The author of this post was bitten with a bug probably most people have had, the lazy bug to update. In the past 1/2 year, things probably have taken a turn in some areas of your life. People moved, new things got added, some things were put away, your surroundings changed, your angle of life shifts, your hair got shorter / longer, and maybe some subtle lines here and there on the face, infant grows into toddler and then to this being who drives you crazy most of the time when they're not smiling. How things, people, air moved! And finally, time slips by unnoticed.
I had a chance to stay in China for a little while this year and am back in the Lion City for now. After coming back in style (rode in a ridiculously expensive taxi ride - in a Chrysler), I realized one thing: It's like I never left the place. At the same time, when I'm in China, it's like it's been home all along. I slowly have come to understand the meaning of 'being in the present moment'. I had a bad habit of thinking about the time I am about to leave the place whenever I'm going away to a new location temporarily. The thought emerges as a worry, then the next moment you find yourself in the plane thinking about the moment the thought occurs, and how it has finally happened!
Oh, the life as I know it. How would it feel to experience someone else's life? I often ponder that question. How is it that we are born and choose to lead this life of ours? People constantly strive to make things better for their life, but are their choices the right ones? I don't know. I'm completely clueless, still.
Probably the one lesson learned was how to live in the moment, and just breathe. Forget your cellphones, Blackberry, emails, for one day, and just sit, cook, play with children, talk, and walk your city. Discover living the moment!
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Limiting my choices
I recently turned vegetarian. I also recently bought my first Apple product. I don't have any mp3 player to date whereas my friends have bought their 5th generation iPods. I'm only using my second cell phone after 6 years, and that's because my brother insisted to pass it down to me and took my first cell phone, which was working perfectly alright. I didn't plan this actually. I wanted to try out how being a full-time vegetarian is like, I instantly made that decision one afternoon and that's it. Plus hopefully I'm executing the most effective way to stop global warming and stop killing animals. I feel good about it. Buying Apple is easy, I don't have to compare prices from the various PC vendors and choose from the oh-so-many models out there. I prefer not to spend that much time on the research and decision-making process.
Then I thought, hey, by being a vegetarian or buying a Mac I am limiting my choices! Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing. When I go out, I don't have to fuss about what to eat because there's only so many vegetarian options in one place. I don't upgrade my phone if it's still working. Now I'm starting to think if I can apply this to aspects of my life I would be a happier person than I am now. By limiting our own choices, we are sort of forced to take the very few alternatives that are available to us. Therefore, we stop worrying and start living. Going on with our lives. Once a decision is made and there is no turning back, it's like a burden is lifted off your shoulder. When you know you don't have other choices, you would resign and accept whatever path that lies in front of you. Of course people will say we always have choices, but what if we proactively limit our choices?
We can apply this in almost anything: careers, spending, food, schools, anything you can think of. Start building a habit of limiting our choices and we might just be on our way to be happier individuals.
Then I thought, hey, by being a vegetarian or buying a Mac I am limiting my choices! Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing. When I go out, I don't have to fuss about what to eat because there's only so many vegetarian options in one place. I don't upgrade my phone if it's still working. Now I'm starting to think if I can apply this to aspects of my life I would be a happier person than I am now. By limiting our own choices, we are sort of forced to take the very few alternatives that are available to us. Therefore, we stop worrying and start living. Going on with our lives. Once a decision is made and there is no turning back, it's like a burden is lifted off your shoulder. When you know you don't have other choices, you would resign and accept whatever path that lies in front of you. Of course people will say we always have choices, but what if we proactively limit our choices?
We can apply this in almost anything: careers, spending, food, schools, anything you can think of. Start building a habit of limiting our choices and we might just be on our way to be happier individuals.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Survival
The topic of survival surfaced a few nights ago. The following are the thoughts of my conversation partner and I just felt compelled to write it down.
South East Asia is probably the most fertile region in the entire Asia. It has plenty of natural resources, fertile soil, no harsh climate, land, space, sea, food, everything you need. Then why most countries (except for Singapore - which lacks natural resources) in SEA are still considered "developing" countries when other countries with limited natural resources like Japan are so advanced?
