Almost There... Where?

Wow.

As I sat and listened to the final mix of A Promise is a Promise, it suddenly REALLY hit me - I'm almost done!

After gathering songs I've written over the last decade, polishing them up, practicing, arranging, recording, re-recording, adding, subtracting, re-recording..., wrestling with mixing, ideas of better arrangements, wishing I could have played/sung it better, wishing I'd written easier songs.... mixing, mixing, mixing... and now we're here - on the brink of musical completion.

I will NEVER look at music in the same way again.

And tonight, as I write this - we're just 1 week away from sending all the music to the printer to press and print the CDs.

The album artwork is 95% finished, my Thank Yous written, rewritten, and waiting to be rewritten again tonight and tmw.

I may not end up with a perfect product, but I sure as heck am trying my best to give my most perfect effort.

There's still so much to be done... that I almost feel like I can't just sit here and be happy that we're pretty much done with production.

I still have yet to plan how to launch, promote and sell my album - I'm completely independent... so that means - lots of work to hard sell my own product. I'm considering placing some stock at Gramaphone...

What other ways do local artists in Singapore have to push their music to a mostly nonchalant public? I don't have the advertising power of Lady Gaga, (and neither the image to cause that kind of hoo haa to generate interest), I don't really wanna go table to table at each venue I play at trying to peddle my wares.

Yes, thus is the plight of the local indie artist.

Anyway, those are thoughts for another day.

For now I am just going to sit here and listen to my final raw mixes and be happy that I've actually made it THIS far.

I've a long way to go still..., but I won't discount the fact that I've also come a long way. :)

Sing a song about faith....

I want to tell you about a song I recorded today.

I wrote this song a little more than a year ago.
It's called "A Promise is a Promise".

At the time that I wrote it, I wrote my excitement and fears about leaving Bangkok to move back home to Singapore.
The words spoke of a promise that was to be claimed - a strength that could be grasped in times of fear and doubt.

Last week, as I practised this song in preparation for today's studio recording, I realised how much more apt it was for my current circumstances.

Please don't think I am complaining.
I am not.
I am simply stating this:
It is insanely difficult struggling to make a living as a musician/singer in Singapore.
Why?
There are so many factors that I could site.
But I'd rather not get into that....
Just suffice to say that this is possibly the one trade you can be fantastically good at but still, hardly anyone will pay for your services/product.


ANYWAY....

Given these tough circumstances, and set it beside the fact that SINGAPORE IS AN EXPENSIVE PLACE TO LIVE IN...., and what do you get?
STRESS.


The point is - music is my full-time job.
I'm not in it for the money.
Never was.
I'm in it because I love music so much.
And somewhere along the way..., the industry, the lack of support, the brutal truth of reality - started to eat away at my faith in myself.
"If I'm really good at what I do, why aren't I succeeding?"

BUT.
Back to the song...

As I practised - sitting in my room, plucking at the guitar strings, legs crossed sitting on my bed - just like when I started out learning to play the guitar.. sitting on my bed at night, plucking and singing...,
I realised - the song isn't so much about a promise as it is about FAITH.

The focus isn't about the promise to be claimed at the end.
It's about how DIFFICULT faith can be during times of trouble.
How even when you don't FEEL like you're worth it..., that you're good enough, that you DESERVE the beautiful promise..., that you can STILL hold on to that sliver of hope and KEEP THE FAITH.

"Hold on.
Hold on.
Hold on to His promises...
they're true."

** "A Promise is a Promise" will be released online (only) as a Single before my album release. Stay tuned for more details as they come.

Outgrown...

I know - TWO blog posts in a week?

~~~

I should be sleeping.
But instead I'm thinking.
Not for any reason in particular.
The thoughts just sort of float and hover as I potter about my room.
And yet there they are - thoughts.

~~~

One thought in particular crystallized in my mind's eye:
We outgrow.
- clothes
- feelings
- tastes
- situations
- places
- people

See, I was browsing through a listing of TV series, and stumbled across "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".... and thought to myself -
'Gee, I used to LOVE this series!
Owned a couple of box set DVDs...
and hmmm... ended up selling them.....
and would I watch them again?
Actually, no.'

