My How To Life

It's too late when we die ...

2011-03-10T08:47:00.000-08:00

"I wasn't there that morning, when my father pass away, I didn't get to tell him, all the things I had to say.....I just wish I could have told him in the living years"

No matter whom....
father, mother, sister, friends, colleagues, neighbours, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.....
"It's too late when we die....."
quarrels, arguments, misunderstanding, anger, etc, in the end, those things don't matter....
Life's short, so forgive, move on and BE TRULY HAPPY !!

The Living Year by Mike and the Mechanics

If only I was aware .... today ...... all the time ....

2011-03-09T11:09:00.000-08:00

If only I was aware today, I wouldn't have gotten so annoyed at everything
If only I was aware everyday, I'd be so much HAPPIER !!!

I get annoyed easily, as much as I try not to, I still get annoyed.
Sometime I only see things from my perspective & I want things done my way.
Although it's good to be efficient n effective, especially in the work place (or everywhere else), the world doesn't work that way.
People are different, they do things differently, the think differently, they have different problems in their lives.

So here's what happen today and how I reacted
(or how I react to every little annoying things most of the days of my life.....)

Story 1
I was at a pharmacy with Person A & he wanted to buy a cheap sunblock with whitening.
(fyi : "whitening" or "brightening" cream is very popular for self-conscious people who are naturally tanned)
When I told him the brand was unknown & a whitening properties on a sunblock might not be the best thing to put on your skin, he insisted on buying it. I got so irritated, I left the store.

I can't understand WHY o why on earth would you want to buy a cheap unknown brand sunblock with whitening ? Even writing this, his action irritates me still.
But If I were aware, I wouldn't have just left the store angrily, I wouldn't have disrespected him by labelling him as an idiot in my mind and think of him as inferior to me.
I should just realize that I gave him a SANE opinion (yes I know I'm right) by advising him to get a better product but I should know that the decision lies in his hands and that he's free to think for himself and he can take responsibility for his actions.
Other than that,
Other than thinking that he's an idiot, I should respect him because, fact is, he's someone dear in my life and who has done SO MUCH for me and he truly does deserve A LOT of respect from me.
So If I was aware of that thought & that fact, and if they came first in my head before I start dissing him off and got angry at him, I wouldn't have gotten so annoyed, instead I would just stay calm and things would've been great today :)

btw... I could always steal that cheap unknown brand sunblock, throw it out and get him a new and better one :) Yes I should respect his decision to buy that sunblock, but sorry man, if something might and could harm you, I should do something about it ;p
See.... it's a win win...... without being annoyed and ruining the day.

Story 2
I find Person B annoying, he sings crappy songs out loud, out of tune. Sometimes he sings like a crazy drunk lunatic and he doesn't drink at all.
Even worse,
His jokes are off.
His comments are annoying, which explains why he has no friends.
Sometimes he acts like a crazy dictator and expect you to "obey" his weird old fashioned "rules"
He complains on every little detail and is quite a clean freak but he's very lazy to do the cleaning himself.
He walks really slow, like a zombie who's really lazy.
Anyway.... I don't talk to him. I don't respect him. I don't like him.
So... everytime he sings crappy songs out loud, I don't like it, it annoys me BIG TIME.
Everytime he makes weird jokes, I would just roll my eyes.
Everytime I heard that he's acting all bossy, I hate him even more.
and I let all that negativity fill me up. I just let it, I'm not aware of his positive traits, of what he does everyday.
Yes he's a lousy singer who specializes in crappy songs, his sense of humor is none existence, and he can be very bossy and super duper annoying,
BUT BUT BUT BUT.......
He is a very hardworking guy, He wakes up early, he spends a lot of time driving in unbelievable crazy hectic traffic and he has to deal with a quite a lot of annoying obnoxious people every day.
So when he got home tired & stressed out, I think he can whine a little and be bossy. (okay, maybe not so much, but it's understandable)
So he sings crappy songs out loud, maybe that's how he vents after a crazy tiring day, so let him.
Even though he complains about little things, he never actually points out someone else's past mistakes (okay he does that sometimes) and he never mentions this one HUGE FAVOR he did and gloat about it.
So, knowing all his positive points, the part where I say "I don't respect him. I don't like him" is way way too hard on him, it's just me being mean.
Because realizing all that positive points about him .... I DO respect him now !!
I don't have to pretend that I like his jokes or talk to him much, but I now think that he's a good guy and I feel so guilty and ashamed to have thought that I was better than him.
I think tomorrow when he sings his heart out, I'd just smile and wish it makes him happy :)
okay...I'll try.... hey man, for me it doesn't really happen overnight, I'm really curious what radio station he listens to that make him sings all those ridiculous songs and I still do get annoyed, but not as much, you see, I'm learning here, I'm accepting, I'm understanding, I'm letting it be and I realize now that he's actually quite alright :)
Baby steps, you see, there'll come a day when he sings all the crappy songs out loud n out of tune and I'm happy about it (or I'll learn to block the voices out or I'll have my mp3 player on) but for now, his singing doesn't bug me as much.
See... that's what happens when you're aware. You realize & admit your mistakes and you try to correct it and be a better person.

quote from Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
"Find the best in everybody. Just keep waiting no matter how long it takes. No one is all evil. Everybody has a good side, just keep waiting, it will come out"

Story 3
Don't you just hate it when there's a long line at the cashier and the girl scanning the barcode is working super slow and ignorant of everyone ????
Don't you just want to yell at her ??
What to do ?
Well, you can complain to the manager and hope she gets a warning
or you can stay quiet but cursing on the inside --> really bad for you.
or you can just calmly wait for your turn and stay in a "happy and grateful" / "aware" state of mind all the time.
Why ?
You don't know why she's working really slow.
You can ask her, she could tell you why or she could just lie.
Either way, you won't know "Why?" and it doesn't matter, really.
Maybe she's just plain annoying
or maybe she has so much in her mind, problems she can't solve, financially perhaps or a sickness in the family.
or she's angry at her minimum wage and lack of skill so she's stuck being a cashier all her life.
or maybe she's ill but she still has to come to work anyway.
maybe her boss just accused her of something she didn't do and she just got pissed that she had to take the blame.
You don't know and You probably will never know why.
(unless she's your employee, then she gets a "friendly" warning and maybe a little nudge in the motivation department, etc etc)
But hey.... it doesn't matter......
Don't let an extra 5 mins standing in line ruin your whole day !!

Just realize that other people have issues in their lives, so we need to stay aware that whatever happens to us and our surroundings, we need to stay in a "happy & grateful" state of mind and don't let the negativity brings us down and ruin our day, or worse ruin our lives.
Being aware, being happy and grateful all the time, doesn't mean you smile non-stop like an insane dude, it just means you're awake and you realize what you do and how you choose to let outside things affect you.
Being aware also mean being respectful and understanding to others. Like you have made mistakes in the past and you're now constantly trying to fix them and be a better person, and you try on daily basis, and maybe because you yourself is not always 24/7 "aware", you might still offend other people without realizing it. So other people, too, are probably on the same 'journey' as you are in.

Don't think you know everything, because you don't
Focus on the good of others
Remember baby steps
Be Aware and Be Happy :)
Forever

No time to get angry.... No time

2011-02-20T23:41:00.000-08:00

a quick one.
I know some ppl are super unbelievably annoying and unreasonable
and you can't accept that and you can't help to wonder why why WHY WHYYYY ???
and they make you frustrated and angry and annoyed
bla bla bla bla bla

So....
if you stay awake and aware
You know that there are greater things to do
Greater problems to solve
Greater dreams to pursue
There are more important things in life other than letting their rude manners / offensive behaviour / negativity to affect you.
Now.... once you're aware and awake at all times, and you know those facts
You don't have much time to complain
You won't have any time at all to think about it

When you're busy pursuing your dreams
When you're busy doing what you love
When you're occupied helping others and doing BIG POSITIVE things in your life.
You are focused at your Goal
You won't have time to be offended or angry anymore.
They don't bother you anymore.
Even if it crosses your mind, you're definitely going to ignore it, automatically.
Why ?
There are more important things at your hands right now.
Those minor things won't matter

What matters are the POSITIVE things that you're doing or you're going to do.
IMPORTANT things that will get you somewhere, make you someone.
You are automatically focused on positive things in your life,
Your Life, Your Dreams, Your Goal, Your good deeds, Your Families ....

Now you see ? :)

We are the miracles

2011-02-09T21:23:00.000-08:00

My sis just had a baby girl, and the first time I saw her, I knew I saw a miracle, that she is the perfect gift from heaven.
that she can be anything she wants to be, that everything is possible.

We were all once babies.
We were all the miracles brought into this world.
and Guess what ?
We are still the miracles.

I know some of you think that you're now a failure and it's too late for you to change.
Just remember this :
You were once the miracle and You still are the miracle !!!
No one can ever change that.

Once you realize that you still are the miracle,
You know what you must do now :)

"You are looking for miracles, that's the problem.
You are the miracle ! " - Rumi

We're all different, Accept it, Let them be

2011-02-09T21:21:00.000-08:00

Story 1
I seriously don't understand people who watch cheesy soap opera. I think they're cr*p and a waste of time.
How can people get addicted to it ?

A family member who's smart & successful loves to watch cheesy soap operas. I'm annoyed everytime he turns up the volume and watches it (yes, it's a he)
I even think it's killing his brain cells and I'd grunt and roll my eyes everytime he's in front of the TV.

But then it hit me.
I watch TV Series.
I watch Supernatural, Grey's Anatomy, Glee, etc etc
I like them.
What if someone comes up to me and said "Why do you watch those cr*p ?"

After a busy day, it's pleasing to watch those TV Series, that's how I unwind.
And since people are different, they unwind differently too.
So....No more complaining... I'm gonna treat him with respect.
Apologies from me.
altho I still think watching cheesy soap opera is a waste of time, but hey.... Respect :)

actually watching TV is not always a good thing, but that's for another discussion ;p

Story 2
You know how some people are cheesy, loud, laugh at jokes that you think are NOT funny, dress really old fashioned and think they're cool, buy branded stuff only with gigantic logo so everyone could see that it's expensive, somewhat rude, etc etc
and You just can't stand them because they annoy you so much ?

Well.... Some people are like that, let them be, hopefully they'll evolve and grow out of it.

I remember when I was younger and I thought I wore the coolest T-shirt ever because it has a famous brand written in huge bold capital letters. yup that was me.
Looking back, I realize I liked that T-shirt because people will know that it was a famous and expensive brand.
Oh boy......

Some of my family member gets really loud when they get together in public places, it doesn't really bother me, but it may bother strangers sitting next to them.

Then someone else in my family likes to sing, like all the time, He sings cr*ppy songs loudly, out of tune. This one bothers me big time, all the time.
Like I wanna run up to him and stuff smelly socks in his mouth.
Yup.... still working on that one ;p

So, the point is ,
Let them be
There's nothing you can do
Why annoy yourself ?
Let them be and be free
Simple

Your wish came true, so what now ?

2011-02-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

You're problem free now.
Your prayers have been answered.
Miracles happened.

Is it time to celebrate ?

Problem free, Debt free, doesn't mean that you're free to do whatever we want. To go on a shopping spree, To travel all around the world, To live the American dream (as advertised by the somewhat manipulative media)

Remember what you've learned from your experience.

You asked God for help
You prayed hard
You've never prayed more in your entire life.
It was a sense of urgency, you didn't know who else to ask, so you came to God, or maybe it was Him who pulled you closer.
You hoped for a miracle and it happened.

So what now ?
Some of use would pray less, finding excuses not to go to church.
Why ?
The sense of urgency is gone, The problem is gone.
So, right after you got your miracle, you pull yourself away from God ? because you're lazy ? because there are more fun things to do than praying or than going to church to say "Thank you God ?"
If an old friend lent you money, wouldn't you be so very very grateful to him and you'd be super duper nice to him whenever ? Why is it when it comes to God, you think it's okay to skip ? to postpone ? to stall ?
I know sometimes going to church is really really sleepy and boring, but let's be honest, sometimes it isn't, in fact, sometimes it makes you very peaceful, even if it is only for 5 seconds.
So why stop now ?
Do you want another huge problem to arise to remind you ?

We need to keep on praying.
It's talking to God, We need to stay close to Him, to feel a longing to be closer to Him, to be thankful/grateful, to be a better person, to be a better child of God, even in the littlest things we do in our daily life.
Simple things such as : Were we polite ? Did we say thank you ? Did we help someone out today ?
We need to be awake and stay aware in our lives so that we are living a worth life.
(A good book is "Awareness" by Anthony de Mello)
Remember that We still need to ask for His help for our future dreams and wishes to come true and we need his blessings to achieve all that.
So, No pressure whatsoever, Don't feel burdened that you have to pray or go to church. "Oh I'm so tired to pray" "Oh I didn't get enough sleep last night".
And don't feel like, "I'll pray some more until I got my second wish granted, then I can do whatever I want". That would be wrong.
Wanting to talk to God and be closer to Him should be a feeling of longing that comes from your heart. It should be a pure intention of gratitude.

