Soundtrack for your life.

It doesn't happen to you, you happen to life. - Superchic[k]

Time is present. it is the past, it is the future.

Its amazing how significant time is. it states being, states what has been and what will be. It suggests progress or stagnancy.

Ahh, dinner time. One bowl of steamed rice, fried yau mak, and herbal chicken. YUCK. we have this everyday. aren't we sick of it? hmm, i wonder what the kids in india are having.

One spoon of rice and erh, one spoon of rice for the whole family. rice, again?! when's the last time i got to have some rice, whoppeeee!

Shucks, its time to get up and go to school. gosh, its 7am and school is so incredibly far awayyyy, i've gotta get into that lousy car and be driven a whole 10 minutes down the road. what a waste of time. I wonder what the kids in africa are doing now..

3am, and a 4 hour hike to school. another great day of learning! one day i'll finally be able to buy myself a good pair of slippers to walk in.

it doesn't happen to you, you happen to life. Be counted for something when its time. we are blessed that we can learn from our forefather's mistakes. with the lessons we've learned, we can do something about the way things are. Something different, something passionate, something real and change the way the future is headed. That spoon of rice? make that family able to eat ten spoonfulls of rice, see what happens. That pair of slippers she hopes to have one day? make her able to wear shoes and see what happens.

we are all agents. we contribute to this world we live in. affect the world around you, and you'll affect the world. so how are we really contributing to this world, are we agents of change?

Stagnancy or Progress.

Your love is strong.

2.am. i'm still up studying sejarah.

Everytime i study sejarah, i learn an incredible amount. our 5 years of history material taught in school is limited, but there is still so much that is provided for. I learn about the previous mistakes of leaders, the battle between grace and pride, the perseverance of persistant people.

Everytime i study sejarah, i have new thoughts, new opinions. Questions are answered, more questions are asked. i have a new perspective towards humanity and sociology, towards businesses and economics, towards leadership and loyalty, towards the truth and the just.

Everytime i study sejarah, i get down on my knees and ask God to interceed.I ask God for the church of malaysia to wake up and come together as the body of Christ with one purpose and vision which is to know Him and to make Him known. I ask not the conversion to christianity but for the revival of current believers. I ask for the eyes of their hearts to be opened to see the will of God for our nation. I ask for the church of malaysia to push out the four walls of the church from inside, to expand the kingdom of God. I ask for prayer warriors, missionaries, evangelists, prophets, intercessors to be raised. men and women who are after God's own heart.

Our country has too much potential to be left out of the kingdom of God.

Be the voice.

No one sits with him, he doesn’t fit in,
But we feel like we do when we make fun of him,
'Cause you want to belong, do you go along?
'Cause his pain is the price paid for you to belong
It’s not like you hate him or want him to die,
But maybe he goes home and thinks suicide,
Or he comes back to school with a gun at his side,
Any kindness from you might have saved his life.

Heroes are made when you make a choice.

You could be a hero,
Heroes do what’s right,
You could be a hero,
You might save a life,
You could be a hero, you could join the fight,
For what’s right, for what’s right, for what’s right...

No one talks to her, she feels so alone,
She’s in too much pain to survive on her own,
The hurt she can’t handle overflows to a knife,
She writes on her arm, wants to give up her life,
Each day she goes on is a day that she is brave,
Fighting the lie that giving up is the way,
Each moment of courage her own life she saves,
When she throws the pills out, a hero is made.

No one talks to him about how he lives,
He thinks that the choices he makes are just his,
Doesn’t know he’s a leader with the way he behaves,
And others will follow the choices he’s made,
He lives on the edge, he’s old enough to decide,
His brother who wants to be him is just nine,
He can do what he wants because it’s his right,
The choices he makes change a nine-year-old's life.

Little Mikey-Dee was the one in class
Who everyday got brutally harassed
This went on for years
Till he decided that never again would he shed another tear
So he walked through the door
And grabbed the .44 out of his father's dresser drawer
He said 'I can't take life no more'
And like that a life can be lost
But this ain't even about that
All of us just sat back and watched it happen
Thinking its not our responsibility
To solve a problem that isn't even about me
This is our problem.
This is just one of the daily scenarios
In which we choose to close our eyes
Instead of doing the right thing
If we make a choice and be the voice
For those who won't speak up for themselves
How many lives would be saved, changed, rearranged?
Now it's our time to pick a side.
So don't keep walking by not wanting to intervene,
Cause you just want to exist and never be seen.
So lets wake up, change the world
Our time is now.

Superchic[k] - Hero.

These are one of, if not probably the greatest lyrics ever written. Almost everything that i think about, everything that i write in my journal about, everything i talk to people about is summed up in one song :

People who struggle with what they feel is the world on their shoulders, fighting the thoughts of giving up, persevering.

³Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. [romans 5 : 3]

Some are meant to lead, but they run. There are so many times in the bible where people have ran from the call to lead, to go and claim the promises of God. Jonah is one of them. They had no idea of how great an impact they had on the lives of people around them. If God has called you, then answer. Send me and i will go and surely God has a plan for your life, kan?

But this ain't even about that
All of us just sat back and watched it happen
Thinking its not our responsibility
To solve a problem that isn't even about me
This is our problem.
This is just one of the daily scenarios
In which we choose to close our eyes
Instead of doing the right thing
If we make a choice and be the voice
For those who won't speak up for themselves
How many lives would be saved, changed, rearranged?
Now it's our time to pick a side.
So don't keep walking by not wanting to intervene,
Cause you just want to exist and never be seen.
So lets wake up, change the world
Our time is now.

I cried when i read those few lines. It was never about how wrong things are but how we need to make wrong things right. When will people realize that we're meant to do something about the hurt, the suffering and the poverty of this world?When will they choose to fight for those who aren't capable of speaking up for themselves?

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. For the rights of all who are destitute, Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” [Proverbs 31:8-9]

our time is now.

Bigger than my body.

After i fell sick, it was a struggle to get back on my two feet, to get life back to its original radical state. took a lot of work. My exams were only a week after I was discharged. for three weeks i hadn't open a single one of my books. there goes trials, flushed down the toilet bowl *pllushhhh*

I got my results this week. 6 marks better on the average than last term. Me, the only kid in the whole of the pure science stream of 120 kids who got a B for math in pmr, got a 91 score in modmath and chemistry with a pass.

In the church i used to attend, every sunday people would go up and give testimonies about how they scored well for their exams. i'm not even sure to what extent God was intended to be part of that success. this probably sounds like one of those testimonies.

but heck, there is something greater to this than a "thank You Lord" testimony. i really don't care about what marks or score i got. the second i got my results, i was just so in awe of my Jesus. In awe that i'm alive and well. in awe that He's been getting me back on my two feet from the day i fell sick. in awe that even after i got better, he was there with me while i struggled through each exam paper. in awe that He not only made me well, He made me better than i was before. In awe that in Him, I am more that what i think i can be.

Instantly, romans 8 : 37-39 came to my mind.

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved me. not sickness, diesease, and even death can separate me from God's love. how amazing is that?

Lagu Untukmu.

I read Jamie Tworkowski's ARTICLE on some online magazine the other day. He called his article "what would you say and what would you sing?". If you were given the opportunity to stand in a small or large crowd with all attention on you, what would you say at that moment?

I always talk about changing the world, sending a message of goodness and love to people who need it. But i haven't really figured out what i'd say exactly. When someone hands a mic to us, we usually put on our shy faces and say "hey guys, erh erh, hey." and give some corny smile. OR we end up talking nonesense [some people just can't get the mic out of their hands].

Jamie was talking about how a stage is a special place. A place where you can either move mountains or contribute to the stagnancy of our world. So i thought in my head, " Alright, the time will come when a mic will be passed to me and i'd have to bring some purpose to the lives of whoever's listening. I'd better get that little message ready." I continued on to read..

"all the world's a stage and that maybe we all have some kind of influence and opportunities to say real things and move people"

Boy, i totally forgot about that. All the world's a stage. Ears are just waiting to hear what the heart needs to hear. Every moment you're conversing with your friends, maybe even one friend, that's your stage, your moment! It ain't any good writing on paper your glorious message that can change the world and wait for someone to hand you a mic while the paper slowly rots in the small compartment of your wallet.

It really doesn't matter where you are, or who you are speaking too. People are influenced by the words we say and the actions we do. Maybe next time when someone says "wassap dei", to you, you should reply "not so good man." and let them ask why. Then you can go on to tell them the thoughts in your heart, the message written on that small piece of rotting paper in your wallet.

What would you say, what would you sing?

So I thought.

When i first heard switchfoot's song "meant to live" about 5 or 6 years ago, i thought "whoa, christians making awesome rock music". We sometimes take for granted the music that some people make. Writing a song is not a very easy thing to do. Surely if lyrics were written, there is a story behind it. To me, that matters a lot. The story, the message, the purpose, the revalation. The music itself is equally as important, if not more, don't get me wrong. I mean, as a musician, i behtahan when people say "awww, the lyrics are so nice!", when the music itself ain't that great. I believe that if the words written in the song are good, the good music will follow naturally.

Anyway, back to the story. As most of you know, Switchfoot and Jon Foreman have been one of my biggest inspirations. Yes, i guess you can say they are my favourite band and artist. After i heard "meant to live", i began exploring switchfoot's music, i began exploring their messages, i began exploring their cause, their hopes, their dreams. Then i realized, Its not about the music, its about a purpose. Music is an amazing tool. It saves lives, gives hopes, inspires dreams for you and me. Like Jon Foreman said "We can talk about anything through our music. things that would normally be deemed as offensive and 'sensitive' are appropriate and can shake the planet in music". What an amazing gift from God eyh?

