm.. above.

I'm in a white space now, so white and so pure.

Standing in front of me is my rescuer.

I can't see his face, but I know who he is. 

Like a child would know their father, I know who he is. 

A gentle breeze washes over my body and blows away the remaining rancid black water off my skin.

I've never been so clean.

He sits down and I'm filled with such thanksgiving and glee that I begin to express myself in dancing and in singing. 

I twirl around him, I sing boldly.. And all that I'm focusing on is the smile on his face.

That smile..

It makes me want to keep pleasing him, to keep that beautiful smile on his face.

And so I dance on and sing on as he watches. His loving eyes never leaving me.

I'm in peace, I'm in joy, I'm liberated.

For every day

I was fortunate to see;

The painter getting up before dawn, 

dipping his huge brush into the palette of morning 

to blend out the darkness of midnight,

to paint a fresh masterpiece that day.

(pic taken in Cappadocia, dawn)

(Repost) Intermission: 60 mins

What i really want now,
is to have a picnic with You.

I'd wear my prettiest dress, and You just have to be there.
It'll be at a garden with lovely trees filled with shades of green, brown and yellow leaves.
Wild flowers will spring forth in abandon, dotting the ground with their little white petals.
My bare feet will crush the grass and leaves on the ground, joining in the sound of rustling leaves on the trees.
The strong old trees that shelter us, making me feel so safe.
No one will be here except for You and me, no one to interrupt. 

We can finally be alone.
Oh, to just forget the cares of the crazy world. To just spend time with You without being distracted.

I would bring some food, though I know You can bring the best food or make anything I feel like eating.
I would bring some juice, though I know You can grow the apples and make juice in no time.
I would want to bring, but You provide. You always provide.
When will I see that all You want is for me to bring is simply myself?

We would sit together on the soft ground, on a red picnic mat and a picnic basket next to us filled to the brim with food.
We'd talk.
I ask you questions about my life and You answering me in the way that you do. They may never be the full answers I want to hear but they are the right answers I need to hear. 

Then we'll just talk. Me, about my day. Even though You already knew what happened, You still stay and hear because You know that I just need someone to pour out all my worries and troubles and happiness and emotions to. Then You will reply, sometimes with words so wise that I do not see what it means.
We'd talk, how I love talking to You, and somehow the food and my hunger will lay forgotten.
Because You are all that i need.

And when I start to get tired, we'll just lay on the grass bed. 

I'll be smiling, I'll be contented. I never want to leave You. To leave such peace, such calm. Such love.
But You say that now that I'm well-rested, I should get back on and share the joy with others. Keeping and holding it all to myself would be too selfish. Keep loving, like how I love you.

And so the intermission ends, and the audience scurries back to their seats as the light dims.
The curtains begin to open and I take a deep breath as I walk up the stage.

My life is Your song, Your masterpiece.
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ears.

safe embrace

i long to look on the face of the one that i love,
long to stay in your presence,
it's where i belong.

nothing else matters..

That made all the difference.

[Pics taken during Autumn in England]

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day! 
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference. 

Robert Frost: The Road Not Taken

Value

Just one little observation I've noticed over the time I've been doing design as a profession..

Would you ask your dentist friend to do free extraction/whitening/braces for you?
No.
Why?
Because it's his profession.

Would you ask your doctor friend to operate on you for free and tell him you don't have the budget to pay for the fees but you're giving him exposure and experience anyway, so that's totally okay.
No, you wouldn't.

You understand the value in his work, and so you know its only right if you pay for his time and skills.
After all, you only pay for things that you think have a value.

So.. why would you think that its normal and fine to ask a graphic design to design your 'simple' collaterals for free?

'Oh you can just whip up a design in 10 mins, if I pay you $150 for it then won't you be cheating me off my money?'

Sure I could whip up a design in 10 mins, and a lawyer can send you his bill for 10 mins of his time.
What makes you think my 10 mins doesn't deserve a proper payment and the lawyer's does?

The thing that just irks me is the level of respect they give to good design and to designers.

If designing is that easy and deserves such a low budget, then why don't you save the money and do it yourself on Microsoft Word?

Because you know it is harder than it looks.