It's not just my TV-watching preferences that have changed.
I don't read the same books I used to when I was a teenager - I can hardly stomach those all-too cheesy romance novels these days. They're too full of fluff and fancy.

Growing up, I used to pick the "chang" (chopped spring onions) from my food.
Living in Thailand found me asking for extra spring onions!

When I was a kid, I'd order my cheeseburger without pickles.
Now I'd love it if there are extra!


In the (almost) year since I've been back in Singapore, I've come to realize that I've outgrown certain friendships.

BTW, I must make a note here - it's important you understand that my use of the word "outgrown" has no negative connotations - simply that things change.
And in this instance, I've realized that my preferences in TV, food, and books aren't the only ones that have changed over the years - my preferences for certain kind of friendships over others too, have changed.

~~~

On a side-note, I think I outgrew Bangkok.
And that is why I felt that it was time to move back to Singapore.
Not that one is better than the other.
Simply that for this period of time, this is what FITS.

The tides of life are ever-changing.
We must change with them.
We cannot fight change - we must see that there are different things and places and people that fit different periods of our lives....


OK. With that very "zen" thought..., I bid you all goodnight!

"CHRISTMAS LIGHTS" on sale ONLINE now!!

I'm am VERY VERY pleased to announce that my debut EP, "Christmas Lights" is for sale online!! WOOHOO!!!!!

http://shimona.bandcamp.com/

Have a pre-listen, and please please please support this indie artist by actually BUYING it!
I've painstakingly written notes for EACH track with great care - so just click the track titles and you will be able to read about some of the "stuff" that happens behind the construction of a song.
I never knew THIS much work goes into producing your own album! Ack! :p

Physical CDs will be on sale NEXT WEEK :
I will be selling them at gigs once it's ready.
My gig venues (CMPB and HOOD) have also agreed to hold some stock - so you can drop by and pick one up there even on days I'm not singing!
For details on gig dates/timings, check: http://shimonakee.com/anticipate
OR - if you know you will see me, send an email to info@shimonakee.com and I will save an EP for you - you can pay me direct whenever we meet for coffee/movie/dinner/church/whatever.
NOTE: If you are buying direct, pricing is minimum S$5, more if you're feeling charitable. :)

MAIL-ORDER THE EP:
Send an email to info@shimonakee.com and state the following information:
1. Your Name,
2. Your mailing address,
3. No. of CDs,
4. Amount you want to pay: Minimum cost is USD5 per CD, but you can give more if you… like, since part of the proceeds go to charity, no not my own charity… THIS CHARITY: http://insearchofsanuk.com/

PLEASE NOTE: You will get an invoice via email (to be paid to PayPal), and once payment is made, the CD will be on its way (once it is released).
I will be hand-mailing EACH EP personally. By regular mail. (Yeah, go INDIE artist!!) Postage will be included in your PayPal invoice.
CDs will be mailed out somewhere around Dec 15th. And YES, of course, the EP will be autographed with lotsa love and appreciation.

A Promise is a Promise (New Song)

Just from time to time
I lose my faith and cry:
Lord, where are You?
Can You hear me?
Everything I knew, all I thought was true
Seems to be just one big white lie.
Or maybe I don’t want to hear You.
Thinking I can get my own way
Instead of listening when you say…

“A promise is a promise
And you know I promised you.
So rest your head now on My shoulder child
Love will come to you.
Don’t listen to those silent fears
I’m looking after you.
Oh a promise is a promise…
So believe and claim – it’s true.”

I know that You have plans for my own good
I lack the patience to wait on You
My vision gets obscured by feelings I have now
Doubt still lingers, hurt is so strong.
How can I believe what I can’t see?
Open up my heart to hear You speak into my life that

“A Promise is a promise
And you know I promised you.
So rest your head now on My shoulder child
Love will come to you.
Don’t listen to those silent fears
I’m looking after you.
Oh a promise is a promise…
So believe and claim... ”

When all the evidence goes against my intuition
Father You still hold tomorrow.
I’ll keep on holding on in faith
And remember Your mercies
I’ll let You be my strength & my hope…

Cuz a promise is a promise
And I know I promised You
To rest my head upon Your shoulder Lord
I will trust in You.
I won’t listen to those silent fears
I’m looking up to You
Oh a promise is a promise,
Oh a promise is a promise…
I believe and claim – it’s true.

Hold on, hold on, hold on to His promises
They're true....

