Goodbye 2009!!!

The last few days.. or perhaps weeks.. have been really really crazy for me.. All of a sudden I see myself totally immersed in work so much that I haven't got time to blog anymore.. we got some major IT shift happening at work and some serious strategy planning with our whole band scene... so yeah pretty much tied up... and today I look around and see OMG its already 31st!!!

It's the last day of the year... so here is my last post for the year 2009... wishing everyone a great year ahead.. and bidding the year 2009 a farewell...

Signed,
Jesse Alex

P.S. OMG!!!! No Post at all in Nov?????

How do I make friends?

There is one question that I have been asked by so many people - How do I make friends? We all need friends, and we all need to know how to make friends, especially when we move to a new place, a new school, a new college, new church, new workplaces, new building... no man is an island. He needs somebody. I don't know why people ask me this question, perhaps its because I can make friends easily, and maybe because I can just talk to almost any kinda person whether they are old, young, highly educated, not so educated.. I realized this pretty late in my life that it was a gift that I could do that, considering the fact that I stammer. So today I thought about it and have jotted down these steps that I think I follow when meeting a new person.

Step1: Greet the person with a smile - Nobody likes a grumpy face. A smiling face always welcomes.

Step2: Introduce yourself - just a casual introduction about yourself.

Step3: Listen carefully - when you introduce yourself the other person would also introduce himself/herself. Listen carefully and pay attention to every single word the person is talking to you.

Step4: Find out his/her passion/interests - Based on the conversation you are having, listen carefully and find out what are the person's passion and interests.

Step5: Ask Questions - Ask questions that the person would love to answer.

Step6: Give an open ear - Always give an open ear. Everyone likes to be with someone who listens to them.

Step7: Follow up - Do bump into the person occasionally and follow Step 3 thru Step 6.

Take care to follow these 7 steps very carefully and you will have surely won a friend.. :)

Just another passing thought...

Just the other day while I was taking shower there was these series of thoughts that flashed across my mind (Nah!!! it's not what you are thinking) and just then it kinda paused on this one thought.

When God made all the creatures of the land and the sea, He made them in pairs - male & female. Then why did he not make Adam with a woman, why did God wait until he realized Adam is lone? Did God not know that Adam would be alone? He created all the other creatures and knew it wouldn't be nice to leave them alone and hence got them into a pair. Why did he create Adam alone?

So this is just my thought, I don't say this is what God probably thought (if He did the same way then I would be God). Well I think, like we all know everything else was made by just commanding over them to be, And they were formed. But with Man it was little different. He said, Gen 1:26 "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness". He probably said that to Jesus and the Holy Spirit who was with him even before the creation. The catch-phrase is he wanted to make us in his own image. And he created us a little lower than Himself.

I guess he wanted to be our sole lover. He wanted to be a passionate lover. He wanted to just gaze at his this beautiful creation. Just watch him when he was walking in the garden of Eden, sleeping peacefully, playing with the animals or eating.. or whatever it be. I guess He wanted to be the only person in the whole world who wanted to express his love for his son. (Now I know what the Bible means when it says, Our God is a Jealous God). But Adam couldn't understand this, cos he wanted someone of his own type. And hence God had to make Eve, a perfect pair for Adam.

So many times in our life, we make all the wrong choices in life and don't care for his love that he wants to shower on us. He really longs to love us and be the sole provider, but we just never seem to understand him...

Lot of things to say...

It's been a really long time I have blogged. There is so much to write, some of them I have forgotten what it was all about. Some I am little hesitant to write on a public space. But this blog is about how life really is worth living so let me share a little thing I learned...

As most of my friends know I am an ardent 'How I Met Your Mother' fan and have watched almost all the episodes of all the 4 Seasons. There are many things I don't agree with but some thing I have learned. One of the things I have learned is how to value my friends... I learned no two persons are the same and will never have the same characteristics and quality. Cause they are unique, every one of them. And there is nothing you can do to change them. But you can still love them cos they are your friends. It wont be long until you realize the only reason you love them is because they are different from you.. they are.. they are special to you in their own way...

There is something I learned from this sitcom also from my own relationship with some of my close friends.. sometimes you might love them so much that you begin to dislike them cos they are not like how you want them to be. Well... don't let them be different. And STOP PRETENDING that you are living... and START LIVING... its totally worth living... :)

Power of Money

just an email forward I received, but very strong... Read it!!!

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POWER OF MONEY

BY ADAM KHOO

(Singapore 's youngest millionaire at 26 yrs.)

Some of you may already know that I travel around the region pretty frequently, having to visit and conduct seminars at my offices in Malaysia , Indonesia , Thailand and Suzhou (China ). I am in the airport almost every other week so I get to bump into many people who have attended my seminars or have read my books.

