Take your time, inhale & digest.

Life comes to a certain point where you get so tired of the things you do on a daily basis that you feel like quitting. At times you wonder what are you doing with your life because everything seems like a routine that there isn’t any meaning to it anymore. Maybe you’ve even felt like wanting to do absolutely nothing because that’s all that seems right to you at that moment.

Been there, done that. The trick is to keep breathing. And remind yourself why are you doing what you’re doing in the first place. There must be a reason behind it all. What made you choose this path and what do you want to get out of it, every person has goals and a mission. Work towards that. Anybody can come up with a million plans but it takes real effort and hard work to see them turn into achievements.

Find the fun in everything you do.

It makes things easier. I’ve always been a firm believer of loving what you do. If you do not like what you’re doing, how long can/will you last? Even if you do last, will you be happy? I think a person’s ultimate goal in life is to achieve happiness. Only then you will be able to achieve every other objective set out. Easier said than done, agreed. But you can do whatever you set your mind to.

I’ve been through some rough patches, nothing life threatening but they were heavy enough to pull my spirits down. And I won’t deny that I did allow those events to affect me, for a little while. Took me some time to find my motivation and determination back. Those setbacks took a lot out of me, but I gained much more out of them.

Right now, I’m doing everything I’ve planned months and years ago. I’ve got my goals lined up, some achieved, some in the process.

What’s most important is to know what you really want.

Then work from there, towards that. When I express this sort of motivation, I’m not just sharing it in hopes that others will benefit something out of it but also to remind myself – this is what I want, this is how I’m going to tackle it. Sometimes we forget, we lose our ways for a brief moment but what’s important is to get back on the right track within the shortest period possible.

Take the time to really enjoy yourself, like what I do. Just because you’ve started a new phase of life, does not mean you’ve got to give up what you used to be or how you once were. Have the best of both worlds, all it takes is patience and perseverance.

From my experience, the people around you can give you all the encouragement and comfort in the world but at the end of the day, it is up to you to really want to work for what you want. Nobody can give you the final, ultimate push to get things done but yourself.

Don’t forget to take the time to relax and smell the roses.

For a little while, I forgot how relaxation felt like. Then I told myself, you are who you choose to be. You are the only one who can decide what you want to feed your mind and soul.

What if I never see you again?

He saved me from drowning when I was about 6. The last time I spoke to him: about two years ago.

Each time he saw me, he told me how much I have grown up. I still remember what he last said to me.

He said that if he saw me on the streets from the back, he would whistle at me. Of course, it was a good-natured joke.

Today, I received news that he has passed on. A little younger than my dad, they had been friends since they were in their late teenage years.

He watched me grow up. Although we were not exactly close, he was a good and kind man.

Today, I feel great and deep sadness knowing that life is so unpredictable, that people can just suddenly leave, and never come back.

What if tomorrow it happens to one of my parents or worse, both? And what if today was the last time I will ever see the Sun?

Makes you realise that sometimes, we should let the little things go if they don’t really matter. Don’t waste life away on the petty issues.

People use the saying “live like today is your last day” all the time, but how many actually practise it?

This is to the person I wish is still here today, so that he can watch his children grow up and spend a few more decades with his wife.

Story of a boy and his one-eyed mother.

Someone sent me this story via a forwarded email chain a very long time ago. I suddenly thought of it so I fetched it from the Net. This is how the story goes:

My mother had only one eye, I hated her, she was such an embarrassment. My mom ran a small shop at a flea market. She collected little weeds and such to sell… anything for the money we needed, she cooked for students & teachers to support the family, she was such an embarrassment.

There was this one day during elementary school where my mom came to say hello to me. I was so embarrassed. How could she do this to me?! I ignored her, threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school one of my classmates said,

“EEEE, your mom has only one eye!”

I wanted to bury myself. I also wanted my mom to just disappear. So I confronted her that day and said,

” If you’re only gonna make me a laughing stock, why don’t you just die?!!!”

My mother remained silent. I didn’t even stop to think for a second about what I had said, because I was full of anger. I was oblivious to her feelings. I wanted out of her house. I guess I felt a little bad, but at the same time, it felt good to think that I had said what I’d wanted to say all this time.

Maybe it was because my mom hadn’t punished me, but I didn’t think that I had hurt her feelings very badly. That night, I woke up, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My mom was crying there, so quietly, as if she was afraid that she might wake me. I took a look at her, and then turned away. Because of the thing I had said to her earlier, there was something pinching at me in the corner of my heart. Even so, I hated my mother who was crying out of her one eye. So I told myself that I would grow up and become successful, because I hated my one-eyed mom and our desperate poverty.

