Heart Warmer

We are all familiar with leg warmers. But do you have a “heart warmer?” Found my farewell gift from previous employment and it certainly warmed up my heart 2 years later. Though I hated that job, and so as many of my coworkers, it was still a period of my life where it was full of achievement and fulfillment. I gained my MBA during that time and through the benefit of the company. I was able to end the shared house lifestyle and afford the first ever apartment all for myself. It was an opportunity of my dream for some time…at least before things turned sour. Even now, 2 years after leaving the job for almost 4 years, I can still remember the routines that went on in the office. Despite the dramas to put up with, I miss everyone I worked with. It was hard to appreciate each other’s hard work when a regular day often felt like going through a never-ending tunnel.

When it was my time for farewell, I didn’t want any big announcement. Though I acted as if I was thrilled to end my misery, I was struggling in my heart not to drop a tear and to hold back my worries about my future. It took me one year to make up my mind to leave. And I must admit that it came with 50/50 regret and relief. I’m glad the regretting part of this decision has gradually faded. It has been replaced by a sensation of freedom and confidence that I can now start building my dream upon the skills I’ve learned from that experience. How wasteful of time to miss what’s passed? Yet, what a chapter in my memoir! Well, at least I’ve regained my vision on the direction I should march towards. As my wise coworker wrote, “Face life straight in the eyes and push forward!”

Everyone and every life experience, is here to teach us something. Marching on with lots of smiles~

Encounter of the Heart

Have you ever wanted something to happen but it’s not something you can control? So you either forget about it or just hope that some day, when all the stars are aligned, it’d happen? j/k

I have been feeling extremely exhausted for the past two days that I almost wanted to skip my weekly workout yesterday. Eventually, my vanity took over. So I still dragged myself out, reminding myself of my goal to tighten up my thighs. It was a good crowd this time, and the workout has been effective as usual. I was glad that I decided to come out and sweat. Towards the end of the session, an acquaintance passed by and stopped to join our seemingly spontaneous street exercise.  It took me a few seconds to recognize him. However, it was someone I’ve been hoping to run into again since our first encounter about 1.5 months ago. 

After the workout, we caught up with each other through great conversations. Some call this coincidence, and some praise God. I have never been religious, but I do feel in awe a lot of times when things simply happen when I least expect. Maybe it’s like what they say, when one focuses on doing what he/she loves doing, the rest will follow. I’ve encountered several occasions so far where certain events trigger the meeting of certain people who bring the resources I need at a time most needed.

It is true that life can only be understood backwards. All the coordinate form after we’ve passed those points. And the only thing we can do at the present is to keep heading that big direction of our goals. Along the way, life will gradually start to make sense with every step we take.

Imagination

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.   —  Albert Einstein

Spent my Sunday evening with some friends and watch them played Dungeons and Dragons. This is my first experience with D&D, and it was like watching a live performance. Before the organizer invited me to observe in the game, he has explained the general ideas and rules. We also watched a few videos just so I can get an idea of how this board game works. Shortly after everyone’s character was introduced and a few minutes into the game, funny accents appeared to mimic the personality of the roles. Sound effects and music were perfectly added by our well-prepared organizer. Although it was the first time for some of the people in the room, and much time was spent going through the player manual and Q&A, everyone still had lots of fun and eventually immersed themselves into their characters throughout the end of the session.

Even as an observer, it was a pleasant experience. And I ended up adding sound effects and actions as if I were part of the scenario. This relaxing Sunday activity gave me a lot of thoughts on my upbringing. Growing up in Taiwan, I was raised to be “practical and realistic.” Imagination and dreams are for kids. It is very common to hear people say “dreams cannot be reality.” Since a young age, I’ve always had a natural urge to challenge that statement. Lacking knowledge and life experience, I always failed to draw convincing references to support my argument. It wasn’t until I went abroad for school and work, I gradually learned through life that success is being able to turn dreams into reality.
When was the last time you indulge yourself in an imagination of anything? How did that make you feel? Can you envision the future you desire and feel the reality of it? If you are afraid, what do you think you have to lose? After all, successful businesses and masterpieces would not exist without a little imagination from their creators. So, why not have some fun with what our brains can do?

