Life Lesson #12: Busy or Free?

I flipped through my notebook yesterday to update my event calendar.

I used to love event calendars because they kept everything so organized. Even if I didn't need one, I'd get one simply because I liked the little boxes with dates and days.

Now, I'm almost completely dependent on my event calendar.

I jot down my appointments, friends' birthdays, special events, competitions etc.... Recently, I did a review of it and realized how packed it really was.

2012 is a busy year for me. My event calendar was bursting with different activities. At the time of filling in those tiny boxes, I believed myself to be joyful, annoyed, upset, frustrated, excited and maybe, even gushing different types of emotions.

When I look at them now though, I feel nothing but happiness and fulfilment.

Being busy doesn't necessarily translate for a sad, lonely life with no meaning but work after work.

Being free doesn't mean being able to live the life we envisage.

For me, I need the former to keep me satisfied, pumped and happy.

This may sound weird, (and I'm sure it does), but a busy life teaches me to appreciate time.

When I'm free with nothing to do, it's hard for me to push myself to do things.

When I'm busy with three or four tasks at hand, I learn to be more productive and maximise use of time. In fact, I often picture myself juggling different assignments in the future, but nonetheless still living a great life.

But hey, I guess everyone's different. Some people may fare better in their free time, when they can achieve peace and tranquility and think carefully about the next step.

We are all different in our own thoughts and principles, but these differences are not a platform for us to be wary or critical of others.

Respect one another for our differences - it is because of them that the world is truly a more colourful, exciting place.

Life Lesson #11: Of Happiness

I always thought that a good day would surely lead to happiness.

A smile from a friend, a teacher giving less homework, remembering to bring every single thing I need to school. These were the things that made me happy.

If a friend was in a bad mood, I would be in a sour mood. If by recess there were more than 2 pieces of homework jotted down in my notebook, I'd be in a foul mood. Forget to bring a book to school? My mood would worsen with every book I forgot to bring.

For years I assumed that everything that happened in my life controlled my moods. In order to be happy I had to wish for all these good things to happen to me.

It was not until today that I realized the futility of it all.

A book written by Andrew Matthews taught me this lesson. Accordingly entitled "Happiness Now", every single illustrated (yay!) chapter in his book is aimed at showing people how happiness is easily achieved.

Happiness is not something that we earn; it is in every single one of us, waiting to be shown through a smile, a simple gesture or an emotion.

I looked back on my life and I've realized that I was truly happy when I chose to be happy, not when all these good things I've just described happened.

When I wanted to feel happy, I lost the usual Monday blues.

I didn't even blast off at a friend who forgot to bring my paper for me. (don't worry - I wasn't mad at you, and I will not be mad at you :)

Instead, when I was happy, I was more productive, I felt better, and I really solved problems instead of worrying incessantly over them.

Sometimes, all it takes is to flex your facial muscles and muster a smile.

It can light up a day, make you happier, and possibly make someone happy as well.

Don't wait for someone or something to make you happy, because they don't have the obligation to do it for you.

Instead, make yourself happy by feeling happy.

It is only then that you truly see the value in life and learn to embrace your problems one step at a time.

Life Lesson #10 : Grandparents are around!

My grandparents are here again!

It's not often that I get to meet my grandparents, given the fact that they live in our neighbouring country, Indonesia, instead of neighbouring states or cities. Thankfully, when they do visit us, they stay for a longer-than-normal period of vacation time.

I love it when my grandparents are around.

My grandmother is a great cook. She's also quite optimistic in life.

My grandfather has an interesting sense of humour. Plus, he's got green fingers (a skill that was, unfortunately, not inherited by me).

I didn't really talk much to my grandparents until these few years.

But I'm glad I did.

There is an old Chinese saying that states that the old ginger possesses the spiciest flavour.

Of course, there is no denying that this statement has its own flaws. But nonetheless, it has survived the changes of time till this day because there is almost always truth in this saying, for most situations.

Perhaps your grandparents may not be able to teach you how to solve a chemistry question or tell you how cool they think the latest pop song is, they can teach us a lot simply from the way they look at life.

By telling us stories of their lives, by preparing scrumptious traditional dishes or just by simply sitting next to us while watching TV, they show us the value in tradition and value in life.

They teach me to be appreciative, because even if there's nothing to be thankful for, we can at least be grateful for being given a chance to live.

Life Lesson #9: Of A Taekwondo Exam

After 5 years of practice, I finally found myself in the face of a black belt exam.

Actually, I could've taken my black belt exam in March. I chickened out at the last minute and pulled out.

I would've very much liked to "chicken out" today as well.

Luckily, the prospect of wasting USD$80 weighed down heavily on me.

Words can't describe my feelings today. I was nervous/excited/scared/calm at the same time.

The session I was most nervous about was the board-breaking session.

I was equally worried about the free sparring session.

I had never been good at sparring. I tended to hop about too much and misjudge distances. Lady luck shone on me today and I managed to come out, unscathed. At least, that's what I think. After a day's rest, I should be able to tell whether or not I've perfectly un-scarred.

As for the breaking..... I DID IT! With some luck, strength and some techniques.

The most important lesson I learnt from this though, was not the fact that I seriously needed to put on more weight, muscle and strength.

Rather, it was learning that to succeed, one must be calm, patient and confident.

Even when you are faced with something you have never broken in previous attempts.

Having confidence is already half the battle won.

The few times I was unsure of my abilities (and scared of the board), I failed to break it on first attempt.

The same goes for life.

Sometimes, we are uncertain about the unknowns in our life. We don't feel confident about something new, something challenging, something that haunts our past.

But feeling like this will NEVER get us anywhere. 

We should always try to feel confident and optimistic about life, albeit knowing how unpredictable and surprising life can be.

Even if it happens to slap you in the face like a big, wet fish, let us remain positive and be confident that there will be better days ahead. P.s. we should also feel thankful that it's just a fish, not a 1-inch wooden board.

CONFIDENCE + OPTIMISM + HARD WORK = SUCCESS

Actually, these two boards don't fit. I couldn't find two pieces that fit for a momento.