The first quarter of this year is drawing to a close. So many things have happened, one of which is kind of a life-changing thing. It made me realize that life is too short, so enjoy it to the fullest while you are able.
Today is a day of inspiration.. Inspired by many beautiful things I chanced upon.. Namely three things:
1) The video of the duet "Endless Love" by Lionel Richie and Shania Twain
This has always been a beautiful classic love song. I loved it when Lionel Richie and Diana Ross sang it together. I love the upbeat twist to the new country version by Shania Twain and Lionel Richie.
When I saw the video on Youtube today, I was even more enthralled by the simplicity of the video yet the inner meaning it carried. The video starts off with Lionel dressed in offwhite in a monochrome and mostly white house by the beach; the furniture, the walls and even the grand piano are in shades of white. As he sings, little frames on the wall show a black and white Shania singing as she rides on a horse on the beach.
As the song proceeds, Lionel walks around the house, looking wistfully at the animated frames on the wall with Shania in them. The frames get bigger and as the song intensifies, suddenly, Lionel draws back the curtains and look out on the beach. The next scene shows Lionel leaving the house, with a change of clothes to black shirt and pants.
Shania comes riding on her horse up the beach, while Lionel walks excitedly towards her. The surroundings in full colour becomes obvious as the two unite.
I interpreted it that life was black and white when the two were apart, and Lionel could only see images of Shania in his imagination, such as the frames in his house. But when they are together again, life becomes more colourful and meaningful. This is very true, because what else can bring colour to your life except the one you love? :)
2) A picture of an old couple, with the words:
"How did we manage to stay together for 65 years?"
"We were born in a time when if something was broken, we would fix it, not throw it away..."
This hits me because as we face problems in our relationship, there may one day be a tendency for either party to just give up and walk away. I wish that day will never come, because I really cherish our happiness together.
In the olden days, people were poor and had to make do with whatever they had. If things broke, they would mend it instead of spending hard-earned money to get a new one. In today's world, the cost of repairing something that is broken is almost equivalent (or sometimes even higher) to the cost of getting a new one.
Consumerism has led to such a phenomenon; there is so much more wastage in this world. People have lost the ability to cherish, the desire for quality.
In a relationship, when there are problems, we cannot simply toss them away in the garbage. They can be fixed, and when they are, they won't be problems anymore.
In another perspective, when a relationship seems like it is broken, the two parties should not walk away or trash what they had. Instead, they should get together and try to make amends, try to fix what has been broken.
Very inspiring for our relationship, which has gotten into some vicious cycles of sort lately. I want to spend another 65 years with you :) so I want to treasure everything we have. I'm gonna stick this picture up in our new place pretty soon!
3) My roommate throwing away a bunch of food that seemed perfectly edible.
My heart crumbles when I see people throwing away perfectly good food.. To some, it may be stale/distasteful/gross to eat, but it may be a matter of life or death to some people starving to death. That's why I always finish up my food; and when I don't, I keep them away for later. Somehow, I wish those food that people/restaurants throw away can magically land up in the hands of the hungry so they can at least have some to eat. Every grain, every morsel counts. Cherish your food and think about all the hungry people in the world the next time you are about to throw away the leftovers on your plate.
Some say we can control how much we eat. But what about restaurants? What about amateur cooks like myself who cook more than enough sometimes? Even eating the pizza crust that you dislike will make a difference to not wasting food. Just remember, each time you waste a bite of food, someone else is looking at you, just longing for just one bite.
These are my ponderings for the day. All simple thoughts, but very impactful on my mind. Speaking of impact, my boss hates that word. HAHA!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy 2012!
Farewell 2011, you have been kind. Hello 2012, I hope you will be even more awesome!
2011 passed by so quick and many things happened so fast I can't even keep track of them all!
No. 1 highlight of the year: My JOB!
I was very fortunate to have found a job that I can proudly say I enjoy every single day! On my vacation days or the days that I have to miss work, I find myself yearning to go to work. Very strange indeed. Almost one year there now, hooray!
With work taking up most of my time, I have come to appreciate the little pockets of time on the weekends to spend with JS, who is forever swamped with schoolwork..
Was also busy studying for the CSC course which I have now passed!! Now I have all the time in the world to do my other projects I've been meaning to do!!
Most of the drama this year happened in the last two months.. New circumstances have changed the atmosphere of the house I was living at and has thus resulted in me moving to a new place.