Being Productive

Been thinking about putting down my schedule on a spreadsheet as I felt like I’ve been running around for very little productivity. With my constant schedule change, it’s difficult to keep up with everything. Sat down this afternoon, jotted down a To-Do list and started checking off the items. It’s a much clearer view of what a week looks like in my life when I put it on paper. Embarrassing thing is, I’ve been teaching goal setting and time management to my students lately and I haven’t been the best example. Have you ever felt that you don’t have enough time, or are not making progress on achieving your goal because you are not there yet? Besides my weekly planner, I also spent some time going over my financial details since my return home the last year. Before I visualized the numbers, I always thought I’m about to go bankrupt because I’m not saving up to my goal due to constant employment changes. Though the numbers are not pleasing yet, it does show a gradual climb. With a new contract in hand, I’m expecting a more steady earning for the next year.

Ever since I made up my mind on heading towards my country dream, many ideas and doubts came up. Patting on my back that I’m still emotionally enthusiastic about my plan and taking small steps every day towards it. My new challenge is to define daily goals to achieve. Throughout my experience, big pictures are easy to form. However, not being able to figure out what to do every day to get there has always been my weakness. Another important activity is to maintain a progress report or a checklist. What I learned today is that progress is hard to notice as small steps are oftentimes neglected during the journey. Don’t forget to take some time to look at what you’ve come to so far in order to appreciate the effort being put in. Think of it as a weight loss report. Set realistic goals and stay nice and steady on taking all the necessary actions every day. Then celebrate the little progress every other month or so.

Like what I told one of my teenage students who’s struggling to save money, “save $20 every day and you’ll reach your target in 4 months!” His face lit up when I broke down the steps to reach his goal. I guess he never thought it could be that easy. But hey, this is how we live life. One day at a time.

Lost and Found

Found something from my cabinet today that brought me back in time. An assignment for my high school history class on Titanic! Not to directly reveal my age, haha, let’s just say the movie just came out during that year. Like many girls, I was crazy about the story and everything Titanic. One thing you must know about Taiwanese education is that there was no paper writing assignment at school, at least during my time. All we had were endless exams. So when my history teacher asked us to write a paper about a historical event of our choice, my brain could not stop popping out ideas on how I would construct my first and ever portfolio. Note that history was my least favorite subject and I always failed it. For me, history is just a bunch of ancient dramas people put out in the past. And I had no interest in memorizing all the where, when and who. It was just not a subject I learned to master. Yet when I found this portfolio I put together back in the .com era, I couldn’t stop smiling at my first masterpiece.

This find got me thinking: if I could put so much effort to create something only to share my passion regardless of the result it would bring, I can do anything. I remember sitting at the computer in dial-up connection for hours each day for at least a week, researching and translating the information I found online and on the newspaper. There was nothing else I wanted to do but to work on this project and share the mind blowing behind-the-scene stories of Titanic. As you can see, I received a high score. In fact, I received the highest score for this assignment. My teacher commented that my report was an interesting and fulfilling read, and that she really appreciated my going above and beyond in completing this assignment. 

Maybe the universe is telling me something by leading me to this old school project at this time of my life when I struggle to believe in my dream. The energy and motivation I had while working on this assignment all came back to me when I re-visit this childhood production of mine. This project was not built for fortune, reputation or a higher rank in class. The score did not even count towards my history class. Nevertheless, it was a story I loved and an activity I enjoyed. It almost felt like being in love, in love with the process of sharing my passion and constructing a vision.  Isn’t that what life is all about?

Translation:
This is a story I found on China Times some Sunday. When I saw the boy, I was immediately captured by his disappointed, helpless and hopeless look. Tears welled up in my eyes and my heart was filled with sorrow. So, I decided to share this in my portfolio. I hope everyone in the world will contribute a little of what they have to save our less fortunate human fellows from their sufferings. May all citizens on Earth would one day live a happy, peaceful and abundant life.

Kid suffering in Rwanda
Compared to the less fortunate, I’m blessed with more than I need.
I included this column at the end of my portfolio because I was deeply drawn to the helplessness in his eyes. How can I complain when someone is out there fighting for their lives?

