Hang in there, Doves!

I have a number of posts in my draft, waiting to be completed and published. They are long overdue (Sorry, guilty of procrastination and writer's block phase!) but I feel like I need to get this particular one out first for one reason - I want you to hold on to your last bits of hope and strength no matter what you are going through.

You see, everyone is fighting a battle that others aren't always able to notice.  It's just a matter of time for us to see the outcome and let's hope the outcome is a good, bearable one.  

So, if you're having a tough time trying to figure out what's next and what's best, breathe and read on.

Please, please, please know the following: - 

(i) You're not as alone as you sometimes (or always) feel.

You like your own space and prefer to stay there, away from distractions and disturbances, I get it.  I do too.  But every now and then, let's open up a bit and allow others to have a glance at what we're up to, okay?  You don't have to reveal everything to everyone.  It's enough to let some people know how you are feeling or what you wish to achieve.  I know some of you trust nobody and I don't blame you - some humans are destructive in their words and actions; they can't help it.  But at the end of the day, there are people in your life who want to see you do well.  Could be your family member, could be your friend, could be your new acquaintance....  Open up your eyes.  At least don't shut them out of your circle completely without even justifying it, you know.  Don't make it harder for them too.

(ii) It's a waiting game.

Patience is a virtue, they say.  Some things require you to wait and keep waiting.  You can only do your part, which includes putting an effort to what you believe in.  I don't know how yet but even at this point of time, the universe is aligning its elements to help unfold your paths towards what is meant for you.  Each person has his or her own 'fate clock', as I would call it.  LOL ^^ Your time will come.  Just don't give up yet.  

(iii) Use the power of your mind.

Your mind is a powerful thing; use it.  This is more than just using your brain, which is mostly technical and logical.  Using your mind incorporates a more abstract side of human thoughts.  If you think and believe that you can, then you can.  I must warn you, though, that you might get tired of thinking and believing after some time.  That's part of the catch - a lot of things may come around to attempt to break you.  Please don't fall prey to these annoyances.  If you want to feel sulky sometimes, go ahead.  Just don't stay that way too long.  Cheer up and fight on, soldier!

(iv) Put your Past, Present, and Future where they belong.

Learn from your Past but don't dwell in it.  Make the best out of your Present but don't put too much pressure on it.  Invest in your Future but don't take away its flexibility.  'Nuff said! LOL  Seriously, though.

(v) Keep the faith! 

I really hope that you keep holding on and march forward.  Choose to be happy!  Or whichever not-so-negative emotion you want for that matter.

Lastly, I dedicate this beautiful song to us!  Listen to it!

'City Dove' (Tori Kelly)

https://youtu.be/YJDPE1UhXAk

Don't know what it's all about

But every time I look around

All I see is how we're holdin' on
Don't ask me what's wrong or right
I don't even know the time
All I know is I'm holdin' on

I haven't figured anything out

I haven't figured anything anything anything out

City dove, fly between the buildings and fences

Soft inside but rough on the edges

Waiting here for something to come, just holdin' on
City dove, fly between the stars and the headlights
Passin' by the clouds and the street signs
Knowing that there's something to come, just holdin' on

I don't really know my fate

I just know I'm on my way

There will be mistakes, movin' on
I try to get to the heart of it
Fly low but lookin' for Heaven
I know, I know I'm holding on

I won't figure everything out

I'll never figure everything everything everything out

City dove, fly between the buildings and fences

Soft inside but rough on the edges

Waiting here for something to come, just holdin' on
City dove, fly between the stars and the headlights
Passin' by the clouds and the street signs
Knowing that there's something to come, just holdin' on

Waiting here for something to come, just holdin' on
Fly between the stars and the headlights
Passin' by the clouds and the street signs
Knowing that there's something to come, just holdin' on

From My 2 Years Ago Self

I was scrolling through my folders on my office PC's hard drive and came across a folder containing some of my write-ups for previous occasions within my company.  

One of them captured my attention - "My Little Wish" - and if I remember it correctly, I wrote it for a 'Tell Us Your Story' section for a newsletter or publication by the Communications department.

The write-up was done more than two years ago.  It felt like a message from my past self when I read it.  My writing style back then was so raw and perceptive.  I think it still is, but after these couple of years, my style has become a little more straightforward than it used to be. 

So, I'm sharing this unedited piece of write-up below because....