The theory put forth is, essentially, hardships make the people. If things get too comfortable, over generations, you would see that everything went slow. The people got lazy, the drive to reinvent in order to survive was missing. Living is so comfortable, why bother?
Here comes the foreign forces. The Dutch, the Portuguese, the British, the Japanese, neighboring countries. Lured by the abundant of spices grown in the region and promise of new riches and trades, they came and occupied some of the places and left their marks all over the place. Then consider the immigrants, the majority of immigrant pioneers in the region came all the way from their own rural villages in search of the promise of wealth and better life for their families. They were courageous, even though forced by circumstances. Imagine leaving your old life, your parents, your siblings, stepping on board that ship, probably cramped til its last inches, saying goodbye forever to your homeland. You arrived at the new land, drafted as rough labor, worked day and nights, earning small stipend just enough to get by. Then people had to get smarter, businesses thrived, trade volume grew, businessmen emerged. New riches were made, not found. These entrepreneurs still exist today, and I'm not talking just immigrants, but anyone who succeed with a sole motivation to better their own and their families' lives. They're the kings in dwarfs' land. They continue to reinvent, think of ways to get around things, to survive in this unruly land.
At this point I asked, well, since that period of wars, occupation, economic hardship, immigrant exports, civil unrest (generally our great-grandparents / grandparents' period) had passed us; won't our generation, or our children's generation enjoy a relatively peaceful and safe life? Won't our generation get 'lazy' because the previous generations have made life as comfortable as possible for us?
Well it's not, although I'm blessed enough to live the way I live right now, our generation still present its own challenges in different context and environment. In a way, the socio-economic issues are still persistent, civil unrest are still raging in some parts of SEA. Although we have a job, a life, we're still struggling to make ends meet. Everybody is. The same challenges remain, only we're surrounded by concretes and walls, where it was thatched roof and grass before.
I love South East Asia. This is one region on earth that I'll be perfectly comfortable moving around in. It's East meets West at places where you least expected, it's raucous; it's utter chaos; it's everything you won't expect and it's everything you expect; it's a cultural melting pot; and it's the place I love most.
South East Asia is probably the most fertile region in the entire Asia. It has plenty of natural resources, fertile soil, no harsh climate, land, space, sea, food, everything you need. Then why most countries (except for Singapore - which lacks natural resources) in SEA are still considered "developing" countries when other countries with limited natural resources like Japan are so advanced?
The theory put forth is, essentially, hardships make the people. If things get too comfortable, over generations, you would see that everything went slow. The people got lazy, the drive to reinvent in order to survive was missing. Living is so comfortable, why bother?
Here comes the foreign forces. The Dutch, the Portuguese, the British, the Japanese, neighboring countries. Lured by the abundant of spices grown in the region and promise of new riches and trades, they came and occupied some of the places and left their marks all over the place. Then consider the immigrants, the majority of immigrant pioneers in the region came all the way from their own rural villages in search of the promise of wealth and better life for their families. They were courageous, even though forced by circumstances. Imagine leaving your old life, your parents, your siblings, stepping on board that ship, probably cramped til its last inches, saying goodbye forever to your homeland. You arrived at the new land, drafted as rough labor, worked day and nights, earning small stipend just enough to get by. Then people had to get smarter, businesses thrived, trade volume grew, businessmen emerged. New riches were made, not found. These entrepreneurs still exist today, and I'm not talking just immigrants, but anyone who succeed with a sole motivation to better their own and their families' lives. They're the kings in dwarfs' land. They continue to reinvent, think of ways to get around things, to survive in this unruly land.
At this point I asked, well, since that period of wars, occupation, economic hardship, immigrant exports, civil unrest (generally our great-grandparents / grandparents' period) had passed us; won't our generation, or our children's generation enjoy a relatively peaceful and safe life? Won't our generation get 'lazy' because the previous generations have made life as comfortable as possible for us?
