Sunday, February 20, 2011

No time to get angry.... No time

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 ? :)

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

We are the miracles

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

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 ?

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

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

Friday, December 31, 2010

Instant Happiness

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

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 :)