We need to remind ourselves of what He has done for us and that is by being thankful and grateful, and that happens we we pray. Praying doesn't happen only when you're sitting down in church or alone in your bedroom, you can pray even when you're on a bus, when you're in a meeting, when you're having dinner with families, being grateful is also a form of prayer. That's why it's important that we stay aware at all times. To always be grateful , to be in control of our mind, to want to help others, to know our purpose in live.
If you wanna know more about awareness, I recommend the book "Awareness" by Anthony de Mello, it's not boring, I promise you.

Stay Humble
When you were "down" there and people treated you with disrespect. Let them.
Now you're back on top, forgive and stay humble.
I think by now, you know better that it's the right thing to do.

You know how some TV hosts or journalists say that the nicest people they've interviewed are successful hardcore Rock Stars and the most annoying obnoxious ones are newcomers with only 1 single that made it to the Top 10 list.

It's simple
- When people treat you with disrespect, you don't get angry and offended, you forgive and you move on.
- You don't treat others like dirt, You treat everyone with respect, equally.
In your darkest hours, You were given a taste of what it's like to be the underdog and be treated like one. People treat you badly, disrespectfully, rudely, NOT so that you can take revenge on them when you're back on top, NOT so that you can treat others disrespectfully once you gain your "power" back, but so that you learn from it.
and really, there's no "power" in status or money.

If you expect people to treat you like a king because of your money/status, then you've learnt nothing at all.
Don't expect a special treatment from anyone, Don't even expect anything, Just be a kind hearted humble person who treats others with respect. Period.

The more you have money means the more you should realize that money isn't everything. You should be aware of that, at all times.

Your promises
When you prayed in your troubled times, You must have made some promises.
"If a miracle happen, I'd give away a percentage of my income for charity."
"If my prayers came true, I'd go to church every Sunday"
"If I get my wish, I'd never tell a lie again."
etc
Well, now that you've got your miracle, it's time to keep your promises, whatever it may be.
Even if you didn't make any promises, it's always a good idea to reach out to help others.
You can do it either way you prefer, if you want to start by helping people anonymously, start by doing so.
If you're an outgoing active person, you can be more hands-on.
It's now time to give back.
We actually have responsibility to listen to our conscience, to listen to God as our guide, to do good deeds.
But you do it because you want to, not because you think you have to, but because the heart wants to.
Either way, Helping people will make you feel really really good inside :)

Debts, Financial crisis, and Prayers

2011-02-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

yup... when you have a Financial Crisis which leads to piles of Debts after Debts, Happiness seems to go right out the door.
Yes you have the rare occasional fun-filled outing with friends, Laughter with your kids, Going out to a Great Movie / dinner, Minor Shopping with credit card installments, etc etc, but deep down inside, You worry, You fear, You're not happy, almost all the time.

First,
it's good that you're able to get out and find moments of happiness.... don't shut everyone out altogether, get out every once in a while, Have fun, you need it.

Second,
Keep your mind focused and clear and Start doing what you can, Do it now, Keep trying, Do your best.
Ask for help from friends and families if you must.
and Pray !
When you pray, Have Faith in God, Be Patient.

Here's my story :

Debts... yup
It's been 7 years now
Imagine living in debts for 7 years.
It's like being frozen in time for 7 years, at least for me.
Somehow, between paying bank interests and daily expenses, we manage.
We have incomes but expenses are slightly bigger, still, we manage.
We're happy, but we worry deep down.

But it's good in a way.
I learn that some people are not stingy, they just need to save.
Hey..... Restaurants are okay, but Expensive Restaurants ?, we'd feel guilty if we did go there, it'll only add to our credit cards debt.
Overseas vacations ? what vacation ?
But we stick together, we're good, we have what we need.

then recently,
one of the banks threatened to auction one of our properties. If that bank did go on and auction that property, the price's is probably only third of the normal price.
So we panicked.
Deadlines are approaching, it was kinda chaotic.
We needed to get a loan, fast.
We needed to sell that property before the bank auctioned it, fast.
and Fast didn't happen fast.
panic panic panic
1 day something would seems promising, the next day it was nothing
1 day another thing is looking good, the next day it was canceled
it goes on and on and on and on
It's been a roller coaster ride these past few months

We prayed daily, we never prayed so much before.
We grew stronger as a family.
We learn that we need to be patient and trust Him.
We keep on trying our best to find a solution.

and After a few months, at the very last minute, at Christmas
It was a perfect timing that just happened suddenly.
we got a loan
we got an offer on the property
everything is looking up now, pretty soon, we're debt free.

How did that happen to take place perfectly in time ?
We've been praying for months with no answers, but at the exact last minute, help came.
Isn't it amazing ? I say it's a miracle. our Christmas miracle. :)

So what do we learn ?
- We learn to be patient for God to answer our prayers.
- We learn that prayer is power
- We learn that there's always hope and to always have faith in God.
- We learn to trust Him, even when we still worry and have doubts, we have to choose to trust Him.
In our situation, it was a rollercoaster ride, so when we had a "green light" from the bank, a positive sign, we worried still, we doubted the chances, we had "what if's" questions. We shouldn't have worried, we should've stayed calm and have faith in God, because we are in God's hands.
- We learn that God's timing is perfect,
Perfect because, If we weren't "threatened" by the bank that they were gonna auction our property, we wouldn't rush things and take immediate necessary actions. It may seem like a "punishment" in the beginning. "Why now?" "This is gonna end bad" etc, We initially got all panicky and scared, but we got closer to God, because we learn to do our best and ask for His help because He is the only one that can perform miracles, at exactly the last minute, our prayers was answered. Perfect !
- We learn that miracles do happen

btw, when I was a kid, My mum and I was once stranded in an airport with no money to buy airline tickets, a total stranger offered to lend us money, she actually asked what was wrong and offered to lend money.
An Angel ? :)

Other than that ? What do we learn ?
- We learn to treat others with respect, no matter what.
My parents always taught me to treat other people with respect and never to make enemies, They were right, we may need their help in times of trouble.
(Although in this case, those people didn't actually help us, but it's a good point)
- We learn that even someone unexpected (such as the janitor or a food vendor) can be or link you to a potential helper
- We learn to stay humble.
People can be rude when they're ON TOP and they'd feel superior when we need their help and they'd treat us like dirt. We hope that we would never turn into them, ever.
- We learn to always help others when they need our help, just as how relieved we feel when others are willing to help us.
- We learn to never get bank loans ever again, lol

So there's my story.
If you're still in debt or you're still having any problem whatsoever.
Don't lose hope, Keep praying, Keep doing your best and believe that what ever the outcome is, God will give you the best solution according to Him and His perfect timing.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !!
God Bless :)

Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive. - Mat 21:22
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding - Proverbs 3:5-6
God's timing is perfect , never early, never late, and His plans are what's best for you

Instant Happiness

2010-12-31T03:45:00.001-08:00

So you're feeling down and nothing can cheer you up
or you're having a major problem and you can't seem to find a solution, so it's bringing you down, day after day.
How do you get back to being happy ?
You think "yea I'll be happy, when this problem's over"
"yea I'll be happy, but right now, I'm miserable"
No....you actually BE Happy Right Now.
It doesn't matter what problems you're in.

If someone can instantly annoy you and bring you down to the valley of sulkiness with just one insult.
then you can also SNAP back to happiness right that instant.
YOU CAN !!

How ?

Okay... Hear me out....
I was really tired from work, feeling really exhausted physically n mentally, plus it was hot and humid and the toilet was really dirty.
Anyway.... So I just sat there, staring at the TV, killing time, waiting to go home.
I didn't even watch the TV, it was like I was just sitting there silently, quietly, alone.
And my mind drifted away.... about everything that's good in my life, as simple as a stranger helping me pick up my luggage from the conveyer belt at the airport, about what I have, about my blessings from God, about my family, about miracles in my life, about good times and laughter with family and friends, etc etc.... It just flowed.
and Suddenly I felt so grateful, so blessed, so happy, so content, so calm, so at peace.
Just like that. Instantly.
It was amazing, I didn't even know where it came from.
I felt really really good, like a cloud of happiness just embraced me and I felt really grateful and blessed. It was very peaceful.
So there.... true story... my own experience.

1. If one insult or whatever, can bring you down instantly
then one praise, one prayer, one Will to be happy, can make you happy, instantly !!
Yes it can !!
Let go of the Negativity and anger. You just have to let the positivity overcome you instead.

2. When you will it, or when you're just there, being in the moment, realizing life, or counting your blessings and thanking God. Then you'll see that Happiness, Gratitude, Peace surrounds you and you'll feel incredibly good.

Try it....
don't Force it,
just Be there.... and you'll see :)

How to handle Anger and Annoying people

2010-12-31T02:54:00.000-08:00

How to stay calm even though rude-annoying people are "harassing" you on a daily basis ?
How to be patient even though you know they're lazy and slow ?
How to make them understand that they're wrong when they think they're right ?
How to stay positive ?
How to stay Happy ?

I even get angry when people move my stuff....
I get angry when people drive slowly in front of me, angry annoyed....
I get annoyed at rude snobbish people, etc etc
so I suppose my problem is a lil bit bigger than yours.
I don't know where to get a spot on advice
People don't seem to be bothered as much as I do by all the small things
I pray to God, o yes I do, to give me patience and tolerance and positive energy.
Do I get them ? Oh No....
not yet at least.

So, I was watching "Evan Almighty" the other day,
yea yea... it's not a new blockbuster movie, but it was on TV, so I watched it
and Morgan Freeman as God, apparently gave a really good advice.
Here's the clip :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkQnQFeW53I&feature=related

and transcript :
God : Let me ask you something...
If some one prays for patience, you think god gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient?
If he prayed for courage, does god gives them courage? Or does he give them opportunities to be courageous?
If some one prayed for the family to be closer, you think god zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings? Or does he give them opportunities to love each other?

So.....
I can't stand some people at times, even in my own home, they're there to annoy me 24/7.
Most morning, I'd wake up happy, then I get super annoyed in the kitchen coz the housekeeper overcooked the vegetables, again.
Or
How a certain someone loves watching cheesy soap opera on TV with maximum volume
etc
This little things bother me, Why ?
Food - I know I'm eating non nutritious overcooked food,
TV - I know cheesy soap opera are plain useless, and it's on sooo loud....
I can't tolerate these things and it's making me so annoyed and angry.
yes little things like toothpaste cap left in a puddle of water on the sink. yuck

But as I pray for patience and tolerance and happiness, How would I know if I've attained patience, tolerance and happiness if I didn't get to "test" them out on those annoying circumstances ?
for example :
If I drive out, sky's blue, road's clear, no traffic, everything's perfect, How does that say to me that I'm a patient person ?
How would I know if I've become patient if I don't get stuck in traffic for 3 hours ?
I can only know that I've become patient if I got stuck in traffic for 3 hours with no water and no toilet, yet somehow I don't curse, I don't get angry, but I'm just there, waiting patiently, calmly, or even better, making good use of my time (cook up ideas in my head, listen to audiobook, etc) and maybe.... pee discreetly to a bottle/a bucket when noone's looking ;p

How would you know you can control your anger if no one ever makes you angry ?
You're able to stay calm and collected when you're problem-free, but that changes the second someone annoys you.
You become easily irritated, impatient, offended, angry, you might even yell or hold it inside until your face turns red with rage. That's not healthy.
The question is : Can you stay calm, clear headed, kind, respectful, in control of yourself, when you're angry ?
No ?
Try !
Be in control !
So what if you fail the first time ? the third time ? the tenth time ?
Try and try again !
So you fail the first few tests. Guess what ? Here's another one to make up for it. Can you pass the test this time ?
in Life there will always be problems, always, you can't escape that and you can't hide forever either.
Life's just gonna throw random uncomfortable situations at you until you've finally managed to choose to be patient and actually be patient.
There will come a day when you'll become patient, effortlessly and you'll see that you've become a happier person, so grateful for all the blessings in your life.

For me, I'm still trying, but at least I'm starting
You should start too.... now :)

So that's the secret, that's the advice.
It's a process and it might not be the easiest thing, but you'll definitely get there when you choose to be and when you want to.
Be awake, Be Aware, and you'll find these little things won't bother you anymore and then you'll find pure happiness. It's that simple.

Sometimes I wonder why my late grandma was never an angry grumpy person,
She never hold a grudge against others that were rude/disrespectful to her.
She was an active helpful person, never lazy, never a complainer.
She's always patient and full of smiles. I guess she knew the secret all along.
Miss you Popo :)

Motivational Speakers are ex-failures

2010-06-17T00:34:00.001-07:00

You see......

