Friday, May 05, 2006
Quiz
1) Grab the book nearest to you and turn to pg 18, line 4.
Er...for what ah?
2) Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.
OK I touched my pillow...next!
3) What was the last thing you watched on TV?
Travel & Living on cable...on great country inns...man your mouth would water at watching them prepare the food! Country style holiday....mmmmmmm
4) Without looking, guess what the time is.
Time to crawl out of bed ??
5) Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
YEP , time to crawl out of bed!
6) With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
Kissing a Fool by George Michael.
7) When did you last step outside?
Erm the toilet a few minutes ago? Or salsa last night?
8) Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
Angela's blog :P
9) What are you wearing?
Darling I don't think I should bring it up for public decency *chuckles*
10) Did you dream last night?
Yes I did...strange dream...I was leaving a place and when I came back to take something..people has become emancipated, dancing in a surreal vision and sucking each other's blood...soon the whole place was in flames...really surreal..
11) When did you last laugh?
Er.. minutes ago.
12) What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Photos...cool pic of Domino poster..Mr & Mrs Smith..people kissing heh
13) Seen anything weird lately?
Define weird? The horrible picture I look at in the mirror in the morning doesn't count right?
14) What do you think of this quiz?
Ha bo liao fun :P
15) What is the last film you saw?
Erm....movie? tv? If movie Take The Lead..show me the T-A-N-G-O baby!
16) If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
Woah this is opening pandora's box..I'll never finish writing... farm, apartment overlooking a city, balinese style villa, mansion facing the sea, a convertible hmm maybe a boxster, wines, cigars, clothes, shoes, Honda NSR, a tour round the world..rail, fly, hot-air balloon, you name it...the list goes on and on and on...
17) Tell me something about you I don't know.
I am an alien from Venus. I have a 36-24-36 figure. All Venusians have perfect bodies and skin. My spaceship has been zapped into a size of a earring that I wear frequently. I fly around sometimes for entertainment. Really.
18) If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
Less mindless wars.
19) Do you like to dance?
It seems anything anyone remembers about me is I'm a dancer so I suppose that's a yes?
20) George W. Bush...
I reserve my comments. They say Big Brother is everywhere *looks around*
21) Imagine your first child is a girl. What would you call her?
Something more exotic and princessy-like... like Anastasia I think..or something Greek..I'll ask my hubby..IF i get one.
22) Imagine your first child is a boy. What would you call him?
I used to like the name Nicholas....hmmm maybe that.
23) Would you ever consider living abroad?
I wanna have many homes around the world and stay in each of them for intervals...does that count?
24) What would you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
"I offset your sins enough to give you a marginal entry..Well I am glad you made it anyway!"
25) 4 people who must do this in their blogs.
Chin Fee, Song Fee,Junyu, Edmund.
OK that's for bo liao fun today :)
050506
Hello...you are here again.
I remember it was rainy but my mood was sunny.
I remember running to the bus stop while the rain threatened to pour in.
I remember a long pause.
I remember a single sentence.
The answer that was also a question.
This is a personal entry which I believe will make little sense to anyone. So if you don't get it, no worries..you are normal :)
@-;--
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Legacy
A friend of mine shared recently that while he has achieved much in life, he hopes to leave something behind to the people close to him by sharing the knowledge he has learned. This morning I had a chat with a friend who shared that his dream as an architecture student when he was in school was to leave behind signs of his existence even when he has passed on from this world. He shared with my a little scene from a movie where the lead was asked why she got married.
Her reply was "Because there will be a witness to your life".
While it may seem a little strange to hear that but to someone who may have no other kin in this world, it may not seem such a strange notion. Just imagine, what if you had no contact with the outside world, will there be anyone to remember you? Will there be anyone or anything to remember that you once existed, breathed and lived?
Many past greats have had the notion of leaving their mark in history. Some call it ambition. This drove great inventions, achievements and even wars. Even the normal man on the street will hope to be remembered after his death. We all hope to have made a little difference to the world we live in. After all, our existence here should have a purpose isn't it?