All Rights Reserved ~ S.27052010.

Full Circle

Well, I've waited long enough to make this decision final and official - I'm moving back home to Singapore! :)

I'd say that there is a long list of reasons for me making this decision, but I'm going to just share the 2 most important ones with you:

1. Family. I've been away for long enough.
2. Music. This will be my 2nd "real" foray into music. But this time, I have fresh ideas, fresh perspectives, and (hopefully) my music and songwriting has developed & matured over the 6 years I was away from music as a profession.

To make a long story short...
The decision process:
I've always been very instinct-based/Spirit-led, and when I started to dream of Sg (and I'm not normally the type to get homesick) for no supposed reason, I started to wonder what was up.
So I kept my eyes and ears open for the "little signs" that God usually litters along the way - and sure enough, home was abeckonin'.

The time is right. It's now or never.

So come late June, I'll be back in Sg and raring to....
Though I'm surely going to miss friends here in Bangkok, and even the city itself (despite the political turmoil, this is still kinda my 2nd home).... it's going to be good to be with family and friends in Singapore again.

Rollercoasting Along....

So you're lonely.
It doesn't matter if you're single, married, friendless or full-of-friends..., you still deal with those bouts of loneliness.

Some are more comfortable with loneliness than others.
Some get busy and try to ignore the looming feelings of despair and desolation.
Some soak and bask in it, listening to songs that tear your heart apart, relishing the loneliness - standing on the outside looking in.

But we all fool ourselves if we think we're really alone.

Because at the end of the day, just because you FEEL something, doesn't make it true.


Face it, human beings have emotions.
Not only that, but we have a wide spectrum of feelings and emotions.
And if there were no use for these emotions, we would not have been born with them.
(Think about that for a minute!)

In other words - there is nothing wrong with FEELING alone, afraid, confused, and melancholic..., wanting to fall into despair at the seemingly useless life you lead.

Everything fluctuates.
There is a natural ebb and flow to life..., and even our emotions need a kind of ebb and flow.
So why do we kick and fuss so much during the times when we hit those emotional bumps, making mountains out of molehills?
Well.. I guess that would be because we ARE human.

We ride an emotional rollercoaster - always new and different every day.
Our experiences and thoughts, genetics and learned reactions, shape the way we perceive all that we go through.... and just being IN the moment makes it all feel and seem so REAL and IMPORTANT at the point in time.

Truly, given enough times passes, the magnitude of our experiences often fade in importance.


So why not try this - next time you hit an Emotional Rollercoaster Bump, just remember that:

1. It's perfectly normal
2. You are not alone
3. It WILL pass
4. Things will get better/normalize

And if all else fails...., remember the most important thing:
God knows you can handle, and has a reason for challenging you in dealing with this Bump.

Now.... FIND IT.

God Guides us ALL the Way.

What happens when we allow God to work in our everyday lives?


Step 1: Conviction

This is the state of awareness.
The Spirit slowly brings to light the secret sins of our hearts - big or little.
Through the study of scripture, daily interactions with the community of Christ, and trials & tribulations..., we start to become increasingly aware of the areas of our lives that need to be changed.
The Still Small Voice gets louder and louder until our hearts hurt SO BAD with the need to seek God's forgiveness - allow Him to change our lives and be healed.



Step 2: Confession

This is where we learn to be completely vulnerable.
It is being willing to show others the "true" you - the parts that are not perfect and sometimes even shameful.
In confessing our sins and struggles to our brothers and sisters, we share our journey in Christ, and deepen our relationships - challenging concepts that are taught theoretically in church - concepts of love and acceptance, grace and mercy.



Step 3: Construction

It doesn't end with confession.
After we have become aware of our ugliness, and our INTENSE NEED for a Saviour, and hence are able to admit this to the people we love and care about (even despite fear of rejection), we then must learn to take a hold of GRACE.
This is the same grace that our Lord extends to every single person - whether they know it or not, whether they have become aware of their need for it or not, and whether they are able to accept it or not.
