Do what you love, love what you do

'The secret of happiness: find out what you truly love to do and then direct all your energy towards doing it. Once you do this, abundance flows into your life and all your desires are filled with ease and grace.' - Robin Sharma

Have you ever been in situation where you had to choose between following your heart (what you love to do, but less prospect - lead to slower growth and slower pay increase) or did the things that you were not sure if you liked it or not, but this job would give you what you want (better prospect - lead to faster or more pay and better title)???

I think most people (9 out of 10) would choose the second one. Hehe... At most situation, money and title (or fame) would still be the main drives in choosing the job.

It's kinda sad though that there were many people I know, chose their job not following their heart and passion, but just doing it for the sake of earning better money, better prospect, and better title.

At the end, they did not really enjoy what they were doing. Just followed the flow as long as they received their salary into their bank account at the end of the month.

But this is reality of life, no? Most people want to have a better life, means, they need money to buy things they want, but not necessary they are happier since their work took most of the time of their daily life.

There were also people who enjoyed their passion and yet, earned deservedly for their effort and passion. I took my hats off for this type of people. But it took hard work and perseverance to be able to where they were now.

As for me, I'm grateful that I am doing what I love to do. Although I'm kinda stuck in this post, while the rest of colleagues have gone up to another step career ladder, I still keep my thinking positively.

I remember I read it somewhere, "It's simply a matter of FOCUS on doing what you're doing BEST and not worrying about what other fellow is going to do, such as get promoted. Because at the end of the day, people will value you based on your knowledge and experience."

But it doesn't mean I resist for changes. I would keep my self open for another opportunity that may arise (can be somewhere else) and always tell myself to get ready and adapt for changes.

Well, after all, all these are part and parcel of life that we have to go through. We can't always get the best thing in life, but how we can make thing the best will depend on how we approach it into our lives.

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful" - Albert Schweitzer

Still not too late to realize it and catch your dreams - to create your masterpiece, to invent the unimagined, discover your talent, and most importantly to express your true self :)

"Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born" - Dale E. Turner

OCBC Cycling 2013

After finishing our rides - with my 2 best friends :)

This year would be my 4th year participating in the OCBC Cycle Singapore, together with my friends and colleagues, which also marked my 4th year Anniversary working with my current company. Wow!! Time flies!!! My 2 best friends and I shared cab this morning at 5.30am (one of them even slept overnight at my place since she stayed quite faraway) and we all gathered in the company where I worked then all of us took bus together to F1 Pit. 

We reached there in a while. Collected our rented bicycles, got ourselves ready (went toilet, did some warming up), and there we went!!! Community ride (24km ride) started at 7.30am. By the time we reached the "Start" line, it was 7.40am. There were so many people participating the event from any background, any country, but we all shared the same passion - cycling.

On ECP highway

There were three categories for today's event. First, "The Super Challenge" - 61 km ride, suitable for those adventurous cyclist. Second, "The Challenge"- 42km, for someone who was ready for more!! And last one, "The Community Ride"- 24 km - for anyone, either amateur, or those who joined for fun. Our GM joined "The Super Challenge". Although he was not young, but he was so fit and often challenging himself for a more adventurous sport. He even joined triathlon competition. The rest of us mostly joined "The Community Ride" as we were there for some fun activity :)

Even uncle and his two dogs were having fun!!! ;)

The weather this morning was good. There was no sun appearing in the sky. Instead, it was a bit hazy. And after the event ended, then it started to rain. Lucky that it wasn't raining while we were there.

It took me an hour to finish the 24-km ride. It was fun. We had to go up to the highway three times. It was quite a challenge as the highway was quite steep and we had a fast-speed ride when it went down. It required us to be alert at anytime. We had to look left and right all the time to see if there was any rider beside us when we wanted to overtake, or when there were others who wanted to overtake us. If we weren't careful enough, it could collide.