Recently, someone came up to me on a plane to KL and looked rather shocked. He asked, 'How come a millionaire like you is traveling economy?' My reply was, 'That's why I am a millionaire. ' He still looked pretty confused.

This again confirms that greatest lie ever told about wealth (which I wrote about in my latest book 'Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires'). Many people have been brainwashed to think that millionaires have to wear Gucci, Hugo Boss, Rolex, and sit on first class in air travel.

This is why so many people never become rich because the moment that earn more money, they think that it is only natural that they spend more, putting them back to square one. The truth is that most self-made millionaires are frugal and only spend on what is necessary and of value. That is why they are able to accumulate and multiply their wealth so much faster.

Over the last 7 years, I have saved about 80% of my income while today I save only about 60% (because I have my wife, mother in law, 2 maids, 2 kids, etc. to support). Still, it is way above most people who save 10% of their income (if they are lucky).

I refuse to buy a first class ticket or to buy a $300 shirt because I think that it is a complete waste of money. However, I happily pay $1,300 to send my 2-year old daughter to Julia Gabriel for Speech and Drama c lasses without thinking twice. When I joined the YEO (Young Entrepreneur' s Orgn)a few years back (YEO is an exclusive club open to those who are under 40 and make over $1m a year in their own business), I discovered that those who were self-made thought like me. Many of them with net worth well over $5m,travelled economy class and some even drove Toyotas and Nissans - not Audis, Mercs, BMWs.

I noticed that it was only those who never had to work hard to build their own wealth (there were also a few ministers' and tycoons' sons in the club) who spent like there was no tomorrow. Somehow, when you did not have to build everything from scratch, you do not really value money. This is precisely the reason why a family's wealth (no matter how much) rarely lasts past the third generation. Thank God my rich dad foresaw this terrible possibility and refused to give me a cent to start my business.

Then some people ask me, 'What is the point in making so much money if you don't enjoy it?' The thing is that I don't really find happiness in buying branded clothes, jewellery or sitting in first class. Even if buying something makes me happy it is only for a while; it does not last. Material happiness never lasts, it just gives you a quick fix. After a while you feel lousy again and have to buy the next thing which you think will make you happy. I always think that if you need material things to make you happy, then you live a pretty sad and unfulfilled life..

Instead, what makes me happy is when I see my children laughing and playing and learning so fast. What makes me happy is when I see my companies and trainers reaching more and more people every year in so many more countries. What makes me really happy is when I read all the emails about how my books and seminars have touched and inspired someone's life. What makes me really happy is reading all your wonderful posts about how this blog is inspiring you. This happiness makes me feel really good for a long time, much much more than what a Rolex would do for me.

I think the point I want to put across is that happiness must come from doing your life's work (be it teaching, building homes, designing,trading, winning tournaments etc.) and the money that comes is only a by-product. If you hate what you are doing and rely on the money you earn to make you happy by buying stuff, then I think that you are living a life of meaninglessness.

For the Ladies...!!!

This is a very interesting video I saw on the net... Beauty is just skin deep... it's what inside you counts more...

Now That Sucks!!!

Yeah now that totally sucks that I got so busy all of a sudden.. and have posted just 2 posts in the last month... Woah!!! whats up with me?? he he

Guess I am just getting too busy these days... Lot of things happening in life and career... don't know where to start.. Well.. got a band manager at last.. one of my old college class mate, who promised me would finish MBA and become my band manager if I was serious about my band.. and Yes I am serious so there he keeps his word... :)

So there goes the band thing... pretty soon we would be playing a few gigs at places like Not Just Jazz By The Bay, Aura (Powai), Firaangi Paani... to name a few... but one of our most sorted out place is the Blue Frog. But we aren't sure how long would it take us to get to there... But nevertheless we are enjoying every moment of our lives now... :)

So Practically it doesn't suck... he he...

Ubuntu Rocks!!!!

I have always loved change... cos it lets you explore more, which is very adventurous... and Adventure is Fun!!! I have been stuck with a Windows Operating System ever since i first touched the computer in 1999. And after years of upgrading from an older version of windows to the latest every year... I was introduced to linux in the year 2005. Linux back then though was robust, was a meant for geeks... it was difficult to use as it was mostly command prompt. But over the years it has evolved tremendously. Other than windows operating systems I have tried some of the linux distros namely Red Hat, SLED, SLES, Yoper, Gentoo 64 and the best happened just 3 days ago.

One of my friend shared with me about Ubuntu, and I think my search for a real cool OS was over. Ubuntu is a really cool linux distro and maybe even cooler than Windows Vista or the latest Windows 7. Ubuntu is the most user friendly OS I have ever come across. I have uploaded a few of the screenshots here and a video with the demonstration of what Ubuntu is capable of.