However, it is when we are able to reach out and grab this generous offer of grace God gives that we truly OWN the healing that God works in our lives:

"While God accepts us as we are He doesn't leave us as we are."

But you see, that doesn't mean that we merely confess with our lips and then leave it to God to do all the work! While Christ has paid the price of salvation, and grace is offered to all, we are called as followers of Christ to TAKE UP OUR CROSS DAILY:

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."

Questions to ponder:

1. As a follower of Christ, how am I allowing God to break my life apart and consequently build me into the person that He wants me to be?
2. As a fellow believer, how can I react with love and grace when other people struggle with their sins? How can I be authentic in my interactions? - praying and loving Christ's lambs the way He would?
3. As a sinner seeing how I fall short of God's glory, how can I reach out for God's grace, accept the love and grace that might be given to me from the community of Christ, and have faith that God is weaving His beautiful masterplan in this unique tapestry of our lives?

Lord, may YOU be the moving force in our lives - that drives us to love and have mercy...., or that allows us to come before You with humble hearts and to stay in community with no shame, rather a common understanding of how we are all so alike and struggling together.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

Tonight's Bible Study - Mark 8:27-9:1

My notes/response/ponderings... about what the passage teaches us about Christ's identity and thus our spiritual walk with God:

1. Who is God?
2. What is He doing in my life / my world?
3. What does He ask me to do in response (to 1 and 2)?

And.... conversely...
1. What illusions do I hold about who God is?
2. What illusions do I hold about how He works in my life / this world?
3. Am I imposing my own ideas on what I think God is asking me to do, instead of simply obeying what He tells me to do?

Do I struggle and rebuke God when things don't go according to how I think they should go because I think I know how God should work?.... (Like Peter), and what is God teaching me about His character and HIS work - in relation to why I am here on earth?

The Call - Rough Video Draft

Am definitely going to record this song properly, but in the meantime, I've done a very rough video version of it.

Hope your ears are open and your heart understands. ;)

The Call (Original)

The song that was born out of the crying mess God made of me this morning - when He planted the seed of sorrow for this world in me... and the burden to speak out against the silence - of the work that MUST be done.

The Call

Today I heard a man
He spoke of people suffering
Of little girls that fell prey to evil deeds of men.
I heard in lengthy details
And how the words pierced through my soul
I wept in silent agony, while my heart cried out, oh Lord!

What are we wasting our time on?
God, You’re calling us now
To be Your voice in this world
Your hands and Your feet as well
How can we sit so silently?
When the time to work is right now
Lord have mercy on us all
Open our ears to Your Call

I went home still shaken
By the message I had heard
Wanting to help in any way
But not quite knowing how.
Then I had to do my laundry
And those bills –they have to be paid!
I’ve so much already on my plate
I forgot what I had heard

What are we doing every day?
Living our comfortable lives
What about the urgency?
The workers are so few.
How can we quickly just forget
The vision God placed on our hearts
We should see the world with Kingdom eyes
And love Your children as You do

BR:
Heal our eyes that we might see
Heal our ears that we might hear
Our hearts must understand
The Call to serve You...

What are we wasting our time on?
God, you’re calling us now
To be Your voice in this world
Your hands and your feet as well
How can we sit so silently?
When the time to work is right now
Lord have mercy on us all
Open our ears to Your Call

We are your hands
We are your feet
We are Your servants
Lord send us!

~S. Written 0811209.

It's beginning to feel a lot like...

... winter! YAY!

2 days ago, it started getting a LOT cooler here in Bangkok.
So cool, I haven't turned my A/C on in more than 24 hours!
In fact, I woke this morning feeling chilled, and couldn't simply reach for the A/C remote and turn the A/C off.... had to close the windows. Heh.


So here we are in November, and just an inch away from 2010.
How time does fly.

School is getting to the point where everyone is crazybusy.
Teachers and staff look a tad insane because all our wonderful activities are crushed into the small time-bracket left for 2009.

Things have really changed at my school. What positive changes they have been too.
