Just a Reminder That I've Moved

Hi everyone,

This is just a reminder that I have moved my primary blog to Wordpress. Click below to get there.

http://wengyuen.wordpress.com

Cheers!

http://wengyuen.wordpress.com/2009/09/26/september-09-hot-picks/

Link

I'm Moving

As of today I am officially moving blogs to Wordpress. I'm in the midst of cleaning up posts and moving stuff from Multiply over to my new online home so do bear with me. In the meantime for all future updates please go to the following URL:

http://wengyuen.wordpress.com/

Cheers!

My Bad Snow Leopard Experience

I am annoyed with Apple! Very annoyed. *Takes a deep breath* And the object of my annoyance sits in the very pretty box below.

Pretty box but not so pretty on the inside ...

Yes! You heard that right! I'm annoyed with Apple for their crummy Mac OS X Snow Leopard install disc which is dual-layered and apparently cannot be read by the Superdrive that comes standard on my 1-year old Macbook. The disc worked and installed fine on the demo iMac at Machines 1U which made me feel even more crap. Gargh!

In order to deal with my annoyance I am gonna do just what anyone with access to the Internet will do. I'm gonna ... wait for it ... RANT! I decided to write directly to Apple.com on Sunday and unfortunately I've not gotten any response yet from them so in an effort to elicit a response out of Apple I've decided to plonk the contents of my next complaint to them that I am just about to post on Apple.com through their feedback form.

Enjoy the following and let's hope I can get someone to do something about my defective disc (Apple ... I'm talking to you).

Hi again,

I am really annoyed that no one at Apple has bothered to get back to me about the issue that I have been having. I emailed my problems with Snow Leopard over the weekend and it's Tuesday now. I would really appreciate a response on this and action on replacing my Snow Leopard disc as the Superdrive on my Macbook cannot read the disc properly and the install does not occur at all.

I have managed to borrow a USB DVD-RW drive and created a disk image on a thumb drive which works but I still cannot get over the fact that I paid RM619 for a Mac Box set for a copy of Snow Leopard which I am finding out has problems being read by Macbook Superdrives because it's dual-layered?!

I know I live half-way across the world in a region that probably is not important to your company but that does not mean I am any less as important as a customer. I must say that I am sorely disappointed in the response time that I'm getting here. In fact I think I'm gonna be posting this up somewhere for the world to know. It's a shame really cos' I've always had a high regard for Apple and I've been increasingly pursing genuine software as a means to support the fight against piracy. Apple products are premium-priced items here in Malaysia and it's really disappointing that I can't get a simple install to work.

I hope to hear from someone as the reason why I am writing in here is because I believe that my complaints can be better dealt with by the mother brand rather than the people who distribute Apple products here in Malaysia.

Thank you.

Regards,

Chris.

If someone from Apple is reading this. I hope you can do something for a very unhappy customer who has always thought that Apple had better QC on their products.

Ta da! It's ...

... the PS3 Slim!!! *unsurprised yawn*

After months of rumours, Sony does a half-baked attempt at managing their industrial secret leaks by revealing the PS3 Slim at a little known event called GamesCom. The only gaming events that I know of right now that are MONSTER are E3 (which I wanna go to one day but I've heard it's press only) and Leipzig in Germany. GamesCom? What's that?

Anyways, here's a shot of the PS3 Slim if you're into geeky tech stuff (I know I am ... somewhat ... maybe *winks*). Enjoy!

Just Another Example of a Badly Kept Sony Secret

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Revisited

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Naughty Dog's "Uncharted" has gotta be one of the best games I've played. Ever. I picked the game up a week or two after I bought my PS3 and boy am I glad I did. Since the sequel is gonna be released in a couple of months time I decided to revisit the game over the weekend and it's been great playing through the game in its entirety on a higher difficulty level.

Nate & Sully

What makes "Uncharted" such a great game? Well, first and foremost "Uncharted" has a great cast of characters; first you've got Nathan Drake who is the protagonist who incidentally just happens to also be a descendant of historical figure Sir Francis Drake. Nathan or Nate of short is ably assisted by long-time partner and friend Victor "Sully" Sullivan and journalist Elena Fisher.