Well, you'll see the message it carries once you're done reading it.  

Stay awesome, people! :) 

+ + + 

My Little Wish

I wish that people would take the time to appreciate every little or big thing around them. 

It amazes me how the lyrics in a song can be so relatable in some cases.  When Nicholas Jonas, the third brother of an American singing group called The Jonas Brothers, was in his tender age of twelve years old, he sang a song that has such an impactful lyricism to me.  Up to this day, I hold on to the chorus of the song, which relates to this little wish that I have. 

In Nicholas’ song entitled ‘Appreciate’, the verses vividly describe a cinematic scene where a father is involved in a fatal road accident and his final words are about his hope for his daughter.  The whole song runs in the perspective of a third person, as if the singer is the narrator of a movie.  “It might get rough sometimes but I hope she keeps her faith”, is one of my favourite lines in the chorus.   True enough, we may face obstacles some days in our life.  It may be in the form of a tiny nuisance or a big problem.  Whatever it is, one thing for sure is that we ought to handle it in the best way that we can.  It is crucial to have faith that things will turn out alright after making an effort.

The last line in the chorus sums up my little wish – “life is too short, so take the time and appreciate”.  Indeed, life is too short for us to be too preoccupied by unnecessary distractions that we gradually forget the more important things.  Regretting what we did is upsetting, but regretting what we did not do is excruciating.  While we still have the opportunity and privilege to savour every moment and be thankful to every person in our life, why not do so?  When we appreciate the people and things around us, we will find joy and light-heartedness.  It feels even better when other people appreciate us back.  So, let us take the time and appreciate, shall we?

By:
Priscilla
October 2014

+ + +

In 3...2...1... Good luck!

Hi and happy new year, lovessssss~!

Wow!  It's 2016 now!  I am both thrilled and anxious to go through this new year, but mostly thrilled.

By the time this post is published, I would still be at the office or somewhere not too far from the office, about to end my shift.  I bet my office-mates and I would be taking a break from our work and casually savour the new year moment.  It sounds kind of unfortunate that some of us need to be at our work place instead of somewhere else around our family members or friends, being celebratory.  I know that, but for now, I can live by it.

How grateful I am to be given the chance in 2015 to go through what I went through, to be at places I were at, to learn what I didn't know well, and to meet people I'm now friends with.  Now, I get the chance to be alive in 2016!

There are a number of things that I wish I have been doing better.  Some of those things can (and should) actually be proceeded with in 2016, I figured.  I would like to be more assertive, determined, adventurous, and life-loving.  For that reason, I am launching (Woah, that's quite a big verb  for this little plan of mine!) Project PRISC.  It's an initiative by me, for me, and eventually with you and for you.  It's close to my version of new year's resolutions.

There are several elements covered under Project PRISC.
They are (P)assion, (R)esistance, (I)ntelligence, (S)uperstar, and (C)harity.
1) Passion
I would like to finally sign up for a book editing and publishing package, and get on with my book-writing.  The biggest reason why I've been putting this whole book-writing process on hold is because I feel like I don't have a clear vision of how my book is going to turn out to be.  I initially wanted to write a book simply because I enjoy writing.  However, I keep hopping from one theme to another.  I keep wanting to try out everything without having a focus.  So, I'm going to need to come up with a vivid enough idea.

2) Resistance
I will be more rational and analytical when it comes to spending money on less-than-necessary things and make sure that they stay as occasional indulgences.  Literally, occasional.  Enough said.

3) Intelligence
A trivia about me - When I was in my late teen years, I was awarded 'Miss Intelligent' in a mini tradition-based pageant called Kumang Gawai at my mom's birth place.  I don't know how the judges evaluated our intelligence, but I reckon that it would be based on who performed well in the self-introduction and on-stage interview sessions.  I'm thankful for that because it made me feel more confident and sure that being my genuine self is enough to make an impact as long as my mind has the right intention and my heart is in the right place.  This time around, I'm planning to be more culturally intelligent, if that makes sense to any of you.  I'm going to get back on track with my language learning.  The languages that I'm currently working on are Japanese Language and Korean Language.  In the past, attending scheduled language lessons with tutors was quite a struggle for me.  If my main schedule does not allow me to get to classroom lessons, I will self-learn the languages with the books and past notes that I have.  I'm sure I can do it, can't I?