The Login Screen

My current Desktop

Shift Windows in 3D

All the options appear on the top

When you use the mac theme on it

VIDEO DEMO

National Geographic Photo of the Day

Uploader Comments:

This is a Cuban tree frog on a tree in my backyard in southern Florida. How and why he ate this light is a mystery. It should be noted that at the time I was taking this photo, I thought this frog was dead, having cooked himself from the inside. I'm happy to say I was wrong. After a few shots he adjusted his position. So after I was finished shooting him, I pulled the light out of his mouth and he was fine. Actually, I might be crazy but I don't think he was very happy when I took his light away.

Ain't it cool God listens...

Yesterday was the 'doubts & discussion' week at my Kid's bible study place. It's really fun, I have this bible study week with a few teenage boys and its been really nice as it helps me to understand them as I teach more about the bible. Usually the kids are very mischievous and in their own world, so it takes patience and their sense of humor to deal with them. But I have been enjoying every moment of it... Thanks to them they love me... :)

There is this one peculiar boy, Savio. He is very brilliant but hardly ever serious about the study. Yesterday he was in his usual funny mood and wasn't in a mood to have some serious study. So I asked the kids if they had any doubts and he replied they knew everything and didn't have any doubts. I was like, 'fair enough then we could spend some time praying' and asked Savio too initiate the prayer. Savio didn't really wanna do it. but we insisted him to and gave him 3 points to pray for - pray for the rains, for the swine flu and for more people to come to church. Well Savio did pray, though his each point were just a one line prayer. And right after he finished his prayer I told them, 'alrite boys lets get back to our discussion... so where were we?'

We had a crazy hearty laugh. We had put Savio in his place. But when we came back home it truly began to rain. And I texted Savio saying how God had honored his prayer and it was raining. He texted me all excited, "Ain't it cool God listens... :D "

Yeah I think its totally cool that He listens... and that's why He is our God... :)

Crazy Busy Weekend...

Last weekend was pretty terrific and lovely... it all started with my friend Carmeline's birthday on friday. We gave her a pretty good surprise throwing her a party, which lasted pass 1 am. I woke up at 9am the next morning, watched a couple of episodes of 'How I met your mother' and headed off to a lunch with Mike and the gang. One of our friends, Christopher had come to the city for a few days and so we met up for lunch. It was a wonderful time we spend talking about our childhood memories.

We talked about how as kids we fought with our siblings, troubled our teachers at school and how we all were a mischievous lot and tried doing the impossible things. Some of the things I am not sure if I can post it here due to privacy issues.. but soon after that I had my church band rehearsal. Finishing that came back and watched more of 'How I met your mother'. Yeah I love watching it, but its so cool and besides Barney reminds me of my Animation professor Mr. Lloyd from Arena Multimedia. Lloyd used to try to hook me up with all the women I met just as Barney tries to hook up Ted with every girl he comes across with.

Sunday we had a good worship, after which Laura, Dave and I gave Katherine a farewell lunch as she is leaving back to London next week. There was this very funny thing that we encountered. When Dave, Kath and I picked this rickshaw the rickshaw driver just looked back and saw these white folks and immediately pulled out a mask and wore it. It was so hilarious to find this guy trying to cover up in order to protect himself from the Swine Flu...

Laura joined us at Silver Coin, she had to catch a flight at 3pm but she stayed with us until 1.30pm. There was this really interesting thing I witnessed at the restuarent. I was having Chicken Steak while these folks were having Roti and veg Kadaai. It was such a cross culture thing - me using the fork and the knife and having a western meal while these folks using their fingers to have an Indian meal. It was a lovely time again.

I came back home and joined for a 2nd lunch time with the guests I had my home. Well, Katherine already had predicted about that when she came to know I had butter chicken and Chicken Tandoori prepared at home. Well I didnt wanna prove her wrong... so I did have a second lunch at home... ;)

Discomfort?

Noun: discomfort dis'kúmfurt
An uncomfortable feeling of mental painfulness or distress

So what is discomfort?

is it the feeling that your parents don't understand you?
is it when a dear friend despises you?
is it when you are hurt but you do not want to express it?
or still harder, when you do not know how to express it?
when everyone succeeds in life and your still trailing behind?
when everyone has someone to love but you don't?
when everyone has someone to hold but you don't?
when you are in pain but no one cares to ask you how you are doing?
when the world's too fast to give you a little attention?
when you try your best but still are termed useless?
when you long to talk to someone but they aren't available to talk to?
when you miss something/someone bad but you know you will never get it?

well I thought these were real discomforting moments, until I realized there was one other moment that beats them all. It is being holy and still getting flogged and having every muscle and flesh of your body ripped apart and then made to carry a cross in which you would be crucified and left to die... all of this for someone who doesn't love or care about you at all.