Failure = Low self Esteem
Accomplishments = Confidence
(u have stay humble n modest, tho)

and Some Motivational Speakers are ex-failures
yup... that's why they know so much
because they've been there
they just know
and they've found a way to get back on their feet
we should all too :)

How ?
Hard Work, Effort, Determination, Faith, Patience
and By starting NOW :)

Find out How you work best

2010-05-26T00:31:00.001-07:00

Finding out how you work best is crucial
It makes you more productive, more creative, more more more
and You're more comfortable during work.....
actually when you Love your work then it's not work anymore :)
and when you're more productive and creative, you get more work done, you wow yourself with the result, in the end.......................... YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF
You feel satisfied that you've done such a good job
You get that boost of confidence, still humble, but confident :)
You wow yourself
It's a win win

So........
How ?
Ask yourself this : "How do I work best ?"
- Do you work best alone or in a group ?
- Do you need a healthy competition so other people's talents can encourage you to do better, to be better ?
Maybe a role model to inspire and motivate you.
(I need healthy competition, maybe that's my ego talking ;p but other talented people makes me wanna be as good, or if possible, better)
- Do you work better in a quiet environment / noisy / doesn't matter ?
- Do you work best during the day or at night ?
(I find myself work better during the night, but I'm now trying to sleep right & fix my body rhythm, goal is : sleep early, wake up early --> tough to achieve but I'm trying )
- Do you need kind words or honest blunt & sometimes harsh critics to prove them wrong ?
or you may need both :)

Ask yourself more questions !
Know yourself !!
Know How and When and Where you are at best and what you need to support you to reach your dream goal.
Then when you find all that out, YOU START !
Surround yourself with what you know will push you forward and Start.
Just Start !!
Not on the beginning of the month, not next Monday, not tomorrow, NOW !!

and give yourself solutions if you know the culprit of your problem :
Lazy much ?
- If you're lazy, even though you like your job, but you're just lazy and easily distracted,
Fight it.
Even famous artists, designers, businessman, photographer, etc still get that lazy attack
Just Fight it !! Force yourself at first, and after 5 mins into it, you'll be so into it you wonder why you were lazy to start in the first place.

- Create a situation where you MUST do it
If you lack motivation / will power to fight Lazy, then Create a situation where you can't run/hide/postpone/stall.....
Promise a Deadline !!! That usually work like a charm.
Work for someone else, so either you do or get fired ;p
Declare you goal & deadline, so you'll face humiliation if you don't finish / succeed.
etc

- Have Patience
Don't rush things and Have Patience
Don't expect to work hard for 2 weeks and expect instant success with multimillion dollar deal
Just stay motivated, Have discipline and start by doing... Do do do do and do
Lazy will come back... Fight it
Losing Hope and Disappointment might appear, Don't let it shake you.
Just keep working hard and enjoy the process. Focus on your dreams !!
Know in your heart that if you do things right, if you keep at it, you will eventually get there.
and I do hope you get there :)

Do you feel like a failure and you can't get out of it ?

2010-05-25T22:46:00.000-07:00

After a while, a long while, you forgot about your goals in life.
you forgot about the stuff you love doing / passionate about
you forgot what it feels like to have that spark of excitement
it used to sparked even just by thinking about it, now.... u forgot what it's like
you forgot what they feel like, to live life filled with hopes and dreams, accomplishments and confidence, to be good in something u love doing.

Instead you live a zombie life
You constantly feel like a failure.
you can't sleep at night,
you don't feel like waking up in the morning because there's nothing to look forward to,
wandering doing nothing during the day, waiting for the golden opportunity to be presented upon you out of thin air, or maybe winning the lottery ;p

The more you let it, the more it ruins your life, the more "lost" you get.
You just forgot what it was like.
You don't know what you want anymore, you are without purpose/mission.
Life becomes boring, you forgot when the last time you laughed so hard, out with good friends, feel good about yourself, like you've accomplished something good in life.

You choose to hide
You sink deeper
You avoid friends,
you're too lazy to do anything,
you're not sure what you want anymore, you kinda want it, but not really coz life seems "fine" right now..... "fine" you say ??
You're in denial

Really ask yourself what you want
because deep down, you know
It's haunting you, but you're afraid to go there
You're afraid you'll fail and embarrass yourself in front of everyone.
You're afraid you're not good enough, you feel you're not ready.
you say to yourself "Now is not the right time" as an excuse
your suppress the fear, the guilt.
So you postpone, you stall, you keep it for later

Days become Months become Years
5 years have passed, 7 years, 10 years have passed
Everyone else has moved on
Friends and Enemies have moved on
Younger siblings and cousins have moved on
They got jobs, good jobs, got promotions, got houses, got married, got kids, more kids.
and you're still standing in that same spot, stagnant
No Life, No Life

Don't you think it's time to change that ?
What's that ?
You started to think maybe you're not meant to shine.
WRONG
You feel it inside you, everyday, every minute.
You know you are meant to shine,
You know you're meant to do something more, something meaningful, something you're passionate about, something wonderful.
It's building inside you but you keep on suppressing it.
Cause of fear ? You're scared ? of what ?
of failure ? of hard work ? of discipline ? you fear that so you choose to live a lifeless life ?

Don't you want to be successful and happy ?
Don't you want to make your parents proud ?
Their life & dreams, not to mention money, spent on giving you the life they never had, but you're accomplished nothing.
So what if you have crappy parents or no parents..... So what ? Don't you wanna prove to the rest of the world that you CAN succeed ? That you have such will power and determination to make your dreams come true ?
Don't you wanna wake up excited everyday ?
How you can't wait for tomorrow because it's always gonna be better ?

So get your lazy ass off that chair.

Your dreams....You've dreamed them too often.
You've imagined winning awards and being interviewed by Oprah way too many times.
Time to get into action.

It's hard to start I know.
Lazy will linger in the beginning, or probably forever
What ? you're gonna let Lazy win ?
Fight it !!!

You'll feel lonely and start to think everyone's having fun and you have to....work ?
You'll keep telling yourself, "one more day of relaxing is ok"
But it's not !!!
Fight it !!!
Stay the course, Focus on your goal.

Know what you want and Go for it !
- Make a daily schedule, Set your priorities right.
- Make lists of things to do to occupy your time so you won't spend useless time watching gossip shows or crappy movies.
Don't spend too much time browsing other successful people's blogs & feeling down, wishing their lives was yours.
Focus on your Life !!
Know that it's never too late, never !
and There's always Hope, always !
Your journey starts now
It's your choice
Have Faith, Work Hard, Have Fun

Stick with your daily schedule
Say NO to friends and families who ask you out for daily casual shopping/lunch/dinner, etc
Focus !
Do a 9 to 5 thing if you're working from home.
Have Discipline
Schedule yourself a leisure time, but when you're working --> Work !!
Don't get distracted.
Work but Have Fun doing it.

You also need that list of useful things to do
Why ?
So you don't end yo doing useless stuff
So you always know what you're supposed to be doing !!
Don't end up wasting time because you think you don't have anything to do today.
There's always something to do.
Learn something, Use your brain.

So.... it's all up to you
Your choice
All you have to do is to Start, Right Now :)
Use your brief time on earth well
Good luck & Have Fun !

Why we buy motivational books and never read them

2010-05-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

Yea...why is that ?
we want to be better, we buy books
"oh this one will help me be a better person"
"this one will help me be more motivated"
"this one bla bla, that one bla bla"

At first, we read em and we're all excited and ready to change
what's dat....change, you say ? mmm.....change, ey ?

next book u read, u're like....
"I know all this stuff already.... yea yea...."
next book u read, u're like.....
"boringgg......true, but boring"

next book u read will be fiction, science fiction, chicklits (what?), comic books, gossip tabloids
why ?
becoz it's easy.....they don't require you to change
u don't feel guilty if u don't change
especially w the gossip tabloids, u see other people mess up
so it's okay if u mess up a bit

Wait....
So you don't read motivational books coz u don't want to change ?
because it requires effort from your part ?
Let me get this straight, u keep buying motivational books, because u want to change, right ?
but when u're face with the situation of having have to change, u simply dun wanna ?
You want to, but you don't want to ?
Confusing huh ?
That's why u have a pile of good motivational books dusting away somewhere in your home.
You keep saying to yourself, "I'll read it when I have time" but you never seem to have time... Really ? you dun have time to read, but you have time to watch that soap opera / celebrity gossip channel ?
Do you really not have time, or are you really just finding excuses not to read em ?

but here's the thing
motivational books are there to remind yourself of what you already know
u know u gotta have discipline
u know u gotta love life
u know u gotta live life to the fullest
u know u gotta be happy...u gotta choose to be happy
etc etc
u know all that already.....but u just don't do them.
What ? Do you really think in order to be better, you need to read the latest-number-1-selling-book from a certain someone ? and until you do, you can....slack ?
Do you really think that book will give you all the answers to your questions ? the specific techniques to change your lazy habit ?
Yeah some books are that good, but you don't need to read em all, coz if you do, u'll end up reading every book in the universe and you won't start living your life.....u're just back at stalling.

Motivational - self help - inspirational books won't do you any good if you're not willing to change for the better.
and your not reading it is to avoid feeling guilty for not changing today, besides, you already know most of the stuff anyway.
you're just stalling, postponing, avoiding, whatever you may wanna call it, it's the same thing
so it's your choice,
u dun have to read all the books there is
No point of reading all the ways and techniques to be motivated, no point of reading how to be happy if you're not willing to forgive and let go
So it begins from within you, not from a book.
Books might inspire you, motivate you to a certain level, after that it's all up to you.
Do you want to change ? for the better?
It's your choice !!
Take action Now

Don't Fear Life !!

2010-04-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Don't fear life and its challenges !!
Face 'em and triumph !!

For most of us in the land of opportunities.
Reality is supposed to be better than our dreams.
not the other way around.

What are dreams ?
Dreams are your guide, that's where you wanna go, what u wanna achieve.
but then u wake up and u make that dreams come true. u work on it.

But a lot of us dwell in our dreams for too long..... dreams become our comfort zone
Be it sleeping, daydreaming, watching movies, they're all just your hiding place, a place where you can escape reality.
You neglect Real Life and you just keep on dreaming wishing that one day your dreams would come true without any efforts whatsoever.
Those dreams are not real !!

Make your dreams come true in real life.
That's what you're supposed to be doing.
Hey... we're all meant to shine, remember ?

It's a journey,
enjoy every brief unpredictable exciting moment

It's a big creative world out there, explore.
Play it safe , but Don't play it too safe either.
Go solo, explore new possibilities, find what you want.
Most of us tend to go where the crowds go, or where our friends go.
Find out what you really want and Go there.

Don't fear Life and its challenges !!
Face em and Triumph !!
:)

so Make your Reality better than ur dreams.... Now :)

Don't you dare waste your fucking time.

2010-02-10T02:29:00.000-08:00

Gabrielle Bouilane
Stage 4 cancer - died January 2010

"Do not wait. If you don't start today, get the fuck up walk out the door and change your life to the best it can be, then when?. Don't you dare waste your fucking time."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gePQuE-7s8c

Don't let this be one of those videos that inspire you for 2 seconds but after you're done watching it, you're back to your lazy self.
Get off that couch.... Start your life
When it's too late.... there's no turning back
Live your life,
you know what your dreams are, work on it, really work on it
You'll soon find out that it's not that hard.... Life is Fun
But you've got to start now !!
Now !!

Read the blogs first !

2010-02-07T02:28:00.000-08:00

Old unupdated blogs sometimes have great content
(they're like old books that have great content)
don't get turned off by the date of the last post
Try to see what they have to offer first.
u might find urself a jewel.

Danger at the Gym

2010-02-07T02:12:00.000-08:00

So we all know using equipments can spread germs
and especially those mats in group classes.
Imagine hundreds of sweaty people reusing the mats :(
I'd bring my own, but the portable mats are so thin
(I have to use mats because when I bruise easily ;p)
I probably should bring my own and lay it on top of the thicker gym mat,
but rolling my mat would cause both surface to touch, so.... kinda pointless ?

Anyhooooooo..................
My concern right now is LOUD NOISE at the Gym
yes.... they play the music so louddddddddd
I do Body combat, Body pump, Body whatever....
and it's deafening.
what's worse, at my gym, the speaker is not of a very good quality so it's loud and pitchy.
Hey... I'm not cheap, it's a well known gym ;p
The instructors may already have damaged their hearing somehow for listening such loud music everyday.... so they don't think the music is too loud.
I can ask them to turn down the volume, but to do it before every class ?
I'm just afraid everyone's gonna be annoyed at me.
I'm thinking ear plugs would be the solution for me, except, it's gonna be hard to socialize with the others before the class starts.
I'd be like "what ? wait, I need to get this yellow thingy out of my ear first"
and they'd be like "man this girl is so weird"

A lot of people have discussed this in forums
and Research have been conducted that loud music can damage your ears.
Especially if you're a regular clubber or concert goers.
Protect your ears !!!!!

I so wanna get the musician earplugs that's custom made to fit your ear
yes... musician wear earplugs/filters to protect their precious hearing
they filters the loud music so you can still hear them clearly, but not as loud
and yes, they're way more expensive
So I'm thinking to try the foam earplugs first,
although I haven't tried them yet.

Info :

Waxy earplugs may be dangerous
http://atypicalgirl.wordpress.com/2008/06/28/psa-beware-the-waxy-ear-plugs/

Good video on how to fit foam earplugs
You have to roll it into thin tube and insert it in....
I have read the instructions on the box but I didn't really know that the foam would roll so thin
I haven't inserted anything up my ears yet ;p but this is a good video on how to correctly insert a foam earplugs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPNPZJingZA

I tried buying that 30 cents foam earplugs with cord I found at a hardware store.
yeaa... don't buy them, I tried rolling them into a thin tube, it won't roll down, it retains it bulky earplug shape. I know.... 30 cents ;p
I haven't bought the ones sold at health food store/pharmacy tho

Always use your own camera !

