Quote of the day (QOTD)

"Let a joy keep you. Reach out your hands and take it when it runs by."
– Carl Sandburg

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This space is neglected because my mum underwent back operation and I am back in SG to help care for her. I will return in 2 weeks time and regular programming will resume.

Inspirational: Nick Vujicic

Are you gonna finish strong?

Picture of the Week (POTW)

Picture taken at Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. (July 2010)

Quote of the day (QOTD)

"Heroes didn't leap tall buildings or stop bullets with an out-stretched hand; they didn't wear boots and capes. They bled, and they bruised, and their superpowers were as simple as listening, or loving. Heroes were ordinary people who knew that even if their own lives were impossibly knotted, they could untangle someone else's..."
~A character in Second Glance.

Jodi Picoult is one of my favourite authors. I love that she explores difficult and relevant issues that face us in a way that is thoughtful and sensitive.

Picture of the Week (POTW)

Picture taken at Avenue of the Giants, Eureka CA. (July 2010)

I totally love the natural lighting. Awesome!

Word of God: Jeremiah 31:3

The other day I was feeling overwhelmed and confused. It is one of those days when I feel extra small, uncertain of my future and doubtful of my abilities. I turned to the meditation of the day from The Word Among Us, more out of habit rather faith that God would speak to me. Somehow God didn't care about my motivation as I was brought to tears. The verse that stared back at me was this:

“With age-old love, I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

Couldn't He be louder?

Years ago I attended a very special love retreat and this same verse was chosen to help us meditate on God's steadfast love for us. Amazing things happened that day and I experienced the love of God in a tangible and unforgettable way. I realised that God was indeed speaking to me that day when I was feeling down. He reminded me that He has loved me and will continue to do so. Past participle tense because that action has been completed through His death on the cross. No matter how troubled or lost I feel He loves and cares for me. I need not fear because I am not walking alone.

Movie: The faulty yellow bus

I love Little Miss Sunshine. It is a show that strikes a deep cord and brings to foreground what is easily forgotten; that every person is unique, important and special.

Two quotes that I wanna remember from the film:

..all those years he suffered, those were the best of his life 'cause they made him who he was. All the years he was happy? Total waste. He didn't learn anything...

...Y'know what a loser is? A real loser is somebody who's so afraid of not winning, they don't even try.


Interestingly, these nuggets of wisdom were dished out by the supposed losers. First was by Uncle Frank - the guy who was sacked from his job, whose gay boyfriend deserted him and eventually he attempted suicide. Even then he failed his attempt. What could be more loserly than that? Yet, he had the wisdom and strength within him and when situation presented itself he rose to the occasion and provided the support and encouragement that his nephew needed.

Second quote was by the grandfather, a drug addict who was kicked out of the home because he was foulmouthed and often behaved inappropriately. Yet he loved his family. Olive, the granddaughter was afraid to be a loser and that was what her grandfather shared with her.

What i love about the show is how everyone came together and how much they loved the family despite their dysfunctions. From the perspective of the society they do fit the loser definition and yet they are winners in so many ways.

I feel that each of us has our own dysfunction. With that we also have our strength and wisdom. No one is perfect and it's so just tiring to chase after perfection. I always believe that no one is too rich to receive and too impoverished to give. And i don't mean it just materially. I've learned so much from patients whom I've worked with. One may ask since their lives are in such a mess, what can they offer me that I don't already know? Well, plenty. For one I'm amazed at how they struggle to pick up their lives, how brave they are in trying to make amends to those whom they have hurt, how they try to lift their heads up again to a society that doesn't quite understand and trust them. That's tough.

I've always been fortunate with my lot. I've received a good education, smart enough, people are okay with me and some are even fond of me. I'm not rich but i don't have to worry about not having enough. I was not the most popular in school but i wasn't the one who got bullied either. I have enough friends whom i know will be there for me. My family is far from perfect but I still have them and their love and support. Sometimes it's hard for me to imagine how it's like to be the marginalised and the outcast. From my patients' experiences i learned how blessed I am to not have to go through those feelings.

I love movies, books and plays that make me think; that provide me with snapshots of what i don't experience in my own life. Stories that are not perfect yet reflective of life. Stories that provide hope for the losers, the odd one out, the too late too little. Little Miss Sunshine certainly does all that for me.

Go watch it if you need a great dose of laughter and tears.

Picture of the Week (POTW)

Picture taken at Hakone Gardens, Saratoga CA. (Aug 2010)

Quote of the day (QOTD)

If my aim is to prove I am "enough", the project goes on to infinity - because the battle was already lost on the day I conceded the issue was debatable. ~ Nathanael Branden

The Remains of the Day

Don't keep looking back all the time, you're bound to get depressed....We've all got to put our feet up at some point. Look at me. I've been happy as a lark since the day I retired. All right, so neither of us are exactly in our first flush of youth, but you've got to keep looking forward....You've got to enjoy yourself. The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it....

This para struck me quite a bit. Personally I'd consider the early morning as the best part of the day. Main reason is the fact that I have the chance to restart the day. A new day is a fresh start, an opportunity to experience and discover new things as well as to make amends for mistakes of the past. Anyway, I find the above para making a lot of sense; about why the evening's the best part of the day. After a hard day of work, the evening is the time to chill and appreciate what has happened. A time to sit back, relax and be grateful. To truly enjoy the evening of one's day or life, I assume one must live in the present and live life to the full. I'd imagine that the evening can be depressing if one feels that one hasn't achieved much or there are still unfinished tasks. This is a great reminder for myself that with each passing day, I'm getting closer to the evening of my day. I must cherish the present, look forward to the future and stop spending too much time looking back.

Another lovely para:
After all, there's no turning back the clock now. One can't be forever dwelling on what might have been. One should realized one has as good as most, perhaps better, and be grateful.

Indeed.

Quote of the day (QOTD)

“The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are secure in your ability to survive. You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity”.
 ~ J.K. Rowling.