To me, a person is not only measured by the things that he has achieved in life but more so the things he leaves behind when he is not longer in this world. There are times when I have heard seemingly low profile people having a huge turnout at his or her funeral. Death does something to people. It makes us realise true good and bad and cherish the things that we may have taken for granted. There is little that we can take with us when we die. We leave this world as we have arrived - alone.
Someone once told me a good way to look at what you hope to achieve in life is to think of the three things you hope to be written on your tombstone when you die. The strange thing is when I thought if it, none of the three things I thought of had anything to do with material achievements. This really makes you think of the things that really drive and move your soul. Try it :)
Monday, May 01, 2006
Cracks
I read in a book today that as humans we feel upset when we don't have something and also feel upset when we do get it. Take love for example. You will feel sad when you do not have the love of the one you love yet when you are finally together, you live in fear he or she will love someone else. Sure this may be a case of mistrust and unnecessary fear, but it is very real for many people isn't it?
Trust is something that has to be earned. It is something that once broken will be hard to mend. Even if one can mend it, cracks remain. They say love conquers all but sadly, love sometimes fails to conquer fear. I would like to share a simple story. A story that you and I may have experienced through a friend or first hand.
You are in love with someone. Everything goes well till time wears out the relationship. You thought you didn't love that person anymore. You do something wrong. You want out. The other person is hearbroken. The other person tries his or her best to salvage the relationship. You agree to stay on.
Time goes by. You realise you didn't love him or her any less than you thought and you very much like to be with him or her. However, you notice something is wrong with the other person. You can feel he or she still cares yet there is something very foreign and distant. One day, the other person tells him he or she cannot continue anymore. The broken trust has a crack that cannot be mended.
We all make mistakes. We all hope to be forgiven when we do. I know I have. Sometimes in a spur of moment, impulse or passion, we step outside a line we know, thinking it is the line we wish to cross. Sometimes we realise much later what was the thing that was really important.
To all of you out there who may be contemplating or are already in a compromising situation, please think a little deeper about the things you throw away when you do step out. I am not saying it is always wrong. Sometimes we do need to cast away some things. The only thing is knowing that you are ready to lose the things you stand to lose and that you will have no regrets. Should there be regrets, may you find it in your heart to find peace. To me, sadly, regret is one of the hardest things to get over. Regret haunts people. It does.
May angels guide your every step and decision.
@-;--
The Interview With God
The pictures and music are lovely...not to mention the wonderful messages :)
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Old Symbol
I always hear teenagers declaring their oaths of eternal love over radio dedications. Like I tell my friends, even 16 year olds have their idea of "forever". When we were in our teens, it was so simple to like someone and be together. Even my buddy agrees...You like me, I like you, we go "steady". Now it's "I don't know where it'll lead..is he or she for real? what if this? what if that?" We have grown up along with our walls. In exchange for adulthood and adult freedom of financial independence, we have given up our freedom in other ways. The world is fair...something comes...something goes.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Do You Know Me?
Well do you know the other sides of me?
Do you know...
I like installation art and abstract art over still life?
I like black and white artistic photography?
I love to listen to classical music when I used to paint?
I wanted to be a designer when I was young?
I was trained in acrylic painting as well as design?
I want to learn bike and muay thai as much as I want to learn how to cook and do the tango?
I used to be a hardcore perfectionist?
I enoy staying home to watch dvds and chill out more than going out to meet people?
I am actually introverted by nature and extroverted by creation and necessity?
I would enjoy staying home to a home-cooked meal and doing simple things with a loved one more than an expensive date?
I enjoy cheap teh and teochew porridge as much as I appreciate the finer points of wine and cigars?
I like to read girly manga as much as I like to read books about business and self improvement?
I like to watch anime and feel-good movies as much as I like deep provoking works?
I like peace and serenity often more than noise and buzz?
Money, business and dance is not what my life is just about?
I believe everyone has a side that many people do not know. We often live by the perceptions that we see and there is nothing wrong with that. I simply love to discover things about people that are often not known. Call that my natural sense of curiousity. Sometimes I think I get too caught up with living that I forget to do the little things that satisfy this nature...like read, watch discovery channel *laughs*.
