Share the Good Stuff Regardless of the "likes" You Get

Just because no one gives you a "like" on your post, it does not mean your post is no good or no one appreciates it. If you have good stuff to share, something that can benefit others, by all means go ahead and share. Some friends could be busy reading your content and forgot to "like", while some may not have this habit of clicking the "like" button, but it does not mean that they are not reading your post or the content is no good. Let your kind intent to share the good things overcome the fear of rejection or the need for appreciation.

While the number of "likes" may not truly reflect the level of appreciation, it is definitely encouraging for the initiator to receive this form of appreciation. So, be generous in giving your "likes", be an encouraging friend, because human beings thrive on support, love and encouragement. We need all these to keep going and to achieve greater things. Thank you for giving that act of kindness <3

Send A Greeting

All our life, we meet and interact with so many people, they come and they go. Some people leave a deep impression on us because they are responsible, they are kind, they are genuine and they truly care. Maybe the opportunity to stay connected physically is not there anymore, but IT has open up new doors in the virtual space. We have so many mode of communications these days and it is always nice to drop a message to these friends whenever we think of them. It is also heartening to know that people remember you and make an effort to send a greeting. Be the one who takes the initiative, it doesn't hurt or takes much time to send this message out, to care for someone who touched your life in some ways, in a certain stage of your life.

Interest Spurs Motivation & Drives Passion

I can spend hours surfing the web, youtube, searching for info related to my interest but give me a textbook to self study and I will fall asleep in less than an hour.

The key about learning, as with the many things we do in Life, is all about enjoying the process. If we don't enjoy the process, we will find no meaning in continuing and thereafter cannot sustain the process.

My own experience above illustrates that, I enjoy the process, I enjoy the method, time flies. When I don't like the method or the topic, I doze off.

If a child is forced to learn, to achieve good grades, then the child will not be as motivated as when he/ she is eager to acquire the knowledge and finds joy in doing so. We heard of people being very passionate in pursing their hobbies/ interest but we rarely hear people being very stressed up doing something they like. That is difference between enjoying and not enjoying.

If we want to achieve big things in life, we got to learn to enjoy the little things that will help build positive momentum to get us there. If we want to inspire learning, we need to get the kids interested in learning. It must be fun to them in some ways.

If we want to make the world a better place, we got to share all the amazing experiences of giving kindness and making people interested in giving (not shaming them when they did not do as expected). Even if you want to be a millionaire, start by being interested in making money, start by being interested in making dollar by dollar.

Start with the little things, one step at a time, build positive momentum to propel you towards success, and enjoy every part of the journey. It will make Life so much more interesting and meaningful.

Our Youth is Our Future, Support Them !

I am not much of a cookie fan but I bought a box of cookies from a group of students doing fundraising.

I find it very encouraging to see students, youth being involved in volunteer work or campaigning for a good cause, and I think we should support them whenever we can.

The youth of today will be the leaders of tomorrow, they could be our ministers, doctors or even bosses. If we instill kindness and compassion in them now, we will definitely be in safe hands when they take over the leadership.

Encouraging them to do good and instilling the right values in them will help them grow up to be considerate and responsible adults, which will mean less social problems and a more peace loving community.

Let's support the students and youth who are doing canvassing, flag days or even performing, because it will do them and us a world of good. If you ask me what the future of Singapore will be like in the next 50 years, I say it depends on how well we influence and inspire the youth of today.

The World Is Your Mirror

The world is your mirror. If you are nice to people, you are kind and positive, chances are you will meet kind people and people will be nice to you.

The world is how you perceive it to be; if you see it as cruel, cold and selfish, chances are things will happen to support your perspective. If you see the world as a warm and loving place filled with hope, you are likely to see the good side of humanity and continue to keep the faith.

What we want to get out of Life, how we wish to be treated, really depends on what we put into Life and how we treat others.
No one gets through life without a single act of kindness, we receive some forms of advice, encouragement or guidance at different stages.

What differentiates all of us is how much kindness we are willing to pay forward or give back to society, which ultimately determines our behaviour and perception of the world.

Counting My Blessings During A Thunderstorm

You know you are blessed when there is a thunderstorm outside and you are dry and safe in a sheltered environment. With changing weather conditions & earthquakes happening at different parts of the world, I am thankful that I am safe in our concrete jungle, sheltered from the storm when it rains and enjoying the aircon when it gets too hot.

The Pen Is Mightier than the Sword

The words we say, the words we type out, have an effect on the recipients we send to. It can heal and encourage, or it can also hurt and destroy a person. This is especially so for the words we type out, because they carry little emotions and at times can cause misunderstandings.

Speaking good words, cultivating good thoughts, seem like the most natural and morally right thing to do, but it takes conscious effort to do it well, because negative energy is all around us and we are bound to be affected by them.

If you have the gift to write, use it wisely to generate more love and positive energy. It will bring you joy and inner peace.

