Everyone is feeling melancholic.
0 Comments Published by kang on Saturday, January 14, 2006 at 9:12 PM.
After witnessing a long period of "love is all around" amongst my friends, I suddenly think the season has changed and the atmosphere is clouded with gloominess. (I DO realize the grammar mistake.)
Is it the weather? Is it because school started?
How come people suddenly feeling melancholy ah??
Aye, anywayz, I realize how easy it is for people to feel down and out. Falling short of other people's expectations, falling short of our own expectations, feeling inferior, being mis-treated, feeling un-important, and so on.
I remember I made my parents very upset when I got into AES. Well they didn't say anything, but my then sensitive and fragile heart felt it in full force, and man, with siblings in the family who all did better than u academically, it really sucks. I just had no interest in books at all man. Actually I really didn't know what I was doing. It's not like I neglect studies and play alot.
I wasn't even a happening person! I just... well, slacked.
Okay, that disappointment made me decide to work harder and I got into a JC and eventually got into NUS, with grades that surpassed both my siblings.
But hey, does it stop there?
I remember when I got medals for sports, my dad says that sports are not important and I should study harder instead. When I got As and Bs for 'A's, he questioned why I didn't get straight As.
When I told my parents I was asked to go for IVP trials, instead of thinking "hey, my son can do sports pretty well", they shot me a disgusted look.
Hey I feel like I'm complaining about my family hahah, but I'm not.
All I'm trying to say is, one just has to be good to oneself and be happy. I mean, all these people fretting about their poor results. Wah lau, I feel relieved not going to ITE. And I didn't even go to poly, I came to NUS. And here people are feeling the world is tumbling down because "sigh... I'm the worst student in the world because I didn't get cap 4.6.... Kill me!!"
It's not that I have low expectations of myself. But everyone has limits. Contrary to what motivational speakers say, I truly believe that there are limits to a person's ability. They even say there is no such thing as talent.
They say "even Michael Jordan trains sibeh hard!" But hey, even if I train 10 times harder than him, I doubt I would be able to play better than him.
But so what? I don't take beating Michael Jordan as my sole purpose in life.
Man is greedy, he's never satisfied with his current achievements. And he shouldn't be, but he mustn't be too hard on himself either.
Life is supposed to be lived happily! Here's a great story I got from a book.
"An American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat wih just one fisherman
docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality
of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied,"Only a little while."
The American then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish.
The Mexican said he had enough yo support his family's immediate needs. The American asked,"But what do you do with
the rest of your day?"
The fisherman replied,"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria,
stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine and play the guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy
life, Senor."
The American scoffed,"I am a Harvard M.B.A. and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and, with the
proceeds, buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats. Eventually
you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch directly to the a middleman you would
sell directly to the procesor, eventually owning your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and
distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los
Angeles and eventually New York, where you could run your expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked,"But Senor, how long will all of this take?"
The American replied,"Probably fifteen to twenty years."
"But what then, Senor?"
The American laughed and said,"That's the best part. When the time was right, you would announce an IPO and sell
your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!"
"Millions, Senor,? Then what?"
The American said,"Then you would retire. Move to a small fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little,
play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings, where you could sip
wine and play your guitar with your amigos."
So don't focus so much on the intermediate steps and forget the big picture. One's primary goal in life is to enjoy it!
Learn not to have what you want. Learn instead, to want what you have.
So be happy!
Is it the weather? Is it because school started?
How come people suddenly feeling melancholy ah??
Aye, anywayz, I realize how easy it is for people to feel down and out. Falling short of other people's expectations, falling short of our own expectations, feeling inferior, being mis-treated, feeling un-important, and so on.
I remember I made my parents very upset when I got into AES. Well they didn't say anything, but my then sensitive and fragile heart felt it in full force, and man, with siblings in the family who all did better than u academically, it really sucks. I just had no interest in books at all man. Actually I really didn't know what I was doing. It's not like I neglect studies and play alot.
I wasn't even a happening person! I just... well, slacked.
Okay, that disappointment made me decide to work harder and I got into a JC and eventually got into NUS, with grades that surpassed both my siblings.
But hey, does it stop there?
I remember when I got medals for sports, my dad says that sports are not important and I should study harder instead. When I got As and Bs for 'A's, he questioned why I didn't get straight As.
When I told my parents I was asked to go for IVP trials, instead of thinking "hey, my son can do sports pretty well", they shot me a disgusted look.
Hey I feel like I'm complaining about my family hahah, but I'm not.
All I'm trying to say is, one just has to be good to oneself and be happy. I mean, all these people fretting about their poor results. Wah lau, I feel relieved not going to ITE. And I didn't even go to poly, I came to NUS. And here people are feeling the world is tumbling down because "sigh... I'm the worst student in the world because I didn't get cap 4.6.... Kill me!!"
It's not that I have low expectations of myself. But everyone has limits. Contrary to what motivational speakers say, I truly believe that there are limits to a person's ability. They even say there is no such thing as talent.
They say "even Michael Jordan trains sibeh hard!" But hey, even if I train 10 times harder than him, I doubt I would be able to play better than him.
But so what? I don't take beating Michael Jordan as my sole purpose in life.
Man is greedy, he's never satisfied with his current achievements. And he shouldn't be, but he mustn't be too hard on himself either.
Life is supposed to be lived happily! Here's a great story I got from a book.
"An American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat wih just one fisherman
docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality
of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied,"Only a little while."
The American then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish.
The Mexican said he had enough yo support his family's immediate needs. The American asked,"But what do you do with
the rest of your day?"
The fisherman replied,"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria,
stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine and play the guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy
life, Senor."
The American scoffed,"I am a Harvard M.B.A. and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and, with the
proceeds, buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats. Eventually
you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch directly to the a middleman you would
sell directly to the procesor, eventually owning your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and
distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los
Angeles and eventually New York, where you could run your expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked,"But Senor, how long will all of this take?"
The American replied,"Probably fifteen to twenty years."
"But what then, Senor?"
The American laughed and said,"That's the best part. When the time was right, you would announce an IPO and sell
your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!"
"Millions, Senor,? Then what?"
The American said,"Then you would retire. Move to a small fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little,
play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings, where you could sip
wine and play your guitar with your amigos."
So don't focus so much on the intermediate steps and forget the big picture. One's primary goal in life is to enjoy it!
Learn not to have what you want. Learn instead, to want what you have.
So be happy!
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