Just pretty astounded by how low some people would stoop to get my money. Shall not say too much, but KARMA will definitely bite you back. I'm here in my new place, not yet loving it but will definitely get used to it ;)
Here's to an even better year ahead! Cheers!
2011 passed by so quick and many things happened so fast I can't even keep track of them all!
No. 1 highlight of the year: My JOB!
I was very fortunate to have found a job that I can proudly say I enjoy every single day! On my vacation days or the days that I have to miss work, I find myself yearning to go to work. Very strange indeed. Almost one year there now, hooray!
With work taking up most of my time, I have come to appreciate the little pockets of time on the weekends to spend with JS, who is forever swamped with schoolwork..
Was also busy studying for the CSC course which I have now passed!! Now I have all the time in the world to do my other projects I've been meaning to do!!
Most of the drama this year happened in the last two months.. New circumstances have changed the atmosphere of the house I was living at and has thus resulted in me moving to a new place.
Just pretty astounded by how low some people would stoop to get my money. Shall not say too much, but KARMA will definitely bite you back. I'm here in my new place, not yet loving it but will definitely get used to it ;)
Here's to an even better year ahead! Cheers!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Career Dreams
A sudden realization hit me this evening. I better write this down before I forget it..
I realized my ultimate dream career would be a journalist for something casual, like the 24 Hours newspaper. My current job has made me fall in love with words even more, but I know I lack the professionalism in putting them together eloquently.
I have always loved reading and writing from a young age, and still do. I remember I used to make dozens of little "books" in elementary school and fill them up with words as I dreamed of being an author when I grew up.
Now, I do not want to write books. I just want to write for a living. With my current editing experience, I wonder what kind of future I can go after. If I become rich, I might go for a journalism degree and learn to write better.
My job has two sides: the financial side and the language side. I certainly am more interested in the language side, especially because English is such a whimsical, fun language to play around with, at the same time being so expressive about emotions and feelings. Financial stuff? Not for me.
I find it almost repulsive to study how people are manipulating something that does not actually exist -- MONEY. People try so hard to earn more and more, but ultimately it's a never-ending ceiling they are trying to reach. Why not just sit back and watch the world go by, spending a little more time thinking about just, thoughts?
We live in a materialistic world. I have said this numerous times, I really do not need money to be happy. Just enough to live by, and derive happiness from simple things like viewing breathtaking scenery or feeling the ocean breeze by the beach.
Someday, I'd like to follow the journalist career path. :)
I realized my ultimate dream career would be a journalist for something casual, like the 24 Hours newspaper. My current job has made me fall in love with words even more, but I know I lack the professionalism in putting them together eloquently.
I have always loved reading and writing from a young age, and still do. I remember I used to make dozens of little "books" in elementary school and fill them up with words as I dreamed of being an author when I grew up.
Now, I do not want to write books. I just want to write for a living. With my current editing experience, I wonder what kind of future I can go after. If I become rich, I might go for a journalism degree and learn to write better.
My job has two sides: the financial side and the language side. I certainly am more interested in the language side, especially because English is such a whimsical, fun language to play around with, at the same time being so expressive about emotions and feelings. Financial stuff? Not for me.
I find it almost repulsive to study how people are manipulating something that does not actually exist -- MONEY. People try so hard to earn more and more, but ultimately it's a never-ending ceiling they are trying to reach. Why not just sit back and watch the world go by, spending a little more time thinking about just, thoughts?
We live in a materialistic world. I have said this numerous times, I really do not need money to be happy. Just enough to live by, and derive happiness from simple things like viewing breathtaking scenery or feeling the ocean breeze by the beach.
Someday, I'd like to follow the journalist career path. :)
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Live life, spend money
A coworker always talks nonsense and makes useless remarks, but one of his nonsensical statements actually got me thinking and writing this post.
He always asks, "So Nikki, you make all this money; where are you going to find the time to spend it?" I always give him a useless answer or just ignore and continue with my work, but now that I give it more than 5 seconds of thought, it is a really important answer to ponder about.
True, I make enough money to pay rent, buy groceries, pay bills.. Basically, enough to survive. More than enough, I'll say.. I put away almost half of every paycheque and it's just sitting in the bank account. At some point in time, I'll probably have to give a portion to it to my parents (they've been asking me! Can you believe that?!), but I'm still hoping to save up for our future in Canada.
Living standards are high in Vancouver, one of the most livable cities in the world (fell from No. 1 spot already, but still No. 1 in my heart).. It certainly is important to save up for a house, probably a car, and most importantly, to start a family. I may still feel young but it's about time to start planning (or at least giving it a thought) about these things.