Remember that entry I wrote sometime back about a person's true essense? The other day I had a simple conversation. Ahhh you may not understand what can be so special about a conversation. It was a conversation that I had not had in a long time. It didn't matter that the subject matters were so plain. What was comforting was the conversation actually occurred and for a brief period of time, I experienced a little bit of the other party's true essence...something I had not seen in a long time. That brought a little humane warmth...not love or care... but warmth :)
Friday, April 28, 2006
The Camera
The best that even money can't buy
To capture visions of everlasting beauty
For that moment of eternity
And that camera is you."
Today there was thunder, lightning and a storm. One of the nice things about staying in a high rise place is I can see lightning very clearly from my window. After the rain, I saw the sky in a perfect blend of colours from blue to orange to yellow, in varying hues of brillance.
It suddenly reminded me of the night I saw a picture that I had failed to capture using my feeble camera. It was a clear night and I saw the most number of stars in my life in the night sky. It was so breathtakingly beautiful I had to try to take a picture of it. It never came out right of course but that picture was etched in my mind.
As I watched the sky which still had lightning on one side and the sunset on the other, I realised that God gave us the best camera in the world. With our eyes as the lens and our mind as the film, it is the only camera in the world that can capture the full beauty of creation and the emotions involved in every event to finally produce a picture called memory.
Every picture is always stored in memory but as humans we sometimes forget where we store it. We often choose to remember the things we want to remember and forget those we dislike, even if it was a picture that had already been taken and carved into reality. Silly aren't we?
Say hello to the most wonderful painter and camera in the world...you :)
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Happiness
She asked me "What is your idea of happiness?"
Ah one of life's great mysteries.
Frankly I am not an authority in this department to comment about it. However, a book I read brought up a point which I felt had a lot of truth.
Much of the unhappiness we experience is due to the existence of desire and craving. We desire wealth, the new phone, the new toy, that cute guy and the list goes on. Like they say, it is expectation that leads to disappointment. It is this expectation that is generated from desire that leads to disappointment and unhappiness. Of course, most mere mortals are unable to renounce all desire.
It does however, lead one to think that....happiness really is a state of mind. It should exist even by itself when you have nothing. To feel happiness for being alive, for the sunshine or for the rain and not because you have or do not have something.
I am sure we all know, this is not an easy stage to reach.
However, we have come to the point where we have attached happiness to the things we own and do not own. We will be happy when we have that dress, that car. that promotion, that apartment and so on. My friend brought up a good point. Advertising led us to believe we will be happy when we buy x product, y service. Sure it does make us happy but we all know...it is largely transitory.
What is happiness? Well I don't really know how to answer this question but perhaps I should give a little story here that might put things into some perspective.
I have a friend whom I have not seen in a while...He has a rare brain disease that means he may die anytime. He's in his late 20s by the way. To him, happiness is being able to wake up every morning, see the sun and touch the ground with his feet.
That's so simple isn't it? How many of us can find the happiness that exist in something that we take for granted? What is happiness to you?
That's food for thought :)
Monday, April 24, 2006
Time Flies
Some time back...
"Do you?" The devil asked.
This, is my answer.
@-;--
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Fairy Godmother, Irony
There are some people in this world whereby you just feel at ease and warm when you are with them. I was wishing happy birthday to one of my senior friends who is of certain age yesterday. Wheneer I am with her, it's like being with mummy or grandma. You feel warm, comforted and happy. You just want to hold her hand and ask if she is well. These are the people whom one feel truth, purity and sincerity.
Happy birthday to a very nice lady whom I would consider the closest person to a fairy godmother :)
As I was chatting one of my girlfriends the other day I also realised that it is true that when one is not involved, wisdom and clarity comes. Third party view we call it. You see truth and facts for what it's worth, the beauty in all its glory, the ugly in all its reality and of course the wisdom of right and wrong. Everything becomes so clear that it is frightening, ironic, enlightening yet achingly simple at the same time. We are all capable of this and we always need someone like this to give us the bitter pill sometimes. We are but just human. Everything is always simple until it becomes our own situation. Everything can be solved unless it's our own problem. Ironic, isn't it?
@-;--
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
As Time Goes By, Foolish Games
It was for work people :)
He told me about the new developments in his life, his new house and events. I felt happy for him..truly...that he has finally found some peace and progress in his life.
