Happiness
Chinese New Year (CNY) was here and every one was busy preparing for CNY.
As I looked at the red greeting cards sent by many well wishers, the common greetings written on card will be Happy Prosperous Lunar New Year or May your new year fill with happiness, prosperity and luck.
What is happiness?
Last Wednesday, Adrian persuaded me to go with him to a lunch gathering. I finally agreed and went along with him. I did not know that it had left me with impression and with the understanding of happiness.
Happiness is not about putting the person with pressure. It is not about changing the person according to your preference or expectation. It is not about one person giving all what he/she has to other person with love.
It is to encourage, build the person up to remain true to oneself. Being true to oneself is like having happiness so that the person is able to share the happiness with other people.
The person will grow up to be wise and is able to love himself/herself first with confidence in the eyes of many people.
Searching for the answers immediately is not the short cut to loving yourself but to have the journey of life long learning with bad and good experience. Facing up to harsh and cruel world out there, it depends on how you make your life interesting even in small country, Singapore.
Making out from your life is your achievement and live your life to fullest through your eyes will make things beautiful. Inner peace will come to individuals as they walk the long journey full of surprises and laughters.
It is happiness. It is my opinion. When I see each individual growing up and move on to new phrase, I m happy because it is their achievement, how big or small but it play vital role in shaping their lives.
Beautiful life is not nothing but with the confidence you will face up to reality and to have practical things to pursue your own dreams. Facing up to reality can be cruel but it gives the person the heart with love and wisdom.
To love yourself and to be true to yourself is the road to happiness.
Love you for what you are and life is beautiful….Never give up till you have your own achievement.
Book i am reading
I was reading the book written by Queen Noor of Jordan and was surprised by its contents of the book.The book is called Leap of Faith.
It gave me the insight of the lives on late King Huessin and his vision in peace keeping for Middle East. It was very humatrian way of writing the book. It give you the revealing account that was very straight forward. It also provide the understanding and made the Arab community more human in many ways.
Queen Noor had her way of merging the different cultures of Arab and West and her devoted life to Jordanians in Jordan. It simply show how she lost her heart to a king who worked so hard for the peace in Middle East and to his people.
In some way, it also provide me another insight on how many women suffered in Jordan and how Jordanians bridge the understandings in Arab community.
I am leaving you to read more if you are curious about Arab people.
From few books i had read on Arab community, it gives me different insight on their social life, their countries and their people. It was ever rich in their history but in their thinking. Of course they have their principles and their religion to follow but it open up on how they blend their own heritage into West.
Quite pleasant to read. I started to wonder on how women play a role in many ways. As the Chinese proverb says: "Women hold up the half of the sky."
It is up to you to ponder on it. I had seen how many women had placed deep impact on people's lives.
To name few: Mother Thersa in her community work, Princess Diana in her influence as Princess for her humaritian works, Queen Noor for Arab women's cause, Hiliary Clinton in her leadership qualities, Madgeline Albright in her role as former Secratary of USA, Margaret Tharacter as former PM of UK who raise UK from poverty to one of rich countries in Europe.
I was surprised that women are able to stand equal as men but in different ways. They can contribute to their own community.
I quoted in the article in Singapore Women's Weekly's Nov 2006 issue: Make a Difference in your community and treat everyone equally regardless of disability, age, race, religion or status.
So long....
Surf & SwEat
I was cursing loudly at NTU for setting the wave time at early hours. My friends woke up at early hour before the sun rise and took taxi down to Tanjong beach.
Damn too early that i drag my feet out of my bed. Beauty sleep i really need but have to drag my feet to hail taxi. Hey dont forget my stuffs for Surf & Sweat 2007.
Arrived bright and early to register. Arwwww.. My registration starts at 9am and my wave start at 10.41am. Wah liao.. i had to sit and eat snake for one hour 40 mins before my wave.
Bumped into my Coach who was taking part in SUrf N Sweat. Real cool even my team mates (4 team mates) also taking part in this.
2 of them will be in cycling category will 2 of them are in running category after surf. Guess what i m doing after the surf?
My wave had started. Wah phew.....Ready 3...2...1... Start.. i dragged the surf board out to sea and climb on the board. I started to paddle till i felt that it was not moving. Wah i m so mad!!! i turn my head and saw my friends' faces. Wah... The fin of the board got struck in the beach!!!!....
I push the board further and started to paddle all the way (300m) to the finishing point in triangle.
At the side of triangle, i was so tired that i cannot paddle with my arms. Damn it... i paddled harder harder till my board went out of the way... Gosh.. i dont care till i reach the beach.
I emerged out of the beach and dump the life vest.
Run out after cleaning my feet at the water point. Ran like mad towards Rasa Sentosa Resort from Tamjong Beach and made u turn back to Tanjong Beach (5km long). Towards the finishing line, i ran harder and faster till i reached the finishing line.
Wah....so tired man because i had my inline skating yesterday.. Too tired man.......
I immediately crawl to my bag and took a breather... My friends and i decided to have good lunch to replinish our energy.
