The TNE Logo
I’ve been here all day (pretty much) at Microsoft’s Commercial Launch event. Dubbed “The New Efficiency”, the event basically introduces a trio of tools made to work hand-in-hand to develop new applications, etc that theoretically should work seamlessly. The talks and technical tracks today cover the following:
- Windows 7
- Windows Server 2008 R2
- Exchange 2010
“The New Efficiency” is more than just an event but from what I’ve read and heard so far; it’s a concept of sorts that involve Microsoft’s new tools and how they will help bring change in the way we do things as developers and users. It’s exciting times indeed I suppose. I’m not that much of a tech-head these days but it’s cool to feel like one again at a trade event like this.
Lots of activities are happening right here right now and it’s been a pretty fun day for IT Pros & Developers alike (let’s not forget educational). There are lots of prizes are up for grabs too so make your way here if you can! There’s even FREE ice-cream at the HP booth! Heh heh!
I scream, you scream at HP for ice-cream
If you’re in the area everything closes at around 5 or 6pm so quickly make your way down here. Here are some cool things that I spotted when I made the rounds quickly. Enjoy!
One of the LCD panels running the uber cool TNE Twitter Boards
How much should we follow our hearts and how much should we listen to others? It’s difficult especially when you realise that there’s a fine line between been stubborn and being steadfast. It’s good to listen to others but at the same time we can’t allow others to rule our lives by what they think. It can get tiring but I think it’s worth it to continue to balance this out in life. It’s worth it to work through stuff and at the end of the day to come to the conclusion that there is no one but God who can bring things to pass. The realisation that He is in control and is the perfect judge of how we feel, what we have worked through and the depths of our struggles & pain is something that has been of great comfort to me personally.
He shines brightest in the darkness
It’s worth it to hold on to God because He first held on to us. Even if your best friends and the people you care for the most don’t understand you; He does. Even if you are rejected and ridiculed; know God never ever does that to you. He loves us all the same and he knows us best. I can do no more than follow my heart even though it feels stupid & illogical but I trust that my God understands best. After all He is the one who knit me in my mother’s womb. The best part is that He knows me more than I know myself and He knows you in that same way too. Isn’t that an awesome thought?
Things may be difficult right now in some areas of life for some of us but it’s in the darkness that we truly encounter God. Hold on to Him. Press on with Him. Trust Him. Even if your best friends can’t understand you; He understands you. I’m learning that for myself. I’m learning to have faith. To trust. To know that whatever happens to my hopes & my dreams; the one that will always remain is God. He is the be all and end all. The beginning and the end. And He is the same for you as He is for me.
Change
Change. Change is difficult. It involves a lot of fighting. It involves a lot of thinking. It involves a lot of working through things. Change is hard and sometimes it involves a lot of sacrifice. Is it worth it? If it means a better world and a better tomorrow; then yes. As much as change comes from God; we too can do our part. Faith is also demonstrated in action.
Where do we start with change?
- Firstly, we start with ourselves. We can’t change others only ourselves. The sooner we realise this, the sooner you’ll see changes happening. Funnily enough allowing change in yourself influences and changes things around you in time but only if you start with yourself first.
- Secondly, in our families. Our moms, dads, sons & daughters. Grandma. Grandpa. Aunties, uncles & cousins too. They are the ones who see us more often than not. Some 24/7.
- Thirdly, in the places where we already have influence. The workplace is one. Friends too.
Isn’t it time to change?
I’ve been thinking a lot about traveling lately and and it’d be great to visit places that I’ve longed to go to ever since I was a kid. As has been the trend in my past few posts here’s list of places that I’d like to visit one day in the U.S. of A.
Universal Studios
#1 – Universal Studios, Los Angeles. Yeah, yeah … Hollywood included as well. I’ve seen L.A. so much on TV and in movies but it’d be pretty cool to see it for myself. I don’t even know where to start cos’ the city sprawls so I guess I’ll start with Universal Studios then figure out where else to go to in L.A. once I really am going.
The Grand Canyon
#2 – The Grand Canyon, Arizona. I’m not really a nature person but being to take a drive all over the States with a stop at the Grand Canyon seems perfect for some reason. I’m a city-boy I guess but I don’t mind the outdoors in short bursts. So a road-trip of sorts seems cool. 
Boston
#3 – Boston, Massachusetts cos’ I’ve got family there and it’s really beautiful there in the fall.