I think sometimes it is after a long time that you realised how much you really care about someone. Never mind the relationship was not worth it, never mind he was not worth it (so they say), never mind the pain, never mind the tears...when you take all that away... all that's left is just pure care and love... some call it stupidity.
When he told me about his life, I didn't feel any jealousy or resentment. I felt peace and true gladness for him. There are some people whom you will feel you were meant to meet in your life, where that encounter changes the course of your life. That was one.
There were times where I asked myself if I would have preferred not to. A part of me would have wanted to spare myself the pain and all the other pains that followed. I might have been happier living in the old life. I might even be preparing for a wedding today.
Alas, we shall not lament on things we cannot change.
He taught me the possibility of possibility and the importance of dreams. What he could not teach me was how to live with it. At the end of it all, I think the road, while bumpy, taught me more than any book could. I can't say it was all good but it was a one way road. You never look back.
Just when you think you can't love more than you ever knew, you can be proven wrong. Just when you think you know, you realise you don't know at all. I can't say I can look back at all that happened and say I am proud of it. Yet, the journey was far from boring. I am just waiting to see where it all leads.
An old song filled the silence in the car...It was nice listening to it with the rain outside pattering on the window...
Foolish Games
You took your coat off and stood in the rain
You were always crazy like that..
I watched from my window
Always felt I was outside looking in on you..
You were always the mysterious one
with dark eyes and careless hair
You were fashionably sensitive, but too cool to care
You stood in my doorway,with nothing to say
Besides some comment on the weather..
Well in case you failed to notice,
in case you failed to see
This is my heart bleeding before you,
this is me down on my knees..
These foolish games are tearing me apart..
And your thoughtless words are breaking my heart
You're breaking my heart
You were always brilliant in morning
Smoking your cigarettes and talking over coffee
Your philosophies on art,Baroque moved you
You loved Mozart and you'd speak of your loved ones
As I clumsily strummed my guitar..
Well, excuse me,
guess I've mistakenyou for somebody else
Somebody who gave a damn,
somebody more like myself
These foolish games are tearing me apart
You're tearing me, tearing me,
tearing me apart..
And your thoughtless words are breaking my heart
You're breaking my heart
You took off your coat and stood in the rain
You were always crazy like that...
@-;--
Monday, April 17, 2006
Memory and age
As I was clearing my receipts to file my taxes, I came across a few receipts that reminded me of several events in the past. As I looked at every receipt, it was like looking at my life flash by. I could remember who I was with, what I did, where I went. Sometimes I could remember the exact picture in my head. I never quite expected a stack of old receipts to act like a diary of sorts.
I remember the times I sang, remembered the times I went out with friends, the times I was in love, the times I went wild...all from a humble stack of receipts. Interesting isn't it?
The difference is sometimes we will look at triggers of events and cry...sometimes we will smile..sometimes we will stop crying and be able to smile...sometimes we learn to accept...sometimes we never forget...sometimes we smile sadly..sometimes we wished we never saw it...sometimes we smile happily. That is the magic of time.
And yes, I am getting older...can feel my body aches more *laughs*
@-;--
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Look In
When we were younger, things and people were a lot simpler. We laughed when we were happy, cry when we are sad, declare love when we feel it and show anger when we are upset. As years passed and life grew on us, many of us slowly developed another side that we choose to show the world.
As life delivered its lessons, we all found our own ways of dealing with it. We made friends with realisation, realism, cycism and sometimes escapism. Some learnt to deal with life in a strong and positive way, some much less so. However, somehow or other, we all developed a certain persona. This persona helps us to save our pride, protect us from harm and be acceptable to society.
How many times have you wanted to express your own opinion or anger but held back for acceptability? How many times have you created an illusion to be more or less than you are ? Perhaps you have felt love but held it back because you were too proud to admit it? Have you turned love away because you were afraid to get hurt?
Once, twice or many?
There are times when you deal with someone and for an instant can feel the true essence of a person. An essence that shows that person is not trying to be nicer than he or she really is, isn't trying to hide or run and is truly showing you the fundamental core that makes him or her human. I love it when I stumble upon such moments. Even bad boys have such sides too.
