Meaningful Living

See the glass half full, something we often hear people advise, but not easy to comprehend or execute. Basically, if a glass is half filled with water, do we see the water or do we see the empty part?  Some will link it to being optimist or pessimist.  I prefer to use having appreciation to guide my thinking.  Focus and thank God (or whoever we love) for the things we have.   If we always complain or stress over what we do not have, there is no ending to it.   Because there are too many things we do not have or will never have, and we will forever be unhappy for all the things that we wished we had.    For example, be grateful that we have a bowl of noodles for lunch, instead of being unhappy that our favourite chicken rice stall was closed that day.  Be happy that our boss is not in office today to disturb us, rather than wishing we had taken a day off. What we have is finite.  We can see and feel.  What we do not have is infinite, and ...

I used to love mayonnaise, until I found out what it is made from; raw eggs emulsified in loads of oil. Firstly, there is the risk of getting infected with the Salmonella bacteria (present in raw eggs and meat), one cause of food poisoning.  Factory-made mayonnaise should be relatively safe though.  Next, because of the large amount of oil used, mayonnaise is basically fats.  For mayonnaise lovers, moderation is the key. For me, I still love my burgers.  But nowadays I make my own mayo-less versions, with ingredients like steamed/grilled chicken/pork, lettuce, fried egg, cucumber and tomato, with a dash of soy sauce.  You may check out online videos on how mayonnaise is made.

At the 2007 Miss Universe Pageant, Miss Japan was asked "What was one thing that you learned from young which you will hang on forever?"  In brief, her answer was "To be happy".   She won the title in the end, not likely just due to this answer, but likely due to the way she portrayed herself throughout the competition, through her belief. Happiness is something that is not easy to achieve in this competitive society.   Distractions, frustrations and stress often creep into our lives, taking happiness away. I was at a mall one day.   There was a long car queue coming into the mall.   S omeone started horning, and many others horned back.   It was an ugly scene.   If only those who sounded the horn realised that they were part of the reason causing the jam. At the food court in the mall, one guy queuing for food was scolding his wife loudly (or girlfriend) because the queue was long.  For me, I just went over to another stall with a short que...

The definition for Success for different individuals is not the same.  For me, I would consider I have succeeded when : I am happy with what I do; I am able to contribute back to the society; and I am being loved and respected by others These are closely related to being able to have a positive attitude towards life. I feel that, there is no right or wrong to how each person defines success, as long as he is happy with his life, and as long as it does not involve hurting others.

Having a good attitude determines the quality of our life in a big way, because attitude is one big thing that affects our decision making . What we can do : Think Positive : "How can I get it done" vs "It is difficult to do", "Look at the Glass half full" vs "Look at the glass half empty". We need to look at what we have, and be grateful for it.  If we keep looking at what we do not have and blame life about it, the blaming will never end, because there are too many things we do not have. Be Wise : Accept the fact that we do not know everything, and be humble to learn.  Contribute : The world does not revolve around me.  I can contribute.  I can do good things.  Be nice. Cover pic  : Whether it is a whale or a snail, depends on how we see it or how we shape it.