Life is Like A Box of Chocolates

(Taken from a page from Chao's Therapy - my personal beliefs, insights, and inspirations to living life.)

Somehow or rather, I believe that we are all destined for happiness. It can come in a grand way like achieving wealth, fame, status, etc. However, it can also 'seep' into your lives in many little ways to form the big net of happiness.

There is the saying that life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you gonna get.

Let me add what I think to this saying.

Inherently, you lead a life made of happiness. What's inside the wrapped box is happiness. However, some people might get too 'impatient', or rushed into finding the source of happiness, and through the process of unwrapping the box, destroys the paper that is used to cover, shelter or embellish the very core of happiness(chocolates).

On the other hand, there are those who take a step at a time, or take pride in their discovery of the wrapped gift. Slow and steady, they peel the box of chocolates off. Layer by layer, they discover new levels of joy, of emancipation, of excitement, of jubilation. Those are the processes, or the journey one needs to undertake before finding the true core. Once you get to the chocolates, make sure you take your time to savour every bit of it. :)

Don't Bottle Up Your Feelings


Just two days back, went to explore this place called Bottle Tree Park at Yishun. Well, just thought of getting away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Hard to find relaxing nature spots in Singapore nowadays. But anyway, was good to walk around, take in some fresh air, and just relax. Having said that, been a long time since I have taken any new pictures!

Can't help but ponder, have we all forgotten to stop, relax, and appreciate what's around us?

Love Thyself

Time check. 2.10a.m. No. I am not suffering from insomnia. In fact, I usually sleep around this hour, or even later. Not a healthy habit to be proud of, I know. But, it probably shows the energy level within me. Or is it simply because I have slacked too much? Either way, I definitely know that I need to cut down on the late hours as soon as my job starts. Which I presume is pretty soon. Next week?

A lot of things got me thinking lately. Family, friends, relationships, and of course my own personal life. Sometimes I find that I indeed have a very complex mind to start with. Puzzles tend to form in my mind at times, and I am always figuring out how to solve them. Look, I don't even know what I am saying. But my perspective on things are definitely different than most folks I know. I don't know if it is a good or bad thing. Well, it's probably good to know that my imagination knows no boundaries. On the other hand, it can get pretty scary when they go wild or beyond control.

I have been trying to be perfect. In many ways. But I admit I have not put in a lot of effort into doing this. A friend told me one shouldn't be too hard on oneself. But I haven't really been too hard on myself anyway. However, I know that I need to step out of any comfort zone I am left in now, in order to pursue greater heights, and therefore improvements. I must say I have stepped out of quite a number of comfort zones I had in the past. But it definitely could be better. I definitely could work harder.

With the start of my new job, I presume that I would be extremely busy. School, tuition, and now work. I need to try really hard to strike a balance, to let in some air. In this aspect, I believe I could manage it pretty well previously, as I know myself in and out. But this time round, more commitments could prove to be not so easy after all. Nevertheless, I am not giving up my belief of achieving work-life balance, even from the start. I have listened to so many stories about people who need to 'chiong' so much for the initial stages just to reach the desired outcome. However, along the way, they forgot to 'stop and smell the flowers' that pave their way. As a result, things get compromised. Health is an issue, how about relationships?

So yes, I don't subscribe to the notion of 'with with no play'. As the saying goes, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". Times have changed. Things have changed. We ought to change our approach in lives too. Work smart, not just work hard. Think about it. We are already living in such a hectic society. Not to mention about the 8-5 mundane duties. We all need a little breather. You just gotta find your own tank of air supply.

This is a note to myself. As busy as I could possibly get, do not overstress yourself! Scream, shout, if necessary. Let any bad air out. Let your hair down(though short), close your eyes, listen to the sounds of the surrounding, or pop in your favourite songs after work, read your favourite books, sing your favourite songs. And life could just get a lot more meaningful, fulfilling, and less taxing.

Remember the flowers?

Still awaiting news of approval by MDA. Hopefully they would approve my application so I could start this journey of pursuing my dream. :)

Not having a job kinda sucks. Not to mention the zero income pathetic state. While I have some tuition assignments to backup, they are not enough to suffice in the long run. Unless I convert to be a full-time tutor and chiong - filling every single day with lessons. That wouldn't be an ideal situation, would it? After all, a good income not backed up by worthwhile experience is somehow not satisfying enough. Unless my aspiration is to be a teacher? But surely enough, I know that I would probably not sign up as a MOE teacher of any sort. While I like to teach, I don't think I am able to cope with the mundane teaching process of seeing students graduate each year and having to form a new bond with new ones again. I guess it would be a very tedious process - both physically and emotionally. That was why I took up tuition. Besides being a source of side income, it kind of fulfil my satisfaction of teaching. Rules? I set it.

I used to mention that I need a lot of flexibility in work. That was why I could not see myself doing a 9-to-5 job. Then again, I know very well that I couldn't be freelancing all the way? Surely, there must be some credible job experience to fill my resume? What's more, if I were to pursue the writing business, going 9-to-5 is a definite must. Well, at least there is something to console myself - that I am going to do something I like.

I know trying to balance work with passion is a really ardous task. Especially if you are living in such a hectic society that focuses a great deal on meritocracy. I have already walked this path that debunks that "I need a good tertiary degree cert to survive". And I have never looked back. Two years ago, it was so tough to find a good job in the job market.

***As I was typing this entry, I received a call...***

To be continued...

Past - Present - Passion

It's been a while since I last updated my blog. Well, I don't think this has much to do with procrastination, since the literal meaning of the word simply means to not do this thing(blog) to do other things of lesser priority. Quite contrary to this, it has been quite an eventful past few weeks.

ICT (reservist) has been great. It was so good to catch up with my NS mates. And what wonderful stories to hear about each time I am back at camp. I did not need to 'chiong' this time round, though my sergeant thought I should just 'join in the fun'. But seriously, after what happened last year, I just should not do things that I am not required to, considering I have already downgraded before ORD.

Oh well, ICT this time round has also opened my eyes to a lot of things. Within a short span of 10 days, I have witnessed ugly things. Can't help it but feel disappointed why such things would occur. I guess our whole company felt betrayed in a sense. You just cannot trust anybody so easily anymore, not even the one you used to call "brother".

On another note, I have quit my previous job in the internet marketing company due to the inefficiency and incomprehensibly lack of understanding and sensitivity of the boss. Seriously, heck it. Didn't even want to think about it anymore. Am so glad that quit soon enough. At least I can go on to greener pastures.

Having said that, I stumbled upon this magazine publishing company. Went for their interview and am so happy and blessed to know that they are willing to hire me as an intern. My monthly pay would be provided by the MDA! And the company is topping up on that.

Initially, spoke to Aaron about my concerns. I mentioned that I think that I have a wide range of interests and that I can probably do a lot of things - music, teach, write, draw, etc... He told me to think about what is the one thing I can do in the wee hours out of self-motivation and interest. To think of it, it is definitely WRITING. In fact, it dawned upon me that I really like to write alot. My many entries on my triond portfolio http://www.triond.com/users/nightcharmer are testimonies to my passion. :)

Back to the interview, it went really well. The managers said they were impressed by my writings, to which I felt really flattered. Then again, I know that if I were to go into this field, I gotta put in my best effort to go far. It is not going to be easy - with all the deadlines to meet and so on. But I am going all the way for this passion. :)