Hit me with constructive criticism
I'm aware feedback is a gift
I'm eager to unwrap it
I'm ready to face the heat
The positive, the negative
Deliver it raw
Don't sugarcoat it
It will be received in good spirit

A Lambo or Ferrari can move at incredible speed that
A VW Beetle might be unable to match
Well, maybe it was never meant to match
But to reach its destination at its own time

Fast speed would be useless
if you know not the way
Whereas slower speed with clear direction
and patience will take you to the goal

Don't be distracted by the ones
moving fast in the wrong way
Envy not the ones ahead of you in the right path
Don't look down on those slower than you

Your goal
Your road
Your speed
Yours alone!

Oftentimes, fear is the lock to the treasure chest
On the other side of it lives your desires
Or even your calling

The challenge is to go past it
But it would still creep behind you
Or dare you to your face

The truth is, powerless it is
But it can be burned as a source of energy
Certainly, it can't stop your destiny

Whenever her happiness is sapped
She would cry in the rain
That's how she excretes her pain
To lighten her emotional baggage
To prevent any further damages
After the saltwater discharge
She would take a sound sleep
And that's how she gets recharged
Then she's back on her feet again

Touring goes beyond visiting places
It also includes meeting different faces
And yes, I saw a number of places & faces,
But there was this one face in particular
(She happened to be my tour leader)
There's a way she talks and smiles
simultaneously that's so spectacular
It comes out of her unforced, it's so natural

Knowledgeable, passionate, calm
And very compassionate she was.
She told stories of the different places
we visited fluently & impeccably
Severally, she pulled laughs out of me
And filled me back with delicious meals

An icing on the cake was hearing her
tell her own personal story
A story of resilience and bouncing back.
$30 in her pocket at age seventeen,
With no single English word in her mouth
She packed her backpack, moved from Asia to America alone, & the States did hit
her in the face with reality

Down times and low moments couldn't
keep her down, at least not for long
Uneasy but She fought & pushed through
Weathered the storm...
Became an Author (The $30 Journey),
a motivator & above all, a happy person.
She rubbed her joyfulness & positivity on me

It was a 3-day journey like none other,
I'm looking forward to another.

Maybe by not "receiving" what we prayed
for, is the true answer to our prayers.
While all we can see is the now,
God can see far into the future.

Maybe if you had received the car today
It would have claimed your life tomorrow.
Maybe if you had gotten the job from the past weeks
You wouldn't have applied for something bigger.

God knows better and He sees farther
plus He cares for us 'cause He's our Father.
Some things might look displeasing to us
But it's for our good if we were to see
the full picture
We just have to rely and trust fully in God.

I long for the day when
United Nations will be more
than just an organization
But a reality of our world
Which would literally mean:
A world with united nations.

It's okay to be drunk in love
I don't know about dumb in love

The phases of transformation or
metamorphosis aren't always attractive
But the end result is usually appealing.

Take a cue from a beautiful butterfly 🦋
That was once an "unattractive" caterpillar 🐛
But she didn't stop evolving until she got her wings

No matter where you are along your journey
Never allow anyone terminate your growth
Someday, your caterpillar will grow wings and fly.

It's important to eat healthy
But if there is no love in your heart
You are not truly living healthy

With arms wide open
You welcomed me with love
Despite my stains, despite my dirt
You looked with the eyes of grace
and You treated me like I was clean
What peace I felt within while
Held in Your warmly embrace
Enwrapped in Your Holy presence
Far away from the chaos in the world
This is where I'll rather be
A place to call home.

This light of mine
I will let it shine
So why do I complain about the darkness
When I can just reveal my brightness
Time to flick the switch on!

We all have different colors
But we choose the ones we project
If I show you my true colors
What image would you paint with it

It takes God's glory
To change a man's story
From a place of worries
To a height of testimonies

There is still hope
Even when everyone has said nope
God is passing down His rope
To help you climb the steep *****!

Just like you (I'll guess), I also feel
uncomfortable being trapped in
the comfort of my own home.

Though I have internet, TV, PC, mobile phone,
game console, a fridge full of food, snacks,
fitness equipment, king-sized bed
But all of these feel incomplete without freedom.

Suddenly, the home that I always look
forward to be in, now feels like a cage.
—
But, let us not forget, some people are
actually stuck in real cages -


Solitary confinement, 23 hours a day in
prisons, jails and penitentiaries.
Sadly, some of them for offences
they did not even commit.

While we are protecting our own body system
they are being ******* by
government policies and system.

There might not be anything you and I
can do about it
But let us keep things in perspective.

Stand for what you believe in
Even if your legs are trembling
Hold on to your truth
It is worth upholding

You've got to trust the process
There is at least a lesson in each step
Don't make your physical eyes the judge
There's a limit to what they can see

Tap into the resource of your gut feelings
Somehow it knows what you're destined for
Let your sixth sense lead you in the way
Don't be discouraged at what people think or say

You can't stop people from being naysayers
But you can refuse them access to your space
You need not their approvals
Walk your walk, don't let them mess up your pace

She described herself
As winter storm.
Beautiful
But
Not wanted for long
She sobbed!

Every night,
Her pillows get soaked
From the stream of tears
Flowing down her cheeks
Loudly, she weeps
As she feels the pain deep
Deep in her soul
A huge hollow
Resides inside of her
A void she couldn't fill
She tries hard to encourage herself
But all the encouragement
gets trapped in the black hole
on the inside of her
She comes out during the day,
Smiling and laughing hard
But no one knows
what her nights look like.

