• Ramblings

    Important Things In Life

    November 24, 2012

    Got this off Facebook, thought I will put it here to remind myself:

     

    A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

    The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles roll
    ed into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

    The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full.. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’

    The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.The students laughed..

    ‘Now,’ said the professor as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things—-your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions—-and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.. The sand is everything else—-the small stuff.

    ‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

    If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

    Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

    Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.

    Take care of the golf balls first—-the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

    One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, ‘I’m glad you asked.’ The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

    Read More
  • Ramblings

    The Fly

    August 21, 2012

    Little Fly,
    Thy summer’s play
    My thoughtless hand
    Has brushed away.

    Am not I
    A fly like thee?
    Or art not thou
    A man like me?

    For I dance
    And drink, and sing,
    Till some blind hand
    Shall brush my wing.

    If thought is life
    And strength and breath
    And the want
    Of thought is death;

    Then am I
    A happy fly,
    If I live,
    Or if I die.

     – William Blake, Songs of Innocence and of Experience

    It came as a shock when news of his passing reached me. Here was a man who was always nice to those around him, and who worked for him. Here was a man who had so much passion in sports, in living a healthy lifestyle. Here was a man who was capable, and thus was a rising star in the company. Here was a man, with a family, and another kid on the way.

    Sometimes, life really isn’t fair.

    Read More
  • Ramblings

    Recognition

    March 24, 2012

    I had this thought recently. What if sadness had embed itself so deeply into my life, latched onto my soul, and reverberates into the core of my being that it became the norm? What if I went through life without any expectations, or dreams, or aspirations, because I do not realistically expect any after years of dashed hopes and dreams?

    What if one day I found happiness, will I still be able to recognise it? Will I still remember how it taste and smell like, feel like? What if I had completely forgotten what it feels like to be happy and let it slip past me unnoticed?

    I need to remember how it feels like to be happy. I need to recognise happiness, again.

    Read More
  • Ramblings

    A Tinge of Regret

    February 4, 2012

    Through the myriad clouds of emotions, I could detect a tinge of regret. On both sides. We both are turning our heads, trying to steal a last glance of each other, even though we are already on separate paths. With each step, our lives moves further from each other, yet there is this nagging thought of ‘what if’.

    When you open your heart willingly and without any reservations, you run the risk of forever stuck in the bottomless pit that is created. On quiet nights, you find yourself trying to answer the question ‘what if’, trying to find some sense and purpose as to why it happened, trying to make yourself feel better, trying to hold back the tears, trying to forget. And you realise the harder that you try, the worst it becomes.

    Years may have dulled the pain, years may have clouded the memories, but it certainly doesn’t make it easier to go through such nights.

    A tinge of regret? No. The amount of regret in this myriad of emotions is enough to, if stacked, go all the way to the moon. And back. Twice.

    Read More
  • Ramblings

    Chinese New Year

    January 23, 2012

    When I was much younger, I love Chinese New Year. New clothes, food, soft drinks, red packets, which kid does not like these? It was only during wedding dinners and Chinese New Year that I was allowed to drink soft drinks, and soft drinks served at that time were usually F&N Orange. This is why I still have a soft spot for this drink.

    As I grow older, I begin to dread Chinese New Year. After the food, the soft drinks and the red packets, there wasn’t really much for me to do at my relatives place. My father would spend the entire day playing the customary mahjong, while the rest of us will be bored stiff. We usually end up watching TV. And we always stay till late at night, sometimes reaching home only after 3am. I will usually end up sleeping in my cousin room’s floor. I was tired, smelly and bored.

    And to add on to all these, my relatives have a tendency to throw tantrums, even to their own brothers and sisters. People will come late, and when they arrived, their face was as black as charcoal. People will quarrel with each other, yes, on Chinese New Year. There was hardly any laughter, nor joy.

    As I grew older, I was allowed some freedom. I was allowed to join my friends at the movies, or some fast food outlet after staying at my relatives place for a while. I remember I can’t wait to leave the place.

    So when I stopped contact with my relatives (another story for another time), Chinese New Year became much better. Sure, there was hardly any visiting, nor any red packets, but I get to spend it with people I love, my family which really mean a lot to me, and people I really care about. The laugher, the joy that are associated with the Chinese New Year, were all coming back to me.

    I think once you start to remove all the negative and toxic people from your life, then you will start to feel lighter, happier and living the life that it was meant to be.

    Happy Chinese New Year everyone, and may you have no more negative and toxic people in your life.

    Read More
  • Ramblings

    Running Away

    September 10, 2011

    I have been teasing her that she is always running away when someone is available and shows even the slightest hint of interest.

    And when she started teasing me the same thing recently, I came up with all kinds of reasons, though deep down I knew these reasons were not true. I search within to find the answer why I wanted to give up, and I cannot find any.

    Perhaps I am tired, perhaps I am unwilling to wait, or perhaps I just want to know the results immediately.

    However, it is this thought that scares me most, perhaps I do not believe in it any more.

    Read More