Sometimes you may also notice this true side more when people are with the people who spent their growing years with them like old school mates, good long time friends. Perhaps it is due to lowering of guard?
I believe my friends have questions of my judgement about men. Call me stupid or delusional but very often it is that true essence that I saw that moved my heart. My mistake was not recognising how strong someone can hold on to the persona he has created for himself. Love someone simpler? You love or you don't. You can't fake it or force it. It's that simple.
The same goes for people in general. Why do I choose to believe in some people? Because it is that true self I see. Perhaps it is my hope they will let the true self shine through the wall they have created. It isn't always the case though and sometimes disappointments ensue.
I may love a person for all that he is, exterior or interior..but it is that true self that forms the core of my love and respect. All I am asking for is a little truth...the truth which I myself am seeking to find and show more too.
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I suddenly recalled a little conversation from sometime back when I heard Michael Buble's Home...
"You look really happy today...what's up?"
"Don't know...maybe because I haven't seen you in three days?"
*smile*
@-;--
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
You Need To Get A...
I heard this a few times "You need to get a ..."
Yes I know where you guys are coming from and I have no doubt it will bring some quick fix relief...I haven't lost it...but end of the day I just don't feel like it.
It's like you know you like sushi but today you just don't feel like eating sushi.
Next to dancing and close friends...I do not really want to have anything closer. Think porcupine. On top of that, really not much mood left with all the deadlines and deliverables in my head.
Comfort and happiness to me these days is when I see the red numbers become smaller...when I use that nice moisturiser...when I file my nails...when I use my eye cream...why you may ask?
I have not been taking good care of myself and would like to do that now...love myself a little...things I know will REALLY solve the things on my mind.
I have never been the type to go looking. When it did happened, it just did...not because I went looking. I will feel good about it if it happened like that...when the chemistry just happened...not because I went looking for it. It's just not me.
I just don't want to think about things in this department for now. If it happens, great. If it doesn't, so be it. Sure this may change but I would just like to go with the flow a bit now. You guys already say I think too much so I wanna think less about it. I already have too much to think about :)
@-;--
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Change
@-;--
Friday, April 07, 2006
Little Joy
I love you for sentimental reasons
I hope you do believe me
I'll give you my heart
I love you
And you alone were meant for me
Please give your loving heart to me
And say we'll never part
I think of you every morning
Dream of you every night
Darling I'm never lonely
Whenever you are inside...
Aaaahhhhhh...lovely.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Fear the Monster
The other night I had a dream I was diving into the deep blue sea and learning how to surf. I jumped off a plane in another one. In case you didn't know, I have a fear of heights and the sea when it's dark. In the dreams, however, I didn't have any inhibitions at all.
The topic I am writing is about fear.
Before I continue, I would like to share a passage from the same book..
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"Identify the things that are holding you back. Are you scared of speaking or do you have troubles in your relatiobshps? Do you lack a positive attitude or do you need more energy? Make a written inventory of your weaknesses. Satisfied people are far more thoughtful than others. Take the time to reflect on what it is that might be keeping you from the life you really want and know deep down you can have. Once you have identified what your weaknesses are, the next step is to face them head on and attack your fears. If you fear public speaking, sign up to give twenty speeches. If you fear starting a new business or getting out of a dissatisfying relationship, muster every ounce of your inner resolve and do it. This might be the first taste of real freedom that you have experienced in years. Fear is nothing more than a mental monster you have created, a negative stream of consciousness. "
"Fear is nothing more than a negative stream of consciousness? I like that. You mean all my fears are nothing more than imaginary little gremlins that have crept into my mind over the years?"
"Exactly, John. Every time they have prevented you from taking some action, you have added fuel to their fire. But when you conquer your fears, you conquer your life."
.....*left out some parts*......
"A baby could be trained to view a glorious sunny day as depressing. A child could be trained to see a puppy as a vicious animal. An adult could be trained to see a drug as a pleasant vehicle for release. It's all a matter of conditioning, isn't it?"
"Sure."
