2 months, 2 blessings… in 2 minutes.

8 weeks have passed since life, as we knew it, drastically changed. This hasn’t been an easy transition. Imagine that nostalgic feeling when you were pulling all-nighters for final exams during college. Except every once in a while, you have that panic attack moment when you realize you have no idea what you are doing other than what you’ve read and heard. One question that burns in our minds: Why are the babies STILL crying? There are so many things to check off a list in finding that answer – it gets ridiculous, frustrating and overwhelming at times.

‘Difficult’ may be an accurate word to describe our beginning days of parenthood. But a better word is ‘blessed.’ Mindy and I are incredibly grateful to have two healthy babies who do what normal babies do: cry, eat, fill-up diapers, sleep, struggle, learn and thankfully, grow! We’re utterly humbled as we know we could never raise these twins without help from their grandparents, aunties, uncles and friends… these loved ones have stepped up and made an amazing difference in our lives. Without their prayers and support, I can only imagine how stressed, sleep deficient and disagreeable we would be. I definitely wouldn’t have the time, much less, the energy to produce meaningful videos like this one.

The title of my latest video production is a bit misleading. It really should be “2 months, countless blessings.” So yes, you know who you are – thank you.

Some famous words that inspire me when I share life with others…

“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”

– Ecclesiastes 4:12

This bible verse reminds me that collaboration and teamwork is better than going solo in 99.99% of all situations.

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own.”

- Benjamin Disraeli, Former British Prime Minister (1804 – 1881)

The most influential people in my life are the ones who empowered me to discover my passions, strengths and purpose in life.

“Never explain – your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway.”

- Elbert Hubbard, Writer (1856 – 1915)

A true friend will always give you the benefit of the doubt. Judgmental people will do the exact opposite. Stay away from those folks. Their bitterness is poisonous and sadly, contagious.

We are taught in college and grad school to be critical thinkers. There’s nothing wrong with that.

But what happens when we apply the critical thinking process on people who failed us? The temptation is to judge that person and not let that person be released from our judgment – holding a grudge.

Life becomes difficult when grudges control your actions. These judgmental attitudes ultimately prevent people from effectively sharing life together.

You know you’re being judgmental when you…

• Are critical from a superior standpoint
• Do not assess people critically in order to be helpful but to judge them harshly
• Are negative and destructive towards others and enjoy actively seeking out their failings
• Assume the worst possible construction on other people’s motives, pour cold water on their plans and are ruthless towards their mistakes.

It’s easy to judge, resent and keep distant from those we don’t approve of. But what if there is more than meets the eye? What if the difficult person had a temporary ‘off’ season of life? Is there room for second chances?

If so, here are steps to make a life-changing impact on people who harmed us and people we harmed.

• Reflect on Yourself First: we tend to see our own flaws as much smaller than others’ mistakes. However, our sins tend to be so big in our lives that we are blind to them – it is in our own selfish nature that we only see others’ shortcomings. Genuine introspection tends to humble us. This is a good thing as humility makes us more approachable.
• Be Aware: you may think that the past is long gone, but are you sure? People remember things longer than you think – make the effort to know if someone has a grudge against you.
• Forgive: forgiveness involves setting a person free from the past and obligations of payment. One way to test if you truly forgave someone is to ask yourself, “Do you think the best of someone when something bad happens?” If you don’t, perhaps you’re not as forgiving as you originally thought.
• Share Life: grudges keep people distant but sharing life on life provides more opportunities to understand one another better, reconcile and ultimately build stronger relationships. Moments of realization and transformation come when we are generous with our time and resources. Let these folks know you care by sharing life with them.

In the end, you reap what you sow. If you choose to hold a grudge, your actions send a clear message: grudges are good. Not just good, but worth repeating since you uphold them.  Take these steps of reconciliation and be the difference.

Meet the Mewie Twins!

The film editing process required a total of 4-5 hours. But I spent MONTHS preparing this video for the big day: listening to the chosen instrumental song over a thousand times during my long work commutes so I can mentally visualize the footage I wanted to capture.

After very little sleep and tremendous help from our family, this video became possible. Since the Mewie twins were born, I rushed from the hospital to my home twice… just to squeeze in some time b/w the feedings.

Wished I could have added more polish to the video but sharing this video in a timely manner was crucial… and well worth it.

This video reminds me of the power and value in sharing boldly.

When Evelyn and her sister joined South Bay Church, I was privileged to co-lead their first two Life Groups. We not only studied the basics of the Christian faith, but helped one another to actively embrace what the faith-based life was all about.

Witnessing Evelyn’s journey vividly reminds me of my early days in learning what it means to follow a guy named Jesus. The concept of loving others and forgiving those that wronged us radically transformed who I was. My core values changed. My daily habits changed. The reasons why I share life with people changed.

Several amazing individuals made this possible for me with their mentorship and fellowship. They taught me to stay focused on advancing the Kingdom of God. Everything good they conveyed to me, I did my best to share with Evelyn and her sister.

