๐ŸชLife bits + pieces

Embracing the finiteness of life and what remains โณ
A keystone post that I do update as I age and understand life better.
It begins with a simple idea but it becomes a very difficult post. I learned a lot from writing this post myself, especially after pondering more and more about The Death Paradox: You must know your death to truly live your life.

A Journey of Self-Discovery: ่งๅฑฑ่งๆฐด็š„ไธ‰้‡ๅขƒ็•Œ โ›ฐ๏ธ ๐Ÿ’ง
Our perspectives will evolve with time. Life is a process of learning, searching and finding meanings. We need to take time to ponder and reflect on their deeper meanings. I wish I had known this much earlier. 

The races and journey of life ๐Ÿ ๐ŸŽ๏ธ
Life is not about a race for grades followed by the corporate rat race and then, retirement. Life needs not to be a race that everyone else is running to. Rather, it is about defining and living on our own terms.

Fallacies of โ€œOnce Bitten, Twice Shyโ€
The more mistakes and failures we have, the more “bites” we will have and we will shy away from many opportunities. Experiences become a liability. Rather, whenever we are being โ€œbittenโ€, consider whether the bad outcome is the result of our beliefs, being unlucky, imperfect information, or our decision-making process.

A bright future: Own the game โšฝ๐Ÿ€
Life can be difficult. Do we want to moan about them or solve them? Do we blame our lives for being unfair, whining and resigned to fate? We cannot solve lifeโ€™s problems except by solving them. Hope is not a strategy. We have to take responsibility to create possibilities.
Own the game.

๐Ÿ’ก A paradoxical principle for parents: Donโ€™t make your kidโ€™s life easy ๐Ÿ’ก
Money is a magnifier. With the right character and attitude, money can multiply and bring benefits to society at large. Without the right values and character, having money will magnify the characterโ€™s weaknesses and do more harm to himself and the family.

Democracy and Governance: Simple and yet so complicated ๐Ÿ—ณ๏ธ
I am not a political analyst. This is my record of my understanding of the democratic systems. It is not a silver bullet. It can fail; many have and more will fail.

Me + Family ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘งโ€๐Ÿ‘ฆโ€๐Ÿ‘ง

My mother

9 unforgettable experiences from living overseas โœˆ๏ธ
Living overseas was definitely one of the most memorable experiences that everyone should go for.

Story of our 17 years old daughter so far: 6 lessons we learn from her ๐Ÿ‘ง
The story of my 17-year-old daughter so far — what we can learn from her working and online businesses.

Like father, like son; like son, father ๐Ÿง’๐Ÿ‘จ
The story of my 17-year-old son so far — from the bottom of his cohort and climbing up to the top and valuable lessons to learn from.

Books + Videos ๐Ÿ“š๐Ÿ“บ

๐Ÿ“š Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away by Annie Duke
A rare book that focuses on quitting as an important skill to have. Great insight into why people tend to persist too long and become irrational with biases.

๐Ÿ“– When Things Donโ€™t Go Your Way: Zen Wisdom for Difficult Times by Haemin Sumin
Although we desire only positive experiences in life, it is inevitable that we will also encounter difficult times. These challenges, however, are not without purpose. They can serve as valuable opportunities for self-discovery that can lead to emotional maturity and spiritual growth.ย 

๐Ÿ“– The Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story For Work and Life
A great book as it explains an alternative path to the default path that most will take and live their lives. Read and understand the possible alternative path available to us.

๐Ÿ“š The Power of Unwavering Focus by Dandapani
A great book; one that we should have learned and practised much earlier. Lots of useful teachings of life; connecting time and energy (lifeโ€™s greatest gifts) to focus through awareness and the mind. 

๐Ÿ“– The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
An interesting book on what to focus and care about and what not to focus and care about with backward laws.

4 ways of letting go
There will be someone who hurt us, cheated on us or said terrible things. if we do not let it go. keep thinking about them, get angry and feel revengeful, they will continue to hurt us each time we think about them. There is no need to seek revenge. Let them go and the hurting is gone. There are many things we can let go of to lead a happier and more peaceful life.

Casual observations ๐Ÿ’ญ

Singapore: The sheltered nation
Singapore is so sheltered that it obsoletes the umbrellas. It is a metaphor for the extent to which we are taken care of. I am less concerned about what the government should do. I am worried that people are unhappy over what they and others lack and want more with no viable solutions.

Democracy and Governance: Simple and yet so complicated ๐Ÿ—ณ๏ธ
Democracy is very simple: Every eligible citizen votes for the candidate they want to run the country or a specified area. However, the simplicity lies in its complexities and difficulties as democracy evolves with the progress of the country.

Unused and under-used items worth selling and buying ๐Ÿ’ป โŒš ๐Ÿ“ฑ ๐Ÿ“š
Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) marketplace is a good place to find good bargains and to sell our unused and under-used. It has become my top marketplace to buy and sell.