2010-01-13T05:21:00.000-08:00

So whenever I go to a party or a gathering with friends, we'd take pictures, right ?
I've said to myself over and over again "USE MY OWN CAMERA"
but sometimes I think, oh she's a good friend of mine, I see her all the time, I'll definitely get the photos of our New Year's party from her.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!

For some reason, a lot of people just don't send you the photos.
They don't send it to you via email, they don't upload it to facebook.
They just keep it in their computer and it's not like they look hideous in those pics, they're just plain lazy.

AAAArrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
It's just so annoying..... we had a little get together the other day and my 2 friends brought their cameras.
So I'm like, you are so sending me the photos and they go, of course, I'll even upload them on facebook tonight.
that was 3 weeks ago.
I've asked them to upload just at least 1 photo.
nothing !!!!!
and they're not like super busy or anything,
Well, one of them is kinda busy but the other one is online on facebook almost everyday.
So I seriously don't know why they don't upload the photos....

The moral of the story
If you want to have the photos,
Always bring your own camera, Always use your own camera !!!
period.

Why are people rude / annoying ?

2010-01-12T23:08:00.001-08:00

Ever wonder why some people are just plain ride ?
Ever wonder why some people get offended easily....
so very very easily.... that you wonder what exactly it is that you did wrong that might've made them upset in the first place ?
or you even wonder that they're just crazy..... ;p
ever wonder why they're like that ?
I often do.... I often wonder why they're acting like super a**holes.

But we all need to understand that :
First of all....
Everyone's got a story...
we all know that but we tend to forget that.
They may have financial problems, a sick family member, family tragedy, they've been lied to, they've lost a fortune in business, etc etc... or they're probably just pms-ing ;p
But all those details about them, we don't know....
we don't know what they're feeling inside and those things are affecting those people.

and it's not all about you, so when someone is being 'rude or unfriendly' to you, don't take it personal and assume that they hate you, that they judge you, or that they are discriminating you.
while some people are actually a**holes and they are just unbelievably evil ;p, some just have a lot on their mind and they probably just don't have enough patience nor the energy to be nice.
I guess, It's easier to be bitter and negative and hostile towards others.
of course, some people are using their personal problems as an excuse to be an a**hole.

Some people may even have personal problems of their own.
The feeling of failure is one of the most destructive feelings.
It robs you of everything, I suppose.
You pull back and remove yourself from friends because, well, you haven't accomplished anything that you can be proud of and you're just ashamed of yourself.
After a while, you feel lonely
Then you become a sensitive person, meaning , you get offended easily, you get ticked off easily, you expect others to treat you with a decent amount of respect and kindness, when they don't you become angry.....
the worst kinda of angry is the one you suppress ....
You can't let it out, so it's eating you from inside out.
That's also some of the reasons why some people are acting the way they are.
maybe that particular friend of yours that's been avoiding your phone, or that one who's always trying to get away from get-togethers, or the quiet one that always seem so troubled but pretended to smile, and yes.... that lady in the administration office at your school that's always so mean to everyone, the waiter that spilled wine on you and didn't even apologize, the list goes on and one.

You need to understand why they're behaving a certain way and maybe not get offended yourself when they're being rude to you.
then you ask, "if they feel like such failures, why don't they do something about it ?"
well.... some actually are doing something about it, they're probably working 3 shifts a day to cover the cost of their mom's cancer treatment, they're probably trying to cope with a divorce, they're probably trying to cope with the grief of a miscarriage, they're probably trying to look for a better job than this current sh*tty one, bottom line is.... they're cranky, they're bitter, but they're still hoping for a better tomorrow, they're trying to get out of it.
Some probably already lose hope and it's just sad, they need to know that there's always hope, no matter what.

I think we need to 'open' your minds more and try to understand that a lot of them are trying.....
it's hard to be all smiles and peachy if you're working as a credit card sales person at the mall where you spend day after day, week after week, month after month being ignored by us, as the unfriendly obnoxious people. Imagine how they feel at the end of the day ? the end of the week ?
Of course they want a better job, but in the mean time, they're stuck with this one and they feel like a total failure doing a job that they don't like. In the mean time, they need to help pay for their younger siblings school fee and their parents high blood pressure pills and the rent.
No wonder some of these sales person are so persistent that you feel so annoyed at them pestering you. Don't blame them, they probably need need need to be like that....that's probably the only way they now to achieve their goal, so try to understand.

I know their stories are not the same.....
but a lot of them are.
I kinda feel sorry for them and I wish the all the best.

I'm the person who gets so annoyed when people offer me stuff I don't need, they just bug me.
I get offended when I go to a boutique and the shopkeeper treats me with disrespect.
I hate it when I phone customer service and they're very rude.
But I should know better now....
Everyone's got a story and I should try to understand them and forgive them and just let go.
just let go....
besides.... I have better things to do with my life than being annoyed at 1 person from the mall, and I'm not going to let 1 stoopid customer service operator ruins my mood for a fun lunch.

Little things shouldn't bother us !!!
yes... they may come back and try to rob us of our fun moments, but just shake them off..... don't let the negative feeling take over your fun exciting life.
Besides, we have been rude to others too, we have hurt someone too, whether we realize it or not, so.... if we feel bad about it and we want to change to be better, I think we should allow them the opportunity to change as well, right ?
Remember that Life is short..... fill them with smiles and kindness.
Achieve your dreams, keep on trying one day at a time, till you're finally there.
Make the whole journey fun, spread happiness while you're at it :)
Know this, you'll never run out on positive energy, it's all around you, it's in you, it's always been there and it'll stay there forever.

Do people really change ?

2010-01-12T21:55:00.000-08:00

I personally think that people don't change.
period.
well... for most people, that is.

of course, life experiences can always make you change
things that happened to you or your close friends might change your perspective in life, it might change they way you think, they way you choose to live your life.
so you can actually change, but it requires a great deal of 'events' from the outside.

but what if you're life is on the peace lane ?
Nothing drastic ever happens to you so far.
You don't seem to need to change, but people kinda want you to change.
example, you're making a good living, you look good, you have lots of friends but you feel that you can be better, because you're always late, you're a major procrastinator, you're a couch potato, you're lazy, you're greedy, it can be many things that you wanna change in your life but you haven't actually step up to it, yet.
So people say "I've known him for ages , he won't ever change"
and you know what ?
there are lots of people like you, thus the saying "People don't really change"

BUT !!!
People can actually change if they want to.

First, you've gotta wanna change
Second, If you really want to change,
you have to be 'awake' most of the time,
meaning, you're really aware of what you're doing, what you're saying, the effects you have on others
that way, you'll pay attention to what you're doing/saying and you'll always try to be a better person and you'll always be improving yourself.
then.... under that circumstances

YES, PEOPLE CAN CHANGE....
you just have to want it and make an effort and stay 'awake' all the time :)

We are actually Ready

2010-01-09T20:34:00.001-08:00

Most people don't realize that we as individuals are equipped with everything we need to succeed in life.
We're all useful, we're all meaningful, even the poorest of the poor can prove themselves talented if they just had more chances in life.
and for the rest of us, the ones that are considered the lucky ones, We need to make every second counts.
Each and every one of us is blessed with individual distinct talent.
We need to work on it, tirelessly.
We need to kick "laziness & procrastination" goodbye
then We need to let go of the fear and the "what if I fail?" questions
and We just need to believe in ourselves and the higher power :)
Then one day, you'll get there..... you'll achieve your dreams.
and hopefully, you'll help others to also get there :D

Easy way to memorize things

2010-01-09T20:33:00.000-08:00

Record it and play it over and over again.
It does so work !!!

I was going for a piano exam, Royal exam ? Royal what ? I can't remember.
I think there was a theory test as well.
Anyhoo.... there was so much stuff to remember , and I've forgotton most of them anyway...
okay... easy example.... what is staccato, what is legato, etc

So what I did was read them out loud and record it.
I mixed it with some songs so I wouldn't get bored.
put it on your mp3 player, phone, cd player, whatever.....
I'd listen to it whenever I can, and after a while, I remembered everything.
It was so easy, I didn't even have to try to memorize them.
Apparently hearing things over and over again makes you remember them.

That's maybe why it's not a good idea to listen to songs with destructive violent lyric.
Listen to songs with inspirational and encouraging lyrics instead :)

So...............if you wanna memorize things, record it and listen to it over and over again and mix it with some good songs so you don't get bored.
give it a try.... :)

Take care of yourself !!

2010-01-09T01:08:00.000-08:00

I'm not talking about sleeping enough, eating right, bla bla bla....
we all know about that already.

I'm talking about taking care of your body
I know you think you're strong.... but pay attention and try to take care of yourself everytime.

I once helped a friend dragged a heavy suitcase up the stairs, I seriously think that she was only pretending to push the suitcase up the stairs so I was doing all the heavy work dragging it up.
the next day, I ended up hurting my right hip/back.....the pain is all gone now
but the day after that, I was making my bed despite the mild pain and I did experience the 2 second blackout and the super sharp pain on my right hip/back.
and Now.... If I carry stuff that are a tad bit heavy, the pain would come back... mildly but so uncomfortably.
I thought I was strong,.... but I now know better.
If you feel the stuff's too heavy... don't act like a hero, ask for another helping hand !!!
Take care of yourself !!!

Another one,
I was brushing my dog's hair and she heard the door bell rang, so she quickly jumped up as she usually does and started barking.
and guess what ???
when she jumped up suddenly, her nail accidentally scratched my cornea.... yupp... the thin transparent outer layer of your eye.
It didn't hurt, but dog's nail = super dirty , eye = very fragile , you do the math.
I was out of town in the country so we had to drive 1 hour more to see an eye doctor.
I seriously don't know the difference between an opthamologist and and optometrist, hence, eye doctor ;p
So.... he checked my eyes with a very modest tool, a magnifying glasses and a flashlight, yup... an old school flashlight and he prescribed two different eyedrops to be err... dropped ;p each hour alternately for 3-4 days.
I'm so lucky it was a mild scratch and my eye is ok now.

and Don't torture your eyes by staring at the computer for too long !!!
It's not worth the sacrifice, seriously !!!
take a break.... yes NOW....
look away..... blink blink...... rest your eyes !!!!
take care of your precious eyes, you're gonna want them to last forever !!!

So....
I'm talking about taking that extra precautions whenever you do anything....
Don't care what people think, just take care of yourself, take care of your body, you're gonna need it for as long as you're alive.

I'm so wearing that transparent plastic eye goggle the next time I brush my dog's hair and probably even when I paint ;p
probably not, but We'll see :)
and Don't..... don't think you're strong enough to do anything by yourself, you might end up hurting yourself forever, so always always ask for help.
You're not weak, you're being smart !!!

Blogging has taken over my life

2009-12-28T01:31:00.000-08:00

I must stop it ;p

So, instead of writing too long and spending too much time thinking about it
I must do quick articles instead

Photos/Pictures/Images on every post - not necessary
if I've got more time, I'll put a little more time n effort to "beautify" my posts.
I know even I prefer to read a post with pics on it instead of just plain writings.
But now, I just don't have the time to add pics to every posts.
Why ?
because I have more than 1 blog.
it seems every once in a while I come up with a new idea for a new blog ;p
I love blogging just as it is and
At first, It was more exciting to find out that you can also make money out of blogging.
but blogging is not making enough money for me right now so I shouldn't spend way too much time on it.
time to move on a bit
love blogging, love writing, I like sharing my ideas and thoughts
but no need to spend a whole day writing an article
so I need to quickly jolt ideas like I'm writing a draft
actually I need to just use this draft instead of writing a new one
make this a new habit.... quick, spontaneous, meaningful

Besides, I'm torturing my eyes by staring at the monitor for way too long.

Okay... this post has taken more than 30 mins now, I really should stop before I start re-reading and re-writing the whole article.
So, I'm still going to blog because I like blogging, love it ? maybe....
I'm even thinking of merging all of my blogs into 1 so I don't have to scatter all my thoughts all over my blogs, but each blogs have different topics and I'd like to stay anonymous, so ;p
but either way, I'm going to limit my blogging time and use my time for something else more productive :)
But sometimes I just can't help not writing and elaborating my thoughts and ideas, so I might not be able to control those "urges" ;p
oh I'm doing it again.

So....
less time blogging and more time to do other things
:)

Stop Complaining and Be Grateful !!

2009-12-28T01:19:00.000-08:00

I'm a complainer
I sometimes don't realize that I complain a lot.
But when I do, oh boy.... I feel so guilty....
I complain when things don't go my way
I complain when the weather is too hot
I complain and complain and complain

Instead of making the most of my time and treasure each moment, I chose to waste my precious time doing useless things, watching TV, going to the mall, slacking around.
Instead of complaining, I should learn to be more grateful and thankful.
I should learn to celebrate the miracle of Life and treasure every moment.

This video shows you to be thankful and treasure every wonderful moments, because Life really is short, but in that short time, what's important is how you spend it and how you accept things that you can't change and make the most out of it.
Live Life with gratitude everyday.
Be thankful, Cherish every moment :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th6Njr-qkq0

Why forgive ? Why be good ?