Nate & the lovely Elena Fisher

The voice acting is Hollywood grade and the script has everything you'd want in a summer blockbuster. Playing "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune" is sorta like watching a movie with you in control and it has an Indiana Jones-isque feel with memorable villains and mysterious locations. The backstory has some historical elements in it; add in a dash of the supernatural and the entire experience is made all the more complete.

Mr. Drake & his fist meet Mr. Jaw

Stay Hidden, Stay Safe?

The game is fast-paced and the action never lets up. Nathan Drake engages in gun & fist-fights with pirates and mercenaries; makes death-defying leaps and climbs plus locates treasures in the entire course of his adventure. "Uncharted" is a thrill-ride and it's a game that all PS3 owners must play. It's not a very long game but what it lacks in length it more than makes up in gameplay & story.

Duck & Cover!!!

A Big Leap of Faith

Exciting Vehicular Action Await ...

What's great about it now is that "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune" is available as a Platinum Range title which means you'd be able to enjoy the experience at a lower price! Either that or you can hunt for a copy online. Trust me you won't regret it!

Box Art

As for me, I can't wait for the sequel "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" ... I better give my pals over at Gamer's Hideout a buzz to reserve a copy of the new game. I can't wait!

Restoration

What We Wanna Hear

Are You Stuck in Your Own Opinions?

I was reading the following today in my personal time with God and in the passage it was the one thing that stood out the most.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

In a world where truth is relative and where every man & woman is entitled to their opinion it's easy to just surround ourselves with people, books and things that reinforce our view of the world rather than to confront our sensibilities with things that challenge our views. All of us want to be accepted but are we willing to accept the views of others? What is truth and what is opinion?

With all the noise that surrounds us every day it is difficult to face the truth about certain things and there are many times at church and in my time with God when I hear things that I find difficult to accept. The toughest things to hear are the things that prick at my character and at my personality. The thing about the Bible is that it often challenges me to look beyond what I see and who I am. I guess that's what makes it the inspired Word of God. I don't tired of reading it every day but I do get discouraged when I still struggle with many areas in my life after all these years of being a Believer.

Anyways, the point I'm trying to make today is that I really think we should be open to hearing things from others and to always ask ourselves if there is a measure of truth in what is being said about us. We aren't all perfect are we? The best thing we can do is to surround ourselves with friends who are honest enough to tell us the things that we don't wanna hear and who are willing to stick with us as we work things out.

I've got great friends and if you're one of them here today I just wanna thank you for being a part of my life. On top of what I read in the Word and in my daily talks with God you guys help make my walk in life a little easier to bear PLUS you guys make life a lil' more fun.

Have a great weekend (what's left of it anyways)!

Letting Go

Letting Go

I've been mulling about writing this for such a long time. I know what I want to write but somehow I couldn't bring myself to put these thoughts to writing because I haven't quite yet resolved releasing things to God.

One of the biggest things I have been grappling with in the past 5 years of life has been relationships. To be more specific ... romantic relationships. It's funny but love can be a painful burden to bear especially when the emotions tear you up inside. Being around someone you love instead of being a joy becomes an ache when things aren't going the way you hope it'd go. In a mixed-up world, it is sad to note that loving and caring for someone just isn't enough to win that person's heart. I've experienced it time and time again but yet I still go about it the same way all the time.

Having said all that, my best friends' advice to me has always been to let it go to God. Release it to Him and let the chips fall where they may. My head hears it. My heart knows it. But somehow my emotions don't ... and the more I hang on to my feelings the harder things are. I guess the reason why I'm able to write this right now is because I think I've gotten my head and heart aligned more in recent months. It's way better to be contented and to leave the unknowns to God.

I'm not entirely out of the woods just yet but I guess I can trust the end result to God and one day I'll look back at this season of my life; laugh and be thankful that I've grown through it. In the meantime there are a lot of things to order in my life and a lot more growing up to do now that I've settled down with work, my record label and also the things God has blessed me with at church. I've got everything a young adult would want ... nifty hi-tech toys, a decent car and a condominium but yet all that doesn't mean a thing without someone to share life with. As much as I struggle I know God is telling me this "trust in me, and it'll come to pass". I just gotta keep on trusting and I just learn how to be content and thankful with the blessings that are being poured out into my life at this very moment.

I leave all my readers with this verse that has great meaning to me. Have a read and have a good week ahead of all of ya!

