Don't exactly live Life in your terms

Success has a way of building up a fallacy in infallibility.
Replicated success feels the Ego into The State of Hubris.

Exactly. If you think you're the Best, better be prepared to get Worse


Read the papers today and saw depressing figures of SG's GDP growth falling to the negative territory. Virtually unheard of, in SG's terms. Just about a yr back, the papers were heralding about the solid economic fundamentals and the lustre of the IR. Now, its situation reverse. Apparently, services makes up 70% of SG's economy, and the sector is shrinking, which was a factor causing the regression.


BUT! Interestingly enough, financial services wasnt the services sinker. It did pretty decent, about 7% year on year. It was hotel, restaurants that was lacklustre. In fact, it was the most grim. The IR has been hailed as one of SG's concoction of economic "formulaic potential success". Never mind the controversy, how it may weaken the moral fibre of the country, vis-a-vis the lucrative economic potential.

Is it hubris? Well, i don't know. I believe the reason why SG thrived so much relative to our neighbours, it because the country's work ethics on the whole, are built on sound foundations, and morally upright. Face it, we are blessed. Blessed beyond words. Everytime i meet a PR, he/she will ask me if im Sporean, and proceed to say that indeed i'm very blessed. Definitely, i nod to that. How is it then we are spared from the tsunami, when others have their homes wrecked, families splitted, and not a ounce of water spilled more than it should on our shores. This is not luck.


Again, is it hubris? I'm worried really. Seems that whilst SG has become more cosmopolitan, seems that everything else has also become more homogenous, and relenting. Perimeters, constantly pushed back, all in the name of open-arms inclusion. I seriously hope and pray that whatever the Govt leaders implement, it's with the awareness of moral consequence.

Cause problem comes when one thinks that he is too good too fail. And that self-indulgence slackens the conscience into thinking like one's always on top of things. That thought is so not true. Bottomline, Count blessings and attribute it to Above.

Thinking Aloud

Today is a bad day. Bad because there are problems to deal with and there are no available options to take on, without shouldering on the undesired opportunity costs. (one of the 2 economic theories that i dislike. The other being law of diminishing marginal utility, and how it relates to unsatisfactory Swensons' topless 5, when it turns into coloured soup. )


These days problems get really challenging to deal with. As a child, problems are relatively easier to handle. Because it's usually something quantitative. Like how my brother "really really" wants to play so bad for 30mins, and wants not to study 30mins so much badder. I mean, by all means go ahead. When things start to take on emotional tones, it gets harder to deal with. Sometimes going either ways means hurting A, to placate B, or agonizing C for the benefit of D & E. Sitting on the fence doesnt work also. And in my colleague's words "when you choose not to doing anything, you are making a stand". Oh boy, so annoying.


Otherwise we can have:

1) The "see-how-it-goes" method.
Otherwise referred as the by-the-way thing. After some failed attempts, i learned that this default mode leads to much passive-aggressive thoughts. Its a periodic downward spiral that is very frustrating, as it doesn't solve the problem. It leaves the problem a free rein to fraternize with many random variables. In the end, the problem is NOT solved.
- BAD recourse.


2) The (self) Denial
My favourite. This is actually really therapeutic. But dissipates after 40 winks.


3) The Pros & Cons Mindmapper
Why it is good - Love the way that it is so logical. Label each action with an adjective. Fuss-free
Why it is bad - Try labelling emotions involved with even more adjectives to describe that. An emotion "sad" degenerates to a mind numbing use of superlatives: from "very sad", to "very very sad" to "very very very sad". Perpetually Pointless.


4) Shave a mountain to a molehill
Smaller perspectives make it easier to deal with the problem on a logical and is less emotionally straining. Like how your digestive system works. Props to that.


5) Pray & leave it in His Hands
Afterall, who is the Only that can see beyond the horizon?


Best problem solving way:
4) Panic little, fret not. Minimize mountains to smaller-than-life perspectives. As my Mum always say "You have to live through a day. Either you can choose to live a day feeling really crummy, or you can choose to live a day feeling really happy." Food for thought. 5) Pray and entrust all problems to Him. He is never changing, ever knowing. Who else can possibly know better?


The mere recount of these blogged out words has inherently made me feel so much calmer and stronger to deal with tomorrow. Afterall, each problem, once overcomed, helps us see better within ourselves, better in terms of our perspective and attitudes towards Life. Let nothing demolish the wide-eyed innocence and eagerness from childhood. Let not age be a excuse for cynicism.


Sweet dreams!

2 Cents

2 cents :


The fountain of youth can be a dearth of something....When youth is on your side, age is working against you. A strange age = ability equation, if you must. It's a tricky situation to get round, to convince a older person to accept a new idea, without coming across as being pushy/arrogant. i got myself in a sticky situation because i guess, vibes gotten off in the wrong manner. Probably it is the generation mindset that younger ones should not "contest" their elders.


Respect is a must but disagreement doesn't necessarily take a piece out of the respect. I think logic shouldn't be compromised just because of experience...but of course the approach taken can be improved. Approach, seems to be more important than the content of the said disagreement.


Academic qualifications. Important, not important...hmm subjective. For people with scanty experience, qualifications is definitely a way to gain speaking rights amongst the more experienced. Thereafter, will be a path of proving a level of competence which (sad to say) can only be escalated by a lot of hard work.


Just my 2 cents on: How to Float Your Basic Idea Across


inflation does no favours to the 2 cents. :(

Thoughts

Picked up the Lil' bro from his new school on a Friday evening. His new school is coincidently, my old school---The Grand Dame, NJC. From what he says of school, it totally gathers the vibe of a very amused and excited young man (*wriggles eyebrows). Maybe its the Girls or The Long Pants, or both. 1st time venturing back to the school compound since 2003 and its pretty amazing that it hasn't changed, at all. The parade square, the hike up the slope, all the same. i said to him, "wow. cant believe just like that, it was 6 yrs ago." It's scary because it really does seem not that long and that period of time could be 10% of a person's lifespan...well...as morbid as it sounds..Kind of anxious that Time may not allow us the luxury of doing all the things we wish to embark on.So i guess, Treasure the loved ones around, make the most of every day!

Seperately, i was travelling along the BJ Sheares and must say, am very happy to see all the capsules up on the SG Flyer. Can't wait to get on that Ferris..reckon the view will be damn awesome.

Anyways, i snitched this quote from somewhere which i think is deep and worth a second ponder:

"Perfect love is not about form but about its journey and its strife".

Putting into Perspective

The skill of self-sustaining and the process of sharpening this skill is a necessary path to go through. Self-sustaining beyond coping with the physical needs, but to hold the mental and emotional psyche well, independently. The environment will change, but a self-sustaining person, sustains. (for lack of a better word) The depth of this depends on the depth of the person, quite akin to the depth of the foundations of a building. The deeper the foundations, the higher the structure.

Sounds so logical that it seems unnecessary to voice. But in order to be in a good position to help others, it is necessary to be self-sustainable. So that those in the process can count for support in their process to sharpen their skill. I personally like the idea because it brings to mind two things that an older friend repeatedly said :
- You need to help yourself, in order to help others.
- You need to love yourself, in confidence, not conceitedness, in order to help others.

Life is such that sometimes things people say dont mean anything to you at that point, but somehow it sheds light later on.