Testing 1,2

“Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.“

~ Kahlil Gibran

Not quite back yet. Am considering a completely different blogging style

This is Goodbye

Since my first entry in early July 2004, blogging has been a big part of my life, through the good and bad and contemplative and angry. I tried to be careful about the identities of the people I wrote about and it generated mixed reviews. I tried to be civil but still ended up being vulgar for quite a few bits.

To be honest, blogging can be rather narcissistic for there would be a sense of pride when the stats counter jumped. And despite the once in a blue moon misunderstandings, I did enjoy writing for myself, friends and family in the past 4.5 years.

However, I’m at a different place now – spiritually (not in the religious sense), mentally and emotionally. And blogging cease to exist there. I’m a little tired of the self-censorships on the entries. I’m also fail to see the need of trying to stake a claim in the world by throwing my thoughts into cyberspace. Most importantly, I’ve learnt the merits of introspectiveness and the power of undisclosed information.

I’ll continue to write about things that happen to me, my thoughts and feelings. In fact, I have always written and accumulated diaries since I was 7. And I’ll continue to write to/for those I love.

Maybe I’d blog again, someday. But it wont be here, nor anytime soon.

Esto es adiós – farewell.

Behind

There’s a little truth behind every just kidding, a little curiosity behind every just wondering, a little knowledge behind every I don’t know, and a little emotion behind every I don’t care.

Merry Christmas

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace. — Agnes M. Pharo

“Christmas gift suggestions:

To your enemy, forgiveness.

To an opponent, tolerance.

To every child, a good example.

To a friend/family, your heart.

To yourself, respect.”

Andrew Boyd’s Daily Afflictions

“You must grow strong enough to love the world, yet empty enough to sit down at the same table with its worst horrors. To seek enlightenment is to seek annihilation, rebirth, and the taking up of burdens. You must come prepared to touch and be touched by each and every thing in heaven and hell.”

Problems, Solutions and Facts

  ”If a problem has no solution, it may not be a problem, but a fact–not to be solved, but to be coped with over time.”

~ Shimon Peres

Heroes

“Where does it come from—this quest, this need to solve life’s mysteries when the simplest of questions can never be answered? Why are we here? What is the soul? Why do we dream? Perhaps we’d be better off not looking at all. Not delving, not yearning. But that’s not human nature. Not the human heart. That is not why we are here. Yet still we struggle to make a difference, to change the world, to dream of hope; never knowing for certain whom we will meet along the way. Who among the world of strangers will hold our hand, touch our hearts, and share the pain of trying. We dream of hope, we dream of change, of fire, of love, of death. And then it happens; the dream becomes real, and the answer to this quest, this need to solve life’s mysteries finally shows itself like the glowing light of the new dawn. So much struggle for meaning, for purpose. And in the end, we find it only in each other. Our shared experience of the fantastic and the mundane. The simple human need to find a kindred. To connect. And to know in our hearts… that we are not alone.”

Reflection

“There comes a time when you look into the mirror and you realize that what you see is all that you will ever be. And then you accept it. Or you kill yourself. Or you stop looking in mirrors.”

~ Tennessee Williams

Those defining moments

“How can you move on if you are still living in the past? And how can you step forward, leaving the past behind, if you can’t even begin to forgive what the past holds? How can you love someone for who they are, yet want to hate them for what they’ve done? I guess that’s what it boils down to is this — there are always those defining moments, times that makes us or breaks us, build us or tear us apart, help us progress further or stop us dead in our tracks. And for whichever way we may choose, there’s a consequence of equal value. It’s a true test of what we stand for, where we came from, and where we are going. These are moments that we live for, breathe for, and fight for. These are the defining moments that leave imprints forever in our hearts, making our souls forever. These are choices that could bring you one step closer to forever or leaving you hostage to the past.”

White Houses

“Change is a funny thing. We are never quite sure what we are becoming, or why. Then one day we look at ourselves and wonder who we are and how we got there.”

Life is just strange. We may never get all that we want. But if we look closely enough, we discover that we already have all that we need.