Everyone is learning a whole lot, and our school is definitely progressing in an upwards fashion.



On a personal note, the last few weeks have been... overloaded.
To the point where I succumbed to a cold virus for the first time in years. Eargh.
Forgot how sucky it is to be sick. Hahhahaa...

Anyway, I'm rushing off to work in just a bit, but wanted to blog a few glimpses I've had this last week:

In reflecting about what is life, and -- if I had just 4 minutes left on this earth, what I would say...

LIFE

It's not about...
money
health
beauty
conveniences
possession
having people you love physically with you
relationships with family and friends
feeling like you FIT
being happy
or satisfied with life
and especially not SELF...

For all is meaningless... a chasing after the wind.


RATHER,
it's ALL about
getting to know WHO GOD IS

EVERYTHING experienced in this life
is for the sole purpose of learning about WHO GOD IS
and letting His Character teach and seep into
your OWN life...
your work
your relationships
your activities
your mental/emotional state...
such that it is merely an overflow
of WHO GOD IS.

In fact,
one lifetime is possibly not enough!
That is how immense GOD is!

And so - the meaning of life..,
is wrapped around the Heart of God.
For without Him,
ALL is meaningless.
But FOR GOD,
ALL has meaning.
Even death itself.

HE is powerful above ALL.

My last post (Monday) was pretty despairing, I must admit... so lest you be misled into thinking that I've been spending my days miserable and confused.... I should give you an update.


I woke up Tuesday with prayers on my lips and the renewed strength of the Lord's guidance.

I realized that I had been under attack.
Satan up to his wiley old tricks again.
But no... this time I chose to remain in God's presence and not fear the devil.


My joy comes from the Lord.
So all it took was a simple surrender that God will fend off Satan's attacks.

And His blessed peace was on my heart once again.



I am not here on this earth to simply "feel good".

I am here for a purpose - and that is to show the Father's Love.
It's ok to be tired and dejected every so often.... being human and all.... but then we need to surrender even our tiredness and confusion to the Lord.... and let Him guide our thoughts and make our paths straight.

After all, this life on earth is so fleetingly brief.
Everything is meaningless like vapour... like wind.
Everything except God's Love - which goes on forever.
That is what we should and must focus on.

Where is my FAITH?

Crunch time.

It's an easy thing, when studying the Bible, to make conclusions and "learn" lessons... when they are so far removed from our own lives.
(Most recently, we've been studying the Parable of the Sower in Mark, which was followed by Jesus calming the storm.)

But when someone asks a question in my life... in response to a current issue... and it is straight out of the Book... I can't help but feel appropriately and adequately chastised.

He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
(Mark 4:40)


The most difficult things in our lives that we have to deal with are old thought patterns, old fears, old habitual reactions.


A natural response to hurt is fear and avoidance (of any similar situation).
This causes a loss of hope.
Which essentially negates the presence of faith.

So one could say that fear of being hurt is at the crux of the matter.
We are simply not brave enough to have faith and allow ourselves to be broken by the Master in order to tear away all hurt.
It's a strange irony - that to take away hurt, one must first allow hurt.




So now I ask myself - Where is my faith?

Have I come full circle and not really learned anything?
Why am I so afraid?
Exactly WHO am I placing my faith in?
If I truly know and understand the God I put my faith in...., is it not a given that all hope is not lost?


Lord, change my perception.
Please.

Becoming Strong. A.K.A Submissive.

Over the course of the week, I had some interesting chats with some friends.
One of the chats we had was about strength - how one can become strengthened by the Lord.

I've also been contemplating how God leads us from realization to obedience.

See, I've come to realize that the more you ask for the Holy Spirit's enlightenment in your life, the more you will receive. The little epiphanies will come fast and furious and you will be amazed at the amount of wisdom God showers down on you.
Wisdom about your own life and your place in His Kingdom.

But then... here comes the hard part - obeying what you now KNOW you need to do.


God does not lead us to "easy truths".
Many times the wisdom He imparts to us really, really hurt!
More often that not, we instinctively want to pull the reins of control back from Him and live life on our own terms again - despite knowing the havoc this will wreak.