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Salt of the Earth

A Sprinkle of Salt

I promised myself just this week that I'd make more of an effort to blog so am gonna write something short today. I was reading Our Daily Bread today and found the following rather amusing yet true. Have a read:

As the “salt of the earth,” Christians can make others thirsty for the Water of Life.

We should realise that all of us are examples in life no matter what our beliefs are. What we say, how we act and what we do reflect who we are on the inside and inevitably influences others to become better people or to just give in and follow norms that may not necessarily be right. The wrong thing does not become right just because everyone is doing it.

The danger about being liberal is that everything is left to opinion and there is no absolute truth While I agree that there are areas of life that are in shades of grey; we still need the blacks & the whites. Without black or white how would we know what's right & what's wrong, what's good & what's bad?

Think about it.

Superheroic Strawberry Milk Splashes

Even Superheroes Drink Milk

Superheros & milk! Who would've thought?! I love the U.S. "Got Milk" ads and according to them my fav superheroes drink milk too! Sure they don't love the strawberry-flavoured delight that I'm into but anything that gets kids drinking milk is really awesome stuff in my opinion. I don't drink milk just cos' it's nutritious, I drink milk cos' I like it!

My mom told me I stopped drinking milk at a young age but I figure that's cos' I never got to taste the delicious taste of strawberry in my bovine-sourced supplement. Then there came along chocolate flavoured milk courtesy of the milk programme that the government sponsored in schools. I drank those but never really got into them. I can't remember when exactly I tasted my first sip of strawberry milk but suffice to say I'm hooked!

A Splash of Pink to Start The Day Off

Mua ha ha ha ha! I love milk and milk definitely loves me back. I love milk in the mornings and I love milk when I need thirst-quencher. Not the plain kinda milk but the sweet flavoured type. Most notably the pink delight that is strawberry milk. I don't care if I get teased by my colleagues, I don't care if people scoff at my love for this deliciously flavoured combo that tickles my taste buds ... I love strawberry milk! Nuff' said.

My Fav Strawberry Delight

Ahhhh ... all that talk of strawberry milk's gotten me thirsty. Time to pop open the fridge and get one of my two models out for a date. Strawberry milk, you gotta love it! *sighs happily*.

In Support Of:

Deep Down Knowing

John 17:25-26
"Righteous Father, though the world does not know You, I know You, and they know that You have sent me. I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

What an awesome, awesome prayer by Jesus for us. I am increasingly growing to understand just how important it is to have a deep, down knowledge of God in my life. Reading the Bible has become more than just finding something I can apply or a promise I can claim but more importantly it's peering beyond the veil and finding out what my Father's heart is.

I struggle with loneliness & acceptance as much as anyone else but as the days go by I am very thankful that I am coming to a deeper knowledge of God's love for me and it is a lot easier to fill that emptiness with God's Presence? How do I know that I am experiencing God? Well, experientially for me there's this sense of calm & peace that just permeates my being as I talk to Him & read the Word every day. There's this sense that He's there and I suppose that's what I mean by having that deep, down knowledge of God.

I remember purposing a long time ago that I'd make this blog something more neutral but I realise that who we are eventually emerges no matter how much we try suppress it. While I love writing about movies, video games & comic books - I end up writing more about faith than anything. Life matters more to me and if my experiences with God can help others, why not write about it?

I'm not all holy, I'm just like any other person in the world and I'm just like any other Christian who struggles to live my life real - pleasing to the One who made me.

Terminate the Enterprise?

The weekend was pretty hectic. Helped out at a Youth Camp on Saturday and Sunday morning. Rushed back to Pee Jay for Star Trek (picked up some Baskin Robbins along the way too) and celebrated my aunt's 70th birthday with my cousins.

Now back to the real purpose of this post. For the first time in a long time I watched 2 movies twice. Caught Terminator: Salvation on Thursday and Friday last week; Star Trek during its opening week and one more time yesterday with my cell members.

Star Trek was so much more AWESOME the 2nd time round and yes Zachary Quinto is great as Spock. Funnily enough in both movies I've found that I liked the supporting characters more. Sure, one might argue that Spock is a central character in his own right but technically Kirk is the hero of Star Trek as is the case in most stories. Sam Worthington's Marcus Wright is a favourite of mine too as opposed to Christian Bale's John Connor in Terminator: Salvation. Supporting characters play a great part in a movie and it's rare these days that the strength of a movie can be placed on just one character. Point to note: one doesn't always have to be the main character to be great in a movie.