We live in a broken world with many struggles, but we all can be part of the solution. Yes, even those of us who don’t think much of ourselves. If anyone knows a little about my past, he or she can appreciate and recognize that God uses broken people to accomplish miracles. I thank God for giving me the opportunities to see His love spread. And I am super excited for Evelyn, her family and friends – may they share His light and empower others to know Him.

Friends and family often ask how I can remain so positive and optimistic, especially when the sh*t hits the fan.

They tend to think, “Oh, it’s because he’s got everything so good and he is successful in X ways.” True, success may lead to happiness, but I CHALLENGE you to think in the reverse.

Thankfully, someone explained it better than I ever could.

On a daily basis, I reflect on the bitter, jaded and negative people I interact with and pray for each day. Without a doubt, I know they are hurting. Their behaviors reveal their thoughts and they don’t even realize it. But with the science and logic mentioned in this video, I know my advice and optimism has always been good – not naive or irrelevant to others. And this time, I can share my lifestyle like Shawn Achor did:

Practice Ways to Pursue Happiness

• Observe 3 Gratitudes: recognize three new things that make you smile – for 21 days. Your brain will begin to write a pattern to see the world more positively.
• Journaling: writing about one positive experience you have had over the last 24 hours teaches your brain to re-live these moments.
• Exercise: active fitness routines teach your brain that behavior matters.
• Meditation: meditating detaches you from multi-tasking. Increases your focus on the task at hand. Prayers do work!
• Random Acts of Kindness: sending 1 positive email thanking somebody in your social support network not only creates a ripple effect of positivity, but a tangible revolution.

You can definitely do this on your own but I highly recommend you find an accountability partner. Someone who can inspire you to be at your best by simply listening to how you practically pursue happiness.

My best investment for 2011 was the GoPro camera. This compilation of one-second moments confirms that.

Thank you for making 2011 such a tremendous year. Life wouldn’t be this exciting, precious and inspiring if not some amazing people who constantly bless us with their time and thoughtfulness. The countless prayers, game nights, and meaningful conversations humble me deeply. We do not deserve such happiness but we will definitely cherish it.

2012 starts boldly. We’re expecting to double the Mewie family within a few months. Can’t wait to share all the joys they bring. And hopefully, I can capture some more wonderful moments on video.

Merry Christmas from the Mewies (yes, all FOUR of us)!

Without a doubt, 2011 has been the most challenging year of our lives. While others become bitter and jaded during their most difficult times, we feel incredibly blessed to persevere in faith. How many others can remain hopeful and loving to others when the crap hits the fan? In the end, we prayed for a miracle and God graciously gave us TWO. We’re so excited to meet and share life with them in 2012.

There is one bible verse that kept us going when our world was crumbling. After all, we could have been hermits. We could have been secretive about our personal pains and sufferings. We could have burnt bridges with people who ticked us off. But no, we knew the world didn’t revolve around us. We knew people were experiencing greater difficulties. By becoming Life Group leaders, meeting new friends and reaching out to people in need – we depended on this bible verse and shared it with those who also carried heavy burdens.

“For I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
– Jeremiah 29:11

I cringe to think of how I would be if I did not completely trust Jesus this year. But I’m absolutely thankful I did.

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Special thanks to my brother-in-law, Roo, for capturing these photos. Biggest thanks to Mrs. Mewie for helping me design this Christmas card and inspiring me to live each day to my fullest.

Merry Christmas 2011!

At first glance of the title, you may think we were inspired by the movie, “The Social Network.” That is only true by the name itself (after all, that movie was published last year and was not the most positive story). But if you know the Louie family, we are all about sharing life in the most fun and meaningful ways. Many of these ways are displayed in our infographic. When we’re not sharing life face-to-face, you can often find our thoughts and adventures through our favorite social media communities.

Another reason I pursued this infographic is to demonstrate and represent how cloud computing is changing our work and productivity throughout the day. On a professional note, my career advanced to a whole new level when I joined VMware in July this year as the Internal Communications Manager for 13,000+ employees. For those who are not IT savvy, VMware is the leader in cloud computing technology and virtualization so the cloud imagery has even more meaning for me.

To give you a little idea of what I originally started with, it was this photo.

All in all, I’m proud of this year’s Christmas card. I certainly wouldn’t be able to design this without my loving family and their amazing amount of patience and feedback.

Software:
Photoshop CS3, Illustrator CS4

I love hearing stories like this.

Nidhi Chanani inspires me to continue my artistic ambitions. I’m not anywhere close to giving up my 9-5 day job like she did. Then again, she was doing purely administrative work while I’m able to tap into my creative designs in the corporate world. Also, her talents totally leverage the power of e-commerce web sites like Zazzle and Etsy while I’m hoping to publish my novel someday in the distant future. Nevertheless, her story is encouraging as an individual’s God-given talents are recognized and enabled to pursue her dream career.

Today, Nidhi posted this amazing painting via twitpic.

You can reach Nidhi Chanani’s web site here.