I saw people with bruises and blood on their knees, hands, even on their faces due to fall down while cycling. And before we went the slope down for the last one, there were even riders falling down and unconscious. That's why I said that it required us to be alert all the time as otherwise, accident might happen anytime and anywhere. Thank God we were all back safe and sound. But sometimes, it was really not a day for someone too when her bike's pedal was suddenly spoiled when she was cycling. It caused her to go back walking with her bike and she couldn't ride the journey fully and get her medal. I was so sorry for her. Despite being sick, she was still coming for the event, and that was what she got.

So, here I am again, wanted to thank SB for good karma given. We had good health, good weather, safe journey all the way, and finished the 'finish' line in one piece. I'm grateful for today! :)

And after it's all done, my two best friends and I headed to Burger King and had our breakfast there. I was sooooo hungry!!! Hahaha.... In fact, this whole day I kept eating again and again... Oh my...... Hope I won't gain so much weight after this little exercise hahaha....  :P

My good old friend

From my dear friend

I never expect to receive the inspirational book from my close friend, SF. Some more she wrote some wordings on it for me (see the above). Seems like what goes around will go around. Because not long before this, I also gave one inspirational book to my dear friend, also with wordings on it. Hehehe...

Kindergarten class photo

We knew each other since we were in kindergarten but I just found out recently that she loves to read, especially inspirational books, same like me. Hahaha...  She also loves to meditate. Yeah, it was me who started reading again only lately, for the last 4-5 months, after stopped for many years. So when I found out that she loves to read, I was very happy!!! Got reading khaki!! We lent our books to each other and had reason to meet more often :)

We were in the same class before back in year 1983. See if you can find which one is me in the photo above :P It's kinda miracle that I still keep this photo with me. I just counted and it was 30 years ago. Wow!!! Hohoho... Time flies....

After that we separated and went into different schools - primary and junior high school. We met again and even was in same class during senior high school, and sat next to each other (2nd and 3rd year).

We slept together under one camp :) SF, me and SDK

Photo above was taken during school outing. We slept inside the tent. Three of us were quite big size, but yet managed to sleep together. Haha... So much memories we had during that time there :) Unforgettable high school memories.....

After graduation, we again separated and went into different uni. She was studying Interior Design in Indonesia, while I went abroad. 

When I was young, I used to dream to become an interior designer. Hahaha.... I always draw the plot of the house in a grid exercise book. While drawing it, I would imagine if it was my house. How I would plan where the living room, where the bedroom, kitchen, and so on. I would imagine how big the house was, how many floors, and so on. Hahaha... More like daydreaming though. But my dream went away since I was studying real drawing during senior high school and I gave up. I had no passion on it anymore. That's why I ended up studying other things, that was more practical and the knowledge could be applied immediately :D

So, after few years, we finally landed in the same country again, Singapore. We met again in year 2001. Both of us were graduated not long before that and was looking for a job. We both were still with our ex-bf at that time and four of us even met up in Jakarta together with other friends. Little did we know that our ex-bf also knew each other (from same school). Haha.. What a small world!

After that, we both broke up and managed to know our hubby in our different ways, got married, and now stay here until now. She and her hubby were among the few friends who attended my wedding in Singapore. They also came for my baby first month celebration and last year housewarming. Since then we would meet up some time for coffee or dinner to update our situation. And only last month we met again, went to book store, and that was how I found out that she loves to read the inspirational book. Hahaha...

Below was quite latest picture that we took when we met up together with other high school friends.
 

SJ, SF, me and AH

I just hope our friendship will last forever SF!!! It's really great that we know each other for such a long time!!! Not the time that measured the strength of our friendship, but what life journey that we've shared together. Thank you for being my good friend!!! :) 

Comic by Reever Skantei

Whenever my son and I went to library, we would go to separate area. He would go to children books area, while I go to adults book area. And most of the time he would choose comics book to borrow, otherwise book with lots of drawings mixed with words. He seldom borrows books that contained wordings alone.

