The Little Happiness in Life

1. The few weeks before CNY were always the memorable one. A mixed of memories here and there over my life resurfaced specifically during this period of time.
2. I recalled the days where i will travel to the hypermarkets with my dad to shop for the bargains specially offered during this festive period for our Restaurant. The cans drink, beer, Milo etc, trolleys after trolleys until our car can no longer fit in. Those were the days, i recalled profoundly.
3. I recalled the days where i traveled to my roommate Ah Lih's house, visiting his hometown located in Teluk Intan, Perak and then i took a bus back to my own hometown around 1 hour apart.
4. Also the period where i had worked in Sabah. Buying the frozen fishes and prawns for CNY, the CNY songs played in the plane and the excitement and anticipation i felt to go home, to be with my family and friends.
5. The more recent memories are the movie session and reunion lunch i organized with my colleagues here, the gambling session with my Uni and Subang friends, and most of all, the feeling and the atmosphere of getting ready for CNY.
6. It was perhaps with so much good memories which actually fuel up my anticipation for this festive period. It maybe just another ordinary days with family and friends, a gathering but the spirit, the liveliness and the joy is different.
7. I enjoyed shopping for new years goods, for my family, my neighbors and my friends. Things to eat and drink, things to share our happiness. As i had posted in my previous blog post, the act of gifting is especially rewarding, the true joy and happiness.
8. A small secret i planned to reveal here is that i had spend roughly around RM1k for the hamper and supplement goods for my parents, grandma and my two mentor. Another RM200 for the mandarins and drinks for my neighbors and family. Haha i guess, been single, it is a huge amount of money to spend. I thought it is a worthwhile, the process of selecting and buying, and presenting to them all give me great satisfaction and pleasure from participating in the act of kindness.
9. Well, i cannot tell that to my mom, she will be asking me to save the money. Why spending so much? Am i earning ten of thousands of money per month ? How many times i have told you about getting ready for the rainy days? and bla bla bla~ I know and understand all her kind advises, i just felt that, all this is money well spent. For the people that deem important to me.
10. As i age, spending time in hometown is also getting bored. I no longer play computer games, card games and fire crackers. I don't feel that watching TV and drama, or loitering in the shopping centers or throw some tiring visit to relatives are fun too. I will rather have sometime to read, and write, to learn and understand something new or sleep on my own bed. Anyway, it's life right ? All this are just part and parcel of life.
11. Well, it is just a week from now. Let's hope everyone out there will have a fruitful and meaningful year and safe journey for those who travels.

Thinking Again - On Life and Happiness

1. It wasn't something new to me, been labelled as a thinker. Nothing glamorous but more to do with practicality and feasibility. Notice the Again in the title of the blog, yes, thinking of it again and again and again Period.
2. I guess i can't really get rid of this habit of over analyzing and thinking. I can only be mindful on the degree of this mental masturbation that some people called which might cause my inability to carry out necessary action and plan.
3. I like to believe things happened for a reason and there is some power up there that has certain influence on our life. There is this so called plan for us, a purpose for us, a path crafted just for us. Perhaps this will sound familiar with the Christians, where God will have his plan for us.
4. Literally, the aim and the whole purpose of instilling such belief is to ease our compulsive thinking. The insatiable urge to complicates and mystifying things. Misjudge, defying, or for the worse; blaming, condemning and in the end hurting ourselves and the people around us.
5. It was fortunate for me to meet with my two mentor from my post graduate studies at this stage of life. Providing me different opinion and perspective, and most importantly telling me about the endless possibilities in life which taught me to be wiser in the process.
6. The past 6-8 weeks were gloomy mostly with exception only with some occasional sunny days when i met up with people that enlightens me or spending time with my family and friends. I was largely bothered with my next move in life and career. And of course you must have guess that my modus operandi starts to kick in. The compulsive thinking, the analytical and critical mind of mine starts to evaluate and predict the outcomes of the many options that i have in mind. 
7. I have to say that it is not a very good blessing to be a thinker. Even with some clear target or path in sight, i will still wonder here and there, thinking back and forth; to the extend that, sometime i had enough of myself. Actually, this was a real sad case.
8. Life can be pretty simple if we can model it out. To put in a more scientific manner, it is to identify the independent variables ( things in life ) and the dependent variable ( happiness ? contentment ? ). If say we got a good job, good pay and good wife and kids and we are not contended with all these, then perhaps these IVs are not significant to us, or perhaps our DV is not something we ourselves can comprehend. Carefully modelling it out, about our expectation, managing it and be realistic to it will be a helpful guide to a better life. Of course, this is a life long and continuous process. As we aged, and we supposed to be wiser in that sense.
9. For me, perhaps the best advice is to simplify my expectation. Down to the very core, the very root of it. Pareto principle. Interesting analogy given by Dr. J today; If say HAPPINESS = GET / WANT; then what is the easiest / least resistance path for us to achieve happiness ? Of course,  it is to manage our "wants" into "needs". Well in this example, both the DV = Happiness and the IVs = Get and Want is just a very subjective concept but most people can easily relate to with individuals' experience.
10. Job for Living, Learning for Meaning. To combine the both as Tim told me; It will be Living with meaning, it is a dream come true, it is an utopia in living term. 

The New Year Post

1. It seems like already a common practice, writing resolution and evaluating our previous resolution. It was a symbolic act, resembling a new start for a better and purposeful life, and an end to the unwanted habit and unwelcome feelings. And so, this year what will be my resolution ?
2. My resolution is rather more descriptive rather than definitive. More or so is to be wiser as i age, health and happiness for my family, friends and myself. May there be more peace and harmony in this world. Yes, i know, it is too descriptive and random. 
3. I guess this was actually my way of dealing with things, especially the future where i have so little control of it. The target is there, and it is something going on continuously, sound more like a wish rather than a resolution. Haha, yeah, it is a hope actually.
4. Nevertheless if breaking it down and detail carefully, there is still many little resolutions can be derived from. On health, it will be the ultimate goal of slimming down and god knows i had said it for how many years, eating the right food for a healthier body and mind. 
5. On happiness, it might come from many different aspects both internally and externally. Either by achieving something or acquiring something, or be wiser on managing own expectation and feeling contended with what we had. Well, that will required a lot of life wisdom. On job, i wish to land a job or career that enables me to have more exposure and growth. On studies, that largely depends how will my job be, but ultimately, i wish to further my intellectual quest. On relationship, yes, of course if you ask me, i would like to find that someone, but it is still Ok if she cease to appear in my life. Well, who knows, a twist of fate, some play here and there. No one can tell. Solitary is not loneliness. On family, that my mom and dad to be a happy retirees, my two nieces stay healthy, my elder sister and brother in law finish their specialization smoothly and remain lovely, my younger sister getting married end of the year and i wish her happy ever after, and for my younger brother, to be wiser as he age, and also happy in his way of life. On friends, nothing beats been able to catch up with friends and my kind wishes is always with them.
6. On world peace, this is such a huge word as if i have some control or say on it. I am making it as a member to this society and global citizens. I deter to terrorism, any form of mass killing, abuse of woman and children for the better of the future to our future generation. We should promote all inclusion and the path of moderation. The middle way. It is perhaps people are over indulged, drifted in their own world, not awaken, that contributed to the act of terror harming the harmony and peace. Holding our horses, postponing our urge for instant gratification, been mindfulness of our actions and thoughts, humility and greater understanding will help us through avoiding another world war.
7. A New Year, and may this be another eventful, memorable and a GREAT year~