I sometimes wonder what made Him do that?

Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

In My Head - Work In Progress

Lately I have been really feeling bored to write about my recording status... but just to keep you all updated. We have finished with 'All I Need' you can find it on www.myspace.com/win4i

We finished with the guitars on 'In My Head' tomorrow. And we loved the output... still have to work on the vocals and some string actions... Too much work to do but we are really excited about it.. :)

MLTR Still Rocks!!!

Yesterday we had this power cut in office and we didn't know what to do? so we took our guitar and started playing music until it was back again. We started off with Beatles and John Denver and went on to singing some of the classics by Michael Learns To Rock... and I was like... WOW I need to listen to some of MLTR soon... anyways the power came back at 4pm and then we stopped and I headed back home...

But soon I got to download the entire Discography of MLTR and began listening to it. And it was the sweetest feeling in a long time... just reminiscing those school time memories... when I was 15. And I felt like I had gone back in time and was a teenager again. One of my favorites 'Someday' I have embedded here for all of you to watch. I always believed Someday was kinda like my story. Something I have been doing all my life... and it was nice to stumble upon these old classics agian...

Sunny Rain...

Yesterday evening, I experienced this really unusually beautiful sight ever in my life. I was waiting for my friend to go to church, when he arrives and cared to pick me up in the rickshaw he was in. Just then it began to rain heavily. It was pouring and I was glad I made it just in time. But as we were travelling I happen to witness this really beautiful sight. I saw that it was raining heavily but at the same time the skies were clear and it was sunny. I have never witnessed anything like this ever before in my life. It was truly an amazing sight. But then I began to think how the creator manages to surprise us every time with these beautiful things. I wonder what it would be like in the place where he dwells... :)

Here is a picture of what it looked like. Now this isn't the picture what I clicked but its close to what I witnessed...

Pretty Cool..

I was just about to write to my friend on gtalk... that's when I saw that her profile pic is so similar to another friend of mine's pic. So I thought il just put it up here... ;)

Click on the image above.

Happy Birthday Ann... Belated...

Well... since my internet is down since 2 weeks now and I have nothing to do, I thought about working on Ann's birthday video which has been pending since last year. And I came up with this. I think its pretty fun, but I can't really judge my own work. So here it is, judge yourselves and have fun... :)

Long Sunday...

I don't know how to begin this post, but it's been truly a great weekend and a great Monday... :)

To begin with, my dad celebrated his birthday on Saturday. So I took the whole family out for lunch... well the ultimate aim in taking them out for lunch was so that I could hog on my sweet delicious Chicken Steak, which I haven't had in a long time... On Sunday, we began with a kick-ass worship in church. Totally rocked the morning, it was so wonderful. We just had this really awesome time of worship.

In the afternoon, a few of my friends and I gave Abigail a terrific surprise party. We totally scared her by our weird, crazy, bullying love, and appreciation, that she almost got back in her room. We had dinner with her and played a few games, music and watched the DVD we made for her. She totally loved the moment with us. After finishing with them, I went for the Youth Worship. We had a wonderful Youth Service, and had some great activity round. I loved the view from the fourth floor we had. It was just simply beautiful - with light showers, and the sun rays passing through the clouds. Indeed a beautiful sight...

Soon after the youth service we all left to watch 'Ice Age 3' at InOrbit. But we were too disappointed to find it 'House Full'. Well it wasn't us who was disappointed but just Chris. Then we hogged onto some subs and salads and had a wonderful time together. It had been really long time we spend sometime together, So it was quite refreshing and wonderful. The best part was, I gotta have my second best - Chicken Salad...

I thought my happy days were over, but I was surprised to know that it had just begun. Today, being Monday usually is such a dull day. But I happen to meet my dear friend Tracy Pereira on yahoo. And we chatted for quite sometime. We never got to chat so much. It was such a blessed time with her. Totally loved it. Well so its 18:23 hours here at work. And I am more than happy and excited bout the last 3 days that just passed, I can't wait to see what this evening and the week has in store for me... :)

Just Beautiful!!!

Well... on today's post... its nothing clever or anything smart that I have here, but I was just browsing thru Deviant Art and I found this beautiful picture that I just couldn't help but post it on my blog. It's titled 'Lonely' but I am not sure why would the guy do that... I think it should have been "lovely' cos it looks so lovely just to be around a calm ocean and spend sometime alone with yourself... Please do click it to view on a bigger screen. It's worth watching it on a bigger resolution... :)

Something To Think About :)

The last few days have been crazy... to begin with our Internet connection had work had a problem and hence could not surf the net for almost a week. And then I was down with Flu and that sucked more. But in the midst of all this, i came across this very beautiful note my friend Tracy pereira wrote on her Facebook profile which really blessed me, so I thought about blogging it here.