So truly... the hardest part about God's wisdom is not so much understanding it... but OBEYING it.
Obeying Him.



I'm not the most submissive of people.
ANYONE who knows me can easily confirm this. Heh...
So lately I've been struggling with some simple truths and how to live these truths in my life - even when it goes against my headstrong nature.... especially when it goes against my habits and feelings.

The latest revelation that God has blessed me with is the understanding that "knowing" is not enough. Becoming aware of your shortcomings and need to change is just the first step.
The crunch is in "putting your money where your mouth is".
Even in the HARD stuff.
Because honestly, it's easy for us to claim the victories which come at little or no cost - the stuff that is easy for us to change and feel-good about.
The stuff that doesn't really break us.
Not really.



Yep... I've been struggling with some matters of obedience lately.
In terms of my temperament and instinctual reaction to daily matters... and even how I live my independent, now-swinging single life.

Then today, after struggling with 2 such matters and seemingly "overcoming" them, the Spirit whispered a gentle realization to me... about strength:

True strength, when faced with life's hardships and temptations, is not strength that comes about from my own person.
Rather... it is the strength that comes from God that helps me defeat trials.
Furthermore (and this is the important part), it is only in OBEDIENCE and submission that I am able to receive this strength.
So... ironically, I am strongest in the Lord when I am most obedient/soft/weak TO HIM.

What beautiful release this has given me.
God does his most powerful work in me when I simply surrender.
There's no need to struggle against the grain anymore... rather in learning to surrender my pride and old ways of doing things; old ways of thinking... I gain God's infinite power.


It is true what the bible says - I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.



Lastly, and most reassuringly, the Holy Spirit brings is able to bring a person from a hardened state... to realization... to humble obedience.
What a relief!
And what an amazing thing.
Just look how much God loves us - He brings us every step of the way.

All we need to do is ask Him to do it.

Sometimes I feel like rebuking the world we live in.

When will we realize that WE ARE NOT ALONE??

We are often our own worst enemies.
We tear ourselves apart with our insecurities and frustrations because of the ruts we inevitably get into trying to change ourselves for the better, only to come up losers.


Don't we realize that it's impossible for us alone, but not for God?

Is God not stronger than sin?
Has He not defeated death and separation?
Surely He is stronger that "self"!??
Can He not conquer ANYTHING in our lives?

Yet... why do we choose to give in to the darkness??????






That's all the words I can muster up right now.

Break These Walls - FAN EXCLUSIVE DOWNLOAD!

For the first time, I'm making my music available for download!
Well, ok, just 1 song... but it's a start... AND it's free.

IF you're a fan.

All you have to do is sign up (for free) at ReverbNation.com/shimona and click on "Become a Fan", and you can download my most recent song, "Break These Walls".

Now that I'm really starting to work on my music, I really need and appreciate your support. I'll be making more videos and music available for download.
Also, if you're a fan, I'll occasionally be writing up about the stories behind the conceptions of selected songs. I'm not a songwriter by demand... I write what God inspires me to write.
So each song has a special story behind it.
That's coming up....


In the meantime, enjoy "Break These Walls". ;)

Break These Walls

Tired of lying to all, even I don’t believe me
Make believe to the world that I’m doing OK
Why do I put on a show when I know that You hear me?
The only way out is if I just give in to Your power...

Break these walls
Lord and soften me
I need Your Spirit
Bend me and break me, oh...
I don’t know where You’re taking me
But now that I’m on my knees
Won’t You please help me?

I am no stranger to feeling so extraterrestrial.
Put up defences - I think I’m stronger than before
Learning the hard way should really just teach me a lesson.
This time I won’t wait – I’ll give in right now to The Lord...

Br:
Hands raised to Heaven
I offer my life oh-so broken
Put a stop to these thoughts racing inside my head.
God of the Heavens I know You supply all the answers
So take me and piece me together in a way You see fit.




Lyrics & song written on Aug 1st, 2009.

Related/Partly inspired by THIS blog entry.

Mindfulness & Thankfulness

The last few days I've been leading out morning meditation exercises for our school's Staff Training sessions. Then tonight, while fighting to focus on some difficult positions in Hot Yoga , I was reminded of some very important life lessons.