4) Superstar
Not too long ago, as I was inside the car with some colleagues on our way to an eatery place, we were talking about our career path and where we are planning to head to in the future.  I blurted out "I'm going to be a rockstar."  Thankfully, none of my colleagues loudly bashed my random dream proclamation.  One of them even exclaimed, "Yeah, you're going to be a rockstar!"  Deep down, I would love to become a rockstar, or a superstar, in a more general idea of it. I might not really debut as a professional performer but I would still love to learn how to become one and have fun being musical and artsy. Isn't it the journey that matters more? I sure believe so.  At the beginning, I intended to continue to learn and play the keyboard.  I started to casually play the keyboard when I was in primary school.  I never had professional lessons on music or performing art, but that shouldn't stop me.  I'm going to self-learn what I need to learn with the assistance from some non-classroom programs and methods.  Since I love writing so much, this can aid me to take my writing skill to another level and write some songs of my own!  How exciting!  And oh...since I'm currently residing in a place away from my hometown for work and the keyboard that my family has is at home, I've decided (after contemplating whether I should or not) to (finally) learn to play the guitar.  It is, after all, more portable.  Just like that, I made up my mind. Superstar attitude right there; I'm on my way there.


5) Charity
I would like to be more charitable.  I don't have much to give but I want to help out when I can.  Some of you, my family members and friends, might have known that I'm sponsoring a child (thus, affecting a community) under World Vision.  I'm also contributing to the association's Education Fund, something I very much believe to be vital to the young ones.  It would be wonderful to continue to support this cause.  Who knows?  I might add another sponsored child at some point.  That would be great!  In my everyday life, I would also like to practise random acts of kindness.


I promise with my heart, mind, and soul, that I will put my best effort in every element that has been mentioned.
Which element do you think I'll be best at?

Once again, happy new year!
God bless..

Hey there, fam!

Hello!


I hope you're doing mighty fine.

Even if you're currently battling some sort of a war of your own, I'm sure your Jet Black Heart can endure it. You'll be alright. You've got to.



Things have been pretty out of line for the fam lately, haven't they? We were doing great and having the time of our lives with the new album and everything else in between. Occasionally, rumours and gossips flew around but we dodged them and moved on (or at least we tried to, and some, still trying to). I remember feeling so proud and contented that I couldn't help but to just smile on my own when I read updates and comments from a lot of you via social media whenever we reached certain milestones. We're pretty awesome, you know.


So, it saddened me when I found out how much the recent media play is negatively affecting us as a fam. I've seen a number of crappy, seemingly ill-intended write-ups in my life. This one is in the running to win the Crappiest Award. I, myself, am a writer under a reporter/ event coverage programme by my company. Therefore, I have an idea on how impactful a published piece of article can be. I'm very much aware of the fact that every writer has his or her own style and tendencies. Still, we have codes of ethics to be taken into consideration whenever we come up with a write-up. As I see it, the top code of ethic is to never attempt to cause hatred towards a particular person, group, or any entity, be it the subject of the article (interviewee(s)) or the subject (topic/ reference) that the primary subject is talking about. It's not that hard to write facts or details while being classy (as in, not 'cheap') and pleasant in the process. All we have to do is this - have respect. Think about every person involved and being mentioned. Be true but also professional. The last thing a writer should do is to mislead the readers. Plus, a good writer is able to capture the essence of the story or interview instead of just being (boringly) literal.


That's the power of the media. Now, let's face it with the power of the fans. Allow me to rephrase it to "the power of the fam". To my fellow fam, please feel better and don't lose faith. What you read or hear may not be completely true because there's a high chance that the whole picture isn't being included, thus making the whole situation seem off. I don't know... The writer probably got tired after drafting his or her lengthy article that he or she must have forgotten to include some more details that would have made the outcome completely different. I bet the missing details are the ones that really matter. I wasn't personally there or anything like that, but I'm pretty sure the four lads that we love and support never meant to hurt or offend anyone, especially the fam. It must have been stressful and exhausting for them at times but guess what, they always want to make us happy. It seems to me that they even put their own personal happiness aside for the fans. Those poor, precious souls... We should never allow that, right, fam? It is hard to swallow certain occurrences or news, I know. However, they never intend to hurt anyone, do they? The band has been doing what they've been doing for their love for music. The fam also loves music. From there, the band loves the fam. The fam also loves the band. So, let's not let that love wear off.