Tracy, this is 100% un-adulterated content... just the way it is... ;)

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Somethin to think about :)

Friday, July 3, 2009 at 5:07pm

Someone sent me a FB quiz this past week about "what bible character would you be " and it was funny coz the same week, a kid at school asked me the same question...." if you could be most like one of the characters in the bible Ms. Tracy, whom would you wanna be like...and why. Jesus is not allowed as your answer coz everyone should be like him and I know you will say that"...

KIDS and their questions! You can never escape them. Yeah and he was right coz I was gonna say that ;-) KIDS! :D I thought that was pretty interesting and I've never given it much thought before...Anyway, I was dumbfounded and didn't really have an instant answer and neither did i wanna answer that question without giving it some thought......coz I wanted to know too, "What bible character I would wanna be most like and why". So I told the little kid that I would get back to him soon. "Once you give your answer, you can't change it, it will be forever and ever..for a million zillion years" he said, before he went out of the classroom. I laughed and nodded my head :-)

Forever and ever..for a million zillion years! Wow now that was huge! What character would I wanna be like forever and ever?! I came home that evening and for some reason I couldn't concentrate on anything. I kept making lesson plans for class the next day, watching tv, munching on snacks, talking to friends, doing my thing...but my thoughts kept drifting back and forth to this one question.

That night, I lay down on my bed and started thinking about all the great characters in the bible I could think of and read or learned about.....umm...maybe I wanna be like David, a man after God's own heart...why did God call him a man after his own heart I thought....he was a sinner, he was not perfect....but yeah because he would do anything for God and god knew that(Acts 13:22). Would I wanna be like David forever and ever? Yeah sure, why not.....but something was missing for me personally.....Let's think about the next character, I thought.....umm..Maybe I wanna be like Esther...it's one of my fav books in the Bible. She was a strong, confident woman of God who stood up for her people and found favor with the king. She was beautiful too! Would I wanna be like Esther forever and ever ...a million zillion years....yeah of course! umm....no...wait a minute Esther is awesome, I thought, but maybe I wanna be like Paul.....whoa PAUL! He was the man! He was a rebel and then he wrote most of the books in the new testament! Kinda cool ...I loved the passion he had for God and His word and I love how he says in Romans that his ambition is to preach the good news where the name of Christ has never been heard rather than where a church has already been started by someone else(Romans 15:20). It's one of my fav verses in Romans. And plus I've been to Ephesus and stood and prayed and worshipped God at the very place he once preached to the Ephesians....Cool...so maybe it's Paul I would choose....hmm...forever and ever...yeah why not?for a million zillion years....yeah totally! But still let me think of more.....umm..Maybe Moses....I would love to have parted the Red sea ;-)...Maybe Abraham.....I SO envy that man...he was God's friend and the father of faith! Wow! Maybe like Steven, or hey even Ruth, or another fav book of mine DANIEL....or maybe like Peter....Gosh so many choices....I kept thinking for so long....So many characters stood out and there are so many reasons why I would wanna be like all of them and I didn't know which one to choose......After what seemed like hours of thinking....lol....One character kinda stood out to me somehow more than the rest! A kinda quiet character who said nothing, preached nothing, didn't perform any miracles......Now I'm not saying that character is better than the rest or anything......It was just a personal opinion.....and somehow when I thought about if i would wanna be like that everyday for the rest of my life ......my answer was Yeah...just like that...i would wanna be just like that......forever and ever?? Yeah I would wanna be like that forever and ever...for a million zillion years? Heck yeah! I couldn't even think of any other character after that...I knew this is my answer....I was SO excited to have finally found my answer...YAY.....i went off to sleep that night and was so happy i thought about that question.....cool stuff.

So the next morning as soon as that kid walked in through that door, he comes up to me and says "So did you think about your answer Miss Tracy? Now remember you can't change it forever and ever even in a million zillion years ...so think properly okay?" I laughed. "So who is it then? Lemme guess it's Eve because she was so beautiful and she was the first woman and she had really long hair and she loved apples" I laughed at his innocence...."No? Oh man! Wait wait...last try..."It's Mary because she was his mother and she would give him timeout when he was naughty and even played with him when he was a baby and he would fall asleep on her shoulders...that's what all moms do" I loved his perspective on Mary :-) hehe. Giving Jesus timeout when he was small! So cute!I never thought of that! hehe...

"Okay okay, I give up , who is it?", he said. I said I will tell him at the end of the class and he can guess some more coz i knew how bummed he was feeling that he couldn't guess it right :-) He agreed.