"The same holds true of fear. Fear is a conditioned response: a life-sucking habit that can easily consume your energy, creativity and spirit if you are not careful. When fear rears its ugly head, beat it down quickly. The best way to do that is to do the thing you fear: Understand the anatomy of fear. It is your own creation. Like any other creation, it is just as easy to tear it down as it is to erect it. Methodically search for and then destroy every fear that has secretly slid into the fortress of your mind. This alone will give you enormous confidence, happiness and peace of mind."
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Everyone has something they fear. It ranges from cockroackes to heights to new work and relationships. I was really surprised by the lack of fear I had in my dreams. I have things I fear in real life too. I think sometimes we fear it so much it stays in our consciousness and subconscious mind till it becomes the only thing we know and the only thing we will experience.
I wouldn't say this is entirely related to fear. Something happened while I was spending time with myself last weekend. There is something which I knew I had held for a long time but I did not want to acknowledge it so I was trying to deny it. Fear of what may happen if I did acknowledge it held me back.
However, I suddenly realised that no matter how I could try to hold it back, deny and push away, the fact remained somewhere in the depths of my being. I realised that with simple triggers, the truth will surface. Thus, I finally told myself to just admit it and accept it.
And then magic happened.
I felt a great sense of peace.
With that, I did something the next day that I never quite thought I would do. Sure there was initial inertia but another step took it away. I felt peace with it. I suddenly realised to let something go, you have to first let it in. It's something like attacking your fears I guess. The courage to admit, face and accept the fear allows oneself the peace and clarity to deal with it. Yes I am afraid of the possible consequences but I am also aware of how this simple action gave me the ease to do the things I was trying so hard to do. Facing the fear helped me to deal with me more than I had ever done by trying to deny it.
I also felt a sense of question. If I knew there was someone in me that I was capable of being, why do I keep that person in since it is who I want to be? That's when I decided. No discounting of oneself. Hope we all be the person we are truly meant to be :)
On a totally unrelated note... a friend said I am a very sensual person. My ex or half-ex whatever you call it, also said the same thing once. I wonder why. I am so rough at times and hardly civilised in my words at other times...sensual???? I also noticed at times I may wear normal clothes like a long wrap skirt and a tube and I was said to look sexy. Well I am sorry if the gal here is naturally sexy! *laughs* Just kidding :)
@-;--
Monday, April 03, 2006
Pain The Teacher
My feeling was "It is in our greatest challenges we find our greatest breakthroughs."
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"Now do as many push ups as you can possibly do. Don't stop until you are truly certain that you cannot do any more."
I struggled with the exercise, my two-hundred-and-fifteen-pound frame not being used to much more than walking to the nearest McDonald's with my kids or meandering through a round of golf with my law partners. The first fifteen push-ups were pure agony. With the heat of that summer evening adding to my discomfort, I started to sweat profusely. However, I was determined not to show any signs of weakness and carried on until my vanity started to give way along with my arms. At twenty-three push ups I gave up.
"No more, Julian. This is killing me. What are you trying to do here?"
"Äre you certain that you can't do any more?"
"I'm sure. C'mon, give me a break. The only lesson I'm going to learn from this is what to do for a heart attack."
"Do ten more. Then you can rest" commanded Julian.
"You've got to be kidding!"
But I continued. One. Two. Five. Eight. And finally ten. I lay on the floor in total exhaustion.
"I went through precisely the same experience with Yogi Raman the night he shared his special fable with me," said Julian. "He told me that pain was a great teacher."
"What could anyone possibly learn from an experience like this?'' I asked breathlessly.
"Yogi Raman and all of the Sages of Sivana for that matter, believed that people grow the most when they enter the Zone of the Unknown."
"Okay. But what does that have to do with making me do all those push-ups?"
"You told me after you had done twenty-three that you couldn't do anymore. You told me that this was your absolute limit. Yet, I challenged you to do more, you responded with another ten push-ups. You had more inside you and when you reached for your resources, you received more. Yogi Raman explained a fundamental truth to me while I was his student:'The only limits on yor life are those you set yourself.' When you dare to get out of your circle of comfort and explore the unknown, you start to liberate your true human potential. This is the first step towards self-mastery and mastery over every other circumstance in your life. When you push beyond your limits, just as you did in this little demonstration, you unlock mental and physical reserves that you never thought you had."
