Life is but a dream

My motto in life :)

Hi hi.. It's been some time since my last post. Work has been one reason as it occupied lots of my time for the past two weeks. Although my role was to supervise her, it wasn't a relaxing job. I had to make sure that I guided her well and she could do the job by herself for months to come.

Btw, I decided to extend for another month as my Boss requested. She just wanted to make sure the back up was there if anything happened. My dear colleagues had also supported my continuation there, even for just a month. Better than nothing at all, isn't it? :P

Life is all about balance :)
(Photo source: Positive Vibes)

I can't extend further as I've already made some plans on what to do next. Well, since I've been working hard since the beginning of the year, I think I deserve to have time to relax and play hard. In this case, it goes not far from following my passion, which is to travel :) I may not visit new place, but it may be. But the long break is something that not everyone can do, as our view and priority in life may be different, and our choice in life is again, definitely different!

Our grandparent's generation is believed to have longer span of life mainly due to the food they ate, the lifestyle they had, and so on. Therefore, they could live as long as they could. But these days, in the life where uncertainty is obvious, I'd chosen to live my life fully. I couldn't believe that I'd be that kind of person who live one day at a time.

My college used to teach us otherwise. We were trained to make short and long term goals related to personal and professional life, which I didn't follow. "Let nature takes its flow" has instead, been my guide.

Life is but a dream (Photo courtesy: Che Dorji)

At the end, I feel that life is but a dream. Whatever we have is all temporary. Good thing will end, so will the bad one. What we need is a peace of mind. That we have no regret for there won't be tomorrow, to have done what we had dreamt of, to fulfill the wish that our heart was saying and whispering all through our life. And happiness is something that comes within, the feel of being content and grateful with every little thing we had, with every good and bad thing that we encounter in life, and the faith that everything happens only for good reasons. 

Contemplate (Photo source: Google.com)

So, have you contemplated enough about your inner self these days? Are you grateful and content enough with everything that happens to your life? Lets give it a thought and wish you a smooth journey in life with all your positive mindset in life. Have a wonderful week ahead and keep doing what you love doing!!! Take care and have fun! :)

Have you felt gratitude for nature today?

Sunset at Punggol :)

"Have you felt gratitude for nature today?

You would not be alive today or any day if it were not for nature giving to you unceasingly. Nature is giving you an unlimited source of air so you can breathe, it is producing enough water for an entire planet's needs to keep you alive, and without the life-producing forces that the sun gives, none of us could exist. 

Now that is pure giving! How could anyone believe that they are not loved?"

-- Rhonda Byrne day 327 --

Taken this evening at Punggol :)

Books read for the first half of the year 2016

Sunrise 30 June 2016

Another half year passed by. It seemed just like yesterday when my brother told me about the job vacancy for me. I went back joining the workforce starting from the beginning of the year. It brought me to one of my difficult times of my life where I had to adapt to a new environment and new job scope, something I’d never worked on before. 

Despite being busy and stressful, it did not stop me to do things I loved doing, which included reading and writing. The number might have decreased, but the spirit would never die :) 

Below please find the list of books read for the first half of year 2016:

January 2016

January 2016:                

1. Landline - Rainbow Rowell

2. Happiness Is A State of Mind - Gyalwang Drukpa

3. What I Know For Sure - Oprah Winfrey

               

February 2016

February 2016:             

1. Wind/Pinball - Haruki Murakami

2. To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee

3. Go Set A Watchman - Harper Lee

               

March 2016

March 2016:  

1. The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway

2. The Old Man and The Sea - Ernest Hemingway

               

April 2016

April 2016:    

1. Games at Twilight - Anita Desai

2. Dance Dance Dance - Haruki Murakami

3. On the Road - Jack Kerouac

4. The Book of Hope - Cayden Chang

5. A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara

               

May 2016

May 2016:      

1. WhenBreath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi

2. AroundIndia in 80 Trains - Monisha Rajesh

3. Sputnik Sweetheart - Haruki Murakami

               

June 2016

June 2016:      

1. Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri

2. Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri

3. TheRestful Mind - Gyalwa Dokhampa

4. Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote

Reading quote (Picture source: Google.com)

Wish everyone a wonderful time ahead!!! Live your life to the fullest as always!!! :)

Ego...

I used to believe I was such a selfish people (think mostly about myself only and have a high level of ego) and even accepted myself for being one. I still remembered telling my potential husband about my weakness when we tried to describe of who we were, before getting into further relationship.

Love me the way I am. Take it or leave it (Pic source: Google.com)

It's perhaps because I was born as the youngest in the family, where everyone else had grown up, I didn't and still lived in a comfortable and protected shell of my parent's love.