Hey, you... Me?... Yes, you... Listen...
You are wonderfully and uniquely made
You are beautiful just the way you are
No one can be you better than you
Don't lose you trying to be anyone else
Be kind, loving and at peace with yourself
There's more to you that you ain't know yet
Don't let the world define who you're supposed to be
Don't let the outside noise drown your voice
Don't let the lies from the world or
your head overshadow your truth
There is beauty and glory within you
This is the you that I want you to see.

I haven't seen any store
With peace of mind on their shelves
A wise man once told me
It can only be found within ourselves

More money doesn't equate to more peace
More friends wouldn't bring more peace
Maybe beautiful scenery could help a little
Don't get away to find it, simply look within

How easy it is to not pay attention
To some blessings in our lives
Not until we are in dire need of them,
we then realize how blessed
we've always been when we had them.

Immensely grateful for the gift of life
Sound health at free cost is a blessing
Seeing that your loved ones are in peace
and proper state of mind is priceless
Don't let your desires and wants cloud
your perception of how blessed you are.

It doesn't matter
If what they see in you is "natural"
As long as you see the "Super"
Behind what they see
That will be your reality.

. Knowing how to make it happen is not
required in believing that it will happen
Believing usually comes before achieving
But committing to the work is necessary
Because faith without work results in "no result".

It's okay to not know how to achieve your dreams
If you don't back down but keep going at it
Pushing through the rocky and rough roads
Believing... despite all the ups and lows
You'll look back one day & be amazed
At all that you've been able to accomplish.

Give me a nudge with your words
Let me swim in your thoughts
Fetch words from the wells of your soul
Let your body communicate the words you've left untold
My heart is open for you to behold.

At some points, you need to take a break
So that you don't reach your breaking point
Sometimes, to cover more grounds,
You need to slow down.

You are the God that cleansed me from
my ***** and sinful past
You are the God that illuminates my path
Daily, I swim in Your endless ocean of love
I'm constantly drenched in Your beauty
Your kindness towards me knows no limit
You've handpicked me by your grace to be blessed
You've set me aside from knowing distress
The peace You give calms my heart & soul
Your Spirit within me makes me whole
Your power at work in me makes me undefeatable
Your mercies towards me are ever new
I cry when I think about Your love for me
I'm not the most faithful, sometimes I act
a fool but You always find me loveable
What more can I say than to thank You Lord.
Sweet Jesus, my God, my all!

Recently, I saw on the news that
About a million species
of living organisms
are about to go extinct
due to human influence and activities

It turns out that the one specie
referred to as the "most advanced"
is the rotten apple
Supposedly creating beautiful things
Yet wreaking havoc

God is the best writer
He wrote my story
And I'm loving it
I wouldn't trade it for another's
Some scenes, I don't seem to understand
Sometimes, I'm eager to flip to the next chapter
But still, I trust this creative writer
So I wait for every page to unfold.

Life will sometimes throw at you, punches,
In attempts to break through your defences
Because out there exists an adversary,
he's the root of sins, hatred and misery
he's likened to a roaring lion roaming,
looking for who to devour
Millennia ago, this enemy saw defeat
And Christ gave to us the victory
Christ placed this enemy under our feet
Howbeit, he's a master of lies and tricks,
he goes about deceiving and gimmicking
But he's a powerless and defeated foe
If you put on the whole armor of God,
(Ephesians 6:10-18)
You'll put the enemy where he belongs
The victory was already proclaimed ours
Come what may, stand tall like a tower.

God isn't interested in religion
'cause it divides His people like a region
What God wants is communion,
He wants to see His people in pure union
Nobody is the above the law,
The law here is to love
No one is less human to become unlovable
Jesus dined with the so-called "sinners"
Dump the "holier than thou" attitude
We may be different in so many ways
But we are of the same similitude
Religion is by no means the answer
Love is the way!

Hope is the periscope
that sees a desired outcome
from a current place of (little or no) certainty

Faith is the actual entry
into a land seen by hope
even though it's not
in the physical just yet

Doubt claims that the land doesn't exist
And even if it does,
It is not yours to step into.

The final call is yours
to pick what to stick to!

Right to left

Down
To
Up

A seed has to be buried before growing out  as a tree

A slingshot has to be drawn backwards before shooting forward

Gold has to go through fire before it glitters

A lot of food has to be well cooked before they taste good

A pencil has to be brushed against a sharp object before it can draw

A metal has to be beaten with a great force before it is shaped

An individual might have to go through stuff before they are fully formed!

How did we get here
So much tension in the air
Like poisonous gases
Empty flower vases
Formerly cherished beautiful flowers
Now all gone withered
Let's wake up from this slumber
And get ourselves together
Let's put an end to this drama
And focus on what really matters
Life indeed is very short
Let's re-unite
And live life to its very best.

Life is too short
Not to give your dreams a shot
Even many different shots
Don't just park them in the lot

Day by day
Layer by layer
Build up your dreams
Fasten them piece by piece

Pay no attention to naysayers
It's all in your hands
You either build or **** your dreams
There is no middle ground
Your decision today counts!

What is it about money
that turns best buddies into worst enemies,
turns brothers into one another's hater (or even killer)
So many chase money while losing family
It makes me question if money truly brings happiness?
I've heard of very wealthy people who
committed suicide
I've seen poor people living happily
Surely there is more to life than money
Still on the subject of money,
Is life incomplete without it?
Is life complete with a lot of it?

Let us not wait for turns in doing good
Even if nobody notices, do it regardless
Be the one person to clean up the mess
It's an opportunity to be blessed

It's more convenient to take flight from a scene
Than shed light on the scene
Whatever we do; to flee or assist...is a seed
That soon comes with a reap
Let's do the best we can do
'cause at the end, it's for our own good!