I will share two of them with you today.



First and foremost is mindfulness.
Simply put, paying attention selectively.

Modern society bombards the individual with a myriad of (sometimes useless) stimuli. Nevermind that naturally, our senses are already on overload, nowadays we also have to contend with technology, the media, traffic. Ha!

And then we wonder why we have so much difficulty focusing on the things that matter.
Well, firstly, each person's brain is made, developed, and used uniquely. And the differences in the activation of our brain often causes differences in our overt behaviours - whether we are aware of it or not.

Hence I cannot stress enough the importance of intentionally selecting what we pay attention to and practising keeping that attention on that one thing.
This can range from simply paying attention to a simple task one is carrying out, to writing a long essay, critically solving a difficult problem.

Without attention, there is no processing, no retention, and no recall.
In other words, no learning.
Ok, perhaps there is not a complete absence of learning... since our cells can still learn and remember things on a physical cellular level.

How to practice paying attention you ask?
Well, there are many ways.
Just the simple awareness that you want to pay more attention sometimes is half the battle won.
Start noticing when you "tune out" and make an effort to pay more attention whenever you are presented with a familiar "tune out" situation.

For example, when someone is telling you a long story about what happened on the way home today... You suddenly find yourself drifting off, wondering what you should eat for lunch, who sent you an email, what book to read tonight before going to bed...
Instead, once that person starts telling a story, tell yourself to pay attention.
Actively look at the person, try to visualize what he/she is saying...
The more you do it, the easier it will become!

Next, there is meditation. (Of course I would get around to that at some point!)
When, in meditation, you start to block off all the senses one by one, you are selectively paying attention.
Next, keep talking to yourself, telling yourself to focus on the sound of your breath.
As your breathing gets longer, deeper, louder, and more rhythmic, you might find your mind wandering. Each time it does so, just acknowledge that it did, push the thought away, and continue to focus on the breath.
Patience.
Patience and lots of practice.

It is important to develop this ability to live life mindfully.
Without it, our lives would pass us by unknowingly and without purpose.
Living life with awareness is essential to living a rich purposeful life!




Now, this awareness of mindfulness brings me to the second important life lesson:
Thankfulness.

As you can see, the slogan of my blog is "Thankfulness is the Beginning of Happiness".
Sometimes the only hindrance to thankfulness is the lack of mindful appreciation.

If we take this time, for example, to examine the breath again.
What a wonderful, frequent and yet much taken for granted reflex/habit this is!
As you pay attention to your breath, you start noticing how it feels when you breathe in and out...
How do you feel if you stave off the inhale for a little longer than usual ?
You feel deprived and flooded with relief once you finally take in the air that you so long for.
The fact is that breathing is life-giving... and that we are such fragile creatures living in a fragile temporary world...

How ironic it is that we can so easily take each breath of life and not even realize it!
So when one practices mindful breathing, one can bring to the forefront a newfound gratefulness for life itself. A gratefulness to our Creator for giving us this Breath of Life.... and for sustaining it.
In addition, an awe that despite our shameful negligence to continually praise God for this ability to breathe, here we are... still alive, still breathing, still not realizing the importance of the breath.


What a generous, forgiving Lord we serve.
How undeserving we are.

And how great the concept of Grace truly is...
When approached with mindfulness and thankfulness.


I have just shared with you the source of my happiness... :)

A poem to remind you to...

Wait
by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .
And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

"My future and all to which I relate
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait?
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply."

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .
and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love
When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."