The Beauty in Taking the Longer Route

I took the wrong bus today and it took me a longer time to reach my destination. In our fast paced society where time is money, I could probably do more if I had not taken the longer route. However, instead of being self-critical, I spent the journey admiring the scenery and witnessing some new development in an otherwise unfamiliar territory.

We may go through detours and longer routes in life, because not everything will go accordingly to plan. It doesn't matter because we will eventually reach our destination, despite taking a longer time. The longer route may bring some pleasant surprises for you along the way.

No matter which route you take, always remember to enjoy every bit of the journey. Slow down if you can, Life is meant to be an enjoyable process. Too much stress, living in others' expectations, being over-competitive and end up feeling so unhappy about it will make Life lose it's purpose. The next time u have to take a longer route to reach your milestone, tell yourself that there is beauty in going the extra distance, it is up to you to unravel what's in store for you.

Be Kind to Cleaners & Help Them Fell Good About Themselves

Smile to the office/ toilet cleaners whenever we can, thank those who clear our trays and wipe the tables. This will help to bridge the distance between us and them. Some of these folks may not feel very proud of their jobs and feel inferior about themselves because of what they do. When we are nice to them, we are reassuring them that there is no difference between us and that we can be friends. A job is no more than an income generating tool, it is not to used to establish a caste system on who is more superior or more inferior. Every cleaner is also someone's parent or someone's child, and there is value in the things they do. With kindness, we can help them realise this and make them feel more confident about themselves.

The People Who Hurt Us are there for a Reason

Have we sometimes wished that some people have never come into our lives, especially those who hurt us, heaped misery on us or cheated us? However, these people come into our lives for a reason. Because of their existence, we can better appreciate those who truly care for us and are always there for us.

If we have never experienced the harsh cold winter, we would not have cherished the warm summer months. If we had not scaled the heights of the mountain, we would not have truly appreciated the spectacular view at the top of the mountain. If there is no Monday blues, there would not be weekend/ holiday joys. If there are no mean people in this world, the good and kind people would seem very ordinary.

As our wounds heal, we become stronger, just as how healing from blisters made our skin tougher and less prone to future blisters. Let's not harbour any hate against these people because we will suffer further if we hold onto the negative emotions. If we can't forgive them, then let's just ignore them, move on with life and channel the energy and time to our true friends and loved ones. We will find inner peace and be happier this way.

Receiving Kindness On A Rainy Day

It was raining heavily this morning, so heavy that you will get wet just by alighting from the bus. There was this kind lady who had an umbrella and as she alighted, she turned and offered her umbrella to shelter the rest of the passengers who were alighting. It was a very heartwarming gesture, especially for myself, the recipient of her kindness.

This is the true beauty of kindness, you don't need a reason to give (I am sure she doesn't know any of the passenger she is sheltering), you are also not obliged to give (she could have just walked off and not risked herself getting wet). But you give because you care, you give simply because you want to help someone and by doing so, you make someone's day brighter and happier. Because your action is inspiring, there will be more people giving because of you and this is how our community, our world changes for the better.

The Toothbrush with Hard Bristles

I have a toothbrush that has very hard bristles, so hard that it can cause healthy gums to bleed, when used regularly. I got it free from my previous hotel visits, so it was probably meant to be used for that one or two day of brushing. Instead of dumping it away because it is free and does not serve it's purpose, I use it to wash my kitchen sink and it is now the most trusty cleaning tool that I have. It is especially useful to clean the algae off the sink filter, the gap between the tiles on the kitchen sink top and other areas unreachable by the sponge.

We are just like the toothbrush, not all of us are made to brush teeth and gums. Just because we don't do a good job in brushing teeth, doesn't mean we have no value or any worth at all. It could be that we are made for a greater purpose; using the analogy of the toothbrush with super hard bristles, doing something that most toothbrushes can't do, that is to clean the kitchen sink. Just because we are made differently, doesn't mean we are in any ways inferior to others.

Some school dropouts made it to become millionaires or billionaires, because they choose to focus on what they can do, rather than what they can't do. You may think they are one in a million, but you can also choose to believe that you are also another one in a million. I believe in the potential inside each and every of us, and that we can all make an impact in our respective niche areas and contribute to a better world. Do you?

Don't Let Money Trascend Your Needs to Wants to Greed

You need a 3 room flat, Money gives you a penthouse.
You need a car to travel from one place to another, Money gives you a sports car.
You need a getaway holiday, Money brings you around the world.
You need a meal because you are hungry, Money gives you an international buffet spread.

It is great to have money, but always beware of the power that money has. Money can transcend your needs to wants, then to greed. With greed, people want more and if they don't get what they want, they become unhappy.

Are we unhappy because we are not earning enough to fulfill our needs or we are unhappy because we don't have enough money to fulfill our wants?

Free Things In An Expensive City

Singapore is such an expensive city to live in, everything is costly and our pay could hardly keep up. Is it even possible we could enjoy anything that is free?

The library is an extensive knowledge base for the public to use. There is free aircon and free wifi in the library. Reading from books is better on your eyes than reading from a computer screen. If you don't have enough money to buy books, educational DVDs for your kids, you can loan them from the library.

We have the good old hawker centres to offer you cheap and good food. If you can spend your morning volunteering at Willing Hearts, packing food for needy families, they will provide you with free lunch. I know some temples and mosques also provide free meals for their devotees.

We can spend money on air purifier to get purified air and anions, but there is great abundance of fresh air and negative ions in Nature. We have quite a few nature reserves that allows you to do some simple hiking in Singapore, e.g Mt Faber, MacRitchie Reservoir, Bt Timah, Sungei Buloh. No money for gym membership? Try for a more natural workout in the many parks/ fitness corners in Singapore. Also, the cycling track network is also expanding, you can ride safely while enjoying your workout.

No money for holiday? There are many places of interest that allows you to take decent photos while enjoying some nice attractions. E.g. Supertrees at Gardens By The Bay, Sentosa Island, Singapore Botanic Gardens. There are free concerts sometimes at Esplanade and the nightscape is great at its surrounding areas. The Science Centre offers free admission to Singaporeans/ PR during non-peak hours. Some museums also offer free entry to locals, e.g. National Museum of Singapore.

Rising transport cost? There is free train rides if you exit any of the 18 designated MRT stations by 7.45am on weekdays. There are free shuttle services to Qian Hu, IKEA, IMM, Gain City and Sentosa.

Want to experience a sense of satisfaction? The cost free way is to go declutter your storeroom or the clutters all around the house. Else, try cleaning the sink or bathroom that is filled with algae, you will get that sense of satisfaction when you transform your home from dirty to clean. Another way is to try volunteering and helping people, it is a very rewarding experience.

There are things which are costly but there are also things that are free, we cannot use the expensive items to generalise everything and then be unhappy about it. Just as life can give you reasons to be unhappy, you can life reasons to be happy. It is always possible and you always have a choice, so choose wisely. Cheers :)