Soundtrack of my Summer

     Soundtracks of movies are my jam right now. I'm currently playing the "How to Train Your Dragon" (both 1 and 2) soundtrack over and over again. John Powell is an amazing composer, and I just loved how he infused such beautiful instruments together and created just the right atmosphere and tone for the movie. Plus, he makes Viking music sound pretty awesome, with the bagpipes in all their glory (I do believe they're bagpipes - they sure sound like them). And with the release of HTTYD2, I'm just so enthralled by the way he layers the new tunes with hints of the old, giving a fuller sound to it. 


     It never really occurred to me before this how much soundtracks just shape the mood and the whole texture of a movie. And when I replay them, they take me back to the emotions and feelings that I've experienced when I was actually watching the movies. And some of the soundtracks that I've fallen in love with is of course Disney soundtracks, Slumdog Millionaire, Guardians of the Galaxy, (500) Days of Summer, Lord of the Rings, Shakespeare in Love, etc. Such memorable soundtracks, enough to make you feel as if your soul is swelling up within you.

Forgotten

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name; 

make known among the nations what He has done.

Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; 

tell of all His wonderful acts.

Glory in His holy name; 

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice”.

1 Chronicles 16: 8-10.

      Yesterday I had forgotten for Whom I am living for. I guess at times, I slip back into that mindset where I believe that my life is my own. And honestly, it's very tiring living for your own self. Because my own desires, needs, wants, ambitions - they never end, never fully satiated.

     While being a Christian is NOT easy at all, living for Him, serving Him, it naturally brings such joy and fulfillment. 

    And I had forgotten that fact yesterday. Instead, I was pandering to my own sense of self-importance, with the result of feeling down, dry, and discouraged.

    Thank You Lord for this verse, which reminds me that I'm living for You, and that buoys me up with such joy. :)

"Personal" Faith?

      We've all heard the saying that our religion, our faith, is our own personal choice, and it's no one's business to question it or challenge it. I used to think that too, but now I'm just pondering to what extent is that true.

     I do agree that faith is personal... but personal in the sense that we can't really say we believe in a God unless we have truly felt in our hearts and are convinced in our minds that there is a God. And yes, I do believe that faith is personal in the sense that we should have the freedom of choice to follow the faith our hearts and minds convict us of.

     But I find that it's quite misleading - and even inaccurate - to say that it's no concern of anyone else's what faith we make the stand to follow. Think about it logically, if we choose to put our trust in a God, it's obviously going to affect other people one way or the other! If all the decisions and actions that we take affect others, then a religious or spiritual decision would obviously affect others, and perhaps would even be the core element in the way others are affected. If our faith and religious beliefs shape us the way we are, then obviously it's going to affect the way we treat others.

     So you can't really blame others for questioning your faith or asking about it. Yes, a person should never shove his / her beliefs down someone's throat, but it shouldn't come as a surprise when someone asks about an individual's faith. You can't just curtly say "it's between me and God".

     Let's face it, faith is paradoxically both personal and also communal. Because it moulds your very character, it would inevitably leak into the way you treat your family, your friends, your society, the global community.

     If someone were to ask me about my faith (or lack of it), I would think that the best thing to do is not to just brush the topic aside and say that "it's personal". It's best to think about the answer long and hard, long before the question is asked. Because if I don't have an answer to that, I should think I should do some self-reflection and discover where I stand on the matter.

Short Story: "I am Bored".

I am bored. I have nothing to do. Poor me, I have so much time, but nothing to fill it up with.

You there, Facebook. I am certain that you shall soon remedy my boredom. Scrolling down the News Feed. Ah there, there are good pictures of my friends. Funny status updates. Like, like, comment, comment, share. I shall post up a few pictures of my own. Yes, 21 likes. Excellent, I have gathered 38 likes. Finally, I have achieved 52 likes! This pleases me greatly! Ah, but Facebook is now boring to me.