And he drew the above comic, again, based on his imagination. Hehehe... And this was not his first one :) Keep up your good work Baobei, but don't forget to study too, ok? Exams are coming soon!!! Love you Baobei... Muachh.... :)

Unfolding uncertainty in life

When I was 16 years old, we were inside the shopping mall to watch movie with a group of friends. We had some time before movie started.

The mall didn't have much things to see. So while waiting, we walked around. At first floor, we saw one small stall where there was a middle age man sitting behind a table with deck of cards on top and palm with lines paper beneath the glass top table. We could also smell the burned incense stick from the stall. There were some books and pictures too decorated the place.

Suddenly my friend and I came out with an idea to go in and ask. And there were we! That would be my first fortune teller visit in my life.

My purposes to visit him at that point of time was asking for fun, also I was curious wanting to find out what the fortune teller would say about my future life, as in one year time after that, I would engage in different stage of life (graduating from senior high school soon).

I sat in front of him. The man started the reading by shuffling cards on his hand, opened few cards up and showed it on the table and he started to tell me what the cards interpreted about my future life.

He was then asking my birth date, my name, looking at my palm, scribbled his findings on top of blank paper. He warned me on bad things that I would encounter that year. Looking at my face and he also said few words about my past and current life, and so on. At the end, I had to pay him some token (at given price) as a meaning for service granted.

I listened to his words half believe and didn't really take it seriously as I didn't want to be pressurized by it. Also, I believe that we could change after what had happened in our lives, if we wanted to.

Years passed on. I went again to another fortune teller after I finally graduated and looked for a job. Oh, there was another time when I was unsure about my life partner. Or there were few times before that ba! Hahaha...

Only after that last one (back in 2001), I decided not to ask anymore. Let life unfolds the future itself. Be it good or bad, I am ready to face the truth. It's much better this way with this type of thinking, rather than worrying all the time about something that not happen yet, something they said but might or might not come true, something that you still can change if you want to, and so on.

I admit, it was fear that making me wanted to know about my future. It was also fear that I did not want to hear the sad prediction and fear that what they said about bad things to come true. And when we live our life full of fear, we wouldn't have a chance to live our life fully.

Below was quoted from Robin Sharma's book - The Saint, The Surfer, and The CEO:

"Rather than trying to know and figure it all out, live the curiosity of it all. You don't have to know where you'll be a year from now - you don't even have to know what you'll be doing a month from now. Move away from this need for certainty that we all have, and move toward the curiosity that we all need. Just be. Live in the moment with every bit of your life force and enjoy the gift of the present. The treasures of your life will present themselves to you only if you really are open to them."

"Open yourself up more. There's much larger world out there than you know. Live in curiosity. Live in the awe. Live in the wonder. Begin to grow more aware and conscious. Paying more attention to what's happening around you. Look for clues, spot the patterns, and connect the dots. Detect the synchronity and serendipity, and know that these beautiful coincidences are nothing more than your best life coming to get you. Become more mindful of the dance of life. As you walk to work, rather than getting caught up in your internal dialogue, train your mind to detect what's going on in the outside world. Notice the color of the sky and the shapes of the clouds. Observe the leaves falling from the trees and the way the sun feels as it warms your face. Feel the soles of your feet meet with Mother Earth. Even paying attention to the way your heart beats. By practicing being more mindful, you'll get out of your head and move into your heart. You'll experience more living in your days and you'll have a lot more fun. An even more powerful way to get out of your head and into your heart and body is to simply... Get out of your head and into your body. Pay attention to the sensations of your body.This powerful little technique will immediately pull you out of your mind and draw you into your heart. And when you live in your heart more, you'll notice that you enjoy the journey of life more. The struggling ends."

I decided to embrace my life by opening my heart fully: listen more to what my heart says, balance between heart and head, ready to accept what will happen in front of me, be it good or bad. I am sure, with constant embracing life with positive thinking, with support of loved ones and strength and support from the above, I would be able to go through and face the uncertainty in life in better ways and live my journey of life fully and more beautifully :)

Hope you would find your way too and decide how you want to live your life!