I reached home feeling tired and feel good. I could not nap even through i was very tired. Insomina kicked in again.......
I realised that i had not been sleeping well lately ever since i started working. I woke up at 2am or 3am or 5am irregularly before my actual wake up call at 530am.
Even on week end, it kicked in the same pattern that i slept from 530am to 9am. It was difficult to have a good sleep these days for the complete 7 hours' sleep. I can count that i only sleep about 4 hours each day.
Alamak.. any way i depend on tea to perk me up every morning before starting work. Milo is the way out of line that i will feel grouchy for a whole day!
Morning is getting colder each day. Wondering if it is global warming???
I am whining at LOUSY Instructor
Saturday is here and i am looking forward to have skating lesson. Picked it up as I had little free time to make use to learn.
Schedule is very hectic in 2006 that i never learn skating. Skating is what i always wanted to pick up because it is also one of elements used in Adventure Racing. Over the mountain or on rough trail, skating is one of element that the race director in USA will use to test the mental frame of the adventure racer in mountain or on rough trail beside abseiling, kayaking, cycling, running, orienteering and sleeping in wilderness that is beyond your wild dream.
Eco-Callenge Adventure racing was shown on AXN where many racers have to go through different elements in ECO-Challenge Adventure Racing. Skating on trail in mountain is one of the elements in Eco-Challenge.
In SIngapore, i took part in adventure racing which consist of abseiling, Kayak, cycling, running and to do orienteering in wilderness. My team and i must finish within the time frame that test on our endurance and mental frame.
That's why i took skating up basically because of adventure racing and to keep myself fit. It do help me to maintence my body frame as i used to be very fat. I shedded off weights over years due to dragon boat, adventure racing, triathlon.
Now i am whining at the lousy teaching quality of the instructors ( will not say the name of company in case i will be "sued" for opening my sacrastic). They never teach the proper posture and just teach superfically what they know than teaching the proper steps in skating.
It is damn dangerous if i learn wrong way of skating. It is fortunate that i met a nice lady from other shop who taught me right posture and steps. I vowed that i will strike a big red light at the fourth lesson and go to other person who can teach right steps.
I am even more angry and wanted to curse loudly in front of my friends. My friends do share the same sentiments with me.
Enough of cursing other wise i will be very very sacrastic that wound their pride and will make me bad. I am soft hearted at certain times.
2 weeks ago, i taught 4 youths. They have problem in their attitudes towards studies that they came late for tuition. They have this bad habit of coming late for 30-one hour that i had to wait. The other tutor gave up on them. Sighhhzzz... i gave them scoldings that made me feel bad.
Last friday, i decided to write 4 cards and chocolates to apologise for my scolding. My heart is soooo soft because they are young. Hope that they will understand the importance of studies. Again 3 of them sabotaged the tuition lessons that the tuition co ordinator had to call their parents up. Hope that they will come for the next lesson. I am thank ful that one of them showed the positive attitude and brought text book to revise through.
3 cheers for HIM.
Road less travelled
God had blessed me with other lessons to learn and grow from very beginning of year, 2007.
Time moves with the seasons that change but one will grow more wiser and stronger through tribulations and trials. I must thank God for his mighty hand that hold me in times of bad times in 2006 and brought me to see the true essence of friendship and the kinship of family.
I m enjoying the warmth and the fruits being sowed in past few years. Results produced in the end will be fruitful or 50%. Even 20% of the result will be produced as long as you put efforts in the process of working in work place, family, friends, trainings ..so on... No short cut but to thrive on patience that produce results.
When i looked back in year 2006, i was blessed with friendship shared in dragon boat, personal friendship with adrian, brother-sister in christ with church friends, strong family ties that bring us closer. Lessons to be learnt through heart rendered relationship, my friendship taken for granted but thankfully learn the true essence of it and handling conflicts with team. Lastly of all, best awards come from winning gold in dragon boat and being nominated in the award for Singapore Women's Weekly for Great Women of Our Time.
Given the choice, i would give my life to God who made me to be what i am today.
At the beginning of 2007, it was whirl wind but i started to pick up under water hockey, skating and gearing up for triathlon which is in my heart (aDdictive). I started to appreciate sports even more because it shape my perceptive and put me in sharp focus at my work place and in tuition centre where i teach 4 youths.
4 youths are other challenge that i face after i had taught one youth who turned over new leaf. They gave me alot of problems but the most challenging of all are to instill the interest of studying in them.
today one of them turned up early and show his interest in studies. It was amazing after last week's scolding for them who came very late for lessons. They had their habits for whipping excuses and coming late for tuition that cause other tutors to give up on them.
I learnt how to add compassion on them beside being strict and firm with them. Pray that they will turn around when they realise the importance of studies and their parents' hard work to see them thru education.
Growing up period for them will change them and they tends to go rebellious. i have to adopt the different approach after observing and scolding them last week.
Oh God, my Father, i pray that they will open up to you and see the importance of studies. Therefore they will be able to reap the hard work they put in.
Thank you Father. Amen