No matter, I shall switch to another website. Yes, excellent, YouTube will certainly entertain me. Go on, make me laugh with that. Yes, entertain me with that humorous cat video. Yes, you dancers, dance and prance around for me. I am in need for a good, hearty laugh. Let me jump around YouTube, and discover what new videos it has to offer me. 

Ah but now YouTube has grown tiresome. What else could I watch to amuse myself? Ah, Tumblr. Ah, Instagram. Ah, Twitter. Ah, Buzzfeed. So much to watch, so much to see, so much to entertain me, amuse me, dance for me. 

Alas! What is this? Have I watched everything? Is there nothing left to gratify my funny bone? I shall click refresh. Refresh. Refresh.

I see that I have seen almost everything. This displeases me. I am absolutely appalled that the Internet is not providing me with some lighthearted entertainment; it is useless to me, it offers me nothing whatsoever.

Perhaps. Perhaps I should go out. Get off this chair and away from the computer. Perhaps it will do me some good. Perhaps I shall enjoy it. Hm, it does seem like an interesting prospect. 

...But first, let me refresh, perhaps there is something new on Facebook. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh.
Refresh.

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Hi all. This is just a silly idea of mine to write a satire about the way we expect the Internet to entertain us and fill up our time, instead of taking the initiative to look for exciting new things to try or learn. Technology is meant to inspire us to learn more about the world we live in, rather than making us content with the bubble we've made for ourselves.
I'm not trying to make fun of anyone, and this is not based on a particular person (not intentionally anyway). Goodness knows, I've done this countless times, just staying in front of my computer and waiting for something interesting to entertain me. But I'd like to challenge everyone (including myself) to go out and find that something interesting to do or learn, instead of waiting for it to come to you :) 

Look out for yourself

     People tell me "you shouldn't need to do that", or "you don't always have to look out for others, just look out for yourself." I understand that these people care deeply about me, love me deeply and that they're just concerned that I put others' needs above my own a little too much.

     But these aren't words that encourage me at all. In fact, it's the total opposite. I thank all these people for genuinely caring for me, and I do admit that sometimes I feel a little worn out having to take care of others.

     But to be absolutely honest, I enjoy taking care of others and to love others and to serve others. Yes, it's tiring, and yes I whinge about it. But like the old adage goes, if it's worth doing, it ain't going to be easy doing it. If I'm passionate about doing something, I'm not going to be finding it easy.

     When people tell me, "you don't always have to be so nice you know", I don't actually feel cared for or that they're "looking out" for me. Instead, I just feel utterly discouraged because helping others and taking care of others is part of who I am. When I was growing up, and in fact in my life right now, a lot of the times I have to set my own needs and desires aside in order to show my love for others. And yes, sometimes it's painful, but I'm happy doing it because seeing others made happy is a joy to me as well. 

      I would much rather people acknowledge and appreciate me for what I'm doing, rather than saying "hey you shouldn't have to do that you know" when I actually do like helping others. 

     I once had someone tell me that I'm always a little too "self-sacrificial" and "giving". Someone actually said that "you don't always have to be so nice, people can think for themselves". Okay that's true. Then why don't you trust me enough to know that I know my limit, and that I can also think for myself whether or not I would be able to extend help? Why don't you trust that I can think for myself and say 'no' when I have to?

     Okay. I really do appreciate that you're looking out for me. (I know it sounds sarcastic, but I'm genuinely appreciative of it). But I would much rather people acknowledge and appreciate me for me, for my nature which is apparently "too self-sacrificial". I want people to understand that I go all the way to help people because I want to. Please understand and trust that I am able to say 'no' if the act of helping others get a little over my head. And when you see I've bitten off more than I can chew, why not say "I know that you're trying to help, but I don't think it's good for you to do this" or something to that effect. At least I would feel more encouraged than just being told that I shouldn't be "too nice".

     Again. I know the people who tell me this are just looking out for me. But I don't want to feel disheartened when I want to be polite or helpful. I just want to feel encouraged and inspired to love and serve others, and to have someone gently nudge me if I'm doing too much.