Baggages

Yes, we all have lots of baggages collected over certain periods of time in our lives, just that you might not actually realise that you have been lugging them along for so long.

Being a Singaporean Chinese, the Lunar New Year is approaching and it is when we end the year and welcome the start of another year on a joyous festive note.
Everybody should be wrapping up what they call the "spring cleaning", before the LNY Eve approaches. During this period of time, while everybody is busy cleaning their houses spanking clean, some of us are still struggling with our baggages that are perhaps long due for the thrash can. And some of these baggages can actually be quite new!

These baggages are of different sizes; big & small. And they hold emotions, memories, experiences and occassionally, lessons that we can bring along in life.
These are what makes us carry the baggages along into different stages of life, and in some way or another, affecting the way we live our lives. One may deny that such actually affect his/her life, but the fact is that subconsciously, it is. Some of us may realise this, some of us may not; in fact at times people are still living in the shadows of their past. Certain things that people do, say, are skeptical of and/or hang on to, are due to what has happened to them before, perhaps for an example, in a relationship. A thousand things can happen in a relationship and certain fateful event leaves behind a scar. Unknowningly, this becomes part of the baggage. With this baggage, this traveller is constantly being reminded of the scar each time a trigger is pulled. Thus, casting a shadow over the area, turning it into a dark alley which we are always warned not to walk into, for there are dangers lurking around. As time goes, decisions are at times made to detour around that dark little alley.

But this is not the case for every individual, especially for those who are able to put the past behind them (of course, this is not an easy task). Not in the sense that they totally have forgotten about the past, as nobody can forget the past for we are no computers where we can just hit the "Delete" button and viola!, it is gone forever. I am sorry but none of that is going to happen, ever.
Simply to say, this can actually be the most simple action on this beautiful world which is to simply pack, lock up and leave the baggage behind without any worries. But hold on, that is something which we always thought of doing when dogged by troubles and hardships! What an irony.

("Moving on!")

Yes, clearing the old baggages in time for the new year for a new start. Too many people have been carrying old baggages around, at times tiring them out easily. How do you actually clear them off?
This, I must say, is very, very subjective to individuals.
Some may take a year or two, while some might just need a month or two! And some might need a bottle or two, maybe three.

In a bustling environment, where speed is essential, efficiency highly sought after and effectiveness is core, clearing away some space is something not to be pushed or hurried. It should be done when one is ready to do so, or in other words, when the time is ripe.
There might be a whole list for to do, or there might not a be need to lift a finger. Who knows. Perhaps someday when one relaxes on his/her favourite couch, thinks about the past and being able to smile from deep within, with a "Thank You" to a particular opposition, for in some way or another, a better person is carved. Or perhaps maybe even after a friendly chat over a cup of coffee, a helium balloon tied to an anchor, will be set free just like that.
However, to do so, one must have the courage to stand in the face of the dark alley.

So go on, pour away the water and let it go.
Let the water flow on its own, to a place where it will finally come to a rest.
That will exactly be when and where one's old baggage(s) will be left behind; starting a new chapter.

Best Fit

It is just like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, in which all pieces fit nicely with another.

In all things we do, we are subconsciously subjected to finding the best fit and without us realising it.
Could it be matching that pair of jeans with a tee shirt or a shirt?
Could it be choosing that dish to go along with the plain rice that you are having for lunch?
Could it be buying that birthday gift for your best buddy?
Could it be looking out for someone that catches your eye?

Be it any of the above or the thousand and one things that's happening in your life, yes, we are constantly looking to find the best fit for all events.

Easier said than done. So how do we find it?
I must simply say, perhaps one of my favourite quotes, "It's all about trial & error."

BUT I am not saying that we enter into anything, having a trial & error mentality.
We should be strong & confident, and most importantly, dare to be wrong and/or fail.
For if we do not, then never would we be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel; as the first step will never be taken.

If you do not try, you will never know what awaits you at the other end of the road.

And of course, certain characteristics have to be there. One has to have courage to take the daring initiative, followed by the patience and determination to persevere as well as the wits to take on the events of life.
Not forgetting the strength to stand back up upon failure.

Failure is a big word; sometimes too big for people to handle, they collapse.
As there's a saying "failure is the mother of success" (correct me if I'm wrong), I totally agree with it.
To me, failure is a learning process and what does not kills us, only makes us stronger.
BUT of course, we definitely must not plan to fail. One should always plan to succeed.
However, not all events carry the same backlash; some so insignificant that one might not even feel it.

Having being able to find the best fit, things will naturally flow smoothly. And it brings alot into life; joy & sorrow. Being best fit, these will be easily overcomed and the bond will be stronger, working towards the common goal and achieving it.
And when one looks back in time, we can only be grateful & thank God that we found the right one, completing the beautiful jigsaw puzzle.

And I'm still looking for that beautiful piece.

Tick-tock, tick-tock...

Looking back for the almost-one month since I last posted,
I thought to myself, "Wow, time really flies!"
Lately I have been saying that and I wonder why.

