“Gratitude means to recognize the good in your life, be thankful for whatever you have, some people may not even have one of those things you consider precious to you (love, family, friends etc). Each day give thanks for the gift of life. You are blessed” - Pablo
I am sorry to hear about the devastating news reported on TODAY newspaper this morning, “A 3-km wide tornado with winds of up to 320kmh has attacked Oklahoma city suburb on Monday morning. It flattened homes, flung cars through the air, and landed a direct blow on an elementary school.” Many lives were taken including children.
Around a month ago, we also heard the news reporting the Lushan in Sichuan Province’s magnitude 7.0-earthquake that killed almost 200 lives.
How fragile human life is, isn’t it?
The disaster can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone.
From these incidents, I can’t stop being grateful of staying and living in this small country. Although it’s small, but during my period staying here for more than 10 years, I never heard of any tragic disaster reported just like what happened in other places in the world.
No Tsunami, no tornado, no hurricane, no big earthquake, no major flooding (only minor one and only attacked some areas), no forest fire, no volcano eruption, etc. Other than that, Singapore is also considered as a safe country with low crime rate. However, low crime rate doesn’t mean no crime rate. We still have to be alert and careful.
The point that I want to make it here is that… I feel grateful for the place I live in. I also encouraged my hubby and son to be grateful with where we stay. Sometimes, they would have complained and expressed their dissatisfaction on how high the stress level is here; people work all day and night just to be able to earn for living (well, I bet everyone does this everywhere, not just here ba?); high standard of living cost (yes, we are one of the country who has a high living cost in the world.
However, I still think the money we paid was returned with good standard of service too as we seldom experience blackout/no electricity – during my stay it only happened once and it only lasted for less than an hour; we always have water and gas supply. If they do maintenance or stop the supply, they will inform us days before; mobile/internet connection – well, can’t say we can connect very well, but compared with some other parts of the world, we’re so far quite pampered with the convenience); high level difficulty in studying (well, this one I agree. Lots of students here are very stress. After school, many of them still have to attend the tuition, even on weekend. But I have heard my Indonesian friends who have kids too. They all complain on first, how expensive school fees in private school in Indonesia. Second, their kids learn not only one or two, but three languages at the same time – Indonesian, English, and Chinese. Third, their kids are attending much additional tuition after school as they all believe education is very important for their future and only those who are able to master it all, will be successful when they grow up. Well, I am not sure if their success will be guaranteed after attending it all, but I still believe people’s characters and attitudes towards life are still the ones who hold the importance of being a success and happy people. However, Singaporean students are not the only ones who are having hard time in studying no?).
Sometimes my friends would grumble over a low salary that he/she receives here. But when I told them how much salary that others earn in other part of the world - who works in government sector- they would open their mouth and disbelieved. They would start arguing how cheap their living cost there, how government would pay for their education, medical bill, and so on. Well, they were not wrong either. But, I told them, even with that amount of salary, they still had to take loans in order to buy car, build house, education for their children, and so on. But he/she should have been lucky to have that amount of salary.
So the key here is to be content with what we have and be grateful. Yes, our salary is not that much, but at least we have a work. We don’t depend on others in living. We have two hands, two legs and healthy body to work and move around. We still have a roof to stay (be it rent or purchase). We have at least two meals a day (some even three or four meals a day). We have clothes to wear (even some managed to get branded one). And no matter how high our salary is, if we are not controlling our spending, we’ll still be haunted by loans till the end of our lives. And no matter how high our salary is, if we are not happy with our job (higher stress level, no time to spend with family and loved ones, made us sick and tired everyday), then what’s the purpose???
Wherever you are, people all encounter same things – same challenges in life. It’s how we face the challenge that is different.
Before this, I always wonder on how come many Bhutanese who studied overseas would always return back to their country after they graduated. I seldom heard they chose to settle down overseas. I asked few people
about their opinions and now I understand why.