2009-12-15T06:02:00.000-08:00

I can't stand annoying self centered obnoxious people
I can't stand rich people who look down on others
I don't like mean rude people

even so....
I'm not perfect myself
I've been rude, I've been self centered, I've looked down on others

What does it have to do with forgiveness ?
I don't know, I tend to wander slightly from the topic, but read on, Forgiveness is coming.
Ok.....
Since I can't stand annoying obnoxious loud people who thinks they're better than everyone.
I choose to avoid them, because I can't stand them, and I think I'm better than them.
That's mistake number 1
I think I'm better than them.
I'm not
Once I think I'm better than them, I'm exactly them.
So....Remember to stay modest and humble and always try to be a sincere person.

Forgiveness.....
You know how sometimes people offend you and afterwards you choose not to hang out with them anymore.
Or when friends did something wrong or lied to you and you choose to "hate" them for life.
and yes.... you think you're a better person than them.
You choose to not forgive them.
Even when you know you won't see them ever again, you choose to "hate" them and everytime the topic came out, you still get "angry" or at least you feel "bothered" over something that happened years ago.

Here's the thing
If you forgive someone, it gives you peace of mind, it lifts your burden, it makes you feel good.
and somehow, it's good for them too. If that someone really felt sorry for what happened and when you've truly forgiven that someone I think they can somehow feel it.
So it's a win win.

then you say
"But they won't ever change, they'll stay annoying and rude and mean to others"
or
"But what they did to me was unforgiveable, I can't ever forgive them"
"They never said sorry"

It doesn't matter......
Some people will never change
Some people do and try to correct their wrongs
Some people just can't say sorry because they're afraid how you'd react even though they really feel awful inside.
But it doesn't matter
Forgiving someone doesn't require conditions.
You forgive them just because it's the right thing to do, you know it is, you just don't want to or you think it's not time yet.
Forgiving someone doesn't mean that they win, that you lose because you stand down.
No.... Forgiving someone means you win over your ego.
Forgiving someone means that you realize that Life is beautiful as it is and you shouldn't burden it with hatred and anger.
Forgiving someone means you're growing as a person.

If you can't forgive someone just yet.
Then Forgive them for your own good.
Why ?
Because when you forgive, you eliminate the anger, hatred that's been burdening and bothering your mind.
When you Let go and Forgive, you somehow "cleanse" yourself of those negative energy.
Forgiving is not the same as Forgetting, you may forget something but when you're reminded of it, you still get angry, it's not forgiving.
Forgiving someone is Letting go and you're not bothered anymore. You're at peace.
It's good for your mind, for your soul, for your health.
You already know how stress, hatred, anger affects our body and our health.
So do it for your own good
Forgive for your own good.
You'll see that you breathe freely
You'll see it'll put a smile on your face.

How to forgive ?
Know that you're not perfect
Know that you also made mistakes
Know that you also have offended someone
Know that you have wronged someone
and after you realize that you're also flawed, you realize that you want to right your wrongs
You want to be a good person.

Then try to forgive, just Let go and Forgive
but
You have to want to forgive
It's got to be sincere
You have to Let go

If you still can't forgive
then ask for His help in prayers
Say that you really want to forgive that someone but you're still angry and you can't at this moment and Ask Him to change your heart.
It's a process..... but the moment you ask for His help, you're on your way.
and It does get easier, really.

For me....
I'm not perfect I know
I'm proud, I still feel I'm better than most people, I still look down on others
I'm not perfect
Sometimes I don't even care, my pride tells me that I really AM better than most.

But then....
my 11 year old dog has a tumor
She's already had 1 operation last year and it went well.
It was the worst time, I cried before the operation, I cried during and after hoping that she'd be fine.
The week after the operation was also bad because I didn't know what would happen to her. She was weak and I had to apply cream to her stitches and gave her antibiotics everyday.
She's fine now and she looks very healthy , still running around everywhere.
But the tumor is still spreading and it looks like she may need another operation to remove the tumor.
The vet can't guarantee a safe operation to remove the tumor due to her age.
I don't know what to do.
So I gave her the best food that I can
and I pray for her.
I pray that her tumor shrinks and goes away.
I pray that she stays healthy for many more years.
and as I was praying for her, I just realized,
or maybe I was "made" to realize
How can I pray and ask for my dog's health, How can I ask for such a favour, How can I ask for a pure miracle while my heart is still filled with hatred and anger ?
Even though it's a minor hatred and anger, it's still hatred and anger none the less.
How can I ask Him for something precious when my heart is still "dirty" ?

and Who am I anyway ?
Who am I to ask for a miracle and not give something back in return ?
Who am I to demand a miracle and still act however way I want to ?
Who am I to just ask him to do stuff for me and not do something back in return ?
Who am I ? period.

The least that I can do is a be thankful, be a good person and live according to His ways.
then I do what I can to achieve what I pray for.
The rest I leave to His Hands.

Think about it....

How can we ask something good to happen to us when we still wish something bad to happen to others that we hate.
So you don't wish something bad to happen to them, but If something bad do happen to them, you just shrug and maybe smile a little and say "they deserve it"
If that's who we are, How can we ask for something good to happen to us ?
How can we ask for anything at all ?
Even if we don't care about others, If we don't care what happens to others that have wronged us, Even so.... it's still wrong.

As for my dog & me,
My dog is doing ok now. She seems very healthy.
The tumor is still there and it's still growing.
There's nothing else that I can do except to love her and feed her the best that I can.
and I Pray for a miracle :)
I try to be a good person, to forgive others, to have a sincere heart.
so that when I pray for her, I come with pure intentions without any hidden or oppressed hatred towards others, that I come with a "clean" heart.
and that's all that matters :)

So Forgive
Forgive others, Forgive yourself
Let it Go and Forgive
Be a good person
Have a good heart, a pure sincere heart.
It's a journey, Stay in the path.
Listen to the voice within, it's in everyone.
Listen to Him.
Be good :)

God Bless you

Is Facebook making you depressed ?

2009-10-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

Do you find looking at photos of your friends at facebook is depressing ?
especially when you have nothing to brag about ?
Yes they're your dear friends and you are happy for them, but looking at smiling pics of friends and their wives/husbands and kids abroad, in front of their big houses, etc and you look at yourself and you feel so left behind, so far behind.
You feel like a failure, the more you look at people's photos, the more you get depressed.

First, know this :
- Their lives are not yours
- What makes them happy might not make you happy
- What you think might make you happy, might not make you happy.
So why get depressed ?
Live in the now, be happy in the now, Keep trying to achieve your dreams. Be thankful, Cherish your Life and Don't care what you think others might think of you. They're too busy thinking what others might think of them.
Work on what you've got.... Keep at it.

Take myself for instance
Some people would think I'm a failure
yes I was.... see that... past tense.

I have a very easy life so I was wasting time all the time and not pursue my dreams because I think there's always tomorrow, but I'm awake now, I'm ready to live my life, I don't always succeed everyday, but I try to. I don't wanna throw my life away and live a useless life, I want to be someone, I want to live a meaningful Life.

I'm on the way to success now, even though you might still see me as a failure right now.
I'm going 30, I don't have a job and still single and I live with my parents.
There.... that's the perfect formula for destruction.
But I see it differently.

Different How ?

Here's How :
I search for my own happiness.
We are dictated of what a perfect life should be.
Married with kids, rich, big house, lots of cars, all smiles.
that's what we think is a perfect life.
Turns out, the Perfect Life differs for you and me.
It's different for everyone.

So....I'm 30 and single and live with my parents and I don't have a job.
Let's decipher that :

I live with my parents means I still spend a lot of times with my parents. I laugh with them, I argue with them, I eat with them, I see them everyday and I'm grateful for that.
I've lived in Australia, Milan, Paris alone, so the time that I now spend with parents, I cherish.
How many of the rich and successful end up regretfully saying "I wish I had spent more time with my parents" ?
Yes, You still live with your parents, so what ?
You don't need all that TV and movies and magazine to tell you that living with your parents is wrong.
It's wrong if you still need them to accompany you to work,
It's wrong if you still hold on to their shirt and won't let go.
It's wrong if you can't live far away from them because you need mom to make up your bed and do your laundry.
But if you're still living with your parents by choice because your parents are old and u need to take care of them or you're just beginning to start over, then Having the chance to still live with your parents is not something to be embarrassed about.
Culture also plays a role here, If you live in Asia or even in Italy, then it's totally ok for a grown-up to still live with his/her parents, but if you're living in North America, well...it's considered "unacceptable" by most.
But wherever you live or whatever your reasons are,
Make the most of your time living with your parents, make them happy, make them proud. Yes they will still piss you off and you will piss them off but there are definitely unbelievably good moments in between and that's priceless. You're still given the gift of time with your parents, how wonderful is that ? Cherish it.

I'm 30 and single means I still get to look for that "perfect-for-me" someone, and I don't have to take the kids to school and get worried sick whenever they fall ill.
I haven't found the one yet, so what ?
I'm still looking and that's fine.
There are of course the perfect married couple that are truly happy where they are right now and you just can't help but want that too.
But How many stories of married couples have you heard about silly little arguments that turn out into big fights ? or how selfish she/he is ?
I've heard stories from friends who told me that they regretted getting married to this guy/girl,
I've heard them say "You're so lucky you're still single"
"I wish I was still single"
"Don't get married just yet, enjoy your life"
"I'm bored of taking care of my family all the time"
I'm just glad I don't have to deal with those right now.
Of course I get lonely, of course I want someone in my life and have a perfect family of my own, I've even said to myself "I wish I was happily married" but it's just not here yet.
There's no point of being depressed over that, get out there and keep looking. Don't feel embarrassed and feel left out that you're still single, be Happy and be thankful in Life.
Nobody knows what others really feel, they may look perfectly happy but they're crying inside. What important is what you feel, if you're still single and you're totally fine with it, Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It's your life, and your own perfect life is different from others.
If you want that special someone in your life, then look for him/her, but don't stress over it. Who cares if others judge you. Don't let others' judgments control you and how you feel. You should be able to enjoy the life you live.

I don't have a job means I have the time to make my dream job come true. I kept on wasting time before, but I'm changing, I'm starting to make my dream job and my dream life come true.
At this moment, I'm lucky to be able to work part time for my parents, and the free time I've got, I use to pursue my dream, it doesn't seem promising at the moment, but it is in progress and I'm doing my best and trusting it in His hands :)
So can you..... even if you already have a full time job, you can still pursue your dream job whenever you have a free time. But you need to start right now, not tomorrow.
How many people said "Boy I wish I had time to write more" but whenever he got some free time, he'd watch TV or websurf reading other people's success stories and be more depressed and wish for more free time to write.
Sound familiar ?
Use your time effectively, use it well.
What do you want to do ? What do you want to be ?
a writer ? an artist ? a singer ? a motivator ?
There are people who graduated from dentistry who become a marketing expert, or even start a small home catering business.
There are scientists who become artists and paints all day long in Europe. They realized what they truly want and made a career change and found Life !! Exciting, Amazing Life.
and it doesn't happen overnight, it took time, consistency, patience and hard work.

So what if I'm 30, single, still living with my parents and don't have a job. I'm being honest to you here, and I am starting my Life over, I'm making a lot of changes to my own life right now and I'm working to achieve my dream life.
and If you still think I'm a failure, then that's fine, it's your perception, and you're free to think anything you want.

Take a poor farmer for instance,
Who's to say that a poor farmer is not happy ?
I'm not saying all poor farmers are happy nor unhappy, but it's how we see things.
A farmer might not have much, but he's sincerely happy, he's able to laugh out loud often, sleeps well at night, have nothing to worry/stress about, he has enough in life, he can feed his family, he enjoys working in his field surrounded by nature's beauty all his life.
Why do we feel sorry for his super modest lifestyle ?
Why do we feel sorry for him being poor ?
He feels sorry for our tightly clenched jaws that don't laugh out loud often, He feels sorry for us stressing about work all the time, He feels sorry for us for always being in a hurry, He feels sorry for us for breathing polluted city air everyday. He feels sorry for us for not living and enjoying Life.

Another good illustration from an ad :
If you were a mom, Which do you choose ?
Proud of your son's rich and successful life but lonely
or Proud of your son's modest life but happy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16PaWJvngBE

I have this friend on facebook who seems to have it all, and I envy her life sometimes.
She travels like 10 times a year, flying first class with her hubby & kid and shops a lot and "brag" about everything on facebook all the time. (yes with status updates and pics)
She seems to have it all, a healthy family, wealth, happiness, in short, the dream life, but there was this one time she updated her facebook status and she said "I don't know what to do with my life *sigh* It feels empty"
Wow right ?
The girl who I think has it all turn out to feel that way, the girl that I sometimes envy, can actually say something like that, it actually makes me feel sorry for her.
Maybe that's why she shops a lot, maybe that's why she "brags" about everything on facebook, because she feels empty.

So Don't feel jealous and get depressed by your friend's "happy photos" and their successes because you don't really know what they're really feeling inside.
and If they're really successful and happy, then be sincerely happy for them and aim to achieve better :)

Be happy with your current state no matter what.
Be happy with yourself regardless of what you think others think of you, you are just beginning, you're starting your Life, of course you are at point zero right now, the only way to go is up.
The secret is to Start your Life right now whatever your situation is, just Listen to your Heart, to the Voice within, then just start living your Life, start that determination, that hard work, start pursuing your dream.