Then I studied really hard. I left my mother and came to Seoul and studied, and got accepted in the Seoul University with all the confidence I had. Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. Then I had kids, too. Now I’m living happily as a successful man. I like it here because it’s a place that doesn’t remind me of my mom.

This happiness was getting bigger and bigger, when someone unexpected came to see me.

It was my mother, still with her one eye. It felt as if the whole sky was falling apart on me.  My little girl ran away, scared of my mom’s eye. And I asked her,

“Who are you? I don’t know you!!!” as if I tried to make that real.

I screamed at her “How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!”

And to this, my mother quietly answered, “Oh, I’m so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address,” and she disappeared.

Thank goodness, she doesn’t recognize me. I was quite relieved. I told myself that I wasn’t going to care, or think about this for the rest of my life.

One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. After the reunion, I went to the old shack just out of curiosity. My neighbours said that my mother had died. I did not shed a single tear. They handed me a letter that she had wanted me to have.

My son…
I think my life has been long enough now.
And I won’t visit Seoul anymore, but would it be too much to ask if I wanted you to come visit me once in a while? I miss you so much.
And I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion.
But I decided not to go to the school, for you. I’m sorry that I only have one eye,
and I was an embarrassment for you.
You see, when you were very little, you got into an accident,
and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn’t stand watching you having to grow up with only one eye…
so I gave you mine. I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me,
in my place, with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did.
The couple times that you were angry with me,
I thought to myself,

“it’s because he loves me.”

I miss the times when you were still young around me.

I miss you so much. I love you.

You mean the world to me.

With my love to you..

Your mother

I do not know how true this story is, if someone who had really gone through that wrote it. But this story teaches us so many things in so many ways. For instance, how could you ever hate or have ill feelings towards your parents? Because they want nothing but the best for you and I know that given the chance, any doting parent would’ve done the same as the mother in the story above.

It also teaches us that people with disabilities have feelings too, they too can contribute to the world. They are not a nuisance or a burden. The mother had only one eye, but she was capable of raising her son single-handedly and she brought food home for her son.

Also, many people who are born in a perfectly fine condition do not appreciate it. Some rant about how life sucks but what about those who can’t speak? How do they rant? They are forced to suppress their feelings and thoughts without having anyone at all to listen to them. Some complain about the kind of shitty music we have these days, what about those who are deaf? What would they give just to be able to listen, regardless good or bad music or even the annoying noise pollution cars/construction sites produce.

The story sounded a lot like the one Dad told me. It’s about a girl who constantly complained about how she doesn’t have enough pairs of shoes until the day she met another girl without feet.

Imagine people who were born mentally-challenged, those born without a leg or a hand, those born without the ability to see. What they would not give to have your life. Yet here we are, always complaining about this and that, every little thing we are not happy about. If you are reading this, remember that your life is so much more better than half of the world population, maybe even more than that.

In each of us.

In each of us is a little unhappiness. Sometimes it’s the bigger things like marriage, work, life.

Sometimes it could be the little things such as what we eat. You’d be surprised how much of effect something so petty can have on a person.

Whether big or small issues, they are one thing: a contributing factor.

At any given point of time, we are unhappy with at least one thing. But we have a choice in deciding whether we want to or not.

Sometimes you get unhappy about something that may seem serious to you but insignificant in the eyes of others.

Yet when you wake up the next morning, you ask yourself this question: what was I even upset about?

The thing is, you think it’s not that big of an issue because you think you’re the only one who is affected.

Truth is it involves the people around you, the world does not revolve around you alone. By being upset, you can cause several other people their happiness.

It’s like a cycle, it goes round and when it comes back to you, you ask yourself whether if it even mattered.

I think most of us here, we spend too much time worrying about things that might not happen in a million years and allow that to cause us discomfort.

When you fail to see the bigger picture, you miss out on being free and happy. Being in constant discontentment can be pretty burdening.

Let go a little, love and live.

Something every day.

Isn’t my watch cool? It’s so long!

Today I’m gonna get touchy. Not in that way, silly. I don’t get why certain people have to have more than necessary/appropriate physical contact with others when communicating. It’s very awkward. It makes people think you’re weird and freaky. Or maybe it’s just me.

Especially when you’ve just met that person! First impression? POOF! into thin air. It also makes me feel a little awkward when people I’m not close to or those I seldom see greet me with three kisses on the cheek. Erm, a little too much? That’s like – three awkward seconds there.

