If You Want Something, EARN It.

If you want something, earn it. How I wish I could hammer this into teenagers nowadays who just rely on their parents or elder siblings for handouts.

And each person should take responsibility for their own life. Whatever happens is a direct result of actions and decisions in the past. If you want a good life in the future, do something now to make sure you achieve that in the future.

If you now find yourself saddled in huge debts, reflect back on the things and decisions you have made which might have led you to where you are now. Who's fault is it? You might ask. Remember, your life is in your hands.

If in the past you have spent lavishly with impulse shopping, ask yourself, at the point of buying, don't you have the choice of whether to buy or not to buy? Yes, and you made the decision to buy. In the end, do you feel remorseful? Depends.

Do you have the choice of eating in high end restaurants or the common hawker centre? Do you have the option of taking the taxi or the bus? Do you have the choice of taking the plane or the bus? It is entirely up to you.

But after that, you have to shoulder the consequences. Don't complain when you no longer find yourself having the luxuries in life.

I was so heartened by the changes I see in a superior-turned friend recently. She was someone who used to spend money like water. She won't eat at places less than high class restaurants. She always have nice accessories donning her wrists and matching blouse to go with it.

But the last time I saw her, she has stripped off her gold chains and bling-blings. Her reason: Afraid of being robbed. She now budgets $300 a month for food and attempts to spend less than the budgetted amount if she can. Shw would now think twice even if she finds a blouse she really like. And now so proud of the cheapest travel she has been on.

She even advised me to spend within my means and save up for retirement. Even at my age. Yah, drastic change, and I find it a change for the better. Now I see a person who is less conceited and less high-and-mighty. She has become someone more humble.

Probably circumstances has changed and forced her to become like that. Maybe she changed willingly. I couldn't bring myself to ask. No matter what's the reason, there is a lesson to learn here.

Why wait for some disaster to happen before you change for the better? You can still be thrifty and earning all the money in the world. What would you do then with so much excess funds? Realise your dreams, go around brightening up other people's lives. Isn't that more meaningful?

Post-trip blues and Love

It has been about a week since we came back from a discovery trip to Hong Kong and Southern China. It was so enjoyable and indeed a whole new discovery for me. It was my first trip overseas, (not counting Singapore) and I truly enjoy every single moment of it. Surely I'll want to do it again and again! I want to discover the whole of China, the whole of Asia and the whole of the world! More updates and chronicles of the trip after I'm done with the travelogue. It is indeed worth recording every moment, don't you think so? ;) So keep coming back for news when it's done and up, complete with pictures.

Now, back to the mundane working life again. Was feeling really great the first day back at work, but after a few hours of the usual routine, I'm bored to death. And the adrenaline seemed to have stopped pumping. Everything seemed so dull again. Argh.. what a lousy feeling. Need to shake that off. And my eyes seemed to have some problem adjusting back to the long hours of looking at the computer screen, something which I have the luxury of shirking while on holiday. My head throbs, eyes water and vision blurs. Are these symptoms of some occupational hazard?

On a different topic, I've always been amazed by the power of love. But also intrigued by it. I couldn't comprehend why some people can love so intensely at one time and then forget totally about the feelings after that. And these people could do really hurting things to people whom they have once loved so deeply.

But then again, love is something so complex. There's a saying, you cannot force love, what you get is just a broken heart. How true, because in the end, the person who would hurt the most is the person who loves the deepest and appreciates the relationship more.

After going through such events, how should one let go and move on? Especially when the other party is unsure and afraid of commitments? Isn't it selfish for the other party to ask one to let time be the test of whether it is true love? And, how should one let go, such that one no longer feel hurt by any actions from the other party?

One, would have to dive deep into one's conscious and unconscious mind, make a choice of how one would want to lead one's life in the future. If given a choice between happiness and sadness, which one would one choose? If given a choice between being appreciated and being neglected, which one would one choose? If given a choice of seeing one smiling in a loving environment and seeing one crying in the darkness, which would one choose?

In life, we have a choice. No matter what happens, we have a choice of how we want to feel. We can choose to feel happy or lousy by it. We can choose how we want to respond to it. We can choose whether we want to control our life or let circumstances and environment move us along aimlessly.

How we feel, is entirely up to our own self.

On a related note, when one found a gem, treasure it, cherish it. Appreciate the blessings in one's life. Never take things for granted. Tell your loved ones that you love them. That's the greatest joy one can find. And maybe the only meaning of life.