It’s easy to get into a relationship. I am not kidding. Instant relationships abound these days. I’ve known people who have entered into relationships after the first meeting, exchanged I-love-yous at the third sms and moved in together in less than a month of knowing each other!

Of course I’ve exaggerated some details but you get my point.

Having someone to have and to hold is the easy part. But to have someone who adds value to your life, who motivates you to be a better you not out of a fear of inferiority but out of a genuine desire to self-actualize, to fulfill your innate potential  - that’s tough.

A dear friend once told me that a life partner has to be someone who is not an obstacle to my personal growth and who can help me achieve to be the person whom God wants me to be; this applies the same vice versa. Somehow her advice reminds me of the scene from As Good As It Gets when Melvin (Jack Nicholas) told Carol (Jodie Foster) that she made him want to be a better man.

The relationships that I had directed me in some ways or another to be the person that I am today. Granted not all of the relationships I had were value-adding. But for those that were (or for those times they were) – I am grateful, because that has brought me closer to realizing my full potential.

For that I thank you. :)

Building blocks for my house!

I like to make a list of things for my new home. I told my mum to keep my Legos, so that I could have them in my home to make it more personalized. I spotted some vintage glassware at an old sundry shop in my hometown and imagined how it would fit with the rest of my furniture. I got myself three old tomes of Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Chekhov at a jumble sale thinking that they would make nice bookends on wall-mounted shelves.

Oh yeah, I buy stuff for my new home too.

… The thing is I haven’t got my own place yet. :P

Someone told me that I see life in broad strokes, in big pictures. I think I do. I kinda see where I want to be in 5 years and I work towards achieving that, even in little ways such as buying stuff for my imagined home. Of course a more practical way to achieve that is to work towards moving up the salary scale, but that’s a given, no? Some might call me a dreamer, an idealist or even a fatal optimist. :P But I believe it is little things like these that helps us move closer towards our goals and closer towards fulfilling our dreams. :)

Yuna – Yuna (EP)

It was her voice that first caught my attention. She sings with an air of melancholy yet I felt there was some secret hope. Occasionally a tinge of naivety but the echoes of an old soul comes through. A tudung-wearing gadis melayu singer-songwriter who defied stereotypes by her choice of language in which she sings and her attitude towards life.

Down-to-earth, heartfelt and genuine, Yuna’s songs won her fans all over the country. Backpacking Around Europe reminded me of windy Saturday late afternoons at the Sultan’s botanical garden. While Deeper Conversation brings to mind imageries of gloomy wet Decembers, whereas Blue Sands reminded me of a time where I thought I had lost all hope at being happy.

Looking back now, I marveled how I managed to pull through and in the process becoming a better me… a happier me :)

Perhaps that’s also how Yuna managed to garner so many fans – through her songs that seem so highly personalized to her audience.

Yuna’s EP is now available, to purchase just email cdsalesyuna@gmail.com with your name, address, contact number and the number of copies you’d like. If you’re around the vicinity of Damansara Uptown, you may purchase her CDs at Wondermilk or Badger, or Garage Flower at Greentown Mall if you’re in Ipoh.

Untilted (sic) 521 by Françoise Nielly

It evokes imagination, pushes boundaries, challenges conventions and dreams the impossible. It brings out emotions you never thought you had and creates new found obsessions. It transports you to a different world and sometimes it allows you to play another character other than yourself. Religion isn’t the opiate of the people, art is.

I was introduced to Françoise Nielly by Leon through his blog. Her paintings are simply breathtaking! The colors denotes boldness. The imagery, heavily sensual. The manner in which she paints, sexual – reminds me of a sort of wild abandon… Collectively her paintings are just – wow! Check out her other paintings and let me know if you share the same sentiments.