So at the end of class, the kids lined up at the door and started walking out.....He stood last in line so we could talk.....He stopped next to me and I looked at him and said " A donkey".....he didn't laugh ....He was confused but was waiting for me to continue......"i would wanna be like that donkey that carried Jesus.....here's why....coz just like that donkey...whose very purpose was to carry Jesus...I wanna be just like that... coz my purpose...whatever I do, or say, or sing, or talk, or learn, or teach you guys at school, or write , my gifts, my talents, my skills, whatever I have and whatever I am.....more than anything else, i want it to carry Jesus...to bring him glory...to love him and honor him with a life that pleases him and brings him glory...that's my purpose...i don't care if the world notices what i do or not....it doesn't matter to me...it's not about me.....it's all about Him....and yeah i would wanna be that donkey forever and ever....for a million zillion years...a zillion times over even"

He just kept looking into my eyes for 30 seconds or so.....I just smiled but didn't say a word...i kinda call it the 'God moment" . I love 'God moments" :-)He took his coloring page and left without saying a word too. I turned around and sat down on my chair, in that huge empty room ...and had tears in my eyes coz I thought...Yeah...Lord,I so wanna be like that donkey...everyday ...every minute, every second of my life....I realize that even more...whatever I do, i wanna do for you....i just wanna make sure that whatever i do, it carries You.....You get ALL the credit, ALL the glory....I'm just a donkey whose purpose is to carry you, my Christ....

I thanked God for asking me that question through that kid.....and hoped my answer reached him too. I was about to get up when i heard someone running down the hallway towards my class.....and so turned my chair toward the door....It was this same kid!

"Miss Tracy", he said.....Can I be that donkey too, or only one donkey is allowed?" he said, still panting coz he ran all the way from the other building to my classroom to ask me this. I smiled and said "Sure, you can be that donkey too. And there is room for many more...millions and zillions".....He was happy! "YES!!Even I can be that donkey! that is So coolllll " ,he shouted totally excited ,as he ran back through the hallway to catch up with the other kids........

Am I wasting my life, or living it?

There are many people who know me, but very few who know about me. And these few who know about me, know how I have evolved in my professional life over the last 4 years as a graphic designer, to become a Project Coordinator, to a web designer and now an IT Executive and also with a born passion to be a rock star someday. And over the years many people have counselled me into not wasting my time like this. Many have told me that I have been wasting my life and would regret someday in the future.

Well I don't know about the future but 4 years down the line I know for sure that I am an IT Executive who knows the in and out of graphics and web development and also a bit of Project Management and also am currently working on my debut album... And when I ask myself the question, 'if I am wasting my life???" I think its negative... I am living it... I have always lived my life... did what I wanted to do, found pleasure in and always excelled in it. Guess its just my life and only I can handle it... that's why God has created everyone unique... I love my life...

My Daddy Coolest!!!

I had messed up in my life and I was feeling ashamed of what had happened. To some it could be the most dreadful thing, to some it could be too little thing to be ashamed of. But only I could feel the guilt of my actions. And as I sat there all alone, feeling lost and hurt of what I have done. The world smiles at me. I don't know what to do but just smile back at them, pretend like everything was super cool with me. I didn't wanna show them I was weak and that I needed help. Just then I see someone walking towards me.

It was my father. He had come to check on me. He knew I had messed up and knew I was upset. He sees everything and knows everything. He always was with me through out my trials, waiting patiently to see how I would deal with it. I was scared when I saw Him. He came and sat besides me. I asked myself, 'Why is He here, I do not want Him here now? I am all messed up. Let Him come to me when I am all well and doing good.'

To my surprise, my dad put His arms around me and whispered into my ears, "You know son... I love you very much." I did not know how to react to that. I wasn't expecting to hear something like that. He continued, "I know what you go through. You may not understand what I go through when you hurt me, but I feel it every time you are hurt. Be it when you scrape your knee playing soccer, or the time your girlfriend dumped you, even when your loved ones despised you. You see, that's the reason why I am here. That's the reason why I send my son Jesus to die for you. I love you the same as much as I love Him. But I did not wanna lose you, Hence I had to pay the price for your sins. So from now on you are mine and I yours forever..."

And before I could even react to it, He just gave me the warmest hug I ever received. He just wrapped His loving arms around me. I realized it quite late, but its better than never... My Dad is the Coolest...

99

Saturday was like any other day... BORING!!! Morning I had nothing to do, afternoon left for my church practice and I was back in the evening by 7pm and didn't know what to do. So I began browsing thru my movie collection that I had and stumbled upon this movie '99'. I have heard quite a lot about the movie but wasn't so keen on watching the movie... but it was a good decision to watch it. It is by far one of the most wittiest comedy movie ever. Very well directed and leaves your bones tickling every sec. The best part is, it isn't even a non-sense movie like many of the other comedy movies that have been released in the last few years. It's got a beautiful script and a perfectly timed comedy. Interestingly you will find every second worth of laughing.

