# 72. alil' something from me to you.

picture by piratesfuriousteddy.

thanks for reading my blog. believe in yourself and me, when i say that you are truly beautiful from the inside out. as much as yesterday might seem as though as it was hell, today, is another new day. start your day walking on sunshine and make today, a day to remember for years to come. you are where you are today not by chance, but by strength and grace. you are something to have survived yesterday, so do not doubt yourself, not even a single second. do not give up on the dreams that you have had since you were little, do not compromise on your beliefs, do not feel discouraged. remember that courage does not come in the form of a roar, but it is that little sigh that you give at the end of the day that comes along with a promise saying, i will try again tomorrow. as much as you might feel that you are lonely at times, i would like to tell you, that you have been missed by someone who've been waiting patiently their whole lives for you to enter theirs. if you think that you are unloved, remember that the big man above looks down and whispers those three words unconditionally. go ahead and have a great day. this is what i would like to tell everyone who is reading this here today because i believe that a little act of random kindness like this from a stranger goes a long way in putting a smile in a person's life. this is alil' something from me to you, whoever "you" are. -melaniehwa. 080910.

Inspirations.

# 69. Silverlining.

photography by neeeer

Life can be a bitch. Yes, but I always believe that when a door closes in your life, many other doors open up at that exact same moment. As terrible as life might seem at that moment of your life, stay strong and strive on. There is always a silver lining behind every dark cloud. Things happen for a reason. God has a plan for you and me. As dark as the day might seem, as heavy as your heart feel, as painful as it is to carry on, stop wallowing in your own pain and stand up, wipe your tears, toss out your sorrows and start a brand new day walking on sunshine. Life is too short to complain and whine. Jump on a plane today, shave your hair bald, make new friends. You are the pilot of your own life. Live counting your blessings and making more blessings to be remembered for the rest of your life. And that is Living to me.

Inspirations.

# 66. The World Is How You See It.

Look at the picture and take a few seconds to yourself to think. And now, what do you think about this picture? What does it portray? What subliminal message is it trying to carry forth? What do you feel about this picture?

photograph by monikachu.

Most people would have given several answers like this, "Its a picture which symbolizes death." or maybe, "Its a sad, sad picture.", as well as, "It shows how beautiful things on earth never lasts." How the beautiful flowers wilted, definitely showed us how life is short. It definitely showed us death and it is a sad, sad picture. But are these the only views towards this beautiful picture? Are these the messages that this picture is saying? or are there more?

I rather choose the option of looking at this picture from a more positive tone. "I see how beautiful the flower in this picture is during its bloom. I see how many heart-warming love stories it bared witness in its lifetime. I see how it listened to those sweet, genuine promises a young man mouthed to the ears of his fiancée to be. I see how it brushed against the subtle skin of a beautiful young 3 year old girl who was playing and giggling with the one man she learnt to look up to for her whole life, her father. I see how it stood up high, and witnessed every sunrises and sunsets as well as how it was in between two graying old couples who laid down hand in hand, looking up at the sky filled with stars."

What I am trying to say is, you can always view the world from many angles. You can remain gloomy and sad, or u can either choose to view things from a brighter point of view. I've once heard this and as cliché as it might sound, it is true. "The world is how you see it." You have control on how you choose to see things in life, and yes, in reality, life is harsh and gloomy. But forget not, it is also the most beautiful thing there is in the world. I guess, life is how you choose to see it. If you choose to see the glass as half empty, it will always be half empty to you and life will never be entirely fulfilling. So yeah, in life, there are definitely rise and falls, but whenever the falls come, you have the choice to either pick yourself up and dust off those shoulders, head held high, ready to continue, or you can choose to continue whining and crying, defeated. Again, the world lies on how you see it. Have alil faith and alil hope, the world ain't that bad. I, for one, choose to see the glass as half full.

Inspirations.

# 64. Before I die, I want to.......

picture taken off beforeidieiwantto.org

What is the one thing in life that you want to accomplish before you bid goodbye? What is the one thing, that drives you, that gives you the strength to live to see another day? What is the one thing, that makes you spend your whole life, working towards them? What is the one thing, that colour up your world and makes your life meaningful? What is the one thing that you would want to do, before you die?

Just a few days ago, Khairie, an awesome soul, sent me this link. It is an organization that was started by Nicole Kenny and KS Rives. Both of them, made use of the long-forgotten polariod cameras to take pictures of people, and asked each one of them, a simple question. "What do you want to do before you die?" They've carried out this project in the States as well as in India and they've found out clear differences in what people want and wish for. This is mainly due to how they have been brought up in different backgrounds and societies. But one clear and obvious similarity is that, it all showed hope. They hope for something more, and that is what gives them strength to live another day. Hope.