Right at the Doorstep

Couldn’t decide whether to head to the pool or do Yoga at home, so I went on a bike ride. ;P Ever since I found the photo in one of my previous posts, Freedom, I’ve been dreaming about traveling along the woods. Memories of past road trips abroad kept flashing back. Coincidentally, the reservoir in my neighborhood shares a similar scenery and is a popular bike riding route in town. When I entered the “bushy” hiking area, the road almost resembled the place on that photo. A smile came to my face while I pedaled hard over the hills. Then a sudden revelation hit me. Right here at my doorstep is the kind of place of my dream, and I’ve never noticed its beauty. No, it’s not a different country, but it’s a similar terrain.

Must it be somewhere far away for you to get the satisfaction of traveling? Must travelers go somewhere far to gain insights about life?  If we look closer, maybe what we’re looking for has always been right here at our doorstep.

LIVE life and never stop chasing passion!

Little Ray of Sunshine

I’ve had a delightfully lazy morning today. It doesn’t happen as often as I’d like, but I spent the first part of the day still in my PJs, reading mags, having my coffee, an impromptu cup of tea with my beautiful Mum (inside the house…I don’t tend to venture outside the house in my nightie!) and I stumbled across an article in the August edition of Good Health magazine which has had me thinking all day.

It was about regrets of the dying, based on Bronnie Ware’s experience as a palliative care nurse and her book Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departed. Death is a funny thing, isn’t it? We’re all going to have to face up to it one day, yet we spend our lives trying to brush it under the carpet as if it’s some kind of taboo subject…

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So true! And it’s never too late to start. Dream it, plan it, DO it.

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Keep the Faith

When life strikes me down, Michael Jackson’s songs always have a way to lift me up. Gotta keep the faith and put my heart on the line!

Lyrics from Keep the Faith:

The Power’s In Believing
So Give Yourself A Chance
‘Cause You Can
Climb The Highest Mountain
Swim The Deepest Sea
All You Need Is The Will To Want It

…………………….

Just Keep Your Eyes On The Prize
And Your Feet Flat On The Ground
Keep The Faith, Baby
Because It’s Just A Matter Of Time
Before Your Confidence Will Win Out
Lift Up Your Mind
Before Your Mind Gets Blown
Some Things In Life
You Best Just Leave Them Alone
Go For What You Want
Don’t Let It Get In Your Way
You Can Make It Happen
But Ya Got Ta Keep The Faith
Gon’ Keep It Brother
You Got To Keep The Faith
Yeah Keep The Faith
Gon’ Keep It Sister
You Got To Keep The Faith

Lyrics from On the Line:

Nothing good ever comes easy
All good things come in due time
Yes it does
You gotta have something to believe in
I’m telling you to open mind

Gotta put your heart on the line
If you wanna make it right
You’ve got to reach out and try
Gotta put your heart on the line
If you wanna make it right
Gotta put it all on the line

Never Give Up!

Freedom

For some reason, driving gives me a sense of freedom. It’s been about 2 years since I was behind the wheel. Yet, the moment I sat in the driver’s seat, it all came back to me. Due to a recent employment change, I have to commute to a nearby city. To many westerners, a 30-50 minute commute on the train or by car may be every day life. However, for this small city on this little island, 10 minutes on a scooter can feel like a lifetime.

Good that I used to commute at least one hour to and fro in LA traffic. Therefore, 30 minutes is like driving to a neighboring community. Luckily, traffic does not exist in the part of Taiwan I live and work in. And I hope it stays that way…(knocking on wood) The moment I got on the open highway, it just felt like the world is under my control. And being on the road is probably the only stress-free moment I have in this country I call home but don’t really feel at home. Images of open country roads constantly fly by my mind. I could almost breathe the fresh air, smell the scent of the woods and see that endless road ahead of me. That “anything can happen” anticipation is what I really miss and love about traveling. Today’s first commute finally awoke that energy buried deep down in me since my return a year ago. It shouldn’t be long before I put myself on the road again, as history has proven it unlikely that I surpress my calling. And maybe this time, I’ll let it all in.