*looks around*
Yes, I know no one missed me. But I had a fantabulous time the past 5 days in Dublin, despite the fact that it wasn't meant to be a pleasure trip.
It started off as a last-minute trip (for reasons which are a little too personal to discuss openly here) that, 5 days before leaving, I was prepared to tear up the plane tickets and ditch. In the end, I decided (as with many things) to leave it up to whether I could find a cheap place to crash for those few nights. I ended up couchsurfing.
I know many people would find the thought of staying with a random stranger dangerous, and I do agree. There are a lot of crazies out there, and staying with one isn't exactly the best way to make it out alive. But I don't regret the decision at all. My host was generous, warm, fun to be with and really lovely to be around.
Over the last 5 days, I...
...was introduced to a whole new world
...enjoyed seeing things from a fresh, new perspective
...exchanged thoughts, ideas and debates
...made a precious new friend
Oh, and I was brought to hell and back :P Literally. Well, then again, hell in this case is a superb pizza place that sells all sorts of devilish-sounding pizzas. They serve the best pizzas I've tasted in a long while! (I ate a serpent btw. If only I had one earlier, maybe we'd still be in the garden of Eden :P If you don't already know about the story of the serpent in the garden of Eden, check it out in Genesis 3 below. Apparently, they had legs or wings in the past...)
But what did I learn most from this trip? To pass on the love. Anyone here familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan? I used to read it and wonder - Who would be so nice to a beaten up guy whom they saw lying on the street? I would, perhaps, call an ambulance and let them take care of the rest. But to pay for his medical bills?? I don't think I have such a big heart.
Here's the full story for the Good Samaritan, for those interested:
Yet, over the last few days, I've experienced exactly this kind of generosity from a various number of people. My host offered me free lodging, spent time taking me around and even treated me to a few drinks/meals. When I lost my wallet on my way back, the kind lady at the counter issued me a bus ticket back to Stockholm for half the price. (Otherwise, I'd still be sleeping at Skavsta Airport at this moment!) Another lady readily took out money to help top up another passenger's bus fare, with no other request except for him to "pass on this favour to the next person who needed help". In all these cases, none of them asked for anything in return. I probably won't even get the chance to meet them again. It was purely out of a giving spirit.
Has someone treated you well recently?
Treated you to a drink, given you a lift home?
Or simply told you a joke that made you laugh?
Next time, instead of just saying thanks, how about passing the love on?
Make an effort - do the same.
Yes, you might have to spend that $10 that you 'saved' from getting that free drink
You might have to go out of your way and spend that few extra minutes
Not expecting anything back
But instead saying - "Just pass it on to the next person who needs it"
Don't you think that the world would be a much better, more beautiful place?
Genesis 3 - The serpent in the garden of Eden
[random musings] I sometimes wish the Bible would be more big on details. Like who wrote it, why, what was the circumstances surrounding it.. As though the Bible isn't thick enough already. Our mind would probably explode, and the Gospel would probably be thicker than an encyclopedia set, but at least the information would be there. Right now, it's so easy to read the Bible like it's a fiction book because so many events in it sound so surreal. Let's not even begin to talk about Genesis - Even the story about Jonah being swallowed by a huge sea creature sounds implausible. Wouldn't Jonah have been digested if he sat in another animal's stomach? Then again, as evolution so conveniently states, the characteristics of creatures have changed over time.. A huge creature with 4 stomachs (like a cow) could certainly have existed, and that could have accounted for it...
But, I digress. How can a human mind fathom so much information in the first place? I can barely begin to fully comprehend the written history of Singapore in depth (which, by the way, is only 45 years old), much less the history of the Bible, which covers details and stories that have been compiled and passed down through the ages. And why is it that we find it so much easier to affirm that what's written in history books is factual, and so quick to exclaim that the Bible is doctored fiction?
Okay, so my random musings are longer than usual this time round. It seems like 5 days has given me lots of time to think...[/random musings]
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