Well it's not, although I'm blessed enough to live the way I live right now, our generation still present its own challenges in different context and environment. In a way, the socio-economic issues are still persistent, civil unrest are still raging in some parts of SEA. Although we have a job, a life, we're still struggling to make ends meet. Everybody is. The same challenges remain, only we're surrounded by concretes and walls, where it was thatched roof and grass before.
I love South East Asia. This is one region on earth that I'll be perfectly comfortable moving around in. It's East meets West at places where you least expected, it's raucous; it's utter chaos; it's everything you won't expect and it's everything you expect; it's a cultural melting pot; and it's the place I love most.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Another weekend
Everyone has a story to tell.
There's always a story behind an invention, behind a picture, behind a person's sad smile, behind the laughter of a child, behind a song, behind the feelings we have right now.
Of course! What was I talking about? David Pogue's post on Simplifying Diabetes Shots is one example on how everyday inventions are created from our simple needs. A need to simplify our life. Isn't everything we see, touch, use every day created to make our life easier? However, things that were made for that purpose in turn make our life more complicated more often than not. One thing spawns another, and we can't stop creating "things". It's a vicious cycle. Can't we get them right the first time? A friend once remarked, if we were to live our life without all these modern inventions (think plowing a rice field in the day, sipping hot tea after a long day in the field, then gazing at the sky at midnight), would we be a happier individual today? Perhaps so.
But I digress.
What's so interesting and exciting now is it's up to us to pursue and discover these stories. Come to think of it, isn't that part of our life, if not our mission? To find out life stories, how a person become who he/she is today? How from then on, we move on in life, knowing these people in our midst. Perhaps the more subtly overlooked but even more difficult question is: How do we become the person we are today? What's our story?
I love these stories. A contractor who invented a door latch that only needs a little push to open because he often had his hands full when going to a locked laundry room. A mother who invented a ready-to-mix syringe for her diabetic child because once she had to run to her car to get the right mix of doses, risking her child's life due to the delay. A woman who became famous around the world after her powerful portrait graced the cover of a magazine yet whose name was unknown and lived in obscurity. A child who died in a concentration camp, leaving behind a diary that stunned the world. A grandmother, trying to make ends meet out of cleaning toilets to feed her family. Fascinating, really.
To be honest, I can't even accurately describe my life story. Why I became the person I am today. Life is just one event after another, how do you attach some semblance of meaning to it? Toddlers, teenage years, twenties passed by in a blink of an eye. Time is running fast. We are mere mortals! It's a constant battle.
What will you tell your grandchild? What's your story?
There's always a story behind an invention, behind a picture, behind a person's sad smile, behind the laughter of a child, behind a song, behind the feelings we have right now.
Of course! What was I talking about? David Pogue's post on Simplifying Diabetes Shots is one example on how everyday inventions are created from our simple needs. A need to simplify our life. Isn't everything we see, touch, use every day created to make our life easier? However, things that were made for that purpose in turn make our life more complicated more often than not. One thing spawns another, and we can't stop creating "things". It's a vicious cycle. Can't we get them right the first time? A friend once remarked, if we were to live our life without all these modern inventions (think plowing a rice field in the day, sipping hot tea after a long day in the field, then gazing at the sky at midnight), would we be a happier individual today? Perhaps so.
But I digress.
What's so interesting and exciting now is it's up to us to pursue and discover these stories. Come to think of it, isn't that part of our life, if not our mission? To find out life stories, how a person become who he/she is today? How from then on, we move on in life, knowing these people in our midst. Perhaps the more subtly overlooked but even more difficult question is: How do we become the person we are today? What's our story?
I love these stories. A contractor who invented a door latch that only needs a little push to open because he often had his hands full when going to a locked laundry room. A mother who invented a ready-to-mix syringe for her diabetic child because once she had to run to her car to get the right mix of doses, risking her child's life due to the delay. A woman who became famous around the world after her powerful portrait graced the cover of a magazine yet whose name was unknown and lived in obscurity. A child who died in a concentration camp, leaving behind a diary that stunned the world. A grandmother, trying to make ends meet out of cleaning toilets to feed her family. Fascinating, really.