Ah life is good in movie land this summer. Star Trek & Terminator: Salvation were both great and I "wonder" just what's Up next?

P.S. If any of you are up to winning some hi-tech gear, there's a blogging and video contest with great prizes that'll reward your creative juices. Check it out here!

Think Different

Fly-thanking Frogs!

I've found that one of the ways to keep pressing on in life is to learn how to be more thankful. It's so easy to take things for granted cos' our eyes are always set on shiny things in life. The odd thing about the human condition is that we never truly appreciate what we have until it's gone. Oddly enough, the grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence.

Deep down inside I suspect we are ungrateful creatures; conditioned by the world to always want something more. It explains why all of us are always looking for something more and we're never truly content. Why? Because always compare ourselves with others and end up wanting what they have too. The quest for the "missing" in life keeps going on & on. Will it ever end?

If you think about it hard enough no matter what your circumstances are or what you're "missing" today; I'm sure there's gotta be more than one good thing in your life now that you can appreciate more. It could be a friend that you have, it could be that PS3 sitting underneath your TV in the living-room; or it could just be something simple like having good health.

Stop. Think hard. Think different. Take a minute to be thankful today. Nuff' said.

But godliness with contentment is great gain.
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

Deadbeat Blogger

A random image off the web!

Strangely enough I don't really have the desire to express myself too much ... I guess being a writer at work I use up my entire quota of words in the office which doesn't leave much for this blog. Ha ha! But I guess it's also because I keep a daily journal (almost!) which does it's job of getting things out of my system.

Why is blogging such a big thing now? I believe that most people blog to express themselves because I think at the heart of it blogging fulfils a very human need to be connected. We all want to be understood by others and we want to feel as if we're not that alone on this blue & green marble of a planet.

Nobody wants to be just one of the crowd. We all want to feel special. Significant. We want our lives to mean something not just to ourselves but to other people too. Human beings are a strange lot in that sense - we want to be significant but yet so often we remain trapped in self-centredness. It takes great effort to look outside of one self really.

Why do I still blog then? I guess it's because I hope that my experiences can help others work out things in their own lives. We do not have to make mistakes to learn from them. Why not learn from the experiences of others and in doing so grow a notch in our own lives? I was having a chat with my colleague Jason about writing and doing something that makes a difference and I've been thinking more seriously about penning down my thoughts properly into a manuscript. I have an idea for a book somewhere inside me and instead of writing disjointedly in this blog I should start on something right now. Shopping around for a publisher can wait ... or perhaps I should just self-publish the book. Ha ha! Would anyone buy it? Hmmm ... maybe, maybe not ... but we've all gotta start somewhere right?

So what does my post today say about my blogging style? I'm a functional blogger ... I don't blog to express myself anymore ... I think I blog because I wanna share something important to others about life. And I that's what my book will be about really ... life. It'll be a book with pretty pictures too I hope ... ha ha. I read nothing but comic books these days and find it uber difficult to finish a text-filled tome lately.

Anyways, till next time. Vaya cond dios amigos.

FFXIII and More ...

Lightning - The Heroine in the Upcoming Final Fantasy

I have to admit there's nothing much to play on the PS3 right now. In terms of RPGs there's practically zilch in the market. But I guess being older now & more responsible there's tonnes to do elsewhere in my life (have I grown up?).

There's church & cell. There's learning more about God and my faith. Work. And of course the relationships and friendships in my life. Life is full but there are days ... but that's another story-lah.

I just spent an hour or so watching a play through of the Final Fantasy XIII demo that just got released as part of the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete Blu-Ray disc. The game looks really good visually but gameplay-wise it looks very much like any RPG that Square has released in the past but being a Final Fantasy fan I'm probably gonna get it anyways. The franchise is one of the reasons why I picked up a PS3 in the first place (and Metal Gear Solid 4 too!).

The Titular White Knight in White Knight Chronicles

Sadly, the RPG landscape is bleak on Sony's platform ... sigh. White Knight Chronicles is the only epic title that's close to release. Thankfully I have Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice to fill the gap for now. I have a host of backlogged games on the Wii too actually and I guess it's time I spend some time on them to relax some on the weekends.

Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice

Honestly I don't feel that compelled to play too much video games. People-time and listening to sermons seem to have more appeal to me these days. I'm especially ministered by Ps Edmund Chan's sermons of late (am listening to a series on 1 Corinthians right now) and am learning to see the bigger picture of God in the Bible. Plus I need to go through the Gospels to discover something really important that is key to resolving some of the questions that I have about my faith.

So much to do ... and I guess video games are just another part of life that make me me. The question remains though ... what is important in life? The stuff that is on God's heart or the many other different things in life? That's something to think more about isn't it? There's still so much to learn about faith and it does get very challenging at time. I guess this is what it means to work out my faith (does anyone know where it says this in the Bible?).

Till next time. Vaya con dios amigos!

Burberry The Beat, Anyone?

A friend of mine asked for help to just spread the word about this. Anyone interested? Some fame and fragrance perhaps? Prizes for the winners who perform at the final showcase get loads of fragrances ... you'll be smelling great for a long, long time!

• 1st prize - RM3,000 worth of Burberry fragrance
• 2nd prize - RM2,000 worth of Burberry fragrance
• 3rd prize - RM1,000 worth of Burberry fragrance

Mornings

Breakfast for Your Soul

What's the first thing on your mind when you get up in the morning?

I get up each morning usually with the things that are on my heart. The things that matter. Whether it's work or that special someone. Stuff like that ... and I think I've learnt by God's grace to always run to Him the moment I open my eyes when I wake up.

My mornings are special and my day is never complete unless I spend a good half-an-hour or so quietening down and just basking in the Presence of the Father. My day goes off tangent usually if I don't have that sliver of precious time to talk to Him about the stuff that I'm struggling with and now more than ever I'm learning how to listen rather than to just blab my mouth off.

I guess the point I'm trying to make this morning is for you (the reader) to take a moment and to spend a bit of time with God today! I know not everyone who reads my posts are Christian but that doesn't mean you can't talk to God right because you can!

Anyways, I'd love to hear about how some of you spend your mornings or how you start the day off. So drop me a line right here on Multiply or drop me a comment on my oft unmaintained blog at http://surfgod.blogspot.com (I know, I know ... Multiply requires you to sign-up to comment and stuff which is a bummer).

Here's a short verse that I wrote this morning that sorta summarises my mornings.

Mornings
My mornings are times spent with Him
My mornings give me the strength to run life's race each day
My mornings remind me to walk the narrow way
My mornings keep me centred on Yahweh Elohim

Twitter-ed

Are You Twittered Today?

I'm addicted to Twitter. Been hearing a lot about Twitter ever since I've been monitoring tech news for the WAP site that I update. After months of reading about Twitter I finally caved and signed up for an account 2 weeks ago on my HTC Touch Pro whilst I was out for lunch with my brother.

Since then I've installed the TwitterFox plug-in on Firefox both on my Macbook and on my Dell Vostro at work. And just this week I installed TweetDeck Beta on both machines as well. I don't know why it's so addictive to follow others and to have others follow you on Twitter but it just is. The Twitter phenomenon has even extended to celebritydom with Ashton Kutcher challenging CNN in a race to reach 1 million followers on Twitter. Incidentally he won ... isn't it weird what a 140-character limited app can do?

The Adobe AIR-powered TweeterDeck Beta

It's a strange social-networking phenomenon but oh so many love it including yours truly. I've also installed a Tweeter app on Facebook that automatically updates my Facebook status. How cool is that? I wonder how long this fad will last for me? Is Twitter the next big thing or is it just a passing phase on the World Wide Web?

Only time will tell ... for now it's just FUN to Twitter. Follow me ... http://www.twitter.com/chrisleow

A Measure

Just a Measure

Ephesians 3:17-19
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

God's POV

God's View is Bigger!

I've been listening a lot to Ps. Edmund Chan in the past month and it's been refreshing to just listen to the Word of God and to be centred on Him. I can't say that I'm like 100% there yet and there's still a lot of work that He needs to do in me to transform me.

It's been a great weekend and I learnt some new things at yesterday's Discipleship Conference in church. The key thing that I took away from Ps. Edmund Chan's session is understanding more and accepting that God's Word transforms us and "masters" us rather than us mastering the Word of God. Truth without application doesn't do a thing but truth applied makes a world of difference.