The moment you want to change yourself is the moment you're on your way to success.
Never allow them to make you think of yourself as a failure, Always think yourself as a winner.
Now what you have to do is stay awake and start pursuing your dreams, yes there will be hard work, perseverance and patience, but they'll all be enjoyable because you're doing what you've always wanted. you're doing what you Love.
You're so close :)

How to start Living your Life Right Now ?

2009-10-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

- Definitely Not by reading 300 Motivational books to prep you up and still feel not ready and search for other Motivational books, You're just stalling.
Let's start Now.

- Not by writing piles of things to do.
Sometimes you when you start writing your to-do list, you spend so much time on it and you keep on writing it, only to find yourself overwhelmed in the end and you postpone it for another day, and another day and another day.
Let's start Now.

- Not by day-dreaming all the time.
Dreaming is good, it makes you focus on your goal.
But day dreaming to the max without any action is just wasting time.
It's really wasting time and when you wake, you find yourself the same old you and you got scared and choose to go back to day dreaming instead of facing reality.

- Not by websurfing / blogging till 3 am and waking up really late the next day, everyday.
You need to have a discipline in Life.
You need a consistency in Life
You need to have a Healthy Daily Fun/Flexible Routine if you want to work hard to achive your dream. Why ? so you don't get burnt. You need to be in control of your Life, Know when is enough, know when is the time to Rest.

- You definitely have to Start Right Now.
Yes.... Right at this moment.
If it's 11 pm, then try to Rest and go to Sleep, so you can wake up fresh tomorrow.
If it's 8 pm, yes you can still start now, Start thinking strategically of what you can do and what you want to do.
Don't wait till tomorrow, Don't wait till the TV show go into commercial, Don't wait 5 minutes after you've done playing Mafia Wars on Facebook.
Start Now if possible.
Yes now.
Start Now. Seriously, It's right now or you'll always be procrastinating for the rest of your life.
Let's try to Start Living your Life right now :)

Start small.... Don't get overwhelmed, Just start.
Start with yourself, You need discipline and consistency in order to success.

Example :
I've always wanted to help others, but I'm not a super outgoing person who's good at giving advice, but I know I want to help others.
So I design stuff and put it up on sale and all the profits will go to charity.
That's a start. I believe it will grow from there.
Who knows one day Oprah will see my design and invite me as a guest at her talkshow ?
Who knows my designs will hit a worldwide sale record.
Who knows ?
Who knows what will happen ?
None of that will happen if I'm too afraid and too lazy to start.
None of that will happen if I keep on procrastinating.

What if I've started and my designs don't sell ?
Then you keep designing and keep on being better at designing.
and Leave the rest to Him.
Do your best and stop thinking about what If's.
Miracles do happen in time, you'll see. :)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Another example :
If a busy housewife had a dream last night and she wanted to make it a worldwide bestseller novel and made it into a movie.
You'd think she's just talking crazy, right ?
Impossible, right ?
It'd be impossible if Stephanie Meyer didn't get busy and started writing her novels.
It'd be impossible if she didn't find time to effectively write her novels.
But she got started as soon as she got the time to write, she kept on writing, she kept her responsibility as a mum, and finally when the novel's done, she kept on trying to publish her books.
And now, Twilight is a crazy blockbuster movie.
It's a hit worldwide..... and it started with a dream and a lot of hard work making it come true.
We often leave that part out, we need the Hard Work to make our dreams come true.
We need the passion, the discipline and the consistency to keep at it.
Sometimes it seems like we are too busy and we don't have enough time or the energy to pursue
our dreams, but you can always squeeze in time. Everything is possible.
So why don't you start Right now :)

" Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. "
Steve Jobs

So Start Now :)

------------------

*Update:
Although I find the story of making Twilight is an inspirational one (dream-housewife-hardwork-bestseller book-blockbuster movie) but the message of the book-movie is wrong.
A teenage girl wanting to give away her whole life to be a vampire because she thinks she's in love, I think the message is twisted and corrupt, there I said it.
That's a wrong message to send out to all teenage girls out there.
What ? give up your soul to be with a good looking "demon" ?
So yeah, the movie may be harmless if it's only watched as purely entertainment, but there are a lot of dedicated hysterical fans out there.
So, to them, Be careful ! Don't let the stupid message affect you, Think wisely !!

EarthQuake !!!............... Are you Ready ?

2009-10-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

I'm lucky to never have had a big earthquake experience in my Life.
I've had minor ones where the the big crystal lamp in our house would sway a few times, but it always lasted only a short while to be alarmed.
and I've never experienced earthquake in public places, usually it happened when I'm at home.
A few weeks back, I was at a supermarket with my mum and she went "I think my head is spinning, but ..... Do you feel that ?"
I was like "huh....what ? r u ok mum ?" and it hit me, it was an earthquake, so I grabbed her arm and we walked outside really fast, not quite running though.
Luckily it was a small supermarket instead of the ones in the basement/top floor of a mall, So there was no frantic running down the fire escape out of the building.

When we walked outside to our car, and the ground was still shaking, it was more of a sway than a shake really. Then everyone else got outside on the parking lot, basically just standing still, not knowing what to do, it kept on swaying and kinda made me feel like I was on a boat really.
The earthquake lasted for a long 5 minutes, well... maybe not 5 minutes, actually I dunno exactly how long it lasted.... it felt like 5 minutes tho. ;p

And as we waited for the earthquake to stop, I thought to myself.
What if this is it ?
What if there's no more tomorrow ?
What if the everything started to fall over our heads, the buildings, the neon signs, the electricity poles, and then the ground started opening up. okay... too much holywood scene there.
But What if I die right there ?

Am I ready to die ?
Have I done enough in this world ?
Have I made a difference in this world ? If not for others, at least Have I done something good for myself and my family ?
Have I learnt anything in Life ?
Can I leave peacefully knowing that I've done good ?

The answer to all of that is No.
I haven't achieved anything in my Life
I haven't made my parents proud
I'm not ready to die. period.

At that moment, I wanted to change my Life, live a better life, I want to be a better person. I want to achieve something in my Life, I want to be able to help others. I want to be someone.
I want a second chance and I want to be ready when the time comes.
yea... it was all like a moment of enlightment, complete with Hollywood movie backsound.

Too bad it only lasted a mere 10 minutes.
After the earthquake stopped, we went home and I was back at my comfortable lazy way of Life.
Unbelievable isn't it ?
So, after all that, I kept Slacking around, wasting time and What ?
Do I Wait till another Earthquake to hit me and be scared to death (literary) and wanna "wake up" and start doing something meaningful with my Life all over again ?

I actually wanted to start living my Life (to the fullest) last September 2008 when my grandmother passed away.
She didn't even get a chance to go to high school, but she's such an open minded person.
Her one advice that she keeps on repeating over and over again was this :
"When you study, study real hard, if you do, you'll be a succesful person and you'll be able to do all the things that you love in your life."
It doesn't sound like one of those deep meaningful advice we read in novels, it was just a simple honest advice she kept on repeating to us, her grandchildren.
I know it always meant a lot to me but reading it just doesn't capture the real meaning..... This may explains it more.
What my grandmother meant was :
"when you study - study hard"
Make the most out of your valuable time, you are given the best opportunity possible (that me and your mom didn't have), Learn as much as you can with all your heart and make something out of it.
Make us proud but do it for yourself.
Yup... that's exactly what she meant :)

About me ?
I've done all my studies, I've graduated with honors, but somehow I'm not out there living my dreams, when I see myself, someone with all the privileges in the world, who got educated abroad, who have such an easy comfortable life, but I have achieved nothing in my life. Nada
Right after that day, I started organizing my life, my daily activities.
But it wasn't good enough. It was a start, yes, but it wasn't consistent.
There are days where I keep on slacking and keep on saying to myself, "I'll start tomorrow"

But.....
What if there's no next time ?
What if it'd be all too late tomorrow ?

Wake up Now !!!
We have responsibilities in this world, to ourselves, to others and to God.
Yes there are limits to what we can do, No-one can do everything.
But, Have we done enough ?

Do you sleep at night knowing that you've given your best for the day ?
Imagine when we were younger, going to sleep at night after we've done all our homeworks / assignments for tomorrow.
We feel free, light and satisfied and we're able to sleep soundly, with a smile.
We've done all we can during the day, we've made every minute count, we're ready to face tomorrow and hand in our homeworks. We are basically ready for tomorrow.
Feels good doesn't it ?
Instead we put off things until tomorrow and we burden ourselves with guilt, and we ignored the guilt by watching TV, wasting time, etc.
We know this in our heart and we know that He's watching and He's been trying to wake us up but we keep on ignoring Him.
We always find excuse to procrastinate and to postpone.
Something always comes up, Convenient isn't it ?

With each and everyday, we are given another opportunity to better ourselves, but we fail to do so because we are too busy !!
We're always busy watching TV, busy indulging on too much food and drinks, busy clubbing, busy shopping, busy chasing "dreams" that aren't real, when we're supposed to be busy doing something meaningful.
We think just because no one's looking, we can do whatever we want.
Let's put it this way, If your boss was watching you work, you'd work hard and do your best.
Why ? Because he's watching and you'll get fired if you slack.
But what we have is a silent watcher, He cares for us and Let's us do whatever we please, but we ignored Him, we think we can get away this one more time and start fresh later/tomorrow.
You know what ?
Later never comes
Tomorrow will be another tomorrow.
and after 8 years, you'll still be making empty promises to be a better person tomorrow, just like me.
You have to start now !
I want to start now.

Our responsibilities is not just to our families, to our kids, but also to our Maker.
Have we done the right things ?
Have we made Him proud ?
Hey... Have we even made ourselves proud ?
Are we just sleeping in life ?
For most of us, we are asleep in our daily life, we're sleep walking, not awake.
and for those of use who are already "Awake", we haven't started to live our Lives.
It's the same day in and day out.
we wake up, we eat, we work, we meet people, we eat, we go home, we eat, we sleep.
What is our purpose ?
Have we made everyday meaningful ?
Have we live to the fullest ?
Are we ready to go ?

Take this for an example
There was an incident at a courthouse around a year ago, yes this is a true story
This lawyer walked with 2 other colleagues after attending court.
As they were walking, part of concrete holding a structure just fell on his head.
It just fell right on his head.
The building wasn't even under renovation.
and it wasn't a mafia case where he got murdered by the mob.
The concrete fell on his head and he died instantly.
The 2 other colleagues didn't get hurt at all.
Imagine if that happened to you. If life were to be taken away from you just like that ?
Don't you wish you had at least done something meaningful in your life.
Don't you wish you had a second chance ?
Well now is your second chance, Each and everyday is your second chance.

Always make today count and do it forever because you never know when it's time.
Always be prepared, Always be ready.
then you'll have no worries, you'll have no burden whatsoever.
Just picture it in your head, Feels good doesn't it ?

So... are you ready to die ?
No ?
Then use today as another opportunity to prepare yourself.
Start now. Right now, not in 5 minutes, not tomorrow, Start Now.
Prepare yourself, so when you do die, you're ready, you'll go with a smile.
You won't fear anything and you won't leave any burden and any responsibilities behind.
You're ready.

I know I want to always be ready.
I want to start now making everyday count, I want to start living a meaningful life.
What about you ?

How to Replace the Grip on your Racket

2009-08-13T06:06:00.000-07:00

Oh you don't need an instruction manual.
You don't need to see it on you tube.
You've seen enough tennis/squash instructor change it right in front of your eyes.

We're all smart people.
Just take off the old grip and just notice that the narrow end of the replacement grip goes first.
start at the bottom of the racket and just go around upwards.
It's that simple.
It may not be perfect at first, but you'll soon get the hang of it.

Get a cheap replacement grip if you're not confident.
yea so you can throw it out if you don't like how it turns out. ;p
What, you wanna be a 50 year old tennis player who don't know how to replace your own racket grip ?
Just give it a go :)

How to choose a Racket grip

2009-08-13T05:54:00.000-07:00

Ok... I don't know anything about it.
But I do know which one not to get !!!

I got myself a fairly affordable replacement racket grip.
okay... a cheap one.

But it leaves traces of glitter on my hand !!!
I mean, the replacement grip wasn't even glittery nor shiny.
It's just not matte, but still rubbery and non slippery.

Anyhoo....
You can't really see glitter there, but there are a lot....
these are the ones visible on the camera.

okay... you can't really see it all that well
but it's actually all over my hand.... covered in tiny little glitter.

So don't choose a replacement grip that gives you glitter hand.
I mean.... why would the manufacturer add glitter on the grip ?
Just to attract customers ????
and then what ???
give glitter to our hands and when we wipe our faces, we'll have glitter face ?
;p

Organize your day by making a Daily Checklist.

2009-07-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

Do you feel like you're not doing anything much day to day ?
It's like you're wasting time, you know you're supposed to be doing stuff, but you just don't.
I know I don't have much accoplished in 1 day.
There seems to be too much stuff to do in 1 day

But remember when we were still in school ?
there were so much to do in 1 day, but we did it all and still had time to go to the movies/mall, etc.
At school, everything scheduled and in just 1 day, We learnt :
- Maths, History, Biology, Foreign languages, Physical education / Sports, Art class, Geography, etc etc
then afterclass, some of us have Swimming lessons, Music lessons, Drama class, Taekwondo, Karate, etc
We absorbed all of that information in 1 day and we did it for years and years.
(not to mention all those homeworks)

So, I want to re-schedule my day so I can do most of the stuff in 1 day.
and yes... I lack self control, this is why I'm making the checklist.
I've made a "Daily List of things to do" and stick it to the wall in my room, but I seem to not see it. So I'm doing an actual Checklist of Daily-To-Do-Things.
But they don't all have to be done in 1 day, but they're there to let me know that there are other important things to do and so I won't spend 3 hours watching useless TV.