99 is an original story inspired by real events. It is as much “what could have been” as it is “what really happened.” In other words, it is historical fiction – fiction being the keyword. It is a genre-bender – spanning a few genres – it is slick, fast-paced, realistic and importantly, very funny. It is the story of two different men in two different cities, who are bound by a common feeling of always being stuck at ‘99’. They never seem to make it to a ‘century’- figuratively speaking. It is a journey of two men who want to break away from the rut and ‘strike it big’. What follows is an unpredictable and hilarious ride through two cities with extremely likeable and very grounded characters, unbelievable circumstances, real twists of fate, small-time crooks, big-time conspiracies, fateful car crashes, a briefcase full of money, two cricket matches with hundreds of crores riding on them, ups of friendship, downs of love and a climax that will keep everybody on the edge of their seats.

This is a clip of the song 'Delhi Destiny' which I just happen to love a lot, so just thought about embedding here.

In The Studio - Day 3

Yesterday, we had our 3rd day in the studio. Was a crazy day. I had my drummer Ashish Malvi too with me this time. We left on his bike and half way down it began to rain. It was just slight showers to begin with but soon it began to pour and I was half wet before I reached the Studio. But it was nice getting wet for once in the rain. You remember all the childhood memories. So anyways we reached the studio before time and began to work on the guitar parts for the track 'All I Need'.

It was indeed a long day but a terrific one. We loved every moment of it. We had Nyzel working on the guitars. He completed the drives and the solos. He is so creative and talented and totally skillful that he just blowed our mind. He was totally on fire buring the riffs, and we just can't wait to get to hear the final mix of this track. It's been really difficult to juggle between work and the recordings and especially now when my boss needs me in the office during work hours that I cant get any more offs. But in the midst of these busy lives, some music to your soul and you are rock n roll... ;)

I heard Angels singing...

The last few weeks have been kinda like a struggle for me. But I knew something was up for me on the other end of the tunnel... Yesterday my friend Virginia, introduced me to worship leader Jason Upton's songs. She gave me a few of her collection and there was this album 'Remember' which was recorded live and was a compilation of two nights of worship.On the first track, he is heard rebuking a tornado which was tearing through Oklahoma City at the time and was headed directly towards the building that he was worshiping in. Some say the tornado broke apart at the moment Jason spoke against it. And there is this 6th track ' Lullaby' where he asks the Father to come and play with him and just after that the last track 'Fly' you can hear an unknown high-pitched voice. Jason Upton credited it to 'An Angel'. I usually don't fall for these things, but when I heard the track I had tears in my eyes.

I didn't know what was it, but I never felt like it before. I have always been a Christian and never shed a tear for my God. And this moment was totally different. I think it was all real. I believe the Angels were already there. They were there to protect them from the tornado, maybe they couldn't just stand there when everyone else was worshiping that they joined in. I think everyone should experience this. I am attaching a video below here, check it out and be blessed... :)

In The Studio - Day 2

So it was 'Day 2' today at By Grace Studios. My engineer, Mr. Nyzel was on a week's vacation out to mangalore for a music retreat. Yeah he sure did have fun, I could see that on his work today ;)

I worked on the bass parts for 'All I Need' and it was terrific. I thought I did awful by taking an hour and half recording the parts for the whole song, but Nyzel comforted me by saying that there were bassists who take more than 3 hours to record a song. That sure is comforting for someone who was playing the bass for the first time in a recording studio. I had got my Yamaha Rx170 4 string bass to the studio, but Nyzel wanted me to use his 5 String Fender Jazz Bass. As he felt the Fender had more thick sound to it, and sure he was damn right. It was a total honor to play with one of those beauties. So we are still on Track 1 'All I Need' and so far we have finished with the Drums and Bass, got lot of guitar work to be finished tomorrow and the vocals the day after. So stay in tuned here to read more about what's happening on this project.

Strange... but true.

Yesterday I happen to meet my ex-colleague and a good friend, Virginia. She had come to meet my boss and spend the evening with me in my office. I always had a love-hate relationship with Virginia. We didn't gel quite well when we first met, but gradually began to get along. What surprised me was, the excitement and the joy I felt on meeting her. Why was that hug so warm? Why do I feel so nice meeting her? Why was there this great pleasure in meeting her?

I began to read into it, and I realized its quite strange but true. If there is any two people you think who can't stand each other, the only best way to bring peace within them is to put them together working on a project for 6 months, and separate them. I bet my ass on it, they will miss each other like crazy. I think it was the same with Virginia and me. We had our own differences but we worked closely on the project. We worked so closely that somewhere down the line we began to understand each other and without our knowledge became friends. I quiet didn't realize it until she left the organization. But I learned something, its really not that tough to get along with someone. You just need to work it out a lil bit... :)

Back to the studio...