Anyway, I’m not one who is fond of physical touch to begin with. Maybe people meant to be friendly and I’m just over-absorbing it. I don’t enjoy being tickled, I believe there are many other ways to make a person laugh. In fact tickling annoys me after maybe, four seconds. Don’t fancy people poking me or tapping my shoulder from behind too. Usually, I get slightly irritated before planting a smile on my face to that person.

I think everyone has different bodily reactions and it’s not fair to place people into categories. Each of us will react differently to different approaches just like how different people have different arousal spots. You know how researches say one of women’s weakest spots is the inner thigh? Well try rubbing it on someone you see on the train and see if she brings you home to her bed

Maybe not a solid example but just trying to say that not all of us will react the same way.

Another example is when someone is blocking your way. Simply say excuse me or clear your throat or something. Don’t use your hands and try to push that person aside out of the blue without a word. That creeps people out and then it just turns into annoyance.

Therefore I think people should be a little considerate when it comes to too much physical contact. Some may find you friendly and approachable but there might be some who will find it less attractive.

A few on a few.

People say you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone. Truth is, you knew what you had, you just thought you’d never lose it. (via TheNoteboook on Twitter)

It’s true, I have to admit. You tell yourself occasionally that you’ve got something great or someone amazing right now but you never really tell yourself not to screw up or take it for granted. You feel the happiness flow inside of you when good things take place but you never really realise that they don’t happen on a daily basis and you should appreciate what you have while you still have them.

Is it really too much of a thing to do – to constantly keep ourselves reminded that the world isn’t gonna always be here because it will end someday? Is it really too time-consuming for us to enjoy the little things that make us smile because we know that most things don’t last forever and it’s only a matter of time for changes to occur?

I’m never shocked when people let me down nowadays. I just hate the fact that I put myself in a position to be let down in the first place. (via TheNoteboook on Twitter)

Also very true. I can relate completely to this. I don’t get upset with people who disappoint me because I am the one who placed confidence and trust in that person in the first place. If I had not wanted to be let down, then I should have taken steps of precaution. I should have done things myself without depending on others.

It’s unfair to blame others for things that did not go well for you. It’s unfair to place responsibilities that are supposed to be yours, on others. It’s unfair to just want to be taken care of like a weak person when we are all not. It’s not right to place complete, absolute trust on someone else because at the end of the day, the only person who will not turn his/her back on you – is yourself.

Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it. Anger is bad, dump it. Fear is awful, face it. Memories are sweet, cherish it. (via TheNoteboook on Twitter)

So little words but probably sums life up as a whole, in short. We are all fans of quotes here and there, every now and then. But do we like them because we live by them, or do we like them because we want people to think that’s the kind of person we are?

Food for thought.

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

I like that quote very much. No matter how bad a situation is, something good will always come out of it even if you may not see it.

Just like the saying light at the end of the tunnel. If you can’t see the light, it means you’re probably not at the end yet. Even if you are – maybe you will have to just flick a lighter or something. Come up with your own light. No one ever said that can’t be done. It still ends up with the same thing, light in the tunnel.

You can’t control the things that happen to you, but you can control the way you react to them.

It really depends on you whether you choose to see the good out of everything, even horrible things. And this perception -  is  not erroneous. I think what some of us lack is the ability to control our very own minds. Sometimes we do or say things we don’t mean but the truth is, we could have not done them.

If you put your mind to it, you can envisage whatever you want. Sometimes we place this sort of moratorium in our bodies/minds that we are forced to only see things in one way. And that is such a waste of human intelligence, don’t you think? Knowing that our minds are capable of so many incredible things yet we lock it up in a tiny cellar.

A ship is safe in harbour, but that’s not what ships are for. (William Shedd)

We are at times too contented in our comfort zones that we refuse the chance of experiencing and fiddling with new things. We will never be able to achieve extraordinary miles if that’s the mindset we have. I guess what I’m saying is we can’t always play safe, not in everything at least.

There are certain things where we have to try in order to feel that euphoria or that satisfaction. Imagine someone who has never tasted ice-cream, how much is he/she missing out? Everybody loves ice-cream. The same can be applied to other things such as rollercoasters.

We shouldn’t define our lives based on routines. We should let free a little, live a little more. There are so many more things that you and I have not tried yet!

Happiness depends upon ourselves. (Aristotle)

It’s true, really. Every day I see people getting upset over things that I find tiny. There is only one rule to live by when it comes to happiness, whether the sadness/anger will still seem reasonable in years to come. All the things we get pissed about, all the matters we argue about – a year from now – you won’t even be able to recall them.

That just goes to prove that you have probably spent a few minutes or even hours on something that does not matter like an idiot.

Don’t spend too much time on the negativity in life, you don’t know how much you have left