Disney World in Orlando, Florida
#4 – Walt Disney World, Florida. Why? Cos’ it’s Disneyworld!
New York City
#5 – New York City. No particular reason why except that I wanna see what a city of that size & bustle would be like.
And there you have it. The top 5 places I’d like to visit in the States one day. I hope I’ll get to go to these places soon but travel is expensive and the Malaysian Ringgit isn’t that great. *sighs* Oh well, it’d happen one day. I know it! 
Service your life.
I was watching the air-cond guys clean the unit in my room which made me think about what it takes some time to clean up areas in my life. Here’s what they did to get my air-cond working properly again:
- They first checked the air-cond to test the problem.
In life we need to take stock first to see if we have problems or hang ups. Much like how it took 3 workmen to service my air-cond sometimes it takes not just us but more than one person to bring light to blind spots in our lives. - The air-cond guys removed the window that was obstructing them from getting to the parts of the air-cond that were outside my room.
While there was nothing wrong with the window in my room, the air-cond guys still had to remove it to reach the problematic air-cond. Similarly sometimes we need to put consider separating things in our lives that are good and put them aside in order to assess and reach the problematic spots in our lives. Our strengths can blind us and obstruct us from admitting certain problems in our lives. - They removed the entire air-cond unit including the compressor and cleaned the innards in the bathroom.
It’s beneficial to give our attitudes, thoughts and views a good scrub down every once in awhile. Pride is what gets in the way here cos’ humanly we can never admit we’re wrong so it takes a lot of honesty & humility to give our inner selves a good clean-up. Warning: It can be painful and hard to accept at times. - Once everything was scrubbed and clean; they mounted everything back and filled it up with gas.
Once cleaned-up we need to fill up on good things again in order to get going. I suggest the Bible or the good advice of a sensible friend to top up on things again. God speaks both through the Word and also people you know? - The air-cond’s all fixed. So the guys cleaned up a little and were off (after I paid them RM150 for their services of course).
Ah. Things are nice and clean and it’s good to be appreciative to God and the people that have helped us through some of these issues. No. You don’t have to pay them RM150. Heh heh. A big thank you would suffice. - Even though the air-cond was fixed I still had to clean up my room after by wiping the stuff in my room that were dusty and also by sweeping & mopping the floor.
There’s always additional stuff to do even after we’ve fixed up major things in our lives. It’s a natural spillover so don’t tire; keep at it and soon your life would be squeakier much like my room is now. Ah. Did I mention my air-cond’s now working properly again?
Next time you’ve got time to spare why not observe the air-cond guys? They may have lessons to teach you like they did me. Oh and if you live in the Setapak area, give Ah Lim a call at 019 270 3277; his guys did quite a good job and were not very messy.
Have a great weekend ya’ll!
Comics!
I love comic books. You might think it childish but I beg to differ. I think comic books are great because:
- Of the art! I love art and comic books give you that cinematic experience without the need to switch on the TV or to go to the movies.
- The writers are brilliant. They keep you coming back each month for more much like a Chinese soap.
- Comic book stories are rich with influences from a variety of sources. Comic book creators draw from history, science, folklore and all kinds of literary sources to make their stories interesting. Let’s not forget the human element.
- Superhero comics especially inspire me to be more than I can be. Don’t we all want to be heroes and do the right thing each and every single day in our lives? Sacrifice. Honour. These are lessons that comic books can teach us.
I used to read a lot as a child and I am trying little by little to get back to reading but I find that I’d much prefer to read books that teach me something about myself and life rather than fiction. I don’t do that as much these days cos’ I have to read & write as a living and I can’t stand reading pages that are made up of walls of text. I guess that’s why I prefer comic books to books these days which is a lil’ sad I suppose. I read so much less now compared to my growing up years. The only book that I go back to constantly is the Bible though so at least I’m getting some reading done daily from the good book.
Here are some good books I would suggest to anyone who wants to get into comic books as a start:. You might recognise some of them as they’ve become Hollywood properties in recent years.