Life in Bhutan is much more relaxing. They have plenty of time to be spent with friends and families after work (Those who works in office mostly works from 9am to 4pm – during winter and to 5pm – during summer). Their time is abundance (in other part of the world, people rush for time, and for them time is money). They are pampered with rich natural resources and plenty of fresh air (they’re living surrounded by natures, not by tall buildings and concretes. They even have pedestrian day where no cars are allowed on street once in month – in some countries, you can’t even see clearly what lies in front of you due to the very bad air pollution). Their food supply is much more healthy as they can grown their own plants in their house’s backyard, garden, or some even have own field (oh, I just saw in Facebook how miserable those who lived in big cities in USA, they paid an incredible high rental fees but living in place that you couldn’t even stand up on it, or lots of Chinese people live in a room that no window on it and in a very small space. Don’t even think of growing plants!!). Government would pay their expenses when they fall sick and provide scholarship for further studies.
Most importantly, people there are friendly, full of courtesy, and live simply. In rich countries, many people are showing off their wealth with luxury cars, big and beautiful house/apartment, branded bags/ clothes/ shoes, bling bling jewelry, and so on. But does it mean they are happy? Well, try to get the answer from them ba! Happiness is not always be counted by how much money you have, right?
However, gratitude and contentment will still be the important keys of happiness level that we are in, no matter where we live in, and who we are. Many simple things can derive happiness, such as: smile, children’s laughter, beautiful sunrise/sunset and sky, and so on.
And here, I want to express my gratitude for what I have now, what I have in the past, and what I will have in the future. I hope you all can express your gratitude too toward what you have and encountered in life. Have a great day everyone!!!
“How would your life be different if... you began each day by thanking someone who has helped you? Let today be the day...You make it a point to show your gratitude to others. Send a letter or card, make a call, send a text or email, tell them in person...do whatever you have to do to let them know you appreciate them.” – Steve Maraboli
“Good people give you happiness. Bad people give you experience. Worst people give you a lesson. And best people give you memories.” – Unknown.
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive- to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love-then make that day count!” – Steve Maraboli
I am sorry to hear about the devastating news reported on TODAY newspaper this morning, “A 3-km wide tornado with winds of up to 320kmh has attacked Oklahoma city suburb on Monday morning. It flattened homes, flung cars through the air, and landed a direct blow on an elementary school.” Many lives were taken including children.
Around a month ago, we also heard the news reporting the Lushan in Sichuan Province’s magnitude 7.0-earthquake that killed almost 200 lives.
How fragile human life is, isn’t it?
The disaster can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone.
From these incidents, I can’t stop being grateful of staying and living in this small country. Although it’s small, but during my period staying here for more than 10 years, I never heard of any tragic disaster reported just like what happened in other places in the world.
No Tsunami, no tornado, no hurricane, no big earthquake, no major flooding (only minor one and only attacked some areas), no forest fire, no volcano eruption, etc. Other than that, Singapore is also considered as a safe country with low crime rate. However, low crime rate doesn’t mean no crime rate. We still have to be alert and careful.
The point that I want to make it here is that… I feel grateful for the place I live in. I also encouraged my hubby and son to be grateful with where we stay. Sometimes, they would have complained and expressed their dissatisfaction on how high the stress level is here; people work all day and night just to be able to earn for living (well, I bet everyone does this everywhere, not just here ba?); high standard of living cost (yes, we are one of the country who has a high living cost in the world.