How often have I read the Bible with pre-suppositions and with ideas already in place? It's difficult I know but maybe it's time for us to just read the Bible for what it has to teach us rather than trying to force-fit the Word to fit our ideas of what things should be like. I figure that's probably why we struggle so much to find truth in the Bible because in actual fact we're trying to validate our own truth rather learning what truth really is.

I'm learning how to see God's point of view rather than justaxposing my pre-concieved ideas on the Word. It's gonna be an exciting journey and even though I do have many questions about the world and the relevance of the Word in it; I believe that a God-centred approach in discovering Him in the Bible is going to make a world of difference in life.

Won't you read the Word differently today?

Hope in Fiction

The Dark Knight ... Of Course

Just this morning as I cleared the hall in my apartment a little I had the Special Features disc playing from the Dark Knight and something hit me. Life is rife with challenges and I figured out this morning that movies, games and books inspire me to do better; to be better. There is a unrealised need in the world today for fiction to not just entertain but to teach us how to be better. We don't necessarily need to just read autobiographies but I believe that good fiction that's meant to inspire can do good.

There is a line to be drawn though because fiction can be escapicism. I used to get lost in things like this years ago but now that I'm older I realise that I can take what I learn into the real world. What is fiction if it just stays on the pages of a script or book? What's the point of writing if the themes and thoughts of the author are just merely to entertain? Entertainment can be more than that I believe. In fiction we can find hope to continue to press in our challenges in real life. Through fiction we can put shape to our thoughts, emotions & feelings that better help us understand who we are as people.

Value & Acceptance

Are You Alone in The Crowd?

I know I haven't blogged in awhile ... I guess I'm learning to shut up more instead of expressing what's going on inside my head & heart. It doesn't seem to make sense these days to wear my heart out on my sleeves but here's one of the rare posts that I will be making based on what's happening in my life right now.

2009 is starting out to be pretty busy. There's a tonne to do at work. Some clearing up of audit stuff for the record label PLUS there's a bit of an evolution happening at cell. Got hit by a few hard hits over the weekend but I'm surviving. Something feels different inside and I guess I'm sad to have temporarily lost a friendship that's been blessing to me for the past year. Life "happens". As always.

Here's something I learned today as I was counseling a friend which turned out to be a big revelation to me too. I'll sum it up below:

"We only get hurt by people because of the value we place on our friendship with them. The truth is not everyone values us the same way and perhaps we shouldn't value them as much in terms of taking to heart what they say. Not everyone knows us through and through and we end up getting unnecessarily hurt by these people."

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we get hurt sometimes becomes of how much we value certain people. Some people just don't value our friendship as much and sadly they don't take the effort or time to get to know us well enough. Actions & comments are made loosely and that's when we get hurt. The worse part is people who don't appreciate us enough and we end up feeling rejected.

I'm still figuring it out but I am learning that we don't need to be accepted by everyone. It's the acceptance of the ones who take the time to see beyond the external that should matter most. It hurts a whole lot when much is given to a person but nothing is given back in return. It cuts deep when a person refuses to break out of their own mindsets about us. It kills us when we are misjudged and presumptions made based on false impressions. Not many truly bother to see beyond what is on the outside. Not many are able to. After all don't we all judge a book by its cover most times? Some of you would say no ... but I would challenge you to ask yourself that question again and think real hard about it because you'll find that you won't like the answer that surfaces within.

The point I'm trying to make is this ... I'm learning for myself that we can only give someone love & care only if that person allows it. We can only give as much as the person wants to receive; beyond that it's very difficult to touch a person's heart if that person is closed off. Isn't it sad that we are able to close ourselves off to love because we have far-flung expectations? We don't truly appreciate the choices that are presented before us because we're always looking far far away for better options or choices; not realising that the best options are already there in front of us.

Maybe at the end of the day it's about us accepting ourselves first before others can accept us. Maybe the value of our relationships start with the value we place on ourselves? We put far too much value on what other people think of us but the fact is that no one can truly know what's inside us except us & God. So why do we put so much stock on what others say about us? Is that the reason why we end up getting hurt & disappointed? Now that's a thought for us to chew on ...

I don't really know what I'm trying say in this post; maybe some of you have insights that would evolve or change my view on this but I think I'm close to the mark on this. I'm still sorting my own thoughts though so don't take what I have to say today as the Gospel truth. Anyways, give all this a thought; hopefully some of you would make better sense of what I've been mulling on. I'd love to hear your own insights on this matter.

Till next time.