Rise & Fall

"Our greatest Glory is not in never failing, but in rising up everytime we fail"

- Ralph Emerson.

勇氣 (梁靜茹)

終於作了這個決定　別人怎麼說我不理
只要你也一樣的肯定
我願意天涯海角都隨你去
我知道一切不容易
我的心一直溫習說服自己
最怕你忽然說要放棄

愛真的需要勇氣　來面對流言蜚語
只要你一個眼神肯定　我的愛就有意義
我們都需要勇氣　去相信會在一起
人潮擁擠我能感覺你　放在我手心裡
你的真心

如果我的堅強任性　會不小心傷害了你
你能不能溫柔提醒　我雖然心太急
更害怕錯過你

Translation:
Finally made the decision, I won't listen to what other people say
As long as you are also just as certain
I know it all won't be easy
My heart is always brushing up on convincing itself
I'm afraid that you'll suddenly say you want to give up

Love really needs courage to face gossip and rumors
As long as certainty is expressed in your eyes, my love has meaning
We all need courage to believe we'll be together
In a crowded stream of people I can feel you
Putting all your heart into my hands

If my adamant headstrong ways accidentally hurt you
Can you gently remind me? Although my heart is too anxious
I'm more afraid of losing you

Born To Try - Delta Goodrem

[A snippet of the song... a truly meaningful one. :) Do go have a listen if you get the chance.]

No point in talking what you should have been
And regretting the things that went on
Life’s full of mistakes, destinies and fate
Remove the clouds look at the bigger picture

And all that you see is me
And all I truly believe

That I was born to try
I’ve learned to love
Be understanding
And believe in life
But you’ve got to make choices
Be wrong or right
Sometimes you’ve got to sacrifice the things you like

But I was born to try...

When Mr Right comes at the wrong time...

[This is an article that appeared in the NST (M'sia) on Jan 31, 2005, written by Janice Wong. An excellent write-up on what I truly feel is so true. Hope you all enjoy it too.]

Timing is everything, even in love. And when you are not ready to commit, you could end up regretting it.

Sometimes, timing rather than love decides who we end up being with - or without.

Only some lucky people marry the loves of their lives. The rest marry the most suitable person who comes along when they are ready to settle down.

Even if the love of one's life appears when one is single, one may not be in the right frame of mind to recognise him or her as such.

And then love passes by.

Life is littered with near misses and lost opportunities.

I attended my ex-boyfriend's wedding last month, which triggered many memories.

We met five years ago when I was 23 and he 31. It was love at first sight. He had an established career, was down-to-earth and steadfastly religious. I was then working as an air stewardess and my head was - literally and metaphorically - in the clouds.

Despite our differences, we were soulmates. We had the same quirky sense of humour and shared long, intense overnight conversations.

But human nature is perverse. When someone is excessively nice to us, we start taking things for granted, instead of appreciating them even more.

My ex had everything I could want in a husband - except that I was not looking for one. A boyfriend was all I could cope with then. I loved fast cars, danced wildly at Zouk and took off on shopping holidays at a whim. My life revolved around me, myself and I.

In the six months that we were together, he popped the question several times and talked ad nauseam about having children. Yes, I did often fantasize about a Vera Wang wedding gown, but I was at that stage of my life when I was more interested in Guess than Baby Guess.

And where - dare I admit it? - I still wanted to meet other men.

So I was a 23-year-old with the emotional maturity of a 13-year-old. Responsibility? Wasn't that for adults?

In short, I met Mr Right at the wrong time.

The more he talked about marriage, the more I felt pressured and the more pressured I felt, the more irritable I became. I was too impatient to compromise. Every trivial matter blew up as a big deal. My mood obliterated the good in our relationship and reached a point where I just wanted out.

He was heartbroken; I was sad but relieved. He still called me regularly, beseeching me to change my mind. The calls stopped finally after a year. Now and then, we say 'Hi' via e-mail.

I had a few painful relationships after that. Served me right, as those rude wake-up calls were necessary for me to realise the meaninglessness of my hedonistic high life. I missed the tenderness of my ex and began having second thoughts.

Perhaps I also felt more urgency to find someone marriageable before my biological clock reached zero hour. It dawned on me that I am not a pixie like Peter Pan who can flit around forever. One day, I'd wake up sick and alone when my fair weather friends flit away.

But I was too proud and too unsure of my ex's reaction to call him until last year.

The first thing he told me excitedly was that he had found The One. My heard tumbled to my feet. So, that's Fate.

If only I could turn back time. If only I had met him later. If only... what feeble words.

These days, I am more circumspect. I have come to terms with my loss. There is nothing I can do about timing, but I can do everything about my choices.

Sometimes, when the nights get lonely, I toy with the idea of marrying a platonic friend of mine, who often assures me earnestly that, if the worst comes to the worst, he'd be willing to marry me.

But I always dismiss that. I have already made one mistake. I should not make another by settling for second best merely for the sake of getting hitched - only to regret it soon after.

Hopefully, the best is not over but yet to be.

When we risk it all...

We can't blame others when love dwindles away -
For we knew from the start it never promised to stay.

It's just one of those things where the stakes are high -
And sometimes it's forever, and sometimes it's good-bye.

When you love the right way, you will never lose -
No matter what path life may force you to choose.

You may end up with tears, or a broken heart -
But you knew what you signed up for from the start.

You can only give what you've got to give -
And if that's not enough, then you must continue to live.

Life will go on and broken hearts will heal -
You must continue on your quest, for that's the deal.

Throw your heart into life, and never stall -
For the greatest risk is to risk nothing at all.

You see, love is the only thing that we know -
That can be divided and divided but continue to grow.

And life isn't long enough to lock away our heart -
Just because life may have forced two people apart.

We will continue to love and continue to lose -
We will continue to pick and continue to choose.

And then one day we will just risk it all -
Take the chains off our hearts and dismantle the wall.

The last time we love will be the forever -
And never again will our hearts be forced to sever.

We'll never have doubts that it'll go away -
Because this time, it'll be here to stay.

But until then we must endure all the pain -
For we only see sunshine if we can wait through the rain

Good Apples

Women are like apples on trees. The best ones are at the top of the tree. The men don't want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they just get the rotten apples from the ground that aren't as good, but easy.

So the apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they are amazing. They just have to wait for the right man to come along, the one who's brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.

YOU'RE A GOOD APPLE. SHARE THIS WITH OTHER WOMEN WHO ARE GOOD APPLES, EVEN THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY BEEN PICKED.