....*left out some parts*.....
"You practise the art of kaizen by pushing yourself daily. Work hard to improve your mind and body. Nourish your spirit. Do the things you fear. Start to live with unbridled energy and limitless enthusiasm. Watch the sun rise. Dance in a rain shower. Be the person you dream of being. Do the things you have always wanted to do but didn't because you tricked yourself into believing that you were too young, too old, too rich or too poor. Prepare to live a soaring, fully alive life. In the East they say that luck favours the prepared mind. I believe that life favours the prepared mind."
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Savour this entry slowly and may it do wonderful things for you :)
@-;--
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Real Life Story
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I want to tell a story.
Not too long ago, there was a guy who worked really hard at his job. He worked no less than 14hours each day from Monday to Sunday, including public holidays and even through several flus and fevers. Work was fun and work was good. He get recognition from everyone at every level. One day, his boss said to him 'There is no such thing as job security, only career security. Knowledge can be brought along with us, but our jobs can be replaced by just about anyone and it may very well be one of a junior colleague.'
He didnt understand. He continued to work that way and started feeling the stress of neglecting his girlfriend. He did nothing to improve the situation. He felt that waiting will be ok. It will be soon. 'Man on the moon' Through the period of time, he felt that his girlfriend deserves more attention than that he was giving her. Even given that he accompanied his girlfriend to dinner every evening, as he knows that the girlfriend will wait faithfully for him. She had gastric and he knew that he needed to accompany her, even though grudingly. It finally came to that he was keeping quiet when he was with his girlfriend.
His girlfriend thought that he had started seeing someone else. Doing spot checks on him by calling the office and even the handphone's sms when he was asleep. However, none was found as his only affair is work. She was still upset coz in the sms-es, they contained the unhappiness that he felt about needing to take time away from work and accompany her. Their relationship was strained. They started to fight. Actually, it was more like he started to be short tempered.
Eventually, the girlfriend decided to leave. One night as he was sleeping, so thought the girlfriend, she went by his bed and said 'darling, I know you are stressed at work and unhappy to accompany me. I have decided to leave you now. Sorry I cannot take care of you anymore. You must take good care of yourself. I love you.' With that, she started crying. Even though he was just woken up when she sat next to the bed. He didnt react. He didnt knew how.
Some weeks later, he came back and not surprisingly found that she has moved out. The apartment became a cold place suddenly. There is no longer warmth within. The four walls closed in and the chill is almost unbearable. Many chances came by for them to be together, and yet he didnt act on them. They came and they went. Time passed. And she was with someone else. He thought she would always be there for him. He had not been unfaithful, just busy. But he never showed her his love by taking the time to be with her. She thought that he was happy only with work and his friends.
Indeed, he was happy with work and enjoyed the company of his friends. But the love they had was gone. And he felt a loss. A very true loss. It striked in his hearts. That was when he knew that work is important but he can be replaced and friends are important but only when he had the warmth of love to be a good friend. The darkness set in. The realm of hopelessness risen up. The love is gone. The girl has moved on. The guy is still here, the guy is me.
Do not lose yourself in work. Busy is the poorest excuse. Success is nothing when there is no one to share it with. Anyone can be replaced, no matter how capable they are. Work is an unemotional master, they do what needs to be done...with or without you. Support your beloved through the hardest moment, but make sure that they know that you will not be there forever in a state of neglect.
Like a statue without care, love can erode away. Do yourself a favor, save yourself the pain. Save time for work, save time for friends and especially save time for your belove. Do not seek time on your convenience, your belove has a life too. Learn from your mistakes, learn from my mistakes. Treasure yourself..move on when you need to. Lingering will just not do anything for the hurt.
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I like the morale of the story. Sometimes we think a loved one will always be there because they love us so much. I know because I have both been on both ends, thinking this way and being the receiving end of such thoughts. We take the things we thought were ours for granted. Indeed, it would have been if we had taken greater care. Everyone has a limit...a limit that no matter how much you love will be breached if pushed to the edge and at that point, that very love becomes the very thing that destroys both giver and receiver.
Sure we should not let work take over life...but what if one did want work as an excuse?
@-;--