Way harder.

Designing involves a whole lot of planning, practice, concepts, late nights, deadlines, colour and type customization, time, and software proficiency.

So why would you, in the first place, want to approach a graphic designer to do your collaterals and what not?
Because you know the importance of a well-designed campaign.
Because humans are visual creatures, and because before you can even sell your products, your designs will represent you first.

So why aren't you willing to set aside some money if you understand its importance?

Angst-y designer rant aside, as I have this certain skill set in my hands, I definitely wouldn't mind helping a friend out if I really believe in their products/ideas.. but to those people who are just looking to get a free bargain or value deal because they don't value the work of a designer, then please don't waste your time cos I ain't running no charity organisation.

Desire

The heart wants what the heart wants.

When a woman falls in love with a man, that's it. She's a goner. Nothing you say can ever taint the image of her perfect man.
A man may choose to forget about a girl who is not good for him, but he can't deny what he feels for her in his heart. 
I've seen so many friends go down a wrong path all because they can't deny their heart's desire.. only to realize that it was the wrong thing for them.
The main struggle today is always with our hearts. 
Once it wants something, all reason and logic can't seem to sway it.

But.. what if the heart doesn't know any better?

When your Mac laptop is spoilt, you bring it to the Apple workshop to get it fixed.
When your your samsung phone gets wonky, you bring it back to the samsung shop to repair it.
When you don't understand a certain chapter of the book, you'd want to ask the author to explain more.

Likewise.. why don't you bring your heart back to the one who created it;
so that you can know what your heart was originally designed and made for;

before all the hurts and heartbreaks that made you wary,
before all the disappointments that made you sick,

Your heart was whole. Your heart had purpose.
Your heart had a song to sing.

Your heart still has a beautiful song to sing.

*

When you spend a lot of time with a person, his desire gradually becomes your desire.
You will find yourself liking and having an interest in the things of his fancy too.
As the relationship strengthens, you will find that even your thoughts are in tune!

So its really no different when you spend time with the One who placed destiny into your heart.
His desires will slowly become your desires. The original and good plan He has for you will slowly be your plan as you spend even more time in His presence.

And that is finally how when your heart wants what the heart wants,

He will give you the desires of your heart.

Sufficient

"Grace what have you done?
Murdered for me on the cross
Accused in absence of wrong
My sin washed away by Your blood

Too much to make sense of it all
I know that Your love breaks my fall

The scandal of grace
You died in my place
So my soul will live.........."

Beauty from ashes #musings

“Our life is full of brokenness—broken relationships, broken promises, broken expectations. How can we live with that brokenness without becoming bitter and resentful except by returning again and again to God’s faithful presence in our lives?”

You can make all things beautiful again. 

Tragedy may happen, but it certainly does not mean God made it happen. So often we are quick to raise at our fists at God when bad things happen to good people but I've come to understand that while God does not bring the tragedies to us, He loves us enough to help us grow and move on from it when disaster strikes.

He can just leave us there in the trainwreck.. He can just leave us alone in our hurt until we 'get over it'.

But no. He is there even in the confusion and anger and bitterness. He is there even when things don't make sense. He is there with you at your darkest moment. And guess what, He loves you even at your worst. He loves you so much that He will help you stand on your feet again and fight the battle with you until you get that victory.

Oh how He loves!

"The beautiful reality is God is present in heartbreak, and He heals our hearts in a way that makes us more than we would have been without the brokenness."

Light up my path

"Wisdom means to  choose now what will make sense later. I am   learning everyday to allow the space between where I am and where I want to be, to inspire me and not terrify me."

Tracee Eliis Ross

-

Every day there seems to be some sort of apprehension as graduation draws nearer. Where to work, or who will hire me, and where will You lead me?

It's always so easy to feel insecure and let the negatives drown everything out but I'm learning that Your word speaks the loudest to me. 

And You've promised good to me, to magnify You wherever I go. So in Your word, my hope will be secured. 

It's the most terrifying kind of faith to trust in what you can't see or expect.. but I'm learning everyday that it will all make sense in due time. And to just keep going because I can trust You.

