Elastic band theory

An elastic band that has been pulled too tightly is doomed to snap. Don't try to be this elastic band. Relax. It's not about what you do. It's about your state of mind.

人生得意須盡歡

In 李白's 將進酒, he mentioned: 人生得意須盡歡. When one feels happy, one should enjoy it to its greatest extent. What a great attitude to have. Asian ancestry and upbringing tend to teach one to hold back emotions, especially happiness. Maybe it's to be modest or maybe it's to not jinx the situation and bring bad luck. I know people who are ecstatic about the smallest things in life. Their lives must be so full of happiness. They treat the present as such - a present or gift. No obsession over past regrets. No worry about the future because no one ever knows what will happen tomorrow. One should just take life one day at a time and enjoy every moment of it. That, my friend, is the best attitude one can have towards life.

Street Smart

In this day and age, having street smarts seems to be increasing in importance compared to having book smarts. Catch phrases we see everyday include having "interpersonal skills" and having "high EQ" in addition to having high IQ. Research has shown that employers value "soft skills" over "hard skills" since hard skills can be taught while soft skills accumulate over many years of experience and conditioning, or perhaps are inherent in a person. In most contexts, academic excellence trail behind other qualities of a person in terms of desirability. Of course, there are always exceptions to general statements. In the case of book smarts, it definitely overrides street smarts in the academic arena which includes getting into the post-secondary institute of your choice, the courses of your choice or certain financial awards during the course of your studies; however, once you enter the less forgiving and more realistic society, will you soon discover that street smarts are what will get you further in life?

China Earthquake

Hearing the devastating news from the earthquake that took many lives in Sichuan, China, I once again got reminded of how lucky I am to be here. Sure, I may have many responsibilities and expectations to fulfill, but I am alive and well.

I think I need to step back and perform a self-reflective exercise on my perspective in life and how I treat people everyday. How about you?

閒談莫論人非

When I was a little girl, I used to feel very privileged when people shared their thoughts about other people with me. It's like wow, they trust me with all their thoughts about other people? As I grew up, I became more skeptical or perhaps more realistic. I realized if someone is talking to me behind someone's back at this moment, they are probably saying things about me behind my back at some other point in time. Gossiping can be enjoyable or even inevitable but it would surely not be fun to be at the centre of conversation. Words spread quickly, what you say today might come back to bite you in the rear end in the future. A friend once told me he never wants to bash someone behind their back, unless he thinks you seriously need to be warned of that person's behaviour. Not only that, now that I think back, he does walk the talk because I've never heard him say anything bad about someone. Another friend once told me he wasn't willing to tell me something because he didn't want to whistleblow. Haha. I just realized that all my examples involve males and not females. It once again suggests that girls like to gossip more than guys. But I once heard a chinese saying that goes: 閒談莫論人非 (Never gossip in casual conversations).

善意的大話

Are there ever circumstances which would warrant a white lie? I used to naively frown upon all lies despite the context. I now realize that sometimes white lies are necessary to prevent the harm of someone else. I, for one, would be devastated if everyone I talked to were to be completely honest with me. Occasionally, it's nice to hear the truth so one can reflect and change for the better, but for things one can't change, it might be better to not hear the truth since it is kinda true that the truth hurts.

Having a completely blunt and straightforward manner of speech can bring forth admiration and also repulsion. Sometimes people require the truth to wake up or to be warned but at other times, it might be better to think before we speak. Like how the old Chinese saying goes: 三思而後行.

Insights from cruise

Oh! How I miss my trip; all I can do now is reminisce and reflect...

1. It's a small world. Who would've thought I would've bumped into so many familiar faces on the ship? How likely is it to bump into someone on a ship that holds 2000+ people? VERY LIKELY!

2. It takes two to tango... and chacha.. and rumba.. haha and a lot of things in life. It is sometimes unnecessary to blame oneself because some things are not under your own control.

3. Life is not a show. You don't need to care so much about what others around you think about you. Just be and have no regrets.

4. 江山易改，本性难移. Personalities are too hard to change.

5. Going on vacation is like having an extended dream. In this dream, you might be able to live a different life, even be a different person but sooner or later you will have to wake up and return to reality...