List of Things that can Cheer You Up when you are Facing Negative

I think all of us should have a list.

This list is about the things that can cheer us up when we are suddenly overwhelmed by negative emotions, such as anger, worries, sadness or stress.

In a rapidly moving world and people getting increasing connected, negative energy can flow to us quickly, even when the intent is not to influence anyone to be negative. Our loved ones could be sharing their fears or worries and it could easily rub onto you and make you feel insecure. On other occasions, the stress level from over-expectation can make you feel overwhelmed. When we are are stressed up, we can get angry very easily, even the slightest trigger can lead to a big reaction/ outburst.

Having a list stored somewhere in our phone, or in a place we can easily refer, or simply memorise it, is a proactive and preventive action. When we get suddenly overwhelmed by these negative emotions, the list will guide us on the things we can do to calm ourselves down and diffuse the negative emotions. It is only beneficial to us because negative emotions is bad for our physical and mental health.

So, go on and think of 5 things that will make you happy, or 5 things that you really enjoy doing. As long as it is non-destructive, go ahead and write them down, because it can come in very handy, when you suddenly need it.

Kindness From A Neighbour

Walked into the lift and a kind neighbour from upstairs alerted me to some ice cream stains on the floor and asked me not to step on it as it could be slippery.

We never spoke prior to this and I had no memory of seeing her previously. She doesn't have to do that as we were complete strangers, but she did it anyway and that makes kindness valuable. Nothing is more heartwarming than giving from the heart, without obligation or expectation on what to do.

Giving Kindness, Generating Happiness

I have this habit of collecting the bonus point coupons from NTUC grocery shopping but this time round, the Tefal induction cookware is not very appealing to me. Since the redemption period is ending soon, I thought might as well go take another look and see if there is anything I need.

When I was there, I saw a mother daughter pair trying to get one of the Tefal cookware but they were not holding onto any coupons, so I offered them all my coupons (about 10 points). They were happy and thankful as it meant significant savings instead of getting at retail price. But I guess it is more of this simple gesture of kindness that made us all happy, instead of the cost savings.

After buying my grocery, I got another coupon and passed it to a Malay Auntie, it made her happy too. How easy and cheap is it to achieve happiness?

Simple Gestures, Great Repercussions

It is always a nice feeling to give.

I boarded the train at Marina Bay station to Bayfront MRT and saw two tourists with a toddler outside the train looking quite lost. There were no station staff to ask and they were busy using their smartphone to search for direction. I thought that it doesn't take much of an effort for me to step out of the train to offer help and so I approached them and asked if they need any help. It turned out that they were Taiwanese tourists and struggling with all the station names labelled in English. They wanted to go MBS and GBTB but didn't know which station to alight, so I brought them to Bayfront station and advised them on the directions. They were very thankful.

I was watching a show with my loved one and seated beside us were 3 Caucasian auntie and uncles. After the show's interval, we saw the group coming back but there were looking lost at the wrong seating, probably confused at where were their original seating. I did the simplest of gesture to wave at them and they got the signal and were all smiles when they returned to their seats.

Simple gesture can mean a lot to the recipients, especially when they least expect it. When you take the initiative to help someone when they did not even ask for it, you will warm hearts and make their day brighter. Changing the world seems such a big thing, yet it is all so achievable through the little things we do for one another. Kindness opportunities are everywhere, just open your heart to kindness and the opportunies will all come to you.

Make our world a better place, for you and me, and for our children and future generations. It is always possible, achievable when you believe and willing to make that change. Cheer :)

Doing the Housework is Developing Good Values

My mum never spared me the housework since a young age and till today I am grateful for that. Ever since my teenage years, my mum had "bestowed" me with responsibilities of cleaning the house, ranging from sweeping, mopping the floor, to cleaning the furniture, ironing and washing my own laundry (and yes, hand-wash not machine-wash).

While it mean less time for TV, computer games or even studies, I am glad to pick up essential life skills that I still find it useful today. Other than knowing how to do the housework, I am able to do it faster through years of practice and even new chores like changing taps doesn't not scare me off. I derived great satisfaction through clearing clutters, scrubbing algae and basically transforming something dirty into something clean. I am also proud of what I can contribute to my household. My previous transition into NS and subsequently staying on my own in the uni hostel were also made less painful because I could manage all the cleaning.

Sometimes, parents may think that their children should not be involved in doing the housework because either the maids or the parents themselves should be doing it. However, introducing household chores to the children may just do more good than harm.

It teaches them responsibilities, that they have a part to play to upkeep the cleanliness of the house. It teaches them to be considerate, because if you make a mess, someone has to clean up and that person could be you. It grows their confidence, because they can do so much more than what is expected of them. It teaches them independence and equip them with essential life skills that can help them in later stages of their lives. It teaches them discipline, because housework has be done on a regular basis, not as and when you feel like doing. Finally, it helps them spend time constructively, less time on the gadgets, TV and computer games, which studies have shown to be beneficial in terms of physical (eyesight) and mental (attention span) health.