So I am back to the studio... It's been almost more than 2 years now that I have given it a serious thought to work on my debut album after I lost interest the last time. Lot of reasons why I lost interest, but I wouldn't want to divulge it. So anyways today was a super cool day, as I began working on my album all over again. We did 'cue-tracks' for 2 of my songs 'All I need' and 'In my head'. It was really nice. I am working with Nyzel D'lima on this. He is the sound engineer as well as the guitarist and my producer for this project. It's been a really exciting day today, and I am just waiting patiently to see how it results once we are done. Stay tuned here to read more about the progress of this project.

Oh yes... if you really feel like sponsoring me on this project, you are more than welcome to do that... ;)

INDIA - World's #1 Racist Country

So... there have been a lot going about the Aussies treating the Indian students badly and causing physical assault to many. And they have been tagged acts of 'Racism'. I was talking to my friend yesterday who has been studying and living in Melbourne since over 2 years now. He told me that its over-hyped by the Indian media, and though its true, it isn't bad as it is portrayed to be. And now its getting worse as the Aussies are portrayed as Racist. But he did tell me that in his over 2 years of stay in Melbourne, he never encountered any racist comments or assault whether physical or mental on him. He always said his Aussie friends were quiet cool with him.

Anyways, while he was talking to me, I began to think about Indians... I think we are far more racist than any other country. We are racist to our own people. We are blessed with so many different cultures and color and creed, but we are racist to our very own. Look around you and you will know. Why do we not like to associate with people from the north (the so called bhaiyas), or the people from the south, who look funny and speak funny... We like to welcome our guests from foreign nations, especially the white folks but do we really show the same interest with our black guests?

To think of it, we are unofficially the world's #1 racist country.

Here is a song I would love to dedicate to all who are hurt or ever been on the receiving end, whether Indian or Australian or any other national... sing it to your oppressor.

----------------------------------------------------

How to save a life - The Fray
Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
You begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you

As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came

Work just got better...

Everyone knows I work for an NGO... but no one knows what I do. Some believe I do Animation, some think I do Graphics Designing, still some - Web Designing and still some more - 'Some IT Thing...' well so to let you all know what I do, I am the IT Administrator for this org. And recently my work got a lot more fun and interesting rather than just teaching my computer illiterate people how to switch 'on' their computer. As some of us are aware how our organisation has been planning to shift into a Linux Environment, and I have been really busy in this transition. Today my boss gave me a laptop and got Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) installed on it. So my new mission for the next 2 months is to run thru this Operating Systems and find all the possible alternative softwares/applications to that of what we currently use and also research on the codecs for audio as well as visual that we can run on this system. I think its really really exciting, as I was looking forward for a change in my monotonous work culture.

Love this Song.

It's been really really long time that I posted something... so here I am...
I thought il post this song by U2. A very beautiful song and so true in some of our lives...

-------------------------------------------------
Is it getting better?
Or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you now?
You got someone to blame
You say
One love
One life
When it's one need
In the night
One love
We get to share it
Leaves you baby if you
Don't care for it

Did I disappoint you?
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
Well it's

Too late
Tonight
To drag the past out into the light
We're one, but we're not the same
We get to
carry each other
carry each other
One

Have you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to raise the dead?
Have you come here to play Jesus?
To the lepers in your head

Did I ask too much?
More than a lot.
You gave me nothing,
Now it's all I got
We're one
But we're not the same
See we
Hurt each other
Then we do it again
You say
Love is a temple
Love a higher law
Love is a temple
Love is a higher law
You ask me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I can't keep holding on
To what you got
When all you've got is hurt

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other
Sisters and my
Brothers
One life
But we're not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other

Windows 7 :: Pretty Neat

click to enlarge

I read this article on newspaper the other day that Microsoft is allowing everyone to download Windows 7 for free for a year. So I got this copy of windows 7 today from a friend of mine and installed it on VmWare on my machine. Though I am a big Linux Fan I was pretty surprised and impressed with Windows 7. I still have to explore the OS but so far, good. The OS takes comparatively half the time to install and load its boot files than Windows Vista. And it runs perfectly on a 1Gb Memory machine without chocking the resource too much. I liked the interface too they tried to incorporate a few styles from Red Hat but had the trademark Windows touch to it. So I have left a copy of my windows desktop screenshot here. Please note that as I was operating on the Virtual Machine I had no access to the net and thus couldnt activate the package.

YAY!!!! My One C

WOW... I just cant believe that this is hundredth post on this blog. Well it did take my 4 years to do it... but who cares its 100!!!

Alrite what's next???

Amazing Pakistan!!!

This is really hilarious... My cuz mailed me this forward and I couldn't stop laughing. I thought this deserves to be on my blog. So ladies and Gentlemen... here it is...

Welcome To Pakistan...