The simplicity of sunrise

So I was scrolling though my camera role and wanted to make a graphic for my blog. I found this photo and knew right away I wanted to do something with it. This photo took me back to the moment where I was sitting on the mountain side of rural Kenya gazing out into the distance and seeing the sun peak out from hiding for the first time that day. Now I've been alive for approximately 6705 sunrises, and most days I take for granted this beauty that is the sunrise. Sunrise is something that happens everyday but yet is something that will always be gorgeous. How did it take 18 years to realize this beauty? It is easy to take for granted something that happens everyday, but it would be something that you would notice its absence. Imagine if one day the sun ceased to rise, suddenly our lives would change and there would be nothing we could do. Don't take the little things for granted enjoy all parts of life, because you never know when your life will take a u turn. I'm not saying that one day the sun will cease to rise, but eventually your life will be diffferent than it is right now and only you can appreciate every moment that you have gratefully been given. 

Haiku experiment

So lately I've been looking in different kinds of poetry. I think that poetry is a great way to get your ideas down in a creative way that is unique to you. For those of you who don't know, I am a song writer. Sometimes when you are writting songs it is hard to expresses yourself and how you are feeling in a way that makes musical sense. I have lots of good ideas, but it's hard to arrange them in a way that makes a good and catchy song. So here we are, I am trying out poetry, simply as a hobby. Today I wrote this haiku. A haiku is formed using syllables in a very specific and simple manner. A haiku is a combination of three lines the first containing 5 syllables, the second having 7, and the last going back to the 5. I thought it would be best starting with a form of poetry that had a very strict framework to encourage me to condense and contain my ideas to the format, which is very short and sweet. In general I found this to be a helpful "experiment" which definitely encourages me to experiment with poetry more in the future. This haiku in particular is referring to God's love for me, using the methaphor of an ocean. Just as the ocean is so large and vast, and has so much power and beauty God's love washes over me. God has so much love that the "waters" engulf me by His grace. I am generally happy with my first Haiku, and stay posted for future additions of my poetry. 

More than...

As a teenager and constantly being surrounded by teenagers I realized a trend that has been formed in our generation. We allow other people to dictate how we think about ourselves. We allow society to tell us who we are rather than reaching for the stars that striving for excellence. I am here to tell you. 

You are more than...

What others say about you 

The standard society sets for teenagers 

The mistakes of your past 

The mistakes of your future 

The grades you get in school 

How much you weigh 

Your downfalls 

Your loses 

The people who tell you no 

Your hurts 

Your fears 

You are more. 

What prevents you from being the best you can be? What keeps you up at night, and haunts you day after day? Sometimes nothing can comfort the loniness and emptiness you feel in your times of need, but know that you are more than the darkness this world is, and you will get through this dessert time. Before I to give my life to Christ I struggled to feel as though I was more than what I was perceived to be. After being a Christian for a number of years now I have become more at piece with knowing that I am a new person in Christ and that no matter what anyone says about me I find my identity in one place only, and that place is in the perfect of Jesus Christ. Religion may not be for everyone, that was just an example of where I found my "more". What's you're more? What do you find your identity in? Just know... No matter what, you are more. 

Model United Nations Assembly

This past weekend I attended the model United Nations assembly event as the delegate from Malaysia. Basically this event is a model of what it would be like to be a delegate in the United Nations, and you debate and amend actual resolutions that the United Nations has in the past. It was an interesting experience as I got to be the chair of the 3rd and 4th committee which allowed me to be in charge off formal meeting. It really was awesome to be able to intelligently discuss current issues with other like minded youth, and I'm more than glad that I got the experience. 

Ted event reflection

This past week we attended a Tedx event as a class, which was an interesting experience. Ted talks are known for giving insight on a topic that the speaker is passionate about to the audience. This event was unique in the sense that not every speaker was the most composed and well rounded speaker but each one of came with a message to share. As an avid speaker myself I could empathize with how it feels get on a stage in front of a live audience and share your personal story. It's nerve racking, terrifying, and stressful, just to name a few feelings. This fact alone allowed me to enjoy their talks more rather than just judge their speaking skills. One speaker that stood out to me was Shawn, the little boy who played piano. I believe that music is so powerful and even when words aren't spoken a message can be sent, so seeing someone so young captivate his audience through just the keys of a piano. In general I believe that I gained new perspective by attending this event and am excited to hopefully attend more in the future. This was a great experience and I would encourage other students in the future to attend this event. 

The bigger picture

When I think about my life I can pin point many different specific moments that have led me to be who I am today. Last night I was reading the bible and this verse really stuck out to me. Sometimes I think we get too caught up in the moment that we forget to acknowledge the big picture. All of us want to strive to get from point a to point b, to become our ideal person. I know I have found myself stuck In between who I am and who I want to be because the details stop me from remembering what the big picture is. The big picture is the why, it's the reason you do what you do, and you are who you are. I really liked this verse because it reminded me that God has control of the details, and not only that but he will work things out in helping me become my ideal person. Even if you aren't religious we need to remember that life goes on, and details will work them self out. It's impossible to understand the full magnitude of a puzzle if you only have piece, so don't dwell on that piece. Allow the pieces of your life to form together into the masterpiece they were made to be. Your life is a masterpiece, don't let the individual pieces stop you from creating the bigger picture.