I hope this parenting tip helps for many of our young parents today. Cheers.

PS: My mum didn't force the housework upon me or threaten not to feed me if the housework is not done. Instead, she encouraged me and gave me lots of compliments for doing a good job. In a way, I felt motivated when doing the housework.

Stop the Influence of Negativity

Donald Trump winning the US presidential election shocked the world, the stock markets across the world took a dive, people on the Internet and social media were talking about end of the world, it feels more like an alien invasion than a presidential election to me.

I am not going to singing the praises of Donald Trump nor criticise his campaigning antics or ideologies, other than I find it quite admirable that he is still full energy and gusto at an old age of 70 years old. What I hope to achieve in all my writings is to spread the positive vibes and remove any much negativity as I can.

With half of Americans feeling unhappy, people all over the world worried and being insecure, can we stop for a moment to ask ourselves this, maybe things are not as bad as what we imagined it to be? Also, he is a Day 0 president as of now, isn't it fair to judge him only after he completes half or even full term as US president? I believe that everything happens for a reason and if he is as terrible a president as what many fear, then the Americans learned a painful lesson and they rebuild again 4 years later.

I am hopeful that something good will come out of this. And by the time this post becomes a memory flagged out by Facebook 2 or 3 years later, hopefully the world has seen some positive and encouraging changes, led by the man whom many hate now.

Counting Our Blessings: A Loaf Of Bread

I usually don't get too excited when I know there is a loaf of sliced bread in the house, or raspberry jam and sliced cheese in the refrigerator. After all, there are so much more being offered out there. Cakes and pastries aside, the way bread is prepared and served is so much different these days, you have Breadtalk and the neighbourhood bread shops selling breads with so many different flavours.

However, when hunger strikes and I don't wish to get out of the house, or when the shops out there are already closed, the sliced bread with cheese or jam seems such a luxurious treat to me. It has never tasted more delicious than at these times and I feel very blessed to be able to satisfy my hunger with just sliced bread.
Come think of it, why are we unhappy today? Have we been given so much that raise our expectation so high that we are no longer contented with the simple pleasures that we once treasured? And when we get into a situation whereby the options become limited again, we will then realise that we had so much more previously.

So, if we can count our blessings and find contentment in what we are given, we will gain happiness and inner peace. Else, it is a relentless pursuit of wanting more and more.

Bloom Like A Flower

Flowers, no matter how beautiful, will one day wither and fall. The same goes for all of us, we all have our own expiry dates. What matters is not how long we can live, but rather, while we are still alive, have we really bloom like a flower?

Have we brighten the world with our (inner) beauty? Have we make an effort, through the little things we do in Life, to change things or change the world for the better? Have we lived in such a way, that when people think of us, it brings a smile to their face because their lives are enriched by us? Have we given love, given encouragement and given hope, to the people who need them most?

Have we been true to ourselves, to be responsible for our own actions, even when no one is watching? Do we have the courage to live the Life we really want, and not let the standards defined by others to be a benchmark for our own achievements?
If your answer to the above questions is yes, then I believe you are living a meaningful and purposeful Life. Of course, everyday is an opportunity to improve ourselves, change is always possible, if we are not living the Life we deem meaningful.

The Power of Hate

When you don't like someone and happen to see that person doing very well, leading a seemingly happier life than you, do you feel uncomfortable? You may be thinking, what has he/ she done to deserve these blessings after the hurt inflicted on you previously?

That is the power of hate, which brings about anger. You see that while that person is enjoying life elsewhere, he/ she is not inflicting any more damages to you (at this moment). However, the hate inside you decides that you should suffer more, with reasons of anger or injustice filling your mind.

There is no other way that you could do to make you feel better, other than to put down the hate and to shift the focus away. Whatever hurt/ damage has passed, if you cant forgive that person, so be it, but dont torture yourself with more sufferings by harbouring the hate and evoking the painful memories. The reasons of happiness and unhappiness lay in front of you everyday, make a wise choice, my dear friends.

Give Kindness Regardless of Appreciation

I smile to the bus driver when I board the bus, not all bus drivers will acknowledge, I smile anyway.

I press the lift open button for fellow passengers to exit first, not all will show appreciation, I press the lift open button anyway.

I write articles to encourage kindness, positivity and happiness, not everyone will be influenced, I write anyway.

Because every action I give, is my little effort to change things for the better. While it may not be 100% successful, I know that by not doing anything, it is as good as 100% failure.

For every bus uncle who smiled back, for every lift passenger who said thank you and for every friend who was motivated, even just for a short while, I know I have made a positive impact, maybe even a ripple effect for him/ her to pass the kindness/ positive energy forward.

In this journey, I have seen many impossible targets made possible, when someone is willing to take the lead and rally people towards a good cause. You can be that special someone today, when you believe that the power of change is in your hands.