To be honest, I can't even accurately describe my life story. Why I became the person I am today. Life is just one event after another, how do you attach some semblance of meaning to it? Toddlers, teenage years, twenties passed by in a blink of an eye. Time is running fast. We are mere mortals! It's a constant battle.
What will you tell your grandchild? What's your story?
Thursday, May 10, 2007
We grow too fast
I'm repeating cliches. Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, here I am, reminiscing the past. The past was so far away, yet it's also so near. It was right before my eyes, and then it was gone. All that was left was the idea of the past, the flicker of memories like blown dust. One day it may hit you again. Or not. Sometimes intact, sometimes in a fraction.
I am bad at recollecting memories. And I'm really afraid some day what's left in the nooks and crannies of my brain will be gone. I know it's going to happen. It's already happening. Maybe since I was born. Cycle of life, guess it's inevitable eh. Brain breakdown. Wahaha!
Anyway, sat down today, one thing leads to another and I started flipping through some old pictures. Snapshots of life, memories, random stuff. You don't even know which goes first, who the people in the pictures were, where you were, what occasion it was, it's all a mess of cris-crossing dots and lines on the same paper continuum.
And what a heck of FUN it was! You'd go "What was I thinking?!", "Was that me?", or "I wish I could do that again!" (most likely). All in good times. I truly need visuals to remind myself every now and then. We really grow too fast.
Enjoy!
I am bad at recollecting memories. And I'm really afraid some day what's left in the nooks and crannies of my brain will be gone. I know it's going to happen. It's already happening. Maybe since I was born. Cycle of life, guess it's inevitable eh. Brain breakdown. Wahaha!
Anyway, sat down today, one thing leads to another and I started flipping through some old pictures. Snapshots of life, memories, random stuff. You don't even know which goes first, who the people in the pictures were, where you were, what occasion it was, it's all a mess of cris-crossing dots and lines on the same paper continuum.
And what a heck of FUN it was! You'd go "What was I thinking?!", "Was that me?", or "I wish I could do that again!" (most likely). All in good times. I truly need visuals to remind myself every now and then. We really grow too fast.
Enjoy!
Monday, March 19, 2007
What can I say...
I can always count on Simon to deliver all the good stuff out there. Check out his blog.
Here's what I learned today:
1. There's cheese on moon. Google Jokes, Sometimes...
2. Horror! Horror!
What Happens to Your Body if You Drink a Coke Right Now. To think that I just had a bottle of Coke this afternoon (half actually, satisfied my thirst for the first few minutes, then blah).
3. The meaning of life. Well, almost there...
4. Links, links, and links! If I didn't read Simon's entries, I wouldn't have ventured out to Coke, moon, "answer to life, universe, and everything" (it's 42, by the way), then meaning of life, and Google Romance. Same analogy with life, connections, connections, and more connections! Gets you everywhere.
5. There was a baby called Inuka, he was born in 1990 and he's a polar bear. Check out his profile here.
Oh! I just got Tony Buzan's Age-Proof Your Brain. I'm serious. Will see how that goes.
Here's what I learned today:
1. There's cheese on moon. Google Jokes, Sometimes...
2. Horror! Horror!
What Happens to Your Body if You Drink a Coke Right Now. To think that I just had a bottle of Coke this afternoon (half actually, satisfied my thirst for the first few minutes, then blah).
3. The meaning of life. Well, almost there...
4. Links, links, and links! If I didn't read Simon's entries, I wouldn't have ventured out to Coke, moon, "answer to life, universe, and everything" (it's 42, by the way), then meaning of life, and Google Romance. Same analogy with life, connections, connections, and more connections! Gets you everywhere.
5. There was a baby called Inuka, he was born in 1990 and he's a polar bear. Check out his profile here.
Oh! I just got Tony Buzan's Age-Proof Your Brain. I'm serious. Will see how that goes.
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