- The Hellboy series written & drawn by Mike Mignola (Seed of Destruction, Wake the Devil, The Chained Coffin and Others, The Right Hand of Doom. Conqueror Worm, Strange Places)
Hellboy
- The Green Lantern books written by Geoff Johns with either Ivan Reis or Ethan Van Sciver on pencilling duties (The Sinestro Corps War Vol. 1 & 2, Green Lantern: Rebirth, Green Lantern: Wanted)
Green Lantern
- 1602 by Neil Gaiman with art by Andy Kubert & Richard Isanove
1602
Interior art from the pages of 1602
Green Lantern is currently one of the most exciting titles I’ve read in recent years. I’ve written posts about the Emerald Gladiator before and if you’re a long-time comic book fan I can’t help but marvel at what Geoff Johns has done with the character. It’s amazing stuff cos’ he’s taken the Green Lantern mythos further. I’m in the middle of the Blackest Night saga and all I can say is wow.
Blackest Night - a Green Lantern epic
Before you write comic books off as childish give one a spin. You’ll find that there’s a lot more than meets the you within its colourful pages. Nuff’ said!
Perseverance is living life one step at a time.
Here are some tips on how to persevere in the face of overwhelming situations in life:
#1 Realign yourself. Life on earth is temporal. Better to surrender to God rather than cling on to our desires & cares.
#2 Get this right. You are not in control. God is.
#3 Choose to trust God rather than the circumstances. He has good plans for us even though the end result is not to our expectations. (I’m still learning how to do this… this one is a tough one)
#4 Character first. End results a distant second. What matters most is character & people. We can’t change a situation sometimes but we most certainly can care for people and learn how to be a better person in all situations.
#5 Look out for small blessings to be thankful for. God peppers our days with good things every day. We just don’t notice it most times cos’ we’re always looking out for big blessings.
#6 Ask for wisdom. You can never have too much wisdom.
#7 Be patient. Shut up and be slow to voice out your grievances & anger. Things usually go from bad to worse when we take matters into our own hands. Time has a way of sorting things out.
#8 Stop worrying. Most of the things we worry about never come to pass. Even if it does we need to keep our chin up & push on cos’ life still goes on whether we like it or not.
#9 Read the bible. Learn from it. Apply it. There’s so much you can glean from the Word. Here’s an example from my daily reading today.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
#10 Talk it out with a trustworthy friend. We are still human at the end of the day. Not too much and not to too many people though cos’ you don’t want to be a whiner.
Persevere my friends. Life is too short to moan about things and life is so much bigger than ourselves. Live it.
This is my declaration of dependence
This is my declaration of my need
This is my declaration of dependence
On the one who gave His life to me
The lyrics you’ve just read have been playing in my car & echoing in my head every day on my daily commute to PJ and reminds me of my need to be dependent on God. I don’t know why, but I’ve been hooked on reacquainting myself with the brilliant lyrics and song-writing of Steven Curtis Chapman in recent weeks. If you have not listened to any of his stuff before; you should.
Steven Curtis Chapman is an inspiration to me. Why? Well, the amazing thing about Mr. Chapman is his faith and continued perseverance in following God. His music & life inspires me to keep pressing on even though things aren’t hunky dory all the time. The tragic death of his youngest daughter Maria Sue last year struck a chord in my heart and in Mr. Chapman I see someone who continues to hold on to God despite the circumstances. He’s even started an charity organisation called “Show Hope” that mobilises individuals and communities to care for orphans internationally. He and his wife Mary Beth have also adopted kids into their family which is an awesome thing indeed. I won’t go too much into SCC but if you’re interested to find out more about him there’s always Wikipedia and his official site at www.stevencurtischapman.com. On to the main thing about my post – scroll on down please. 
Mr. Chapman, you're an inspiration to many.
SCC’s music has been a big part of my life and a big part of my walk with God in my adult years. The lyrics of his songs speak volumes to me and I love the layers & textures that come alive in his music. “Speechless” is a 10-year old album and it still remains fresh & relevant today as it did 10 years ago. Really good stuff.
I only have 3 of his albums and they are:
- Speechless
- Declaration
- All About Love (an album dedicated to his wife Marie Beth)
As I write this I looked up Mr. Chapman’s discography online and gosh I can’t believe I’ve missed out on quite a few of his albums in the past 6 years or so… something that I intend to rectify starting with “Beauty Will Rise”; an album dedicated to the memory of Maria Sue that was just released this year. If you haven’t had the opportunity to listen to any of his stuff, you really should cos’ SCC’s songs are life-changing. I think that Mr. Chapman’s songs are brilliant and the great thing about his music is that everything he writes points back to God and is a reminder that music is such a God-given thing. Music does so much more and means so much more when it’s written in honour of our Creator. I really would urge any serious music fan, songwriter or musician to take a listen to SCC cos’ I can’t even begin to describe the impact that you’ll have as you delve into the lyrics and the rich tapestry of sound that make up his music.