It's perhaps because I'd been staying at other people's countries for years especially during my adolescent period that compelled me to equip myself with a very high level of independent trait and defending measures against anything that came into my life (be it good or bad), high degree of freedom (where to go, what to do, with who), high level of adaptive traits (as I had to move out every six months, to pack and unpack, to stay at different places, flats, rooms, cities, villages), and so on.

So it was really no doubt that I even adapted some human traits and characteristics from where I lived during that period of time. And having a high level of ego and being selfish were simply inevitable.

Ego quote (Pic source: Google.com)

But this ego of mine, changed over time. Perhaps with my return to Asia countries, with a settling down process being home again, the ego was slowly melted by the heat of the sun rays, although it wasn't completely gone. Sometimes, it stick with me, following me. Haizzzz.... 

Recently I was allured by my own ego, a very big business indeed, at least for me. To follow my ego, desire, to choose over something, above everyone else thought and plight. Because of it, it gave trouble to others. Their love, their protected nature, all was pointed to me. But I insisted otherwise at the first place.

No matter what, my heart couldn't accept it. My heart couldn't stand see them suffer. My heart couldn't accept happiness over other people's suffering. So what if I chose it? What if I won it over? It wouldn't give true happiness for everyone. Couldn't even call that happiness at the first place. It'd be just the proud ego laughed enormously from the above, over my stupidity, my selfishness, my betrayal towards what my heart was saying.

What we need to do is to skip the e and let it go (Pic source: Google.com)

And again, I was glad that I overcame it. I chose middle way instead, something good for all of us, considering other's needs, capability, and most importantly, their joy and happiness. I was very sorry to try to win my ego eagerly, and created confuse feeling and trouble, at the very first place.

Hey ego, please stay far away from me. I still had a long way to go to live with them. You must have been tired too for working so much in most of my life's journey. You could take a good rest now and just sit there, enjoy your time alone, be free from me. Let me follow my heart with base of love towards others. Tub? ;)

Grateful - The Restful Mind

Restful mind by HE Gyalwa Dokhampa 

The morning journal plus breathing in and out session inside the both public and company buses had refreshed my mind this morning. Few reading pages of Restful Mind by HE Gyalwa Dokhampa had again given me a good reminder how to take in charge of our restless mind.

“The three essence of the teaching that we can apply to our daily lives and thinking:

1. Our happiness or suffering comes from within

2. We can’t control the things or people that are external to us; that happen to us, but we can control our own reactions or way of looking at things, so we need never be completely helpless.

3. Nothing is set in stone, especially our minds.”

– The Restful Mind by HE Gyalwa Dokhampa

Breakfast with love ^^

As I reached office, my colleague, KH, had bought a special breakfast for me from McDonalds. “It’s once in a while’s treat,” she told me. She concerned about my gastric pain that I had lately, so she fed me with this big portion so that it could last ‘til afternoon time. Thank you KH for all your love and concern! :)

In less than 6 weeks, I would leave this establishment. She had already projected the image when I wasn’t around. “Next time, even I bought this delicious meal, you won’t be there sitting next to me,” said her sadly. I tried cajoling her, “Don’t feel sad. Someone else would sit here next to you and accompany you.” But she didn’t buy my words.

“Happiness is something for which we can sow the seed ourselves, and that we can nurture, grow and share with others through our love, kindness and generosity. It’s easy with the busyness and pressures of life to fall out of the habit of happiness – to begin to feel out of sorts or to let negative thoughts and emotions take hold – but with just a little understanding and practice we can get back into the happiness habit, whatever situations life may bring us.”

– The Restful Mind by Gyalwa Dokhampa

Celebrating KH Birthday :)

That’s because, we both had shared many happy and sad things together, in this short course of time. Our struggle and fights – ‘never-give-up’ spirit – in the first few days, weeks, and months of working; our stupidity (mostly mine though) since the first days until now (still strongly going on :P); our happiness and woes encounter that came from family members at home; our traveling and many plans in life; and so on.

We both were famous for our laughter, again, since first few days after we first joined in. It could be heard from everyone’s seat. Sometimes they scold us for being too noisy :P Many were wondering on why we both laughed and shook until our stomach paining and tears coming out. One encounter and another, it created good memories in our brain.

“Laughter lightens your load and lighten your step, bringing you right back into the moment. And it’s the same with a smile. It’s good to see the funny side of things, and not take yourself too seriously. After all, we’re all just human beings, doing our best.”

– The Restful Mind by Gyalwa Dokhampa

Thank you for your friendship KH and everyone in the office! Without your presence, life would be dull for these past six months. To my partner-in-crime in office, thank you! :)