Contentment

I have been thinking, that I am getting less and less content as I get more and more things. Isn't it ironic? I guess it's human nature not to be content. The more things one has, the more material comforts, the more one's mindset changes to 'obtaining'. And down that path lies destruction.. *cue lighting and ominous music* Okay, maybe not that bad.. Maybe just madness.. Hahaha..

But seriously, I have to start learning to be content; going back to the days where I did not have much yet I was happy. And one key I learnt in church about being content is to count my blessings every day. And to those who are reading, you don't have to be particularly religious to count your blessings! Just remind yourself of the things that you appreciate in life! So here goes my "Thankful List"...

1. I am thankful that I am alive! And that I am in good physical WORKING condition. I know that I am fat but my limbs, my organs and all that are still working normally.
2. I am thankful that I have a good family, particularly an awesome mum who tries to give me everything that I want. :)
3. I have a roof, and a cozy one at that, over my head.
4. I have good food to eat. (Perhaps too good judging by my size... )
5. I have nothing to worry about except my studies.
6. Being just 23 years old, I have my own car to drive around, and I don't have to pay for petrol! (But that doesn't mean that I drive around needlessly. I try to be the most fuel efficient driver I can be!)
7. I have friends in my life.
8. And last but definitely not least, I have a God who ensures that I am well taken care of, and that my future is secure! =)

So with all these things to be thankful for, I can't possibly be discontent.. Contentment is the key to happiness! It's tiring keeping up with the Jones and keeping a mental 'Comparisions' checklist. I want to be happy and content!!!

So some verses to mediate upon..
Hebrews 13:5
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you."
1 Timothy 6:6-9
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.

However, I do know that contentment does not mean resignation. We all have to have a dissatisfaction within us, to want to improve and strive for greater heights, depths and widths; to not accept things the way they are but to carve out something better.. So, I want to be content and yet dissatisfied!

Kairos timing

'To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.'

Everything has its kairos timing; no use rushing something nor delaying another thing. It will come to pass in its fullness. A flower blooms in its own time whether you want it to bloom faster or slower. The tide comes in and goes out with nary a thought about how you feel about it. So why hurry? Why rush? Enjoy the journey and the company. We all have to learn go with the flow and not force things.

If you feel like you are going under,
And your life seems torn asunder.
When you feel like you can't take no more,
and you have reached the rock bottom floor.
Just remember that there is no well too deep,
no wall too high nor hill too steep.
Just trust where His hand will lead,
to a place of rest, a place of sleep.
Everything is made perfect in its own time,
every song has its melody, every poem its rhyme.
Don't fight the current, the waves, the tide,
just sit back, buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Carpe diem, seize the moment and more so the day,
Enjoy the skies while it is blue and not regret when it turns grey.

Top 10 signs you know you are fat..

You know you are fat when...
1. Your mum says that you look fat in your new hairstyle.
2. Your friend's mother say that you are 'big-sized'. =D
3. Your friends say that you 'look better now that you have put on weight.' in THAT kind of tone.
4. Your nickname in school is 'Blubber Boy'.
5. You seem to bump into things more often and take up more space than usual.
6. You are saying 'Cold meh? Cold meh?' while people have icicles forming off their noses.
7. You realise that you are spending A LOT more time bathing as there is more surface area to cover.
8. Your foot sinks into the ground when others are practically prancing away.
9. You spend your holidays 'nua'-ing at home, basically eating and sleeping and eating and sleeping.
10. Your name is Jeremy Chua Wei Yang.

Moving on?

People say that the good thing about learning history is that you learn from past mistakes. History teaches you to avoid the pitfalls that Life can throw at you and also teaches you the most effective way to go about doing things. Well, I do think that is the case. However, the past, History can also be like a tarry pit; one misstep, getting entranced by the past will cause us to get stuck and become a 'living' fossil.
So, to move on or to remain in the past? When do we know it is time to move on? To leave certain things, certain people behind? Is it heartless to leave people, things and whatnot behind? Is it unfeeling to move on? Is is good to cling on to things? Is it good to be sentimental and nostalgic?
Sometimes, the past is more alluring that the future because it is something known, something that we had tangible experience with while the future is something unknown, something that may change the status quo. And who doesn't like comfort? But then again, the future is filled with excitement and hope. Who does not like fresh things?
Just some random ramblings. In another melancholic funk. Oh by the way, school's starting soon. =) It's a strange sensation to be glad that school is starting. Let's see what is in store for me in this new semester. ;)

Go Boxer engine, go!

Yay for Subaru! Winner of the International Engine of the Year 2008 award! Hahaha.. Here's the link.. http://www.oneshift.com/news/news.php?view=1&newsid=1312&pageid=1 Go Boxer engine, go! Somehow, I take certain pride that Subaru wins stuff.. Like in the WRC, international awards and all that things.. I feel good as well when there are good reviews about Subaru cars.. Although I am only driving their baseline model, I still feel a certain attachment to them. Want them to do well.. Perhaps next time my car resale value also higher.. Hahaha.. There is something to be said about brand loyalty.. Just like your first crush, your first love, your first kiss.. You have a certain attachment to your first car.. :P I do think Subaru is indeed moving out of their 'boy racer' image and into something more sophisticated. Kudos though to Subaru Singapore for daring to make fun of themselves in their radio adverts.. The main protagonist, Arrowana Turbo Lim Ah Seng, the king of Ah Bengs is super funny and a poke at their 'boy racer' (aka Ah Beng) stereotype.

The good old days

I just realised that quiet, neighbourhood-y places never fail to instill in me a sense of melancholy. Perhaps it reminds me of my childhood at my grandmother's old house at Kallang. It was a quiet neighbour but not without its charms. I can remember most vividly the stores upon stores that was just across the road. I was fascinated by the coconut grinder.. :) But old, rundown places hold their charm for me. I just get this feeling, of a strange sense of longing, a nostalgia.. It is familiar and yet foreign; close to the heart yet seemingly so far away.. Certain songs do that too.. But I get that feeling the strongest when I go to older neighbourhoods where it is quieter. Ahhh.. How I long for the good old days..

Good for nothing

So, when you have to stare at yourself and be brutally honest with yourself, without all the pretense, without all the buffer and walls and excuses that you give to make yourself feel better; when you admit that every mistake, past, present and future is your own fault. That you have to stand by every decision you make and made, good or bad; that even choosing not to choose is a choice. That where you are at right now is the consequence of what you did or did not do. When you suddenly realise that you have nothing that sets you apart. When you realise that what you thought makes you special make roughly 1 million other people special. When you realise that you are like a court jester who has lost his ability to make the king laugh, like a lion with his teeth pulled, like a fish without his fins, like a eagle without his wings, you are good for nothing. And when you realise that you are good for nothing, there is Someone who will think that finally, you are good for something.