But contradicting my own previous statement, it is also important to know when to spend my hard-earned money. As they saying goes, "If tomorrow never comes.." What are you going to do if it was the end of the world and you don't even have a chance to enjoy life and reward yourself?
I used to be very tight with my money, never eating out unless I am hanging out with friends, deter myself from buying pointless things, etc.. But the boyfriend has encouraged me to spend more on the things that I like to make myself happy. I used to think that was bad news for my bank account, because money would hypothetically flow out faster than it flows in.
But now, he's the one keeping a vigil eye on his bank account because he put away some savings.. That kind of makes two of us who are saving our money. Now I'm more used to spending, it's kind of strange to be holding back again. I realized the difficult task of spending to make yourself happy and yet keep track of what you are spending and saving.
These days we don't eat out as much because school has started and he's so busy! That also means less activities and date nights, but we did so much in summer it's time for a break!
This might have gone a little sidetracked, but I realize that as I keep earning money, I should also keep spending to reward myself once in a while, at the same time put away enough for our future.. Spending money is not a rational action, so you have to make it justifiable most of the time and keep irrational spending to a minimum.
I'm glad that I still do not wish for branded clothes/bags/accessories.. Back to the topic, I think I value my free time more now that I am so swamped with work days.. I spend all these time working, so I should also find free time to enjoy myself, instead of squirreling away all this money. Work is important, but knowing when to spend your money is more important.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Boris Gardiner - I Want To Wake With You
Boris Gardiner - I Want To Wake With You
I want to wake up with you
I want to be there when you open your eyes
I want you to be
The first thing that I see
I want to wake up with you
I want lay by your side, baby
I want to feel every beat of your heart
And throughout the night
I want to hold you tight
I want to wake up with you
All the love inside me has been sleeping
Waiting till the right one came along
You can share the love that I have been keeping, baby
You can put the music to my song
I want to wake up with you
I want to reach out and know that you're there
I want you to be
The first thing that I'll see
I want to wake up with you
And throughout the night
I want to hold you tight
I want to wake up with you
All the love inside me has been sleeping
Waiting till the right one came along
You can share the love I have been keeping
You can put the music to my song
I want to wake up with you
I want to reach out and know that you're there
I want you to be
The first thing that I'll see...
-- Because you're the only one I want to wake up with ♥ I love you so much...
I want to wake up with you
I want to be there when you open your eyes
I want you to be
The first thing that I see
I want to wake up with you
I want lay by your side, baby
I want to feel every beat of your heart
And throughout the night
I want to hold you tight
I want to wake up with you
All the love inside me has been sleeping
Waiting till the right one came along
You can share the love that I have been keeping, baby
You can put the music to my song
I want to wake up with you
I want to reach out and know that you're there
I want you to be
The first thing that I'll see
I want to wake up with you
And throughout the night
I want to hold you tight
I want to wake up with you
All the love inside me has been sleeping
Waiting till the right one came along
You can share the love I have been keeping
You can put the music to my song
I want to wake up with you
I want to reach out and know that you're there
I want you to be
The first thing that I'll see...
-- Because you're the only one I want to wake up with ♥ I love you so much...
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Back after 8 months?
Sorry for going missing for errr... practically 8 months? I didn't really realize how much I blogged here before.. The whole entire reason why I went missing is of course... WORK.
I managed to find a job that is what I like to do and have thought of doing, which turned out to be great. It was a whole new experience, but I settled in very quickly. I like the paperless environment, non-personal communication. I can't say that I like the early hours of 6am, but I can't say I dislike getting off at 2pm.
Making more money makes me realize how busy life can get, and earning money is not the main purpose. We have to get out and enjoy life, breathe the crisp air and bask in the beautiful sunshine. Money is also meant to be spent, and I did that with a lovely 2-week vacation back home. It was a short time, but it was enough to make me realize Vancouver is the place I want to be.
Many many life realizations have come to me in the last few months, but I haven't had any time to pen down my thoughts. Maybe I ought to start again, so that one day I can look back and wonder why I was at that stage and learn lessons from myself.
Off to meet some friends for dinner! But I will be back! I have all these thoughts in my brain that I would like to declutter and sort them out. Till next time, ciao!
I managed to find a job that is what I like to do and have thought of doing, which turned out to be great. It was a whole new experience, but I settled in very quickly. I like the paperless environment, non-personal communication. I can't say that I like the early hours of 6am, but I can't say I dislike getting off at 2pm.
