A Little Peep Into Fatherhood

My cousin just gave birth to a girl and it’s my first time to be in a hospital room where a baby was just born in a couple of hours ago. Although it’s no big deal compared to those who waited for the moment of the birth and witness it, but this is the closest so far that I’ve been to compared to the rest of my nieces and nephews from my cousins. It was sure exiting for me, even though I never carry her because she was so small and fragile that I was afraid I could harm her. Nevertheless, touching her was more than enough. So far, this particular cousin of mine is the closest to me (even by age) among those who have given birth. At that moment it dawned upon me, “Hey, she is now experiencing motherhood and she’s just a few year ahead from you (me)..” That' just smacked through. Thus, learning to have somebody new in the family that comes from the same flesh and bones is somehow extraordinary to me. The whole thing sounds like a miracle! All those years of looking at new born child was nothing more special than just a ‘cute little baby’. Even when I have not fully comprehend fatherhood yet, but in that moment I had a glimpse into fatherhood. What more it seems, if it’s a girl- the sense of being protective just comes naturally. I can go on but I can’t fully write out what the whole thing is. It’s like no words would do any justice to it.

Just a new sense of awe from another perspective for me…

Humongous Crap!

This is something that you can’t find it in the wet markets…

… and it ended up in my kitchen.

Good night, peeps.

Achieving Greatness

Achieving greatness is not when everything is smooth sailing to the top, but going through chaos victoriously even when there is no “greatness” for anybody to see. That is greatness.

I just finished on the series of The Unthinkable by 722. The title of my post today might suggest some puffed up egoism and pride at the first thought of it, but actually it’s the total oppositeness of it. It’s undeniable that aiming for greatness is often attached to some element of ego. That’s not the kind of greatness that I’m trying to put up.

It’s evident today as you can see companies, intellectual people from various fields, government and (for this 21st century, even NGOs) so on are trying to be, or portray greatness. Whether in might, brilliance or wealth, it’s always a race to the top. The race to the top can sometimes be a lonely race as there can only be one man on top. But often at times I see a lot of people, puffed up by their success of being at the top had so much pride in them that they lose their sense of thinking. Common sense became no longer, common. They became so delusional in their own world, thinking that everybody looks up to them. It seems more like in their race for achieving greatness, they’re groping for something to fill the void somewhere. Thinking that the greatness will fill the void. A neighbour of mine, a considerable successful businessman who keeps piling up as much pride as he can in all that he has. Even if I were to mention the name of his company, at least 4-5 out of 10 people will know it. And today in the newspaper, he lost his son to a lorry accident and nobody cares. Now I wonder where all his wealth, superstitious beliefs of richness or pride can bring back his son. They can gain the whole world but lose their own soul.

There are many other men who have walked this earth, who had achieve greatness but lived a life as usual and real as any of us. Some of them shaped history and little is known about them. Oskar Schindler is one of them. A shrewd businessman who saved thousands of lives through one of the hardest time in history, and he didn’t end up being a “successful businessman” or a “millionaire” what more a billionaire for that matter. Instead he became a bankrupt. Yet, many people count him as one of the very few who had achieved greatness in this generation. Being at the lowest of cycle of the rat race, yet I believe he could held his head up for achieving greatness not as what the world sees during his time, but remained remembered for future generations.

People don’t need to learn how to be great, but all the more people need to learn to be the least. People don’t need to learn how to be the first, but instead they need to learn to be the last. If you want to be the leader, learn by being the follower. Who cares if the world demands a same standard as long there is the truth? Namaan had his experience of the unthinkable. What good can possibly be out of river Jordan? Tough thought for me to swallow but I myself am taking it bit by bits.

Alright, now I’m going to have my peanut butter- another great inventor with a great life.

Matthew 20:26-28

Drooling…

 Steve Jordan’s set…

Some of the things that I can only drool. Maybe I’ll just settle for something lesser…

One Of The Many Few

Some of the things that I knew that I was supposed to go for but I left it there. Probably I was too afraid that I would miss something else before I ever go for it. Great things are awaiting. That’s for sure. With great legacy in getting shaped. I knew that my life is more than just eat, work, self-enjoyment, getting married, having a family, getting old and just die. Full stop. There is a greater purpose and great promises behind all these things. “More than just living and dying. More than just trying to make it through the day.” That meant to pursue the purpose behind the passion of what I’m supposed to do. But getting started is not easy either. Takes a lot of hard work and believing.

These great things are indeed great. In that I’m saying that it’s huge too. As humanly as I can speak, I do fear them. But it will take a small step of faith to get things moving. If a stone and a sling shot is all that it takes to bring giant Goliath down, what else do I need? The whole picture of pleasing Him by faith begins to connect with the great promises that we cannot imagine of think of- that’s the reward. I’m challenged. I have no idea what I’m expecting in my next step. But at the same time I hope I don’t screw things up. Again if a fisherman like Peter can turn a whole city upside down, who are we if we know whose side we’re on.

When you’re one of the many few who are called, what’s your next step?

Hebrew 6:11; James 2:20

Restoring Full Tang Handle

Meanwhile before I get some solid stuff to blog about, I guess I’d just post up some stuff that I made last week.

I was using a particular chopper for my work. Nope, I’m not working with a pork seller as a part time job. But I used this chopper for a temporary field work that was going on last week. The hand broke off quite sometime back and my Mom just tie it up with wire mash. By then when I was using it, it gave me lots of problem and I almost got blisters because of it. So I decide to give it a new handle.

The handle that broke off…

After cutting some wood, making some metal pins, drilling, gluing, clamping it over night and some re-shaping, it has finally going to get its touch…

After the thinning process, filing, sandpapering and the final finishing…

Good night.

Unword Me…

I have so many things that I want to say but I can’t put it out. Sometimes silence speaks everything and my mind can only contain the unspoken. Will find another time and space later.

First Flight…

Just a few minutes before their first flight…

Growing…

… to be something beautiful.

Sanity For Love

Alright, I’m sure I’ll raise some eyebrows with today’s title. But worry not.

A couple of days back, my Mom told me of something that which she heard from her friend about a guy from his residential area. There was this boy who supported his girlfriend since early secondary school days because she was from a poor family background, while he was from a decent family earning quite an average income. So he supported her for her studies right through until they completed their high school. Then the girl decided to continue her studies in tertiary levels, and his parents seeing that the both of them have gone a long way since schooling days and that he loved her so much so that they agreed to support her studies in college as well. The interesting part is this. During her studies, she met another guy in college. To cut the long story short, immediately after college she followed the other guy to Australia and settle down there, leaving the poor guy gone mad. Not hopping mad, but really mad.

A few things to ponder:

- What’s the drive of the relationship? Money > Love?

- What is it that really make the guy to go so far to the extent of mental breakdown?

- Can the girl or the new guy live with a right conscience that in some manner their actions have caused an indirect impact on the other guy?

So far these are the three things that I can think of at the moment. This is no vampire crap or some anti (or pro)-feminism nonsense (as it can happen both ways). That much being said, I’ll reserve my comments for my own.