my experiences with different groups of friends recently left me ponder a little.

a friend shared with me about his ambitions and plans for the next 5 years. yea. it sounds fine and good. earning 5 grand or more a month, having a car, a house, etc... then he mentioned how at the current amount of income he is receiving, it is not enough to fulfill his dreams. and therefore, probably, the first thing he has to do is to get a new job that will guarantee an income of 5 grand...

frankly, i do not worry about what is going to happen over the next few years in my life. it is not because i do not have plans of my own. i do make plans for myself and i trust that god will give and provide what is good for me. i am feeling rather "free" actually. i am not referring to the "nothing to do" kind of free. you know the song - "born free"? yea... that's the feeling i am trying to drive at here. i do not wish to participate in one of the many rat races going on. its quite crazy when you see what is going on in those races. what good is it for a man to gain the whole world and yet forfeit his soul? i am happy. personally, that's the most precious gift i can ever have. by learning to appreciate the blessings that are showered upon you everyday. blessings are not always significant and gaudy, some can be subtle but sweet, like a smile on a friend's face.

the sharing with a second friend. we both came to a conclusion that some people tend to put all the blame on other people when something goes wrong and are blind to their own weaknesses. furthermore, they do not want to admit or accept the fact that they have weaknesses. being a perfectionist in some areas of my life, i do share some understanding in the mentality of the former. you can't change people, but you can change yourself, you have probably heard this saying numerous times. yeap.. i am finding it very true. learning to accept people takes awful lots of effort and can be emotionally draining at the same time. there's no point creating more enemies for yourself. peace is priceless.

the encounter with a last friend still leaves me puzzled.

i have observed that she will apologised to people before blurting out really blunt comments. some comments can be rather offending. that makes me wonder.. if you know you are going to offend another person, will you still say sorry and comment? and what is the reason for saying sorry before that? you should either keep quiet or say sorry after you had made the comment..haha. this is hilarious man.