Music suggests that its okay to be honest, music reminds us we're alive - ToWriteLoveOnHerArms.

I just find it so mindblowing that a lot of what i do and what i've went through for the last 5 or 6 years have been based on 3 words... Meant To Live. Funniest thing is that i was never even aware of it. But in every decision i make for living today and every action that follows up on that decision, all starts with those 3 words. These are the 3 words that have been the central theme for this blog since it was first created.

I am meant to live for more than laziness
I am meant to live for more than hatred, for more than unforgiveness
I am meant to live for more than wishing I could be like someone else
I am meant to live for more than alchohol,more than cigarettes, more than sex

I am meant to live for more than walking past that beggar without saying "Jesus loves you"
I am meant to live for more than hoping someone else will share the gospel instead of me
I am meant to live for more than donating my old, torn clothes to charity
I am meant to live for more than agreeing to what my pastor says without taking action.

I am meant to live for more than keeping my thoughts to myself
I am meant to live for more than wishing I could change our world by staying comfortable
I am meant to live for more than starting a career and making tons of money
I am meant to live for more than going into full-time only after i retire.

I am meant to live for more than routinely playing the guitar in a worship team
I am meant to live for more than saving God specially for sundays
I am meant to live for more than seeking God only in my troubles
I am meant to live for more than waking every morning with a heart that can't serve.

I was meant to live for so much more. We were meant to live for so much more.

let's find ourselves.

All for love.

Today is known as one of America's darkest days. Most of us can't relate to what those guys in newyork went through on the morning of September the 11th, 8 years ago.We live in a country where a terrorist attack is not as probable. But for them, it was a day of defeat.

8 years ago, we were praying for comfort for all the families that lost love ones, families that were affected greatly from a day's events. but i think its time for us to pray for forgiveness, for love and for change.

I can't imagine the amount of hatred that these families might have had or probably still have toward terrorists. Of course it isn't fair, their loved ones didn't do anything that deserve such a death. But hatred does nothing for the better. Forgiveness on the other hand, can move mountains. If these guys could truly put the past behind them, and pray, pray for the ones who once hurt them, change will happen. A great one at that. So lets pray that these families will learn to forgive and eventually, move mountains.

Terrorists are only humans. They are no different from some of the people we've read about in the bible. Whether they are God's enemies or not, is not for us to decide. But i do believe they have a God shaped hole in their hearts like everyone of us and deserve to be shown God's love. We need to intercede in order for that to happen. These guys have families as well. Our future depends of the upbringing of their children. If their children learn to hate,to kill and to destroy, when will the wars end? pray for the breakdown of strongholds of negative thoughts and hatred being built in their young and fragile minds.

There is no use mourning over the things that have already happen. like Matt Garner says, these things are no mistake, its just a set up for a miracle to take place. But that, is only if we believe that a miracle can actually happen.

To write change on our hearts.

The 'to write love on her arms' link has been on my blog for a while together with the other sites i occasionally visit. Back when i first linked it, i just took a quick glance at the website, never really bothered to go check out the big picture. Well, i did that the first time today.

Reading some of their stories, their visions, their hopes and fears is breathtaking. Yes, breathtaking, simply because you finally get to take a breath of life as it truly is. real, honest, painful, joyful, persevering, hopeful, unjust, full of moments we hang by a thread and moments we soar above the clouds like eagles.

It saddens me, how most of us need a constant reminder on the amount of people there are with broken hearts, bearing a God-shaped hole. My dad has an album of some of the many photos of refugees and starving children he's taken on his mission trips through war-torn countries on facebook. He titled the album 'always on my mind'. I can honestly say that the broken hearted and God's love for them are not always on my mind. Maybe it is, but its back there, behind the studies, behind the entertainment, behind the pleasures and the temporal things of my life.

Just because its not "always on our minds" it doesn't mean we aren't fit for kingdom work, or capable of bringing that one person to Jesus. It does take time for us to be able to see with the eyes of our heart, to see how the real world looks like all the time. But guess what, God is in the business of restoring our hearts. He's in the business of making us, the blind, see. He's in the business of making us, the deaf, hear. He's in the business of making us,the lame, WALK to ACT.

That is why i believe we should do our part as well. If you're too young to leave for the real world, nevermind. Find out about what's going on outside, find out who is going through what, find out how you can make a change. walk the city streets and slums and pray for the real world. Gather your friends together, ask God to break your hearts for what breaks His, to see things the way He sees them.

Everyday i long more and more to go out there and change our world, to bring purpose to people or to even to one person through Him. there is a song that says "make ready your hearts, make ready your homes, make ready the people of God." We need to keep training and preparing ourselves for what God has planned for our lives.

When God calls me, i'll be ready.