Making more money makes me realize how busy life can get, and earning money is not the main purpose. We have to get out and enjoy life, breathe the crisp air and bask in the beautiful sunshine. Money is also meant to be spent, and I did that with a lovely 2-week vacation back home. It was a short time, but it was enough to make me realize Vancouver is the place I want to be.
Many many life realizations have come to me in the last few months, but I haven't had any time to pen down my thoughts. Maybe I ought to start again, so that one day I can look back and wonder why I was at that stage and learn lessons from myself.
Off to meet some friends for dinner! But I will be back! I have all these thoughts in my brain that I would like to declutter and sort them out. Till next time, ciao!
Monday, January 24, 2011
The rest of the 30 Day Challenge
Oops, 3 months later, and I continue my 30 Day Challenge.. LOL! So much for doing it every day!~ Let's just do the later half all at once now! I am so funny~~
Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
I don't listen to music on my iPod.. I listen to music on the radio :D
Day 16- Another picture of yourself
Too lazy to post pics already :D
Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Hmm, this is interesting to think about.. I cannot think of any right now...
Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have
Learn Italian! Learn Korean! Get married! Be Canadian! Take great photos with my (new!) DSLR! So much to do, so much laziness :S
Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Chunz: The secondary school gang; we all have some part of our names, and we add a 'z' to the end.. Just sounded so much cooler yo. And then we used Zebra marker to write it on the cement floor at the "hole", our secret hideout during recess.. Sadly we cannot go to revisit these memories, since the old campus has been torn down..
Day 20- Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future
I don't want to jinx it.. Y'all should know who it is ;)
Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy
No pictures, but sunshine and blue skies make me happy :)
Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else
I don't like things that are too popular... Examples would be Jay Chou, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga..
Day 23- Something you crave for a lot
Sushi! Chocolate!
Day 24- A letter to your parents
Hi parents,
We sure are an odd family.
Love, your only child
Day 25- What I would find in your bag
Wallet, 3 X Lanyards (one each for camera, keys, bus pass), phone (but usually in my pocket) -- these are the standard things..
Not-so-standard things range from: Candy, tissue, pad, lipstick, phone charger..
Day 26- What you think about your friends
Friends? What friends?
Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Wanted to test my perseverance (obviously an epic fail), thought it would be an interesting road of self discovery, and boredom.
Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
My looks haven't changed much.. I have opened my heart to love again and I now feel like the luckiest girl on earth ;)
Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned
- Jobhunting is not easy.
- Having endless jobless days is torturing.
- Unemployment is not fun.
Day 30- Who are you?
Why do you want to know who I am? I don't even know who I am.
HAHAHA DONE! Half-arsed answers, I know! I just want to get this over and done with!!! :P
Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
I don't listen to music on my iPod.. I listen to music on the radio :D
Day 16- Another picture of yourself
Too lazy to post pics already :D
Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Hmm, this is interesting to think about.. I cannot think of any right now...
Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have
Learn Italian! Learn Korean! Get married! Be Canadian! Take great photos with my (new!) DSLR! So much to do, so much laziness :S
Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Chunz: The secondary school gang; we all have some part of our names, and we add a 'z' to the end.. Just sounded so much cooler yo. And then we used Zebra marker to write it on the cement floor at the "hole", our secret hideout during recess.. Sadly we cannot go to revisit these memories, since the old campus has been torn down..
Day 20- Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future
I don't want to jinx it.. Y'all should know who it is ;)
Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy
No pictures, but sunshine and blue skies make me happy :)
Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else
I don't like things that are too popular... Examples would be Jay Chou, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga..
Day 23- Something you crave for a lot
Sushi! Chocolate!
Day 24- A letter to your parents
Hi parents,
We sure are an odd family.
Love, your only child
Day 25- What I would find in your bag
Wallet, 3 X Lanyards (one each for camera, keys, bus pass), phone (but usually in my pocket) -- these are the standard things..
Not-so-standard things range from: Candy, tissue, pad, lipstick, phone charger..
Day 26- What you think about your friends
Friends? What friends?
Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Wanted to test my perseverance (obviously an epic fail), thought it would be an interesting road of self discovery, and boredom.
Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
My looks haven't changed much.. I have opened my heart to love again and I now feel like the luckiest girl on earth ;)
Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned
- Jobhunting is not easy.
- Having endless jobless days is torturing.
- Unemployment is not fun.
Day 30- Who are you?
Why do you want to know who I am? I don't even know who I am.
HAHAHA DONE! Half-arsed answers, I know! I just want to get this over and done with!!! :P
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