A personal reminder

Hola people.
Finally updating this space after a long hiatus.
I've been so busy with different events recently that it feels weird to be this freed up now.
Been recuperating with lotsa rest and catching up on all my fave stuff to do (dramas, swimming, stayovers, outings with loved ones and just being able to breathe without worry).

I would have to say I'm generally quite a 'worrier' by nature. When things don't go well or things are out of my control, I lose hair and sleep over it. But then because of Amazing Grace, everything just falls back into place at the end. And I realize I never had to worry in the first place.
But then the process repeats all over again.
I get all hot and bothered about a certain issue that I can't fix, put all my strength into fixing it, get frustrated and upset at myself that I can't make it better, God comes in to save it, and I thank God.
But I never learn from the many times of being saved.

Why is it so easy to just forget the former victories and breakthroughs we had we God?
Why do I always try to save things until my own strength runs out and then realize I can't do it alone?

This time, though, I don't want to forget what it feels like what I reach the end of my rope in weariness and hopelessness.. And how God saved me in the end to make things beautiful again.

 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; 

for without Me you can do nothing”

John 15:5

Paris: Travelogue

Ooh la la! 

It was only after church service that I remembered I still have all my Paris pictures with me. I went with the kinky & cheesy UK Ladies (lol) and it was a gr8 albeit short experience!

We went in October 2012 so my memory's a bit hazy now, but I'll try my best to recount my trip with ya! (Not gonna do a day-to-day account, but a rough summary of my thoughts on Paris, the city of love~)

1) Of course everyone HAS to visit the Eiffel Tower! Glad we went at night cos the lightshow was just spectacular! Pity it was drizzling before that so we got wet and cold but hey, we're in Paris!

2) Food. Food prices were pretty expensive (or maybe cos we dined at tourist-trap locations) but I can't remember how much exactly lol bad memory when it comes to numbers. However I did recall thinking that I had to watch my budget with the food cos I'd only changed a bit of Euros and still wanted to buy gifts back and all. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed all our crepes and bread meals and even had a late-night supper with some rosé wine and fries. 

This picture below, THIS FRIED CHEESE TOAST THINGY WAS DA BOMB!!! 

Omg so sinful but so delicious! I'm missing it now. Haha

3) Almost everywhere is a Kodak moment. The architecture and view of the city is simply gorgeous. 

My eyes were definitely very happy on this trip.

We were blessed with a sunny day on our 2nd day, yay!

Mandatory tourist shot at the Louvre Museum! 

(It was crazy packed because it was a free admissions Sunday thing, so be prepared to to queue..)

4) We travelled from London St. Pancras to Paris by Eurostar. 

Gosh, the booking was crazy because the prices kept jumping higher every time we tried to book it! You must definitely book way in advance for seats and for affordable prices! 

The ride to Paris was about 2 hours ++ and was pretty interesting, since we don't have such big landscapes and railway tracks like these in Singapore. 

Getting on board the train was pretty fuss-free too. Just print the tickets, check-in and hop on board!

5) I think the only thing I was surprised at was their Metro (underground train). 

Was pretty confusing at times cos some trains only went to half of their stops and we had to wait for the next train at a different platform?! Thank God for helpful locals who saw our lost faces and guided us along. Oh yeah, people say the French are snobbish people and all? But I didn't feel that at all! On the contrary, all the French people we met were friendly! 

Okay back to the Metro, the underground system was run-down and smelly at times. 

But ah well, it was efficient and thank God we stayed in a hotel that was near the attractions, so we didn't have to travel far.

(They have interesting decor in different stations tho! This is a mosaic ceiling art piece)

Double-decker train!!!

Notre-dame in all its glory! 

Overall it was an eye-opening trip! 

I just didn't get the whole l'amour Love vibe of Paris tho. Maybe cos I wasn't with my lover or it was too cold and wet to fully enjoy the whole experience. 

Paris is an awesome city with so much history that it's too much to take all in a few days. 

Would definitely love to go back to shop and sight-see some more!

But honestly, I don't think I'd want to have my honeymoon here. Lol just sayin'. 

Plus I enjoyed Paris comfortably with just about 150 euros! 

Hahaha achievement unlocked. Student trip at its best.

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the pics! :D