All things shall be added to you

Its a shiny Tuesday morning. As I munched the left-over Oreo's from the Singapore trip with a messy cup of powdered milk in front of the laptop, I just felt the urged to express the awesomeness of this God I believe in.

4 years ago, around this time of the year was a tough time for the 18th year old me. Being thrown and torn between choices of further education, I was deeply shattered when I was told my dream occupation wasn't going to be realized- Architecture. Above it all, growing up with parents that had overseas education with one even spending more than half a decade somewhere far flung from the homeland, I assumed I was going to be just like them. I will be having friends of different nations going for road trips on weekends or sharing dinner with dishes of all nationalities in a warm fire-lit apartment during winter.

However reality was even though one of a twinning college was desperate of offering me a Diploma scholarship which then will lead me to Melbourne University 3 years later, a painful decision was made to forgo that dream option for financial reasons.

Hence I came to this random-never-heard-of college which was too far away from what I've always expected, bitterly. Back then all I do online is blog and read blogs, which kennysia.com was one of my tophits. And all this guy does is travel, travel and travel. And with such influence, I was really bitter. It may sound a little childish but imagine growing up hearing stories of overseas studies, the huge late-night library trips camping amidst books that smells of its age, the summer break holidays in all its excitement; and with all the expectation building up like a big diamond ball, which looks too beautiful only to be smashed right back to the floor.

Wells I'm just writing how I felt back then. I'm way over all this emotional cocos. 4 years later, I've never been so grateful for being able to finish my studies in this random-never-heard-of college that I once thought and there is no place I rather be than in this part of the country. With the friends I've made, the great life I've been having, and the God I've encountered. Strange thing is, just when I've settled with myself that I'm really fine staying in Malaysia for the rest of my life having no regrets and bitterness for no overseas experience, things start happening...

2 years ago around this time as well, Mum bought me a return flight to Australia, the land I was supposed to go if I were to be studying Architecture in Taylors, just one year earlier! I travelled around the Kangaroo Land for a month taking photos around the vicinity of Melbourne and Sydney. I went to that renowned University that I've dreamt of studying at, walk around the gardens and sit in one of its lecture. It was an amazing experience indeed, just when I thought I had no opportunity to go overseas.

2 years later, the whole family renewed/made their passports for a family trip to New Zealand for 2 weeks driving along the coastal scenic lines. Cramming in bedrooms, eating peaches everyday and barbequeing dinners together. I honestly never expected this to come to pass seeing the fact that the family has always been extra careful with huge spendings. I mean, I've heard of other families having family trips (I have a friend that travels to at least one country with the family each year) but my family?? WOW. Just when I thought I had no opportunity to go overseas.

One year from now, I'd HAVE TO go to Birmingham for my Masters programme, which was never in the plan since the beginning of college. I'm actually excited not over the overseas-euphoria, but the fact that I'm going this time just because I have to. Bill Johnson puts it best, "God is so awesome that sometimes He skips all your prayer list right down to something you never prayed for but don't mind having".

And just when you think this is the end of the story, here goes a super random thing that just redefines the person I believe in.

In the midst of my last semester, one of my lecturer rang me up and asked whether I would like to go for an English test, "which is kind of like IELTS but its from Cambridge" says her. Well I thought I don't mind having an extra qualification, and since the college is paying for everything, why not? I thought I was real lucky to be called since there is tonnes of students in college that has better command of English than me, but so happen this lecturer only got to choose a handful of students she knew, I happen to be one of them.

So i went for the exams with a bunch of others. It wasn't a tough level English test because the name was- FCE (First Certificate in English). I didn't really prepared much after I saw the name of the exams. haha. Afterall all we need is a pass to get that certificate.

Months later, the lecturer rang up and told me my exams result. I apparently done pretty well (94/100) which I never thought of because I knew I could pass but never expected something like that. She told me to be in touch because my scores qualified me for a public speaking competition. I really do love speaking in public so I rang up the phone and just smile.