Am I running short of time,
am I maximising the time I have,
or do I just have too much to do?
It just seems that time is ticking faster & faster!

Each day just passes me like that and,
so many things happening in a day,
till such that everything just feels like yesterday!
And yet I feel that I have not done much to deserve the night's rest!

A part of me still lingers on, wanting the day to be longer.
Is this part of growing up, realising the importance of time?
Or is it just myself feeling this way?

There are still so many things that I want to do,
but how much can one juggle & handle?

I cannot juggle too many too long, I know.
But each day, I will give my best;
doing better than yesterday...
That is all that matters...

And it is definitely not me...
As this is known as growing up...
I hope I'm right!!!

So let us all make the best out of the time we have!
Cheers!

Another stone in life

Quadthlon. 500m coastal swim, 12km skate, 20km cycling & 6km run.
With my buddy, Banshiro or rather how I address him, Ah Long.
2 hours 33 minutes & 2 hours 37 minutes.
Was a good timing as I was looking to complete in the 2 hours 30 minutes mark.

Swim 500m was easy & water was calm. Nothing as what I thought it would be. Perhaps everybody was looking out for one another. But we lost each other during the swim.

Next up was the skating 12km. Nothing much to highlight except for a tightness in the right tibialis anterior muscle. It was quite distracting but I pressed on.
Nothing too difficult for me, given a mentality prep yesterday.

Then it was the cycle 20km leg. Took quite a bit of time on this discipline due to equipment failure. But slow & steady we completed it.

Final leg, 6km run. Now this is the torturing part.
Stitches, tight muscles on the lower leg, and starting off was quite a puffer.
Managed to control it with the mind over body method; telling myself that I must not stop and I'm gonna achieve this.
And I was very surprised that I was so close to the timing I had in mind!

Though along the way, I had a few frustrations but I just let it go. Also partly due to the fact that when you're sweating it out, you just feel lighter!
Nevertheless, it was a good experience and I enjoyed it!
Like I said, in the previous post. The feeling of it just makes me high.
What kind of feeling, ask me personally!

Now having completed the Quadthlon, I feel that I can go even further...
To place another stone in life...
A milestone...

What about you...?

Tomorrow...

It's 11.18pm now, approximately H-Hour +6 to the Quadthlon.

I cannot believe that I have to sleep so early on a Saturday night! Though for the past 2 years, I did so for a Saturday in December. Heh!

As the event draws nearer, my heart pounds faster.
I must admit that I wasn't very enthusiastic in signing up when my bud initiated it. Yet I signed up as I felt that this is something different and this would be a kick-start to what I will want to achieve next year!
Though it's still early to next year, but I roughly have a list to achieve already! :D

Why does my heart pound faster; nervous or excited?
Perhaps a lil of both.
It's mind over body.

The mind is powerful and so are our bodies.
We should constantly push ourselves to the edge, testing out the limits.
For at least, we'd know ourselves better.
I have a belief in this.

Constantly reminding & telling myself the objective tomorrow, isolating myself from the happenings outside.
Focusing on tomorrow; how will it be, what will it be like, how to transit and how to overcome it.

Preparations for tomorrow...
Training wasn't adequate and not anywhere near to the 38.5km tomorrow.
Thus if I suffer tomorrow, only myself to blame.
And I paid $80 bucks for it!
I was asked why would anybody do such a thing.
And I told this person that I just like the feeling where I'm in no man's land. If that person still remember.

I set today to be a REST day and indeed, I rested.
Ate alot too.
I feel so fat now. Yucks.

Time is up now.
I will and definitely hit another milestone in my life,
Tomorrow.

Missed a step!

Missed a step recently?

Perhaps you did, without realising it.
Or you didn't because you were threading so carefully each step.

If you ever do miss a step,
how would it actually make you feel and what would you do?

Will your answer change,
should it be that you have already set a standard/guideline/resolution?

Recently, "it depends" have become one of the answers to questions and,
I must say that's the answer to the questions above.
But we must never let that become our favourite quote.
For such could actually shape a person.

Think about it.
I missed a lecture today. Shucks.

alrighty, I'm back...

alrighty, I'm back...

after so long, with so much procastination for blogging, together with the so many nights falling asleep on my bed & waking up to the screen of what I was doing the night before on my notebook!
it just makes me feel so weak & lousy. heh!

anyway, my project went bust. kinda sad to announce this though.
BUT then again, that doesn't means that I have stopped!

let me share with you my bkk trip!!! ;)






The oh-so-tasty food of bkk ... ... ...
just sets me hungry by looking at this! urghs!








What I bought ... ... ...






it rained on the day that we departed...
guess bkk didn't want us to leave too!!!

it was so much fun mann...




Nevertheless, though shopping in bkk is cheap, it still ripped a big hole in my pocket... ...
and only to come back home to burst a bigger hole with the below... ...

that was crazy but it was worth it!!!!
NO regrets!

I'm living a life which I am happy being myself, not constrained by any issues ...
And it shall stay this way!!!
YEAH!!!