http://www.thesmartlocal.com/read/this-is-why-young-singaporeans-think-their-lives-suck
another post i wanna comment on. think im going to accumulate quite a bit and edit when i have time.
+ val-* @ 12:07 PM
In the olden days, where email flourished, there were chain mails flying around the net. Some were interesting, some were hoax, some was just plain bitchy. Today, where facebook took over as the platform, many abhorred the chain mails that circulated for a short span of time. These days though, i feel that there are more informative articles that are being reposted and flagged up on my newsfeed page.
Just by clicking on random articles with titles that caught my eye, i'm directed to a whole spectrum of websites good and bad to vast topics i would probably never explore in the past. yes, even thoughtcatalog does have some insightful articles, i have to say.
Ranging from articles giving advice to job interviews, to articles on being an effective leader, to videos on incredible talents all over the world, to amazing photos of art pieces by budding artist, to really well-designed watches, the information contained on the net is just boundless and open to exploration.
I love reading those articles that are posted on facebook. it's a channel of information which i never thought i'd value so much, but through talking with a friend one day and when giving her advice on job interviews (she requested), i recalled the advice from an article i read not too long ago from a link on facebook.
Now and then i do write about these articles on my blog, but sometimes i just copy and paste the link (which may become invalid after years) on my blog or even paste the article. I decided perhaps i should start penning down my thoughts as much as i can since i do have short term memory, but i feel perhaps if i did it will help me hold a greater stand and principle in my life, since for most things i've been rather apathetic and indifferent for most of my life. To remember and make a note somewhere would definitely help me keep a clearer direction and focus in my values and principles. As an introvert, with thoughts swimming in my head and getting lost in my brain all the time, perhaps this is also a small window to my heart for you to peep in my quiet life and thoughts.
Now, to move on to the article.
http://aplus.com/a/this-woman-wants-to-change-how-we-look-at-our-bodies
well, i shall leave it to the next time. it's late and i got distracted haha.
+ val-* @ 1:19 AM
http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20140515-work-life-balance-is-dead
usually i find things posted online pretty interesting and meaningful, and even if they aren't posting about the norm, i usually find their arguments sound and giving a new perspective to stereotypes.
however, i just can't agree how this article on work-life balance turned out. perhaps, if you argued about how work-life balance is dead because other things are sacrificed, or just simply acknowledged that most people now places work as a priority, i would probably resigned to the fact that it probably holds true for most people now.
to say that work-life balance is a concept only for those ambitious overworked professionals is bullshit. it's most likely that those overworked professionals are not able to have such a balance. even if they do, they probably sacrifice other things such as sleep. Still, they get their work-life balance anyway.
the author goes on to argue that work and technology is the thing that takes priority in our lives and have the potential to overtake our personal lives. Yes, it has the potential, you allowed it to happen. you said that you allowed distractions such as email to take over ur lives every single moment of ur life. then you should learn a lesson on time management and setting priorities. i've read great articles giving good advice on exactly how not to fall into the trap that you've described.
i'm going to repeat myself, that balance is a choice. to say that work has taken over your life, perhaps it's time to do some reflection: 1) productivity. 2) efficiency. 3) priorities. if u're planning to give urself an excuse to do work stuff amidst dinner with friends or have work at the back of mind while chilling at home with ur family, that's definitely not a balance don't lie to yourself. there's no such thing as consolidation. in effect your mind is only concentrating on 1 thing - that is, work, and family is just a distraction. if your mind isn't concentrating on work, then work is the distraction to you spending time with ur family. either ways, you fail to spend quality time on either, that's just sad for ur family and non-productive for your work.
sometimes, to achieve work life balance, i admit i do compromise a little on sleep. work-life-sleep is a triangle; once you move nearer to 2 goals you end up sacrificing the last one. it's difficult to maintain it as an equilateral triangle. but with effort, i believe it's still attainable. yes, it takes discipline. yes, it takes planning. yes, it takes reflection. and yes, it's definitely your choice.
+ val-* @ 9:51 PM
I haven't written a post in a long time!
Anw, the first half of this year really flew past! before i know it, it's may! too many things have happened and too many things to thank God for.
Of particular, the penang IBD conference was one to thank God for. it happened on good friday wkend, and i was so reluctant to go initally. indeed i've never missed a good friday celebration before. but my colleague was also a christian and keen to go, so i relented and thought to myself, i guess we could commemorate good friday there together as well.
So we discussed about it, and decided that i would prepare for good friday about the seven last words, and he will prepare for easter, for without the resurrection, what good will good friday be?
During the week before we left, i did 1 word of the seven last words a day, and i typed it in chinese, thinking that we could also share with our bosses who went with us, all the better since they were non-christians. it wasn't easy for me honestly, but somehow i was moved to do it that way, so i did. and i printed 4 copies just so my bosses could have a copy too.
With this on my mind, on the plane there, me and my colleague had many worries - will they feel offended? will they join us in the sharing? will they feel awkward? is it too difficult to understand? can we explain it well?
When we were there, the 1st setback was that there was a nurse staying with us on the 1st day as well. i asked her if she's a christian, she said she is, and a presbyterian at that! BUT she can only read english! so after preparing everything in chinese, i decided i will share in english, praying hard that words don't fail me.
The first day was a long day, and by the time we were at my boss house, it was already near midnight. having to reach the conference venue at 830 the next day, we were supposed to have an early night. but after bathing and talking a little, it was already 1+! me and my colleague kept exchanging looks and we didn't know if we should still involve our boss in the discussion, when the nurse suddenly said, "(boss's name), we are going to have a short sharing about good friday, would you like to join us?"
you can't imagine how grateful i am for this angel that God planted just that the right moment. she was staying with us not ytd, not tmr, but today right there and then! so glad i actually asked her to join in our sharing! thank God! my boss agreed, so i got my notes, and we sat on the floor and started our sharing. what i shared was definitely not through my own strength or knowledge or wisdom. i felt really humbled at that point of time. after we closed in sharing and prayer, the nurse prayed for my boss too. in our hearts, me and my colleague truly wished that this had planted a seed in his heart.
the next day, my colleague asked me if i worried about what my boss is thinking after the sharing. i told him very honestly that i actually didnt think much about it. i was at peace with the fact that God lead us through to having this sharing, and God will do the rest too(:
now and then i will still think about the sharing, giving thanks for the opportunity. and after the trip, i became closer to my boss, so when we talked, sometimes i will share a little about God, to tell him that i prayed for him for this and that, hoping that through little things, God will slowly creep into his heart.
then just 2 days ago,while i was chatting with my boss on whatsapp, he suddenly mentioned about the good friday sharing. he said it was interesting and thanked me for sharing it. imagine my joy! imagine what a miracle that is! immediately i text my colleague and he was joyful too! really, what more can u say about God's guidance and the work of the Holy Spirit! really hope we can continue to shine as light and bear testimony for God. definitely it's still a long way to go, but let us not be impatient and persevere in the good work!
+ val-* @ 9:59 PM