Quingdom.com

We Bought A Zoo

Based on a true story, We Bought A Zoo is about the adventures of Benjamin Mee and his two kids as they moved into their new home in the countryside, which used to be a zoo.

I say it's a must-see movie! No superheroes. No special effects. Just an inspiring story about determination, hardwork and 20 seconds of insane courage.

Seriously, we should have more movies like this - films based on true stories that reveal success, uplift our spirits and touch our hearts.

Quotable quotes:

The secret to talking is listening.

 

All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and I promise you something great will come if it.

If you do things for the right reasons, no one can stop you.

Why should you watch the movie? Why not? :)

 

Dartmoor Zoological Park is the zoo featured in We Bought A Zoo. Find out more about it here.

Lessons Learned in 2011

This year-end post is rather late, but you can consider it for the Chinese New Year. It's nice to look back on the highlights of 2011. However, much of the things that struck me were the lessons I've learned from last year's experiences, may they be good or bad.

5. Give yourself a deadline.
Planning is one thing, but starting it is another. It's very easy to list down the things we want to accomplish, but do we really want these things enough to get us out of our comfort zones and make sacrifices to make them happen? I've learned that if we don't give ourselves deadlines, we won't achieve anything. Chances are we would just put off the items in our checklist and forget about them eventually.

Deadlines also work for knowing when to stop. I have always believed that quitting is not always a sign of weakness and it was three years ago when I've come across an article online that impeccably voices out my sentiments. It takes a lot of wisdom to figure out when to put a halt to our serious efforts on something (or someone) that proves our commitment futile. As human beings, we can only do so much and we have to learn how to determine when it is wise to put our resources and energy on other things that could be more fruitful.

4. Appreciate as many things as you can.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8

I am also guilty of taking things that we already have for granted and stressing ourselves out on things that we keep on desiring. I guess at times, we must step back and realize that what we have now are the things we used to want. We must also be thankful for the unexpected blessings that come our way. They may not always be tangible objects, but all the little things that make our lives more fun, more delightful and more meaningful are blessings that we should always be grateful for.

Top 3 Goals for 2012

1. Pay off my debts. (Yes, I do have debts.)
2. Travel out of the country.
3. Live in the condo.

A Day That Can Last Me a Lifetime

Growing old has never been as marvelous as this. I just turned 27 years old yesterday and it was amazing! I can truly say that my life gets better as I age. I am overwhelmed by the intensity of how people have shown me love on my special day.

The first surprised I received was from a group of newbies in the office whom I helped during the Christmas season as they worked on a video project they presented during the company's Christmas party. On Friday, just before I leave the office for my birthday celebration, the group (Nei, Wilbur, Shaly, Camille, and Joy) came to my post with a birthday cake while everybody else in the office sang to me the birthday song.

Cake from "Offline" Group

I was so touched by their gesture. I felt the warmth and the love of my officemates as they jovially sang to me. Everyone, including me, was wearing a smile!

I was already happy with the cake, but I found out later on that it was just a prelude to an even bigger surprise!

Stop. Look. Listen.

Here I go again spending sleepless nights as the Christmas and New Year draw near. Is it good or bad that my birthday falls a week after a new year starts? It's always been too much for me to think about. There's just too many things going on. It's not that I don't enjoy preparing for Christmas and the holidays, but it's more of thinking what the next year of my life would be. It's certainly deeper than new year's resolutions.

On the brighter side, I am very grateful for all the blessings that I have been receiving. As they say, life, as it is, is a blessing. Waking up everyday is a gift. A day with three square meals, plus countless of meriendas in between, is something I have to be thankful for. My family is a treasure and my true friends are life's gems.

Maybe I have everything that I need. I thought I've learned the art of being content. I guess I'm wrong.

When life gives you a taste of more good things, you can't help but want more. I wish I wouldn't get to experience things I can't fully have.

Oh well...

Lessons Learned from Puss in Boots

With all the films that are coming out, Puss in Boots is a breath of fresh air being a movie with substance. It came to me as a surprise that we can learn so much from a simple, yet entertaining kid-friendly movie. I guess the producers are becoming more sensitive to the fact that a lot of kids are going to see the movie.

To start off, I never acquired the taste for 3D movies. I don't know if it's the 3D glasses or the effect itself that gives me a headache. I still prefer the conventional films. Nevertheless, I still got to enjoy the movie. I just had to remove the 3D glasses once in a while.

From the characters of Shrek, the guys from Dreamworks made the right of decision of choosing Puss in Boots as the lead for the spin-off. He has a strong, spontaneous personality, but maintains his adorable side, and has a penchant for adventure!

As I've said earlier, what I really liked about Puss in Boots is that they were able to incorporate lessons and values in a very simple, yet visually appealing movie.

Here are the lessons one can learn from the movie:

1. Always strive do the right thing.

2. If you fail to do so, admit it.

3. Make up for the wrongdoings.

It is very challenging to always do the right thing and is very easy to give in to temptation. I am not perfect myself. I admit that I also find it difficult to do all three lessons I've enumerated, but with God's guidance, it's never too late to change and follow Him.

I hope that we all come to the realization that...

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.
Ecclesiastes 3:12

Image courtesy of Movie Poster Shop.

Pastor Dennis Answers My Question

I asked Pastor Dennis of Victory:

Where do you draw the line between being pessimistic and being realistic?

He answers my question through his blog entitled Clueless Church Planter.  Check it out here.