Pay It Forward is an American dramatic film produced in 2000 and directed by Mimi Leder. It is one of my favorite films because it left a lasting impression. It is a prime example of what films are supposed to do; make you cry, laugh and sends across a profound message that will affect the way you think about things.

Haley Joel Osment plays the role of an 11-year-old schoolboy, Trevor McKinney, where he is given a task by his teacher to ‘change the world through direct actions’. Trevor later notices a homeless man and decides to make a difference in his life by bringing him home. He then comes up with the plan to “pay it forward’ by doing an act of kindness for three people who then have to do it for another three people. The ‘pay it forward’ act later cascaded and started to impact the lives of many. Though he was later killed by a fatal wound for having helped another person in a fight, the film depicts a powerful message on how a small act of kindness can generate such significant results in today’s world. It allows people to rethink on the word “possible” and challenges people to think about what they can do for the world they live in.

The film generated a real-life movement called the Pay It Forward Foundation which encourages people to ‘change the world one favor at a time’.

Simply Awe-Inspiring, isn't it?

Happy times!

Current current read...



Looks good. I bought it at Carrefour Book Sale for only $10!!!
Here are some reviews...

"…a big-hearted novel you can fall into, get lost in and finally emerge from reluctantly, a little surprised that the real world went on spinning while you were absorbed. You haven't heard of the author. David Wroblewski is a 48-year-old software developer in Colorado, and this is his first novel. It's being released with the kind of hoopla once reserved for the publishing world's most established authors. No wonder: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is an enormous but effortless read, trimmed down to the elements of a captivating story about a mute boy and his dogs. That sets off alarm bells, I know: Handicapped kids and pets can make a toxic mix of sentimentality. But Wroblewski writes with such grace and energy that Edgar Sawtelle never succumbs to that danger. Inspired improbably by the plot of Shakespeare's "Hamlet," this Midwestern tale manages to be both tender and suspenseful…Most of the story comes to us through a masterful, transparent voice: The author, the narrator, the pages -- everything fades away as we're drawn into this engrossing tale….The final section gathers like a furious storm of hope and retribution that brings young Edgar to a destiny he doesn't deserve but never resists. It's a devastating finale, shocking though foretold, that transforms the story of this little family into something grand and unforgettable."

— Washington Post Book World

"...Wonderful, mysterious, long and satisfying: readers who pick up this novel are going to enter a richer world. I envy them the trip. I don't reread many books, because life is too short. I will be rereading this one."

— Stephen King, author of Duma Key

Among the wonders of Jamaica is a body of water called Luminous Lagoon. By day, it is a nondescript bay on the country’s northern coast. By night, it is a marvel of nature.

If you visit there after dark, you notice that the water is filled with millions of phosphorescent organisms. Whenever there is movement, the water and the creatures in the bay glow. When fish swim past your boat, for example, they light up like waterborne fireflies. As the boat glides through the water, the wake shines brightly.

The wonder of God’s creation leaves us speechless, and this is just a small part of the total mystery package of God’s awesome handiwork as spelled out in Job 37 and 38. Listen to what the Lord’s role is in nature’s majesty: “Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes His lightning flash?” (37:15 niv); “What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside?” (38:19 niv). God’s majestic creations—whether dazzling lightning or glowing fish—are mysteries to us. But as God reminded Job, all of the wonders of our world are His creative handiwork.

When we observe God’s amazing creation, our only response can be that of Job: These are “things too wonderful for me” (42:3).  — Dave Branon

When I read this piece of article from ODB, I was instantly drawn to the verses in Job and am reminded of the many times I was bewildered by the many 'wonders' of God. It may seem like the tinest flower that caught my eye along the road but if we stop and start pondering about the 'unessential' things that make up our surroundings, it may just begin to illuminate God's wonder to us. The wonder of God's creation indeed left me speechless many times.

1. To board the bus and discover my EZ-Link card cannot be found on me.
2. To fart secretly in public and suspect someone might have heard it (or even smell it).
3. Get stuck in toilet with a cockroach making its way towards me (without any weapons of destruction in my hands).
4. To drink a reasonable amount of water from a cup only to realize foreign particles are inside and that I might have drank it too.
5. Realize there is ‘dried’ bird-shit on the towel I just use (… oh the horror!)

 Let’s just stick to five for now…

By Your Side
Mike Donehey, Jason Ingram, Phillip LaRue

There are a couple of lines in 'By Your Side' that to me really encapsulate the whole song. One is in the second verse that says, 'Why are you looking for love' 'Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough' 'To where will you go child' To where will you run' And the last verse it says, 'Look at these hands and my side, they swallowed the grave on that night, when I drank the world's sin so that I could carry you in and give you life.' 'By Your Side' is just a call to anyone who's struggling or fighting against God thinking they have to work to earn it. It's calling them to stop looking for what you can do for God and fix your gaze upon what God has done for you. Let that motivate you. We love because He first loved us.

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching
As if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run?
To where will you run?

I'll be by your side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
Please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands at my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life

Here at my side wherever you fall
In the dead of night whenever you call
Please don't fight these hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

And I, I love you
And I want you to know
That I, I'll love you
I'll never let you go

2008 Essential Tunes / West Main Music / Formerly Music (SESAC) All rights admin. by Sony/ATV Sounds LLC (SESAC). / Peertunes, Ltd. (SESAC) / Grange Hill Music (SESAC) / Windsor Way Music (SESAC). Grange Hill Music and Windsor Way Music administered by Peertunes, Ltd. / Phillip LaRue Publishing Designee (ASCAP)