1 week ago, right before going to Singapore (just when I thought I had no opportunity to go overseas.) to attend "Kingdom Invasion Conference" I checked my gmail and found out the details of the public speaking competition which made me laugh and laugh and laugh in joy towards this amazing God that just love to spoil you with things:

Cambridge ESOL Public Speaking Competition

Date: 12th April 2012

Time: 930AM-1230AM

Venue: Random-never-heard-of College

No. of Participants: 7

Top Prize:

Air ticket to CAMBRIDGE for the International Finals

And just when I thought I had no opportunity to go overseas

Canterbury Plain

"A smile can do wonders, and the best part of it is it cost us nothing to give"

-Anonymous

Saw this while browsing through the funny gift cards on a shelf in one of the many mushrooming souvenir shop in Franz Josef. It just baffles me of how the simplicity of a line of words hidden among stacks of cards can carry so much impact and importance of what the world needs today.

It was in one of the many motels that we stayed in during the holiday where me and my brothers camped out in the TV room watching a Christian sermon late at night. The young skinny looking preacher was talking about wisdom. "Wisdom from the bible talks of right standing with God, self and people. It basically means, being human".

Sometimes, we really just forget about being who we are, if we actually knew who that is. We be who people think we are, we live in impressions of people or the unsound expectations of others. We may even grew up being sculptured by the erosion of false humanity definitions, of first impressions over character and pleasure over honor, responding to situations and making decisions based unknowingly on the presumptions of the world. Slowly, we numb ourselves to our own heart, that which makes us who we are. I wasn't immune of this, at all.

The 2 weeks get-away cannot be more timely. At the crossroad from a college student life to beyond. It was like a great big window, with the inside as what I knew and who I am; and the outside as things yet to explored and he who I would be. It gave me the time and space to ponder over the experiences, my character and life values that I accumulated through the past; the time needed for me to pick up myself to move on to another unknown phase of life, into things unfamiliar with, unheard of and unseen before; the courage needed to dream and dream big; and the faith I need to decide to climb, outside that window eventually into endless possibilities.

Truly it was a great holiday. Not only was I enjoying the post-cardish sceneries, the self-cooked lamb chops which unlike Malaysia are not available in frozen pieces, the priceless moments with the family, but it was as well a wonderful time with me, my thoughts and God. We spent a lot of time talking. It really does feel like those vintage music videos where you're in a travelling vehicle, with breathe-taking landscapes zooming by your window and all you cared about was your pen and notebook, losing yourself in your thoughts.

Human came from somewhere and I for real would definitely not accept the theory of having monkey great grandfathers. After all it's just a theory. Humans came from the wildest imagination, beliefs and thoughts of the greatest inventor, God. He had us in mind and a desire to fellowship with such living beings that were then unknown. With great love He breathe His life into a new creature and created humans. Well the rest of the story we all knew, humans departed from His Creator and started life by himself. And hence fast forward some thousands of years, we have now a society that tries to explain life and self from our own limited mind, coming out with things like evolution, terrorism, sexual abusiveness, suicides and among the greatest, atheism.

To be really human, and to live out that real definition of life, comes only through the acknowledgement that there is a God and a God that didn't just created us and dump ourselves to our own foolishness to kill each other but a God that actually intended since the beginning to have a relationship with humans. I know I am not immune to the lies of the world, and that this holiday getaway really plugged me out of my normal routine to think about things I would never if otherwise thought of.

To be human, "is to have right relationship with God, self and people". Ah.. The simplicity of a line of words that we overlooked or probably never looked because it was hidden behind that stacks of postcards among a hidden shelf.

I am truly grateful, to be reveal of such simple and yet wonderful revelation. That my relationship with God stands out more than the importance of my serving, my responsibilities and commitments

; that my relationship with myself should be real, that I should not be prison by the imagineries and expectations of others, but to pay close attention to what my heart is singing

; and that my relationship with people, my parents and siblings especially, are of such importance over my achievements in life. My love and laying down for the needy and down-casted, are way more important than recognition and acceptance.

Thank You Lord, that you've created humans. As complicated as we ourselves have make things to be, Your intentions never changed and for that, I shall keep that smile on me for the rest of my days.

Say cheese!

Let it be so