Having "Me" Time

Accidents do happen. When they do, no one wants it to happen and no matter what kind of accident it is, it always brings up a range of emotions. Yesterday, I crashed my car into the car in front of me while waiting for a turn. A dumb accident indeed caused by my somehow stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake. Good thing it wasn’t serious. It was my first real accident ever after over a decade of driving (that’s if you ignore motorcycles leaving their paint on my side mirror or another car hitting the corner of my bumpber). I’ve been fortunate and count my blessings. Most importantly though, yesterday’s lesson reminded me of an important lesson : have a positive attitude no matter what. When I realized what had happened and stopped the car, I immediately got out and went to see the lady in the car in front of me. Luckily she was alright and together we decided to move our cars to the side of the road to avoid causing any traffic jams. It was dark and for awhile both ...

A strange kind of peace seems to have transcended since the New Years.  Maybe it is because I am just getting a little older and a little calmer.   Or maybe it's because I have been enjoying the time truly having some much needed "me" time reading books and being alone with my thoughts.  I think being able to just stay home with uninterrupted time for a few hours on a weekend is indeed a time to cherish and value.  It allows one time to really prioritize and define what is indeed important in life. This year I thought about why we all like Christmas and New Years so much.  I always enjoyed it but never really gave much thought to why we can't spend the rest of our year thinking it's Christmas or New Years.  Wouldn't life be so much more pleasant? For me, I discovered that Christmas and New Years are a good time for one to re-tune and get back in touch with those most dear to us.   It's when we often go out to eat ...

It's 2012. It's the year the world as we know it is supposed to end.  There's a whole movie dedicated to this year which I haven't seen yet, but many tell me it is strikingly familiar with earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and any kind of natural disaster you can think about.  Whatever happens, let's not live in fear about what will or could happen.  Let's approach 2012 from another perspective.  Let it be a year of new beginnings, new adventures and new life. Let it be a year you can say was your year. Life for me is a lot about what you make of it.   New Years is a good time for us to reconsider what is important to us, what it is we want to accomplish this year and most importantly, what it is we learnt the past year. I know I've learnt a lot and there is still much I have to learn.  One of the most important things I've learnt though is that your life is in your hands. If there is something about you that you don't like, you don't have ...

Tonight is my third and last post on Valentine's for the year.  No more for 2011.  What else can I write about when the day we have been looking forward to (or dreading) has finally arrived?  I think overall it was a good day, or perhaps I am a little biased and always towards the positive side.  I somehow felt that today was filled with more "positive" energy than on other days.  On facebook since early morning, people were wishing each other "Happy Valentine's Day," sending out words of love.   On the streets and in my office, there were people receiving bouquets of flowers and looks of happiness filled the air.  People were smiling everywhere. On my way home, I unintentionally spied two guys staring each other in the face while a girl stood by.  I think there was something going on there, but then it was going on for love.  There'll probably be lessons being learnt tonight about love and relationships, but then that's all part of li...

When I was young, I used to take everything seriously.  I'd get upset if I go into a store and found an unresponsive salesperson, or one who was too pushy.  I'd get upset if someone cuts in line in front of me orders the last few servings of that delicious cake I'd been eying.   Being given the dinner bill before asking for it.... All these little things used to make me upset and it'd end up ruining the rest of of day.  I'll go on ranting about my "bad" experience and complain incessantly.  My complaining probably annoyed everyone else around me too.  Now, I am trying a new approach to everything and it's working pretty well so far.  I'm just laughing everything off :) Yes, LAUGHING it off with a big grin and a big smile. Laughing is actually beneficial for your health and we would all benefit if we added a little laughter into our lives.  For one thing,  laughing is widely believed to reduce stress hormones while...