I've always wanted a mini polariod camera myself and this kind of put more meaning to it. (Unfortunately, if you guys do have my facebook or twitter, you should know that I am pretty broke. So ya, it is gonna stay in my wish list for now.)

the mini polariod camera- Fujifilm Instant Camera7s

I have always loved photography simply because I love how it can capture the moment and how it can speak a million words. Going through those pictures taken by Nicole Kenny and Ks Rives, capturing stories of people from different walks of life, amazed me. Reading wishes and hopes of people, got me thinking, what is my one wish?

Do click the link and read for yourselves about this great organization and its objectives. Here is my polariod and my wish. What's yours? Start thinking, and make that your purpose of living.

Inspirations.

# 61. Faith.

First and foremost,

if you guys do follow me on my facebook or twitter, you will definitely know that my grandmother, unfortunately was admitted to the hospital. i would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to those kind souls who've asked about my grandma's condition and thanks for those encouraging words. my grandma is currently stable and is slowly but surely, healing and gaining strength. thank you.-melaniehwa. 12042010.

Alright, now, let me start off by asking you readers out there, a simple question. What is the one thing that you will keep if you are forced to give everything up in your life? The one thing in the whole world, your ability? your talent? your material possessions? For me, I would like to say, I would like to keep the priviledge of prayers given by the grace of God. I dare not say that I am very religious nor am I a very strong Christian. But I for one, am one of the millions, billions, child of God to say that I do believe in Him.

Past few days, I read the first few pages of "Have a little Faith by Mitch Albom", he elaborated about how he slacked off. I believe, this is nothing unfamiliar to all of us Christians now. What he said, I find true. It is not rebellion, it is not that I have lost faith, but it is more of the unnecessity. We do not see the need of God to be in our lives when we see things moving smoothly. We do not see the need to pray for more when we see our careers blossoming or when our dreams achieved. We kind of created this "you go your way, I go my way" pack. Truth is, God is never away from us. Every single pray made, He listens. I for one, am not perfect. I ain't going to lie, that I too, doubt at times. But throughout my years of being a Christian, I am confident in saying that He never have failed me. Eventhough at times, my prayers were not answered, I see and understand in time, that it is for my own good. He knows whats best for you and me at the best timing.

Like you, I do fall. We afterall, are only humans. We ain't perfect. It is easy to know that God is always there, but to actually believe it always, is not as easy as it sounds. Lucky for me, He never fail to show His wonders. Listening to what my dad told me regarding the recent family drama, the very one point of what he said, had proven that God is above any and every other gods, further strengthened my faith in Him. I have been praying for my grandma for the past week. I am glad that He, had kept my grandma under His wings, healing her, keeping her alive till this very day. This is not the first time that He had answered my prayers, and this will definitely not be the last.

This post is written from a very personal point of view, different from how I use to write. I just want this to be something that I would read back on, as something to remind me of how great is He. I had been praying for my family's salvation ever since dayone, and listening to what my dad said, kind of given me a whole new breath to push on. This is because, as grey as the hope seemed, I know, with what has happened, that God is working. I know for sure, that it is going to happen someday. I believe in Him.

Inspirations.

# 56. Hope.

Hope. I have always been the girl who've always dream about my prince charming, coming to sweep me off my feet on his pure-white beautiful horse. I've always been the girl who've believed that no matter how ugly the world has become, beauty will never stop growing out from every tiny corner imaginable. I've always believed that even when the sun sets every dusk, the sun is just waiting patiently to rise the very next dawn. I've always believed that despite every fall in life, its only to make us stronger, a lesson to learn from. I've always believed that life is always beautiful and meaningful. I've always believed that life is about the journey and not the destination. I've always believed that life is about exploring and learning. I've always believed in the goodness of life. I've always believed that life is not about self but its always about the lives we've touched. I've always believed that life is about reaching out for our dreams and making it a reality. I've always believed that the difference between dreams and reality is only doing it. I've always believed that no matter what, we should not lose our integrity in life, we should not lose ourselves. I've always believed that there is a bigger plan out there, set by God, for me. I've always believed.

Yes, you are right. I don't always feel so hopeful. I'm not perfect. I'm not bulletproof. I'm afterall, only human. Life isn't always beautiful, life isn't always smooth sailing. Life is hard, some say, Lifes' a bitch. Yes, it really is. But whatever it is, I think, we should never lose hope. Hope keeps us going in life. Hope is what keeps things pure and true. Hope is what gives us strength to push and to carry on. Do not let anyone or anything in life take that away from you. I've recently heard a friend of mine quote. A quote which I find true.

"When we long for life without difficulties, be reminded that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure. So when life is hard, we are actually diamonds in the making. Stay strong people"- Shas Fung. 260210.

So stay strong and remember, life is after all, all about hope, lets not give that up just yet.

Inspirations.