Take a breath, listen to your heart, and see what the band is truly about. The fam's actions and reactions reflect the band in ways we may not even be aware of. Let's stay strong and of course, stay awesome.


If any of you still feel unsure or confused about this, come talk to me about it (@PreciousUandMe).


Love 'ya!

Timeless Treasures

One of the things I'm eternally grateful for about my life is my pre-digital childhood. Looking back, I feel fortunate to be able to experience what I did, like many from my generation. There's no denying that the world is different now and things were slower and more manual back then, which is not a bad thing at all. It's because of our progressive advancement these days.


As convenient as things are now, I can't help but reminicisce the older days when we used to do things differently. I happen to still keep safe some of the items that were a big part of my life about a decade ago. They are all in my room back in my hometown. I smile when I look at them. I wonder what some of you still keep from years ago.





My cassettes and cassette player (walkman)




Greeting cards and letters from my family and friends




Autobiography book (autograph book), filled up by my classmates, schoolmates, and teachers




My old flip phone, handheld, and PSP, which can still function today




My collection of comics and magazines



There!

That brought me down memory lane for a brief moment.


Take good care of your timeless treasures!

posted from Bloggeroid

Escaping.....For Real!

A couple of weekends ago, my friends and I took some time off our hectic life and went for a quick getaway. We planned for this trip right after we went back from South Korea earlier this year. The destination was almost out of the blue and we thought that we should just give it a go.


So, our destination was the state of Penang, locally known as Pulau Pinang (Penang Island).


Upon our arrival at Georgetown, Penang from the airport, we went straight to our guesthouse called The 80's Guesthouse. The bus driver was thoughtful enough to stop the bus right in front of the lane where our guesthouse was located and he even briefly yet clearly explained that we needed to simply walk along the lane until we found our place. And that was exactly what we did. After checking in, we rested a bit and walked around the areas nearby. At one point, we thought about renting bicycles to cycle around freely (and safely) but since we were looking for specific locations, walking seemed to be more fitting. In the evening, we went to one of the cafes near our guesthouse to enjoy some late night desserts and drinks.


The next day, we kicked off the morning by having a breakfast at our guesthouse's common area and then made our way to a bus stop nearby. We hopped onto bus #101 to Teluk Bahang. When we reached Escape Adventure Theme Park, we were amazed and excited at what the park has to offer. Okay, I can't speak for all of us, but at least I know that I was amazed and excited.


I'm telling you, every activity that we did at the park symbolised how living life is. I'm not even kidding. You'll see how as you read further. So, to me, I intuitively summed up our whole adventure on that day as a representation of life. Or am I the only one who sees it that way? Hmm...


The first activity that we did was pretty easy (relatively). Oh, I have a piece of advice - always warm up properly before doing anything physical even if it's just for fun, especially when what you're about to do actively involves your limbs or abdomen. We gradually became more determined and daring as we tried out more activities despite the heat and eventual exhaustion.


Below are my explanations on how the things that we did that day represented life.




When we're at the bottom, just about to start our climb, we take a glance at what's up there and admire the idea of being at the top. At the same time, we ponder and strategise how we will go through everything that's on our way up. Those things can either be obstacles that make it harder and slower for us to go up, or stepping stones that we can use to give ourselves a push upward. While climbing up, we try to juggle between being time-efficient and not letting go unnecessarily even when we're tired.






When we're at the top, or on our way there, it's a good idea to let loose and take a leap of faith. In other words, just jump! What's scary about this is when you're at the top, just looking way, way down can send chills down your spine. Have you ever thought of this, at one of the high points of your life - "Why should I allow myself to go all the way down after coming such a long way up?" I'll tell you why. It's to keep you grounded. Don't get too caught up by the high's of life that you end up forgetting your roots.






In order to enjoy the thrilling part of life, we normally need to work hard for it. We usually need to go through hills of learning experiences. This can exhaust us as time goes by but whether we realise it or not, it also strengthens us. Once we've earned our fun time, we better make sure that we enjoy it after all.






As we journey through life, there will be stages when what we do, or about to do, is especially important and we definitely don't want to mess it up. However, those particular stages of our life can intensify into something so nerve-wracking that we start to question "Should I go on or back off?" Even when we're well equipped with all that we need, the path that we see in front of us might seem surreal. All that's left for us to do is to go forward but our doubts often keep us frozen. Once we've gathered the courage to move forward, we can instantly enjoy the journey.