The checklist can consist of just about anything.
Mine has a lot of stuff, from Stretching, Sport, Learning new stuff, Blogging, Eating right, Doing Sketches/Paint, Practice Music, even Saying my prayers, anything at all.
I even added "Not so Healthy Food" to the list, so I know how am I doing in the junk food department.
If you don't want people to know what checklist you're doing, then make up words/codes so only you can understand your checklist.

I then use color markers to color in the things that I've done.
You can just use a pen and check/tick the box, but I kinda wanna do it in colors ;p
Green is good - daily
Blue is good - not necessarily daily
Pink is allowed rarely
Red is not Good

So....I've only done this for 5 days....
Let's see how it goes.
I'd like to see almost all greens and lots of blues ;)

Update :

After almost a month....
You can see here that the top rows are almost all red
that's my sleeping schedule...
It means I have to sleep rite !! sleep early and wake up early !!!
What do I benefit from having this checklist so far ?
You know how there are times when you're like sitting down and not knowing what to do and end up watching TV or eating ?
Well... this checklist helps keep you in track, it'll help you do the things that you're supposed to do !!!
And Even if you haven't done most of the stuff there, everytime you look at it, you're reminded to better yourself , to use your time wisely, to fill your days with important things.
and I hope.... after a while, I'll get used to doing everything in my checklist so I don't need to use it anymore.
:)

*for now, ignore the reds, i repeat, ignore the reds* ;p
I'm working on it. ;)

and you know what ?
Don't spend too much time deciding what to put on the checklist or which activity to do first, stop staring at the checklist for too long and Just Do it Right Now !!
seriously, Let's Start Right Now :)

Things I hate on TV

2009-07-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

I just hate it when they preview scary stuff on TV.
yupp... scary ghost stuff !!!
huhuhu.... I get scared at night, especially when no one else is at home.
and especially when I'm watching an action flick and it goes to commercial
and all of the sudden, there's this loud scream or unidentified noises.

OOooaaaahhhhhh so scarrryyyyyyy...........
haeruiharuh I know I knoww.... but I can't help it.
I do get scared.

Even Ghost whisperer's ad scares me.
Also Supernatural.
but I love watching scary horror flicks.
all of em....
but I just get scared afterwards, so lately I haven't seen much horror stuff hohohoho....

My Favorite Books - Guide

2009-07-11T04:09:00.000-07:00

Click here to go to My Store for Books / Stuff

Books are one of my favorite things in the world.
I don't buy every new books that are marked "best seller" or "new arrival"
But Sometimes , some books are just so good, I just have to have them.
Sometimes the books are published way back then, yes old books are sometimes the best.
Sometimes I find books on sale of only 3 dollars !!
Sometimes they just got published and I got attracted by the pretty cover and they turn out to be great books.
Sometimes the cover is really "ugly" and "boring" but the book turned out to be fun.
But one thing's for sure, They're filled with so much useful and amazingly true information
Even after reading it months ago, you can always go back to it and find more information that you didn't notice before.

So here are My Book Recommendations.
http://astore.amazon.com/myhowtolife.com-20

These are the books that has motivated me, touched me, inspired me, moved me and more.
They've given me quite a lot of useful information and inspirations and ideas.
and I just wanna share them with you :)

There might also be some other useful stuff in the store
I'll add more stuff that I find useful for me at the store, so you can benefit from it too :)

Enjoy !

PS. I will do reviews of the books in future posts, in the mean time, you can just follow the link to see the books :)

Why do we avoid having our photo taken ?

2009-07-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

So.... Just like most of us.
I have bad hair day, bad skin day, ugly face day.
And day by day.... I noticed if I don't have make up on, I refuse to take a photo.
If I'm only at home wearing super comfy baggy clothes, I refuse to take a photo.
If it's windy, I refuse to take a photo coz the wind messes up my hair.
and that's ridiculous !!!

I mean....
I was that kid who loves getting her pic taken.
I was that kid who always smile in every photo.
and what changed ?
Have I suddenly gotten ugly ?
Have I suddenly gotten so repulsed of how I look ?
Come on !!

and it's not just me....
As a kid, I've noticed older people are not so keen on being photographed.
I've notice my uncles not really interested when I tried to snap their pics.
my aunties, my dad, my parents' friends, etc etc.
Now I think I know why.... kinda

As people get older,
probably starting when we're teenagers up onwards.
We start not to like what they see in front of the mirror.
(braces, pimples, greasy hair, oily face, lines on your face, thinning hair, big nose, double chin, etc etc)
we feel a bit disappointed that we are not the perfect image.
we compare ourselves with that pretty face in the magazines and TV.
hey... we even compare ourselves to our friend that always seems to look perfect at every pic.
but that's not a reason to not like what we look like.
You are still you.
That person in the mirror is still you.
All that imperfection is what makes you unique and beautiful.
Yeah you can put on a make up to look fresh and pretty.
Yeah you can cover up that pimple.
Yeah you can wear a hat to cover your bald spot.
But.... you are still you.
and you need to love however you look like.

I've seen photos of myself when I was fat
I've seen photos of me when I thought I looked ugly
Ive seen photos of me when I'm screaming
Back then, I thought I looked hideous in those photos.
But Now... looking back at those photos.
I didn't look as bad as I thought I did.
I looked pretty
but most importantly I looked happy.

So.... there's no more reason for me to avoid being photographed now
and I've decided to do My Project 365.
Take a photo of yourself everyday for 365 days.
I've decided to take a photo of me everyday no matter how I look like.
But right before every photo, I'd say to myself "I look my best today" and I know I do :)
Just by saying that I'm changing my own perception about myself, I feel better about myself.
It gives me a kick-start of a more radiant me.
then I give a big smile and take my pic. :D

I'm not going to post my photos, but I'd imagine how fun it'd be to browse through those pics.

Even when I don't have time to take my photo because I'm in a hurry.
(I need to work on waking up early and not being late all the time ;p haha)
I'd look at myself in the mirror and smile and know that I look good.
that alone boost my confidence and self esteem.
just by doing that makes me appreciate my beautiful self
and I'm ready to start the day with a positive attitude :)

How to blog effectively

2009-07-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

Here's How

1. Don't spend too much time thinking about your post.
don't re-read it 20 times and re-write it 50 times.
if you do, you get bored, then your eyes get tired, you get sleepy and you get lazy bla bla bla.
Just focus, then write your post and upload.

2. Don't spend too much time websurfing
and reading other people's blogs and envying their success.
Focus on your own
and if you have an extra time, you're free to websurf.

3. Always update your blog daily rather than weekly.
Don't try to blog about everything in 1 day.
Don't try to post as much stuff in 1 day.
It's better to do 1 post each day rather than doing 7 posts every Monday.
1 post everyday will make your blog fresh everyday, your visitors will always have something new to read, even though it's only 1 post. (If you can manage to write more, it's even better)
Just imagine yourself going to someone else's blog that's really good, but everytime you come back there, there's no new post.
Day 1, no new post,
Day 2, no new post,
Day 3, no new post.
Day 4, you don't go to that blog because you think there won't be any new post.
Day 8, you forgot about that blog.
So... it's better to do 1 post a day than 7 posts every Monday.

4. Schedule your blogging time
Why ?
Because you need to have a life !!!
Get out there, Go exercise, Go hang out with friends, etc.
So... Schedule !!
Say 2 hours of effective blogging (no websurfing) per day.
Set it up according to you.

5. Always have a little notebook / moleskin with you at all times.
So everytime you have an idea, write it down.
This is very useful when you have no idea what to write.
You'll have all this list of stuff to write and blog about.

How much time do you spend blogging ?

2009-07-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

Ohh... Let see....

A lott....
sometimes I feel like I have no time to go out.
I feel like I'm in front of the computer too much.

But, Sometimes it's not the blogging
it's more about the websurfing :
- reading other people's blogs,
- reading gossip blogs,
- youtubing,
- checking emails,
- facebooking
- etc

So... since I have more than 1 blogs
maintaining all my blogs + all the websurfing takes a lot of my time.

and writing just one post takes a while for me.
because I read and re-read and then re-write and re-read and re-write again.
plus all the websurfing....
It takes lots of hours in front of the computer
It is so unproductive, I might add.

So yeah... I spend a lot of time "blogging"

So... I think I need to have an effective system.
I want to have good blogs with loyal visitors
and not spend way too much time on the blogs.
Hey, we all need to have a system.

So How to blog effectively ? next

Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson

2009-07-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

We should all breakaway
We should stop being scared
We should all spread our wings and fly
We all have the ability to do so :)

Breakaway lyrics
by Kelly Clarkson

Grew up in a small town
And when the rain would fall down
I'd just stare out my window
Dreaming of what could be
And if I'd end up happy
I would pray

Trying hard to reach out
But when I tried to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me
Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I'd pray
I could break away

(Chorus)
I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly.
I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky.
Make a wish, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away.
Out of the darkness and into the sun.
But I won't forget all the ones that I love.
I'll take a risk, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away

Wanna feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean
Get onboard a fast train
Travel on a jetplane
Far away
And break away

(Chorus)

Buildings with a hundred floors
Swinging with revolving doors
Maybe I don’t know where they’ll take me
Gotta keep movin on movin on
Fly away
Break away

(Chorus)

What happens when you stay up late ?

2009-06-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

So what happens when you force yourself to stay up late ?

Sometimes when I'm in front of the computer, and I'm sleepy, eyes really tired, but I still want to work, so I force myself to not sleep and keep on working.
I feel kinda weird....... it's like my body kinda tingles, not in a good way, but in all the wrong way.
and it's just not a good feeling, but a subtle one, so subtle sometimes I can just ignore it.
I get a slight headache, like the one you have when you need sleep.
So people !!! It's not a good idea to force yourself to stay awake !!!
Go to bed, Sleep, Rest !!!!!

and I was reading a magazine the other day.
There was an article about people who stay up late might get diabetes.
Some scientists tested some healthy people where they are told to sleep and then there would be loud sounds everytime those people started to fall asleep, so they keep on waking up, and the scientists found that those people can't produce insulin normally under this condition.
Or something like that.
So in the long term, they may even develop diabetes.

So again !!!!!!!!!
Go to bed, Sleep, Rest !!!!!
now !!!!!
ciao :)

My dog snores !

2009-06-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

She doesn't snore often, but .....How cute ! Buahahahaha.....
I was writing this and my dog was sleeping on a rug next to me and she snored.

You know what's even cuter ?
My puppy who sometimes has hiccups, she doesn't anymore now.
It's probably one of the cutest sound in the world.
:)

Always Think Positive !

2009-06-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

So...... the story goes
I need a warranty sticker that a certain Tech guy forgot to stuck back after upgrading my notebook computer.
Because it was purely his fault, so Tech guy promised to stop by at my house the next day to bring me the sticker and asked me to text/sms him my address.
How nice, I thought to myself.
I texted him anyway although I didn't think he'd actually come because the service center was kinda far from my house.
So I waited for him the next day.... and He didn't come !!
it annoyed me quite a bit.......he obviously could've called me to let me know if he wasn't coming.
So I called him and before I even said anything, he told me that he had lost the sms that contained my address.
Yes mister liar, I just bought the computer 2 days ago, so you have my phone number at your database, you could actually call me.
So he asked me to resend him my address.
I said no, I'm coming tomorrow , because I assumed that he'd only offering to stop by without any intention to come anyway and besides there was still something wrong with my computer so I had to go to the service center anyway.

But...... I was so mad at him because he lied to me, or I assumed that he lied.
Right now, when I'm writing this, this kind of situation doesn't bother me at all, but at that time I was so annoyed at him that he offered to help but totally lied about it and he only offered to help basically just to shut me up so I'd hang up the phone.

But, really.... is Tech guy to blame in this whole situation ?
Is it his fault that I'm feeling mad and annoyed ?

Why do I have to think such negative thoughts ?
I assumed that he was a liar, that he never had any intention to help me out in the first place.
What if the reality is, he really did lose my sms/text message by accident, what if he accidently pressed the delete button. I mean, I've accidentaly deleted messages before.
or What if he actually had something really important to do and he couldn't come so he told me a "white" lie about losing my text message.
What if he actually lied to my face ?

I would never know the real truth.
But it doesn't matter whether or not he lied or told the truth.

If, from the beginning, I didn't have any negative thoughts towards him, I wouldn't have felt lied to or annoyed, I wouldn't be mad at him, I wouldn't start silently calling him names and cursing. ;p
If, from the beginning, I thought positively, I'd stay calm and unannoyed and I wouldn't silently accused him of lying.

So it doesn't matter whether or not people lie to you.
Having negative thoughts about them doesn't make them tell you the truth either, having negative thoughts only stresses you out and makes you think more of the bad stuff, that they're lying to you, etc etc.
On the other hand, having positive thoughts calms you down and it makes you at peace and it gives you the ability to believe in the goodness of others.
In the end, you'll never know what goes on inside a person's head and negative thoughts only makes you spend miserable hours thinking about their bad points.