However, I still think the money we paid was returned with good standard of service too as we seldom experience blackout/no electricity – during my stay it only happened once and it only lasted for less than an hour; we always have water and gas supply. If they do maintenance or stop the supply, they will inform us days before; mobile/internet connection – well, can’t say we can connect very well, but compared with some other parts of the world, we’re so far quite pampered with the convenience); high level difficulty in studying (well, this one I agree. Lots of students here are very stress. After school, many of them still have to attend the tuition, even on weekend. But I have heard my Indonesian friends who have kids too. They all complain on first, how expensive school fees in private school in Indonesia. Second, their kids learn not only one or two, but three languages at the same time – Indonesian, English, and Chinese. Third, their kids are attending much additional tuition after school as they all believe education is very important for their future and only those who are able to master it all, will be successful when they grow up. Well, I am not sure if their success will be guaranteed after attending it all, but I still believe people’s characters and attitudes towards life are still the ones who hold the importance of being a success and happy people. However, Singaporean students are not the only ones who are having hard time in studying no?).
Sometimes my friends would grumble over a low salary that he/she receives here. But when I told them how much salary that others earn in other part of the world - who works in government sector- they would open their mouth and disbelieved. They would start arguing how cheap their living cost there, how government would pay for their education, medical bill, and so on. Well, they were not wrong either. But, I told them, even with that amount of salary, they still had to take loans in order to buy car, build house, education for their children, and so on. But he/she should have been lucky to have that amount of salary.
So the key here is to be content with what we have and be grateful. Yes, our salary is not that much, but at least we have a work. We don’t depend on others in living. We have two hands, two legs and healthy body to work and move around. We still have a roof to stay (be it rent or purchase). We have at least two meals a day (some even three or four meals a day). We have clothes to wear (even some managed to get branded one). And no matter how high our salary is, if we are not controlling our spending, we’ll still be haunted by loans till the end of our lives. And no matter how high our salary is, if we are not happy with our job (higher stress level, no time to spend with family and loved ones, made us sick and tired everyday), then what’s the purpose???
Wherever you are, people all encounter same things – same challenges in life. It’s how we face the challenge that is different.
Before this, I always wonder on how come many Bhutanese who studied overseas would always return back to their country after they graduated. I seldom heard they chose to settle down overseas. I asked few people
about their opinions and now I understand why.
Life in Bhutan is much more relaxing. They have plenty of time to be spent with friends and families after work (Those who works in office mostly works from 9am to 4pm – during winter and to 5pm – during summer). Their time is abundance (in other part of the world, people rush for time, and for them time is money). They are pampered with rich natural resources and plenty of fresh air (they’re living surrounded by natures, not by tall buildings and concretes. They even have pedestrian day where no cars are allowed on street once in month – in some countries, you can’t even see clearly what lies in front of you due to the very bad air pollution). Their food supply is much more healthy as they can grown their own plants in their house’s backyard, garden, or some even have own field (oh, I just saw in Facebook how miserable those who lived in big cities in USA, they paid an incredible high rental fees but living in place that you couldn’t even stand up on it, or lots of Chinese people live in a room that no window on it and in a very small space. Don’t even think of growing plants!!). Government would pay their expenses when they fall sick and provide scholarship for further studies.
Most importantly, people there are friendly, full of courtesy, and live simply. In rich countries, many people are showing off their wealth with luxury cars, big and beautiful house/apartment, branded bags/ clothes/ shoes, bling bling jewelry, and so on. But does it mean they are happy? Well, try to get the answer from them ba! Happiness is not always be counted by how much money you have, right?
However, gratitude and contentment will still be the important keys of happiness level that we are in, no matter where we live in, and who we are. Many simple things can derive happiness, such as: smile, children’s laughter, beautiful sunrise/sunset and sky, and so on.
And here, I want to express my gratitude for what I have now, what I have in the past, and what I will have in the future. I hope you all can express your gratitude too toward what you have and encountered in life. Have a great day everyone!!!
“How would your life be different if... you began each day by thanking someone who has helped you? Let today be the day...You make it a point to show your gratitude to others. Send a letter or card, make a call, send a text or email, tell them in person...do whatever you have to do to let them know you appreciate them.” – Steve Maraboli
“Good people give you happiness. Bad people give you experience. Worst people give you a lesson. And best people give you memories.” – Unknown.
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive- to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love-then make that day count!” – Steve Maraboli
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