After we were done with Escape, we dropped by at Batu Ferringhi beach to try out parasailing. I'm glad that we did!







As we made our way back to our guesthouse, another one of our friends surprised us by showing up at the guesthouse! Most of us were pretty convinced that she wouldn't be able to join us. After washing up and resting, we went out to have a meal and hunt for some of the street arts in Georgetown, Penang. When it got darker, we were still strolling around. It suddenly rained and the rain got heavier. My friends and I momentarily stayed under the roof of one of the shop lots. Then, we decided to bravely (and carefully) run through the rain, from one building block to another, and so on. We eventually reached our guesthouse and washed up. Before heading to bed, we went to another cafe, again, for some desserts and drinks.


We ended our short little vacation the next day, looking forward to seeing each other again soon.




(Photo credits to all who snapped and shared them)

posted from Bloggeroid

posted from Bloggeroid

How My Mind Works

Not too long ago, I took a few minutes of my weekend evening to do something that many of us often choose not to do but are in need of. What could it be, you might ask? I took a little time to understand myself better. For real! To be more specific, I took a test (or quiz, some may call it) to see my current natural tendencies when I think or perceive. In shorter and hopefully simpler term, I took a test of rationality.


The one that I took was created and analysed by clearerthinking.org.


This organisation identifies your mind's strengths and weaknesses based on your impulsive answers on 21 of their scenario-based questions.


Background of the Test

This test is based on a variety of studies from cognitive science and behavioral economics, with a particular emphasis on cognitive biases. Fortunately, you can learn to make better decisions by honing your skills. Please note: rationality and IQ are not the same. Even people of exceptionally high IQ are routinely affected by cognitive biases, and fall for common decision-making traps.


My Result Summary

Your reasoning style is skeptic.

Skeptics are just that — skeptical. Not only do they question new information that they receive from others, but they also tend to treat their own thoughts and ideas with some suspision. They tend to focus this critical perspective on the present, allowing their views to develop as they come across more information. Approximately 5% of the populace are skeptics.

You treat new information and ideas with caution and skepticism. Spurious arguments rarely fool or confuse you, and your beliefs are based on foundations of hard logic. You possess a fine-tuned BS detector.


You are reflective.

You dislike jumping to conclusions quickly. You’re adept at reflecting on your own thoughts. When it looks like your intuitions might be leading you astray, you don’t have a problem overriding them — instead, you take the time to re-evaluate the situation and figure out the wisest course of action.


You are subjective.

People and stories interest you more than facts and figures do; you focus on the essence of ideas over the details. Your mind is more qualitative than quantitative. This trait lets you focus on the big picture over the nitty-gritty.


You are carefree.

You tend to live in the moment. You don’t waste a lot of emotional energy fretting about the future. Instead, you focus on getting the most out of life right now.



Onto my reasoning strengths and weaknesses, it was concluded that I particularly have three strong reasoning skills, three normal-level reasoning skills, and one weak reasoning skill.


My Strong Reasoning Skills: -

(i) I am not especially susceptible to the Sunk Cost Fallacy.

This means that I do not find it too difficult to decide whether something is worth pursuing or continuing.


(ii) I rarely repeat my mistakes more than once.

I am relatively comfortable with frankly reflecting how and why I make the mistakes that I do.


(iii) I can see through tricky or deceptive arguments.

This trait makes someone a good debater, writer, or thinker.


My Normal-Level Reasoning Skills: -

(i) I can generate multiple explanations for uncertain situations.


(ii) I understand how evidence should affect how confident I am of my theory.


(iii) I can normally estimate the monetary value of my time.


My Weak Reasoning Skill: -

(i) I have a sharp tendency to underestimate the time and resources my projects require.

This is also known as the Planning Fallacy, one of the most common and best-documented cognitive biases. This means that, thankfully, cognitive scientists have developed tactics to overcome this!


So, now I'm pretty sure that since I know my mind better, I can more confidently utilise my brain power for great outcomes.


Tests like this one do not ultimately decide what kind of a person you will become. They are, however, useful peer-reviewed tools for us to have an idea on how we naturally think, and eventually, how we act.


With this, my brain and I are ready to take over embrace the world around us.

posted from Bloggeroid