Mr. Chapman, if you ever read this post I just wanna thank you for your music. I wanna thank you for your example and the difference you make in the world through charity but more importantly through the sharing of your life in your lyrics & melodies. Today’s post goes out to you Mr. Chapman. Thank you.
I close today’s post with the lyrics of another of his songs that I’ve been listening to over & over again in the past few weeks. Enjoy.
Speechless
Words fall like drops of rain
My lips are like clouds
I say so many things
Trying to figure You out
But as mercy opens my eyes
My words are stolen away
With this breathtaking view of Your grace
And I am speechless I’m astonished and amazed
I am silenced by Your wondrous grace
You have saved me
You have raised me from the grave
And I am speechless in Your presence now
I’m astounded as I consider how
You have shown us
A love that leaves us speechless
So what kind of love could this be
That would trade heaven’s throne for a cross
And to think You still celebrate
Over finding just one who was lost
And to know You rejoice over us
The God of this whole universe
It’s a story that’s too great for words
Oh how great is the love
The Father has lavished upon us
That we should be called
The sons and the daughters of God
We are speechless so amazed
We stand in awe of Your grace
We stand in awe of Your mercy
You have saved us
We stand in awe of Your love
From the grave
We are speechless
We are speechless in Your presence now
We stand in awe of Your cross
We’re astounded as we consider how
We stand in awe of Your power
You have shown us
A love that leaves us speechless
We are speechless
I am speechless
Gosh! Pins & needles. Pins & needles!!!
Life hurts sometimes. It hurts to feel at times that even though you’ve given so much and yet the people around you take you for granted. It hurts when things don’t go your way. It hurts when it your prayers are unanswered.
All of us have gone through the above and here’s how I deal with these feelings when I feel like giving up and am at an all-time low sometimes.
- I talk to God about how I feel. This happens a lot in my head & in my heart.
- I read scripture. Scripture comforts me for some reason. It just does.
- I remind myself that God is my vindicator whenever things seem to be so against me.
- I always tell myself that everything happens in God’s timing and being patient even though it’s hard it’s the only way to go. It’s a daily process for some things and it can be the gosh darn hardest thing you ever have to do to release something so close & dear to You into the Lord’s Hands.
- I try to get out and do things; and I make it a point to smile cos’ somehow smiling always helps to lift me up from the doldrums.
- I press on. I grit my teeth and I just push on in life; trusting God with what’s next even though the circumstances are otherwise and the people around me tell me otherwise. No one else can be responsible for my decisions but myself; after all is said and done I am the one who has to live with the consequences & effects of my actions.
Take a minute to smile today and here’s a short passage from Mark 12 for those of us who need a reminder that Jesus sees all and knows all that we have done in giving. Better yet, He is the perfect judge and knows our motives best; whether we do it for the applause of men or whether we do it truly out of a heart that just wants to give. Enjoy.
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Here are the lyrics to a song by my favourite contemporary Christian singer-songewriter that means so much to me cos’ there are just so many times when I find myself “obsessed” with everything else but the one who should be my all in all.
Magnificent Obsession
By Steven Curtis Chapman
Lord, You know how much
I want to know so much
In the way of answers and explanations
I have cried and prayed
And still I seem to stay
In the middle of life’s complications
All this pursuing leaves me feeling like I’m chasing down the wind
But now it’s brought me back to You
And I can see again
This is everything I want
This is everything I need
I want this to be my one consuming passion
Everything my heart desires
Lord, I want it all to be for You, Jesus
Be my magnificent obsession
So capture my heart again
Take me to depths I’ve never been
Into the riches of Your grace and Your mercy
Return me to the cross
And let me be completely lost
In the wonder of the love
That You’ve shown me
Cut through these chains that tie me down to so many lesser things
Let all my dreams fall to the ground
Until this one remains
You are everything I want
You are everything I need
I want You to be my one consuming passion
Everything my heart desires
Lord, I want it all to be for You
I want it all to be for You
You are everything I want
And You are everything I need
Lord, You are all my heart desires
You are everything to me
