Who Am I? A father of two in his late forties, trying to find new meaning and new challenges in life by being a little more kind. So that when he dies, he...
I am a big believer in volunteering and charity work. It opens up opportunities and a good training ground to develop new skills. In fact, I have made friends who are sincere with a good heart. Through volunteering, the experience reminds me that I am blessed and lucky. I would encourage anyone who feels lost and frustrated to do volunteering work. Volunteering work cannot be a crutch, and it…
A child was crying because she does not want to attend piano lessons. The mother was trying to console her, telling her that when the mother was a child, she did not have the chance to learn music. Therefore, the child should be grateful for the opportunity. I have heard such stories all my life. I have friends who grow up packed full of activities. Monday is art lesson, Tuesday is swimming…
A good friend who is religious would always preach me on how I should live life. I do practice religion but not exactly religious. I made a point not to debate with him as I respect his way of living. He respects mine but feels that there are room for improvement. Many of my misery are avoidable, if I fully embrace religion. I agree what he says just that I prefer not to bring up the topic of…
There are times in life that things are just not your fault, but you have to suffer the consequences. You are late for an important meeting because the train got delayed. When you walk into the meeting do you explain first and apologise or apologise first and explain? Neither. You bite your tongue, apologise, and try to salvage the situation. No one likes to hear excuses. Is this fair? It is not.…
In my line of business, I need to do a lot of networking. The traditional networking method is through wine and dine. Unfortunately, it is very expensive. I am not a good drinker; I get drunk easily. It is both expensive and risky for everyone involved. The alternative network method is through exercise. The traditional way is by playing golf. Again, I do not play golf as I find golfing takes up…
Not every day is a good day. We cannot be happy every day. If we are happy every day, we are probably in a mental hospital. It is only through suffering that makes us appreciate the good days. Whether we are playing games or building something. There will always be setback and frustrations. These are all sufferings. When we manage to have a breakthrough, that's where happiness comes. The greater…
There was a stage of my life where I would confide my problems to a friend. I was looking for emotional support or just a sounding board. There were many times that I found this person not paying attention to what I was saying. He is distracted. Obviously, I was a bit upset, but I accept it. I soon realised that I am not being fair to this person. He too has his own problem and here I am pouring…
The last few months have been depressing. I am not thinking straight and everything that I do is filled with mistakes. I tried to book a holiday or the family; I got the dates wrong twice ! I accidently pay a forced-savings plans twice . I have to send the same quotation to a client no more than 3 times because of mistakes, despite my inspections before pressing the Send button. My mind is not at…
Someone gave a remark that I must have a very good childhood with loads of pocket money. Reason is that I was able to explain and share old comic plotlines, character relationship etc. I must have a lot of pocket money to buy comic books. That is a fair reasoning, but not true. As I was growing up, my family is frugal. The family can only afford pirated comics when I was probably 10 or 11 years…
My relationship with my father has always been unstable. As I was growing up, I have always been the "good boy". Every aspect of my life was his design. He even tried to influence my children. I never dare to say no to him, but the resentment builds within me. Eventually everything boiled over in my early 40s. We did not have a fall out; I decided to do what I see and feel is correct. Many times,…
I lighted my first cigarette after 25 years. Everyone at the bar stared at me, no one said a word. They know I do not smoke. They just stared at me as I picked up a cigarette without asking the owner. I took my first drag, and the familiar feeling came back. I actually hate smoking. I smoked in my early twenties is because it was cool, but I hate the smell. I joined the smoking group in my first…