The important point is YOU.
Having negative thoughts makes you miserable !!
Having positive thoughts calms you down and makes you at peace.
So now you know why it's important to always think positive ?

Having positive thoughts gives me a nice feeling in my heart (and it's making me smile right now) and it's that simple :)

I sometimes like handwriting

2009-06-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

Yup... I don't know why, it doesn't happen often, but from time to time, I totally enjoy writing down stuff using a pen. I don't have the best handwriting, but it's kinda fun seeing letters becomes words becomes phrases becomes sentences and how the pen glides on the paper.
I kinda like my handwriting, although in general I prefer typing on the keyboard, it's faster and it's saved on to my computer.

I don't have my laptop with me all the time, so I keep a small booklet with me always, so everytime I got an idea to write about something, the booklet is always there.
So when I was writing this, I didn't have anything to do and I was just writing this on the booklet and it was fun and I totally enjoyed each continous stroke of the pen , it was like flowing and I wanted to write more and more.

You know when you handwrite something, you are more aware of the word indications, such as the accents, the apostrophe / punctuation mark, etc. So if you're learning a foreign language, it's best to handwrite, it'll make you remember more.

btw, Studying European languages, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, they all have a lot of rules in the grammar department, plus the conjugations.
For me it's like learning mathematics all over again ;p
But fun though, I love learning languages.

Just write !

2009-06-16T05:09:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes you want to write something, but you're scared to make a mistake or you might write badly ?
Why is that ?
It's like wanting to learn to paint, but you're afraid to ruin the painting. You haven't even started yet.

With writing, it's even simpler.
Just start writing.
Write about anything, whenever.
You only need a computer.
What ? you don't have a computer ?
Then get a piece of paper, a scrap paper even, then use a pen/pencil and just write.
It's that simple.

Write down your ideas, your thoughts.
You can read it afterwards, you can even throw it out.
Just write when you feel like it, don't hesitate because you're afraid of mistakes/writing badly.
Just write.

Focus on the positive

2009-06-16T05:04:00.000-07:00

Yes there are a lot of chaos in this world right now,
a lot of bad people, a lot of bad situations.
It seems to only be getting worse.

But all the negativity can't exist without all the positivity.
It's like yin and yang.
So yes there are bad people out there, but that is also a sign that that are still good people out there.
People with sincere heart.

So don't be alarmed by all the negativity in the world.
There are still good people out there.
Even bad people still have hearts, they're just hidden so deep inside.
Focus on the positive, Focus on the goodness in people.

Learn to see the goodness in people

2009-06-16T04:42:00.000-07:00

So your dad is annoying, you don't get along, he snores and he embarasses you.
But he's given everything for you, he's paid for everything that you have and you know he'll give up his life for you.
So instead of being annoyed everytime he's around, feeling embarassed by his silly remarks, and thinking that you can't stand him anymore. Focus on the good, focus on his love for you , focus on what he's done for you, focus on having a complete family and I promise you, you'd be so much happier, you'll feel blessed for such a wonderful dad. Focus on the good and your Life would be so much more beautiful.

It's the same for whatever situations in you life.
Annoying office lady, Obnoxious receptionist, Ungrateful friends.
If you look close enough and focus on the good,
they are merely office lady, receptionist and friends.
Try it, Focus on the good.

Always See the Goodness in people, in everything, in whatever situation.
Try, Learn how to, Start now.
Focus on the good and your Life would be so much more beautiful.

How do you control anger ?

2009-06-16T03:52:00.000-07:00

You just ignore it and you choose to be happy.

When people are rude or I find that they're offensive bla bla bla I get annoyed and angry.
But when I'm calm and happy, it's easy to understand that there may be reasons that cause people to become rude and it doesn't bother me that much. also when I'm busy with other interesting stuff.
Note Keyword : Calm and Happy and Busy with interesting stuff.

I even still get angry at stuff that's happened to me at the past, it was like 3 years ago.
It's crazy how I'm still holding on to that unhappy angry feeling right ?
Here's how it went :
I asked my friend to buy me a CD, I wrote the singer & album name on a piece of paper and gave it to my friend.
So he bought me the CD, but it was a different album, so since the CD shop was near my friend's office, I asked him to exchange it for me.
So he did, and got me another CD, but it was still the wrong one.
(My friend didn't check the CD, he's one of those people who asks for something and pays without checking the thing, but a good friend though ;p)
Anyway, I was so annoyed, so I called the shop and told the guy that it was the wrong CD
so he told me to just bring the CD back and exchange it with another one.
then I asked him, "Do you even have the CD that I wanted?"
then he said "No, but we have other stuff"
Unbelievable, right ??!!! So this guy was just trying to sell any CD to me.
So I asked him to just refund my money and he said "It's only 15$ anyway, what's the big deal?"
at that point I knew that I couldn't talk to him anymore and he's not going to refund my money and whatever I say is not going to make things better so I just hung up.
End of story, but up till now I couldn't let it go.
When I'm reminded of that story, I get angry and annoyed and I just can't understand why someone would behave like that.
So I know I have to let go, forget and forgive and let go.
Letting go is so simple, but I find it so hard to do.
Why ? because I don't want to let go, because if I hold on to that angry feeling, I know that I'm a better person than that CD guy, that I'm the victim, that I'm innocent, I think that's why I hold on to that.

But let see,
I know that when I'm calm and happy and busy with projects/works that I'm excited about, that little annoying story doesn't really bother me.
And I also know that if I get angry, My health is also at risk, I'm ruining my own health, inside and out. So it all depends on myself how to react in similar situations.
People are not going to stop being rude, there always will be annoying people.

So I have a choice, and I want to make that effort.
I will ignore it
I will forgive.
I will forget about it.
I will let go.
I choose to be calm happy.
and on top of that, I'll always get myself involved in an super interesting project so I'm always focused on exciting stuff and no time for other unecessary things.
I want to control myself, I want to be happy no matter what the situation is.

What about you ?

Worry worry worry

2009-06-16T03:08:00.000-07:00

We all feel worried from time to time, and for most of us, we can't control our feeling worried.
So How do you control it ? How do you stop worrying ?

I myself worry too much, I think.
I worry on the littlest things.
One time, I was in Milan, Italy (study purposes) and I wanted to renew my permesso di soggiorno (permit of stay, you need to have this permit to stay in that country, so even if your visa is expired, you can still legally stay there.)
If you've been to Italy, you know how crazy the bureaucracy is.
It was hard the first time I obtained my first permesso di soggiorno, there was a long line , we all had to wait in line hours before the office opens, the bathroom was extremely dirty-unusable, we had to wait for hours and hours and hours to wait for our turn, the officers were unfriendly, plus my Italian was at a beginners level. It was really a horrible day.
So to renew the permesso, all I have to do is go to the nearest appointed police station *if I'm not mistaken, it's been a few years, I forgot*
I got all my papers ready, but I was so worried about going there, I pictured different situations in my head, what to say, what to ask, I was worried that they were going to be mean to me, I was worried there were gonna be a long line, I was worried that I needed to pee but there was no decent toilet, I was worried on the bus on the way there, I was worried as I entered the building.
But it turned out, there was no line at all, the officer was nice, He checked all my papers, and simply told me to come back in 2 weeks time to get my new permesso di soggiorno.
So I was worried for nothing !!! If I had known, I wouldn't have worried so much. I would just relax.
But the thing is, I didn't know so I worried so much.

For most of the situations in our lives, we won't know what will happen in the future, whether it will turn out bad or good.
We all need to live in the NOW.
So in my case, I was worried for nothing, everything turned out fine. but I spent days, hours, worrying and making myself feel miserable.

My feeling worried didn't help anything in anyway.
If I felt worried and things turned out bad, my worry is not going to make things worse or better.
If I didn't feel worried, and things turned out find, it's not going to make things worse or better either.
So I choose not to feel worried, because it is useless.
Worrying is totally pointless.
I'd rather relax myself and hope for the best result that may happen from doing the best that I could possibly can.

So next time, in whatever things I do in my life, I'm just gonna make sure all the preparations is done well, everything is ready, I'm gonna do my best and I'm not gonna worry, I'm just going to relax and hope that everything will work out fine.
I will try that and hope for the best.

And I also know this, in the simplest situation or even at the worst extreme situation, We should leave it all to Him.
In whatever situation, do your best, and everything else depends on Him.
Some things are out of our control no matter what we do, so instead of worrying, just do your best, then let worry go, have total faith.
Sounds simple ?
well, It is that simple.

So let it go.
The outcome may surprise you :)
But whatever the result is, believe that there's a reason for everything, and you don't have to know the reason, but just believe that it's the best for you right now.
so Trust Him and you'll feel so much better :D

Where is He ?

2009-04-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

Him who ?
you know who :)

He's everywhere but most of all, He's in you.
Ask Him to use you and make you useful for Him.
Not in a lame kinda way, you can be a Hardcore Rockstar and still be His "hands".
Just take a look at Bono, U2.
Now do you see my point ?

Ask him to use you and He'll shine in whatever things that you do.
:)

What to do when you're bored ?

2009-04-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

Seriously ? what do you do when you're bored ?

From time to time , we all feel really bored, at just about everything, even at the things we love to do.
It's like you don't have any will to do anything, you don't even feel alive, you're just tired.
You won't even bother to do anything, coz everything seems boring and you'll end up watching reruns of Friends on TV, Reading Celebrity gossip on websites, Doing nothing, and even Eating, and in the end you'll feel even worse, like you've wasted another day.

So, Do you know what you should do at times like that ?
Do Something, Anything at all !!!!!

You have to "force" yourself to start doing something.
(Gardening, Painting, Writing, Practising piano, Cooking, Exercising, anything that you love, anything at all)
I know that Getting off that couch is the hardest part.
But when you start doing whatever it is that you're supposed to do, a tiny will-power starts to grow inside of you, and before you know it, you're starting to enjoy what you're doing and you wonder why you didn't start doing this earlier.
And the you realize that you're doing something meaningful and useful for yourself, you become passionate about it once again.

Try reading blogs/books about motivation to give you a boost.
Get a good book and find a great motivational blogs, some of them are well, kinda boring, but when you do find a great book/blog, it'll make you want to start doing something to be a better person for yourself and for others. The book/blog will make you realize that you're missing out, that you're kinda left behind and it makes you wanna hurry up to catch up in Life.

The thing is, when you've finished reading the book/blog, you're back at square one, not doing anything and waiting for someone to wake you up all over again.

So right now......... WAKE UP !!!!!!!!!!
GET UP !!!!!!
You really need to do something Right Now !!
Do something that you love, something meaningful, something useful.
You know what it is.
Trust me, it'll make you feel a whole lot better.
uhuh.... NOW !!

My How to Life 5

2009-04-15T10:01:00.005-07:00

other stuff

My How to Life 4

2009-04-15T10:01:00.003-07:00

other stuff

My How to Life 3

2009-04-15T10:01:00.001-07:00

other stuff

My How to Life 2

2009-04-15T10:00:00.006-07:00

other stuff

My How to Life 1

2009-04-15T10:00:00.005-07:00

other stuff

Terms and Conditions

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MyhowtoLife.com contains my opinions (suggestions, recommendations, ideas, reviews, etc)
Those are my personal opinions, and I'm not responsible for anything that might arise out of your actions based on my opinions and in connection with the use of or the reliance upon any information, content, goods or services available on or through any third party Web ites or linked resources.

Always double check, always becareful on the internet :P

There are links to a third party websites on MyhowtoLife.com
I do not guarantee their site to be free of virus, bugs and errors.
Surf safely and it's good to always have a Anti Virus installed and running.

Copyright
All Contents (photos / artworks / articles / other data or information) presented on the myhowtoLife.com site are copyrighted by myhowtoLife.com and their respective owner and may not be copied, published (or otherwise made public) or modified without written consent from myhowtoLife.com and their respective owner. You should assume that everything you see or read on this site is copyrighted unless otherwise noted.

Links

2009-04-15T10:00:00.001-07:00

Links

www.givesmehope.com
It gives hope to all of use..... the perfect pick me up

www.bestinspirationalquotes4u.com/blog/
very nice :)

www.thefun-blog.com
Fun stuff

FAQ

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Frequently Asked Questions

About MyHowtoLife

2009-02-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

About Me

You know how sometimes you wanna ask someone something
but you're embarassed that the questions is too dumb too ask
so you google it
and you're relieved when you finally find answers on the net
from someone who actually asks the same quesions.
or you feel even better when someone asks an even dumber question.
Hey, you're not dat dumb after all. :P

Well,
Since what I find to be useful for me might also be useful for others.
So, Instead of just saving stuff I find on the net to my computer.
I'm putting it here in My How to Life Blog.
so everything's organized, labeled, etc etc. *yup still for my benefit*
But I'm learning to share, you see. ;p

Further more....*eww there's more ?*
This is also time for me to "wake up"
to stop being lazy and how to actually live my life.
So there are also stuff on self motivational, self discoveries, bla bla bla.

So.... this is My How-tos in Life.
It's here for my own purpose,
but If it helps you in anyway, then I'm happy for you :)

myhowtolife [@] gmail [dot] com

My Life

2008-11-15T07:28:00.000-08:00

Change, it's time ! :)